Aurelius and friends had spent the first couple days doing the tourist thing. They took pictures of every famous place and monument in the Upper Terraces. Yesterday, they had hit all the museums. And there were a lot of them.

The Helix Network was woven into every aspect of Terran life. The people Aurelius passed on the street would periodically stop midstride to interact with open air. They waved their hands and poked at the space in front of them. The Helix user had the ’verse’s wealth of aggregated information at their fingertips. The earrings made the symphony of holographic information visible to anyone wearing them. To Aurelius and his friends, everyone was just acting weird. It was hilarious to watch someone run into a lamppost because they were more intent on their holograms than paying attention to where they were going. What would these people do without their precious technology? Would they even remember how to interact with people? How to carry on a conversation or how to make friends? The questions bounced around in Aurelius’s head. He wondered what would have happened to him growing up in a place like this.

Tonight was the Freedom’s Reach’s last night on Earth, and Aurelius, Jerula, Paul and Nyreen wanted to make the most of it. By now they were done with the museums and the tourist thing. Tonight, they got ready for a night out on the town.

“So if I bring a girl back to the ship tonight, I’ll leave a belt on the door to our bunk.” Jerula said.

“Yeah, sure. I’m totally sure that’s exactly what’s going to happen in an uptight place like this. I’m sure you’ll have no problem getting a girl to come back with you,” Paul joked, sipping a metal flask.

“Hey, It could happen...”

“Right…”

There was a small group of crewmen gathering at the head of a dock where the Freedom’s Reach had been moored. These groups were ready to hop on a tram that would take them into San Francisco proper. Jerula had them hold up and wait for Aurelius. It always seemed to take him longer to get ready than everyone else, even Nyreen who had taken the time to re-dye the blue stripe in her hair. The sun bathed them in an orange glow as it slowly winked away behind the edge of the world.

“Maybe he’s refilling his jet pack...” Paul joked.

Seldom a minute had gone by since Aurelius’s little rocket ride that someone wasn’t congratulating him or joking about it. Aurelius stepped out of the airlock and out onto the landing pad.

“Hey, how do I look?” Aurelius polled his group of friends.

Paul laughed, “You look like the best-dressed space cowboy I’ve ever seen!”

“You look the same as before, just not covered in grease...” Nyreen added.

Jerula hesitated, walking around Aurelius as if to give him a serious opinion, “You forgot the jet pack.”

Maybe it was the delivery more than what he had said but Jerula’s quip made  the group burst into laughter.

“When I bring a girl back to our bunk with that story, I’ll leave a belt on the handle. Just for you, dude,” Aurelius joked.

The groups of Freedom’s Reach personnel began departing the massive stardock. The docks were suspended hundreds of feet over the coast of some place called “Marin”. There were several large vessels the size of the Freedom’s Reach anchored at the facility. These vessels were from other colonies on both sides of the Gate but their crews were nowhere to be found this evening. At the head of the facility was a transit system that the crews boarded that took them into the Lower Streets of San Francisco.

On most areas of Terra Luna, even the slightest bit of alcohol would get you in all sorts of trouble. It had been approved for “recreational” use in San Francisco though, It was part of the culture. The only time alcohol was served was between sundown and midnight. Aurelius was glad they hadn’t come in summer; it would have meant for a short night.

They had heard the clubs and speakeasies on the Lower Streets, just above the Under City, were the places to be on a night like this.

The shops down here were less than nice and tidy but this is where you wanted to come to get cheap souvenirs and fireworks.

“Hey, you wanna get something for your momma? This is the place to do it.” Jerula said.

Paul laughed, “Everything here is probably made in Martian sweatshops.”

The neighborhood was getting gradually more sketchy as they snaked their way down the alleys and further into the Lower Streets. The sun having vanished didn’t help the mood.

“Let’s make sure we all come back together. This place looks kind of rough.” Nyreen said, sticking close to Paul.

“Oh, hell. I grew up in a neighborhood worse than this,” Jerula said.

“I don’t think anyone is going to mess with you here.” Paul said, “You’ve got almost a whole three feet on everyone on this rock.”

It was no joke how much taller Jerula was than everyone else, he looked almost too large beside the short, seemly frail looking Terrans they were passing, almost like he was some different species, “Unless they plan to stab you in the kneecaps, you’re probably safe.”

The choir of laughs was one guy short, “Where did Aurelius go?” Nyreen asked, stopping to look behind her”

“Where did that damn farm boy get off too? We can’t take him anywhere...” Jerula said.

