Floating Sands

Perdition floated down from the stratosphere. Marcy looked out into the orange and red sea awaiting him and breathed a heavy sigh.

The hulking ship clanked all over. There were no illusions about Perdition, inside or out. The hull was a collection of junk from all over the galaxy, somehow coming together to form something functional but not elegant. On the inside, every piece of metal creaked as the beast floated.

The old ship landed thirty yards outside of the market. Some locals looked up. Ships were rare these far off the center, but they know he’s a just a simple smuggler or a merchant. The children however always got excited. They’ve already begun running towards the ship, head full of fantastic stories of faraway lands, exotic foods or toys.

Marcy put his gun away and took a deep breath. Some kid grabbing the pistol and doing something stupid was more likely than him finding any trouble on this dying rock. Going down to the cargo hold Marcy started moving the pallet of supplies he’s carried across three systems and walked out into the blinding red sun. He regretted not being a more superstitious man who could have faith in a hunk of metal and pretend the ship was fine. But Perdition needed repairs and it wasn’t going to be cheap.

Jessie looked up from the shovel wrapped around his arm, tracking the battered ship as it landed just beyond the market. There was nothing amazing about it, but his heart skipped a beat as he watched it settle on the disappearing sands.

Jessie had dreamed of the vast skies and exotic new worlds as far as he could remember. This didn’t make him different. Most dream of the worlds in people’s stories, but the sand oceans have a way of stripping away those dreams over time. Jessie feared this more than anything, because eventually people came to welcome it. The sands becomes a slow comfort. People saw happiness in it. They found love and nostalgia in the orange sea and happily traded in dreams of exploring the galaxies for a quiet, serene life at the edges of it.

Jessie had already started to feel the tug of the sands. He was finding contentment in this rock he’s hated for so long, and it terrified him.
Only thing that separated him from the rest is he knew time was running out, and he had prepared. For the last three years he had offered to help out any mechanic that came through and learned all he could. He bartered for books on engines, parts to tinker with, anything to learn how to keep an aging ship running. Jessie knew to get on one of these ships he needed to offer the pilots a service for the only thing they loved.

Jessie felt his heart thump. All the daydreams, fantasies had become something real. This was the time to act on it and his mind desperately looked for excuses to not do it. This is safe, a voice screamed. There’s the spring gathering in 2 months, it reasoned. Stay for that at least and leave on the next one. There’s always time it begged. But there wasn’t. He had seen it over and over. Time always got its way. He had to try now.

Marcy waited next to the sparse market. No point searching for his client, they’d find him after seeing the ship. The contract was about as illegal as littering, and the money and junk involved was equally petty, but he still knew the kid approaching him with a nervous look on his face wasn’t his client. The boy looked like he might not even own the clothes he was wearing.

Marcy let out at annoyed sigh at the timidly approaching boy. Whatever the kid wanted Marcy wasn’t in the mood to entertain him, but he didn’t want to make a scene before getting paid. The boy flinched but came still.

“what do you want?” Marcy barked as the boy opened his mouth.

Jessie wasn’t caught off-guard. Nobody came up to pilots except to ask for something. He had known he'd have to convince Marcy. His plan was simple, offer to work for free, and ask for as little as possible.

"You fly outside this sector at all?" Jessie asked, as if he was looking to hire the pilot for a job.

Marcy's curiosity heightened at Jessie's tone, but not enough. He looked away not saying a word.

"I ask because this heap of junk ain't got much distance in it, so I'd be careful if you're going far. Unless you're a decent mechanic, which judging by your ship you ain't."

Marcy scoffed. He had caught on to the boy's game, but his ego forced a response. "Let me guess if I take you on you'll fix up my ship and we can go to Neverland without a hitch?"

"This thing is beyond saving but I can keep it running better than you. Maybe having a decent mechanic on board is worth a couple meals a day to you." Jessie was even in his tone. He knew pilots like Marcy weren't interested in doing favors. You got to offer them something more than they're giving up.

"My ship is fine." Marcy was curt.

Jessie felt himself panic a little. He had hit a soft spot on the pilot. Perdition was still the man's ship, and he had struck a nerve saying he couldn't take care of it.

Jessie softened his tone, "You've gotten more out of the old bird than most could, anyone can see that, but she's coming to the end of her days."

He reminded the Pilot how little he was asking for. "I'm real good at this. Wasn't lying about my offer either. Just got to get off this desert, you ain't have to give me anything more than a bed and three meals a day."

Marcy wasn't convinced, folks say anything to get off their tiny corner of space, most times it's just talk. but for the first time he looked at the boy in front of him without disdain. If he wasn't just puffing his chest, he'd be useful for his ship.

"We'll see." said Marcy.

Jessie desperately wanted to push more at the tiny opening, but he knew better than to look desperate.

"I work at the market most days. Ask for Jessie if you don't see me around. They'll point you to my place." Jessie left at that, praying the man would have the guts to seek him out at some point before he leaves.

Marcy didn't take long to find Jessie the next day. He knew he'd have to take a risk long before he entered this planet, and figured the boy was as good as any. He asked folks around the market about Jessie, heard from some people whose little equipment the boy had fixed and had decided. Perdition deserved someone capable looking after her, and the boy was young enough Marcy didn't feel threatened by him. Perdition would still be his.

Marcy saw the boy flash a smile when he saw the old pilot approach, and hid it just as quickly. The boy was careful to hide his desperation but it wasn't hard to see. Marcy found it amusing because there was nothing for him to leverage. The boy had already asked for the bare minimum and once he decided to take him on there was little to negotiate.

Jessie's heart fluttered as he saw Marcy walk towards him, but he stabilized himself. Everything felt real in this moment, but it wasn't. Not yet. He needed to keep his cool for a bit longer. Too much enthusiasm makes people think that's all you have to offer. Jessie couldn't take that risk.

His apprehension was unwarranted. The pilot had come there with his mind made up, and he was going to leave the only world he's ever known.

Marcy gave Jessie ample time to say his goodbyes and was impressed. He wasn't just another sod with a dream. The boy said his goodbyes to his sister and niece and never wavered when they cried, even when he cried alongside them. He carried a rackful of engineering books with him when he came aboard. Marcy was proud of himself for choosing well. Jessie had been studying for this. He wasn't going to be a deadweight and Marcy had picked him out.

"DO SOMETHING!" Jessie screamed pleading at Marcy. It had been 23 days since he had come aboard Perdition. He wasn't seasoned enough to know what Marcy had realized minutes ago. They were dead the moment Perdition hit the electric net.

From the outside the chaos of Perdition being ripped apart looked almost serene. The trap was automatically sprung. Most likely there wasn't even anyone monitoring them this very moment. Jessie and Marcy floated in the vast emptiness alone.

A timer on a computer at the base of the net activated. It triggered the top right sections of the net to turn off, and Perdition shook violently at the sudden imbalance, just for a moment. Then the bridge of Perdition ripped away from the rest of her. In the emptiness of space the moments passed slowly. Two bodies floated away from the destruction of Perdition.

A million miles away the orange sands swayed in the wind.