Torl's Journey

At lunar rise, Lerot and Alaes were dressed, packed, and ready to go. With stomachs full from the meal just eaten, they left the outsider’s quarters. They paused only long enough for Lerot to check them out before taking a land transport to the in-system star port.

They entered the terminal building and watched the transport leave with other passengers. Then they boarded the shuttle transport for the main star port.

It was Lerot’s intent to leave a little bit of confusion behind them for any who chose to track them later. He had purchased tickets for Sinale Five in their names with his credit mark and had given them to two other travelers who were destined for that location, at half price. This made them happy. And left the departure as something that would have to be physically traced to identify that it wasn’t the hunted that had actually traveled to the in-system location.

He had also purchased the tickets for Selba Three with cash credits. This should help to create some confusion, especially since the Selba System did not have an information sharing agreement with the Senale System. It would take sector intervention to find out where they went from here. And that required more proof than this planet would be able to produce, unless they got someone to talk, and somehow, Lerot knew that that would not occur.

They arrived at the star port without incident. Then the fun began. The immigration control was here in force. It seemed that since they had had no luck in locating the two individuals they were searching for the previous day, that they planned to stake out the star port today and hoped to get lucky.

Lerot’s mind went into high gear, trying to come up with a plan of action that would avoid their being noticed. If they were noticed here, the misdirection that he had set up would be useless. What could they do? He walked Alaes through the star port at a quick but normal pace. When they reached the other side, they exited, as though they did this all the time. Hopefully, no one had noticed. Once outside, Lerot took Alaes for a walk and explained the problem.

She understood and came up with a great suggestion. The immigration control was looking for a man and his daughter. Not a man and his son. She would simply put on some of the farm cloths that Jelru had provided, tuck her hair under a hat, and she could pass for a boy. It might just work.

Alaes and Lerot moved quickly to a deserted alley and proceeded to implement the change. Half a minute later, they emerged from the alley, a man and his son, still carrying their luggage. When they reentered the star port, no one gave them any notice. They went to the terminal and checked in.

The clerk at the counter commented on how unusual Alaes was for a boy’s name. Lerot responded with some comment about the Mother’s sense of humor and they were passed on. They were home free. Then Lerot spotted Selina. It wouldn’t do for her to spot them. She would remember that he had a daughter not a son. She was very good at her job. Almost too good.

They left the star port again to sit and sip refresh drinks at a nearby restaurant until it was almost time to depart. Then they reentered the star port for the last time, avoiding Selina while they found the terminal and boarded the star ship.

Lerot still felt that they were not completely out of danger and knew to trust his instincts. So, as soon as they were settled in their seats, he excused himself and went to the rest room. He stayed there through the remaining time until lift off.

At one point, he thought he heard someone asking for ID’s. If Alaes had had hers, this would have been risky as it showed a girl, while she appeared to be a boy. However, a quick check of his pocket revealed that he still had both the ID’s. They would not press the issue with a young boy when they were looking for a man and his daughter.

He returned to his seat just as the Lift Off gong sounded. When he returned, Alaes told him that Selina had been on board checking ID’s. She had even asked Alaes for hers but did not press the issue when she had shown her ticket instead. Lerot had been right again. If their luck would just hold out a little longer, they might just get through this. He still didn’t relax until the retro’s fired and they were on their way.

The space equivalent of one day passed before the landing gong sounded and the pilot announced that they would be landing in one half hour. He also told them that they would be landing at lunar rise on the planet below.

Alaes had slept most of the trip, so she would be okay, but Lerot had not slept a whole rest period for more than two. This would be a very long trip before it was done...

When they landed, Lerot immediately went to the ticket counter and made reservations on the next flight out destined for Sheltered Six, aboard the Tiranus. There were five flights for that destination in the next two days, but the Tiranus did not leave for three. Lerot had to tell the ticket clerk that he was very particular about accommodations to convince her that they should wait for the Tiranus. This could be a problem, as the clerk would definitely remember him now.

And in three days, the immigration control back on Sinale Seven would know that they had been tricked. They should be okay though, since immigration would not know how they had been tricked yet, but things were getting tight again. Well, all had been taken care of so far, all would be well. Nothing to do but wait. Well, they might as well make the best of it. They would play tourists again.

Within two hours, they had checked into the outsider’s quarters, this time in quarters more appropriate for his adopted station as an auditor. They had to share a sleep room, although it did at least have two beds and a small common room.

Since there was no gambling allowed on this planet, Lerot decided to use cash credits to pay for the room and save what was available in his credit account for any future need. Something told him that this was a wise move and he was now very reliant upon such feelings.

The next three days were relatively uneventful. No one paid any attention to the man and his son who left early in the period on sightseeing tours and returned late in the period to eat and sleep. They saw the black and brown scarred Great Craters caused by Meteors in the days before man brought atmosphere to the planet.

And they visited the Oxygenation and Rehydration plants that melted the large glaciers to provide the air and water necessary to sustain life on this planet.

They toured the imported Wildlife Refuges, seeing animals from almost every planet in the sector. They even saw a few from old Earth. This spoke very well for the wealth that the mineral resources of this planet had provided for its occupants.

They also toured several automated mines producing titanium, ensium, ansel, and several gaseous substances. And on the third day, they visited the Atmospheric Generator Station and the original Survival Dome, the first two buildings to be built on this planet.

At the end of the third day, they checked out of the outsider’s quarters and left for the star port. Lerot checked their luggage and confirmed their suite reservations. It seemed that the Tiranus was a luxury Gambling ship. Lerot had wondered why the cost was high and the travel time long. Now he understood.

Why had Jelru made these arrangements? She surely didn’t think that he had created ID’s compatible with the type of wealth normally associated with travel on these ships. Well, it would give him a chance to deposit more of the credits into his account. He would have to be careful how much he relied on this though, so as not to draw the attention of a tax auditor.

He would also have to watch Alaes; she had learned how to feel the slot machines all too well. If she always won, someone would think that she was cheating. That could mean even more trouble. The families that ran these gambling ships were notorious for handing out swift justice to anyone that they thought was better at cheating than they were.