Turning around and retracing their steps, they found him in a used hopper lot, under the hood of one of the crafts. He was elbow deep in a twin-engine, two-seater planet hopper that from the rust and and the grime collecting on it, it looked like it had seen better days.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Jerula yelled.

“Oh my god… It’s intact,” Aurelius yelled back, digging around in one of the engines, “This alone would be worth it.”

“I think the kid’s finally lost it.” Nyreen added as the three of them approached the crappy looking little craft.

“Hey… Do you know what this is?” Aurelius asked the group.

“A tetanus shot waiting to happen?” Jerula answered.

“No… It’s a Sparrow-Class Planet Hopper.”

“So?” Nyreen asked, though it was clear to Aurelius everyone else was mentally asking the same question.

“These things are the Model-T of our time!” He said trying to explain.

“What the hell is a Model-T?” Jerula asked.

Aurelius shook his head, of course they wouldn’t know the reference, “It was an automobile .”

Paul asked the next most obvious question,“What the hell is an automobile?”

“Never mind… I’m saying a craft like this, talk about sturdy and reliable.”

“Yeah, looks real reliable from here.” Jerula said picking at a spot of rust on the hopper’s hull.

“It’s seen some action, but it’s in great shape.” Aurelius said, wishing he had some way to make them see what he was.

“This is great shape? It doesn’t even look flyable.” Jerula flicked the rust off the tip of his finger and step away from the craft.

“Let alone spaceworthy,” Paul added.

“You don’t know how hard these things are to find back home. Everyone wants them because they last so long. They may not have all the bells and whistles of the fancier models, but hell… one of these will be with you till the day you die.”

“That’s because it’s a coffin with rocket engines,” Jerula said.

Nyreen teased Aurelius, “Aww. Let him have his moment… He’s in love.”

Paul let out a surprised whistle when he saw the price tag hanging off one of the wings.

“How much?” Aurelius asked.

“10K… Marked down from twenty-five.”

“Hell, if the Mass Drive was working, it alone would be worth that much.”

“Is the Mass Drive working?” Jerula asked.

Aurelius couldn’t avoid it, “Yeah… Umm… Not so much, but I could get it online in no time with the tools back on the ship.”

“Even if it was working, I don’t think you’re going to fly this thing all the way back home.”

“Of course not,” Aurelius said, looking at Jerula. “That’s where you come in.”

“Huh?”

“You’re pretty cool with the guys in cargo control. Maybe they could stow it. You know, help a Strifer out…”

“No, uh-uh. I’m sorry, not happening…”

“Why not? Throw a tarp over it, and no one would even notice.”

“Yeah, Jerula!” Paul chimed in “You could just tell people it was a pile of your dirty laundry!”

“Okay… Listen… I owe those guys some cash. They ain’t gonna be doing me or you any favors. Besides… Do you even have 10K?”

“No. I’ve got eight, but I could talk the dealer down.”

Jerula facepalmed, “You know I love you, bro… But you ain’t thinking rationally. I’m gonna have to step out, Strifer.”

Nyreen pointed to the office in the back of the yard, at a big “Closed” sign in its window, “I’m so sorry, Aurelius. I don’t think it was meant to be, but hey, there are plenty more ships in the sky.”

“C’mon, let’s go get a few drinks, dance with some gorgeous Terran girls, and you’ll forget all about this.” Jerula said slapping his buddy on the shoulder.

“I don’t want any beautiful Terran girls… I want the spaceship.” Aurelius playfully pouted.

Jerula, Nyreen, and Paul turned and began to walk out of the yard.

“You guys don’t understand! This is one hell of an opportunity I’m missing out on. I want you to remember this come the holidays when you guys don’t get any gifts! Hello!?”

His heart broke just a bit. Oh well. There would be other opportunities, he had to tell himself.

…

Jerula was right, a few drinks later and the booming music of the club made him nearly forget about the lonely little planet hopper sitting out in the yard in the dark. The Terran girls were helping too. They were painfully good looking and made Aurelius hurt in a very special way. He tried his best not to get caught staring at their incredible eyebrows, but he couldn’t help himself. Strifer girls just didn’t wear them like that, and it was a tragedy.

