The Girl in the Tank: Galactic Consortium, Season 1

Episode Seven: The End of Quarantine ch.4

Cheyenne had done her morning shift the next morning in the best mood since coming onboard. While eating her own breakfast, Skype made a noise. Cheyenne didn't recognize the number. She scrunched her brow as she answered it. The State Department wouldn't call her through Skype, would they? Contacting her directly through Consortium tech would make more sense.

"Hey, Cheyenne," her ex-husband's voice greeted her. There was no video. He was on a regular phone.

"What's up?" she asked, suspicion washing over her.

"I just wanted you to know, I am getting my life back in order, like you wanted," he said. "Stop drinking, be there for the kids, you know, be a father."

She thought back to her last conversation with him, weeks ago. "Okay..."

"Yeah, as soon as I get this house, I am going to take custody of the kids, your mom she's got so much on her plate and..."

Take custody? That was the wrong wording to use. "What do you mean, take custody?"

"I'm saying I should be there for them. I am the father. With you stuck up there in space, it's the right thing."

"In a hotel room? You said you were living in a hotel."

"Naw, I got a house. Well, Megan's got a house. Once we get settled in, the kids will have plenty of space. Megan wants kids, she says, wants to be a mother."

"First off," Cheyenne's blood was boiling now, "who the hell is Megan? Is that the one you were shacked up with at the hotel? And if she wants to be a mother, she can get her own kids."

"Megan's my girlfriend, not that it's your business," James shot back. "And no, not the one from the hotel. Suzie took off with some bastard. Don't matter. Megan's got a house and she's getting her life turned around. We're gonna be good parents for the kids, that's all you need to know. Good parents."

"Where are you, James?" Cheyenne asked. He sounded sober but she could hear noise in the background, like he was at a bar.

"Treatment," he replied. "I told you, I am getting my life turned around so I can be there for the kids."

"How long have you been in treatment?"

"Since I got out - four days," he said.

"Since you got out of where?" she demanded.

"I've been here four days," he replied evasively.

"And before that? Where did you get out of?" She had a suspicion but she wanted him to say it.

"I had a misunderstanding. Couple days, is all."

"What were the charges?" she asked. When he didn't answer she added, "I can look up court records online if I have to."

"OWI," he said. "Did a couple days. I am in treatment now and getting better. Gonna be there for the kids."

"Oh, hell no! I am glad you are getting treatment, but you're gonna have to do a lot better than four days if you think I am going to surrender custody. And there's no way you are taking the kids to some floozy bitch you met in treatment. That's total bullshit."

"No, bullshit is you thinking you're taking them up on some spaceship," he spat. "That's crazy."

"Oh, why is that?"

"What about my visitation?"

Cheyenne was shaking with rage. "Your visitation," she sputtered. "You've been right down the street from them for weeks and you haven't even gone! I've been stuck up here, miles away. God, I'd give anything to see them, to touch them. And you've done nothing. Now I am supposed to feel sorry for you and your visitation? Fuck you." She threw the slate across the room, startling Janda and shutting off Skype.

#####

Captain Lannister stood in front of his assembled crew on the main bay of the Spaceship Corelean. It was tight, but now that they were all whole again and standing at attention, they fit. They were all watching him closely. They were wondering, no doubt, why he'd ordered a full assembly. He paused, let the suspense build.

"Men," he said, smiling, "we're going home!"

There was a roar from the crew. Whether they had found the ship pleasant or hostile, they all agreed it was crowded and the weeks had dragged out. To be free again was all anyone longed for.

When the cheer had died down, he went on. "I have the date, the time and the place," he announced. "On October 30th the President of our United States of America and the Consortium's Princess Sarasvat will be christening Shoshone station in the sky above Denver, Colorado. And the crew of the USS Cambridge will be guests of honor at that event." There was another cheer. "Each and every member of this crew will be receiving accommodations from both governments for our part in saving Taipan from a nuclear attack." Another cheer. "After the awards ceremony and the banquet, you will be free to take the elevator down to the surface and return home for a well deserved rest."

Everyone was in high spirits when the assembly was over. October 30th was less than two weeks away. Better still, Kavinda, the chief healer, had also announced that their sievert scores were in an acceptable range to end the quarantine. Within a matter of days the Corelean would dock with a larger ship and the crew would disembark for a more spacious accommodation.

Only Cheyenne hadn't caught the excitement. Her conversation with her ex fouled her mood. If he tried to sue for custody, it would ruin her chances to bring the kids onto the station with her.

She should try to be supportive of his efforts to get clean and sober, even if they were part of some plea bargain to get out of his OWI charge. But all she could feel was anger. Was he that stupid? Couldn't he see? Meeting some woman in a drug treatment center and believing the two of them could somehow raise a family together. Neither had been sober a whole week and yet James expected her to just accept that he'd really changed?

Underneath that was an even deeper burning anger at her mom. How dare she tell James about the station. She'd obviously done it, how else could he know? And she'd done it for this exact purpose. Get him to contest custody to throw a monkey wrench into Cheyenne's plans.

But she couldn't show that anger. If she confronted her mom, she'd cut Cheyenne off from even talking to her children. A helpless rage threatened to overwhelm her.

"Walker," Captain Lannister greeted her as she approached him.

"Captain Lannister, Sir," she began.

"No," he said suddenly, "let's start this over. Call me Sherman." He held out his hand.

"Sherman?" she said, rolling the unfamiliar first name in her mouth.

"We're going to be civvies together," he explained. He tapped the small remaining black patch over his left eye. "They're putting a new eyeball in my socket tomorrow. But it will be another three weeks or so before the eyelid and all that can grow around it. That should be an interesting experience." He grimaced.

"Yeah, well at least it's only one," Cheyenne joked.

"You're right, of course. Anyway, looks like I'll be spending a month or so on that station, too. Be a handful of us. Might as well get familiar. Now, what can I do for you, Cheyenne?"

"I was wondering if you'd heard any news from the State Department?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I hear your mom is dead set against this?"

"Yes, sir. But she's not the custodial parent, I am. But my ex, he's against it, too, and he says he's in treatment. If he tries to contest my custody..." she broke off, shivering.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Lannister said.