The four Strifer’s stood out like a sore thumb. Jerula would have been the first one people looked at. His stature was almost comically large, nearly having to duck to clear the top of the doors of the bar they had walked into. This only served to strike a contrast with how lanky and pencil thin Paul was. From there some eyes darted to Nyreen next and some to Aurelius. Nyreen’s bright blue streak in her otherwise jet black hair wasn’t even the most grabbing of her features, no that was the intricately detailed tattoo of a marine animal, jumping from an ocean made of flames that worked its way up her left wrist and ran all the way to her shoulder. Needless to say the amount of skin she was showing seemed to be out of place in comparison to the locals. Aurelius might have been the most out of place looking of all of them though. The Northern hemisphere of Earth was primarily dominated by cultures that had come out of the Middle East, The Southern hemisphere was comprised mostly of Asia-originating people, and San Francisco being the de facto capital of it all was mostly a mix of the two. Aurelius’s blond curly hair, light skin tone and wide hazel eyes were almost unheard of here and they drew almost as much attention as a large set of wings or horns would in this crowd.  

It was a stereotype that Southern Terran girls loved Frontier boys. Jerula had no problem cultivating a little congregation of girls bouncing around him. They were so short, Aurelius was pretty sure two of them could stand on each other’s shoulders and just barely be Jerula’s height. It didn’t look like Jerula minded all that much. Aurelius started to get curious what Paul and Nyreen’s tastes were but they were so focused on each other while they sat at the bar, he wondered if they had even noticed the bar even had other people in it.

With Aurelius, the Northern girls had struck a chord. They sat in large groups together, talking amongst themselves in a certain way that seemed to keep others at a certain distance. He watched as they periodically stared into open air, clearly doing something on their Helix holograms, and occasionally coming back to the room just long enough to cast judgmental looks at the guys that would pass by. The stereotype with them was that they looked down upon the “low class” and wouldn’t ever be caught in public with one. They thought they were too good for everyone, let alone a Frontier boy. The men that were actually successfully courting them stood there like lions trying to stare down any guy, let alone a Strifer, that got too close. In their culture, a man was to carry on the family legacy, and rarely would any of his accomplishments be his own individually speaking. Arranged, or at least semi arranged, marriages were still pretty common on Earth in the sense that you didn’t become entangled with anyone of a different social class. Aurelius knew he didn’t stand a chance with any of these types of girls unless they really hated their parents and wanted to rebel for a little while. He knew this from experience with several Terran girls he had met over the years who were in study abroad programs. Strife wasn’t exactly the most common destination for an educational retreat, but many thought just getting to see a place outside of Sol system counted as educational.  
Jerula brought a round of drinks over to Aurelius, Paul, and Nyreen, “You see all these girls? Man, I’ve died and gone to heaven!” he said, “I want that one. That one and that one.”

Aurelius looked out into the crowd.

“Don’t stare!” Jerula said.

“Great, I’m hanging out with a bunch of lecherous perverts,” Nyreen muttered, going unheard over the booming of the music.

A couple of Southern Terran girls were whispering in each other’s ears then made a “come here” motion to Jerula.

“Sorry, but my fans are calling!” he said before heading off to join them.

Paul stood up from his stool and took Nyreen out onto the dance floor. Aurelius figured he’d keep their seats warm and just keep people watching. Truth be told, he liked dancing but couldn’t help but feel like he was looking at all the girls he was interested in from the other side of bulletproof glass. With enough alcohol in his system, Aurelius tossed around the idea of joining his buddies on the dance floor. Damn that liquid courage.

Suddenly the song booming over the bar’s speakers came to an end and the DJ said something in Terranese. The entire room cheered and a spotlight hit the three Strifer’s already out on the floor. Aurelius sat there and watched a fourth spotlight appear on the floor and then slowly search him out like he was an escaped prisoner. Uh-oh. Was this because they didn’t have an Helix earring? The DJ started up the next song. Aurelius didn’t recognize it at first; it had the certain twang you only found in the Frontier, but after the beat kicked in, all four of the Strifers recognized the song. It was one of those ancient cultural-barrier-breaking tracks that everyone knew even if you didn’t know the words. Aurelius had learned to dance to it years ago. Seizing the opportunity, he joined his friends out on the floor. Jerula lead the group, clunky at first, but after a few seconds, they were crotch grabbing to a Frontier version of Michael Jackson’s “Beat-It.” Jerula and Nyreen were naturals. Paul fumbled around, either due to the alcohol or he couldn’t dance, or both. Aurelius was somewhere in the middle but it didn’t matter at this point, the four of them were busting a move and it was fun. The entire room backed up, giving them plenty of space. Thats when Jerula surprised everyone when he jumped down onto the floor and started spinning on his head, his legs spread out like a fan. Aurelius watched in astonishment along with many of the other patrons as his friend pulled his legs in, and spun to a stop, his back flat on the ground, before springing to his feat and gliding backwards in a moonwalk.

Shortly after the song, the evening was reduced to drunken momentary snapshots. Aurelius remembered watching Helix earrings light up indicating to the wearer, and the bartender, that they had reached their legal limit. The Helix generated a blood alcohol ratio based on your height, age, and weight. If you went too far over, you’d be instantly fined.

Watching people poking at the empty air in front of them, trying to find a taxi cab with their Helix holograms was hilarious. It was a wonder no one ever lost an eye.

Aurelius remembered watching Jerula pay their tab and the four of them getting invited to a private after party by someone who spoke broken Strifer. It was down in a speakeasy basement. The room was covered in an egg-carton-like material that blocked out the connection, the prying eyes, of the Helix Network. They could drink to their hearts’ content. The fact none of the Strifer’s could speak Terranese seemed to matter less at this point. When everyone was that far gone, everyone was speaking drunk.

Aurelius sat by himself drinking something from a bottle that neither he nor the person who gave it to him could identify, the closest person could do in his mangled Strifer was to say it was good, and made by, or possibly of a guy named Vijay.

Jerula was off in one corner throwing some odd wooden blocks, they were tiny and seemed to have little dots on the sides. Whatever it was they were doing, Jerula seemed to be doing well because every now and then a loud cheer would come from him and the group around him would clap. Paul and Nyreen had vanished sometime after leaving the bar, and given the way they had been looking at each other, Aurelius was willing to bet they had found a nice out of the way place back on the ship to have their own private party.

Aurelius was half tempted to go and join Jerula in whatever that game was, but it would have been mostly for something to do. What he really wanted to do was to go find a few of those girls from the bar, maybe he could catch one without the personal guard, and he could charm her with his general Strifer-ness, which by now, had been set ablaze with how much alcohol he had had.

The next thing he knew he was sitting on a couch with a woman in his lap, with perfectly cropped, bold eyebrows, dusky brown skin and a body built for squeezing. He had no idea how much she could understand of what he was talking about but a few hand gestures he used to describe that day flying around the outside of the Freedom’s Reach seem to help. Either that or this girl really hated her parents, and hooking up with a crazy Strifer making whooshing sounds was the way she was choosing to express it. Either way Aurelius was good with it. Sadly it seemed her rebellion had it’s limits as she began to pull away after a kiss that turned him red and made her tremble. He knew this game. This was the “Now i’m in over my head” response and he found her letting go of him and standing up. Aurelius watched her go vanishing from the dimly lit room and back out into the streets. He wondered if she would be okay stumbling through the lower streets of the city, but what could he do? As he resolved to stand up and at least make sure she found whomever she had came with, Jerula suddenly appeared in front of him blocking his view of the door the girl left through as well as most of the rest of the room.

“Aww, you really were in love werent you?” he said.

“What?”

“Nah, you just look so sad. You’re not still thinking about that craft sitting out in that dark cold used hopper lot are you?”

Aurelius didn’t know if he was joking or if Jerula just hadn’t seen the second thing to had slipped through his fingers tonight, “No… it’s… she… nevermind… I’m starting to sober up. I think I need another drink…”

“Well it’s on me!” Jerula said throwing his arm over Aurelius shoulder and dragging him bodily over to the crowded bar. It was then Aurelius noticed a large roll of paper money in his hand.

“Where’d you get that?” he asked his very clearly drunk friend.

“I took it from a bunch of guys that thought they could beat me at dice!” he proclaimed as he pointed out to the bartender what he wanted from a picture on the wall.

“It’s not tha…” Aurelius started.

“You’re really busted up about that little hopper I can tell. The look on your face when I found you told me everything I needed to know.” Jerula continued, speaking right over him in his determination to be sympathetic.

“I guess.” Aurelius replied running his hand over his clammy face before trying to scope out a bathroom.

“You really think you could fix up a little piece of shit hopper like that?”

“Of course. It might look a little rusty but things from that era were made to last. It’s like literally only a couple of days, maybe a week’s worth of work with the tools we got onboard.” Aurelius said warming to the subject.

“No shit? Well good cause i’m feeling generous!” Jerula peeled off a small stack of bills and forced them into Aurelius’s hand, “Go getcha yaself something pretty, doll face.”

“Dude… I can’t… You don’t have to..” Aurelius didn’t have time to reply before Jerula interrupted him by standing up on his stool and throwing his hands up in the air, “Hey! Everyone! Next round’s on me!”

Everyone in the speakeasy cheered and stormed the bar. Before he knew it Aurelius was getting pushed off too the side and that’s when things got very, very, hazy...

Next Chapter: Chapter 31: