Lost Flyght – Chapter 3

An alarm chimes on the bridge, and Asteria leans forward to throw a switch and silence it.

“Now entering Lee Shipyards,” she announces. “We’re almost to the home ship, so now’s the time for any requests.”

Jinzo, Ken, and I crowd the front windows while Asteria navigates the Amagi, and Skylar occupies my usual captain’s seat. Asteria flies on instruments alone, so she doesn’t need the windows. They’re for gawkers like me.

I press my forehead to the window and stare at the mess of ships in front of us. Big and small, old and new — the shipyard is beyond what I expected. Wow, I’ve never seen so many of them in one spot!

“Look, it’s a trash hauler.” Ken points to a small ship attached to a much bigger ball of trash. Of course, I can’t tell it’s trash from this distance, but I know it is. The ship is burning out of the yards at a fast clip, so maybe it had only been by to pick up the shipyard’s own trash. Once space travel became cheap, it was easier to cart our refuse into space and launch it into the local star. That’s how we’ve kept our planets from falling into decline like the Earth. Man, those trash hauling families are some of the wealthiest families in the Duo Systems. I kind of wish we had gotten into trash instead of farming.

Jinzo glances over at his sister.

“You know where I want to go,” he says, throwing a smile over his shoulder. “I want to show Vivian what I’ve been working on for years.”

He takes my hand as Asteria turns the Amagi down an adjacent lane. Asteria’s eyes are flipping back and forth between maps and traffic overlays. She sits in her chair cross-legged like she’s having a relaxing dinner, not piloting a spaceship.

“Coming up on the Taurus now,” she says, bringing the Amagi to a halt. “You want me to turn her on?”

“Yeah,” Jinzo breathes out, pressing his forehead to the window.

Outside, a ship we’re floating next to powers up, and her lights illuminate. I know so little about ships, but I can tell right away that this one is special. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Jinzo squeezes my hand. “This… This is my nest egg. She’s a Taurus 380, and Alpha Core only made ten of her before they went bankrupt the first time.”

I lick my lips as I glance over my shoulder at Skylar. She’s slowly getting to her feet and coming forward. She nudges in between Ken and me and stares open-mouthed at the beautiful ship before us.

“I bought her for next to nothing.” Jinzo traces the line of his ship through the window, his eyes focused on it. “That trader had no idea what he had.” He chuckles softly. “I’ve replaced or upgraded every system over the last ten years. The cabins are all top of the line, luxury. The engines are efficient and fast.” He sighs like he does when he’s in bed with me. My man has it bad for this ship. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to sell it.”

We curve around to the side, and a splash of red comes forward along the hull spelling out, ‘Sansho.’

“I named her after an ancient and famous Japanese movie since Mom did her best to keep the Japanese and Korean traditions from Earth alive at home.”

I crane my head to get a look at this ship from the nose down. “Sansho is also a kind of pepper that grows on trees. I grew one once, in my teens.”

“That is one sexy ship,” Skylar says, watching it slide away in the viewable window. The lights in the ship flicker out, and it returns to a dormant mode, safely tucked away in the backyards of the family playground.

Jinzo turns to me. “I have a buyer, a merchant out of Rio, who’s ready to purchase it and then the money’s yours for the farm.”

I want to ask how much and when, but I remember Marcelo’s words from earlier about Cressida. Don’t look too eager, Vivian.

“It’s a beautiful ship, Jin. Are you sure you want to sell it? Eventually, we could use ships of our own. There’ll still be traveling in our future, even after we get the farm back.”

Jinzo waves his hand. “Please, Vivi. I have six more ships just hanging around the yards.” He shrugs and turns his back to the window to fold his arms across his chest. “The Sansho is special because it’s unique, but it’s not my only asset. The current asking price is one-point-five million credits.”

I swallow my astonished cry. One-point-five million?

“My buyer is desperate to have her. He’s been asking me to sell her for the past two years. I swear, at least once a month I hear from this guy. He’s offering one-point-eight million.”

Ken raises his eyebrows.

One-point-eight million credits could make a sizable dent in my debt, and it far outstrips my previous estimates of getting 500,000 credits from Jinzo.

“So? What do you think?” Jinzo’s eyes are on me, and I’m suddenly feeling sick.

Marcelo’s words swim through my head, “Hera Lee hated that Cressida was obsessed with money and fame.” I glance over at Asteria, and she’s watching me.

If I say yes, what will she think of me? Will she think I’m a greedy, gold-digging bitch trying to bilk her brother?

“I, uh,” I start, but my voice cracks. I clear my throat. “I want you to do what you feel is right.”

That was definitely the wrong thing to say. Jinzo’s eyebrows furrow into a sharp line, and Skylar glances at me as she returns to her spot.

Shit. I’m blowing the perfect moment to tell Jinzo this is the sweetest thing he’s ever done and thank him. My upper lip sweats as I observe him process my last words.

When I look away, he lightly takes my elbow and guides me out of the bridge and down the hall. We stop right around the corner.

My hands find each other, and I wring them.

“Out with it, Vivian. Are you having second thoughts?”

“About you?” He nods. “No. No, I…” I want to tell him I love him because it’s in this moment that I know that I do. That I look at him, and I see our future, a future I can be happy with.

But this is not the time.

“I…”

I close my eyes and breathe out. Truth. Tell him the truth.

“I’m nervous about meeting your mom.” His rigid stance relaxes. “Marcelo told me that your mom never liked Cressida because Cressida is obsessed with wealth and fame, and I…” I rub my face with both my hands and step away from him. “I know I’m obsessed with getting the farm back. I’m beginning to think, maybe, it’s not healthy to be so obsessed. That maybe I should give up and not put all these people that care about me into debt and ruin just because I want my home back. That this is all a huge fucking mistake.”

“Hey, hey,” he says, panicking as the tears roll down my cheeks. He grasps both of my hands. “No. No way. We can’t give up now.” He pulls my hands to his chest and breathes a sigh of relief. “You’ve been so distant this past week. I was wondering what’s bothering you. And all the nightmares… Look, we’re making progress, even if you don’t see it. And your goals are my goals now. I want that farm as much as you do.”

He tugs gently on my hands and shushes me. He hates it when I cry, so I sniff up and try to breathe the tears away. The stress I’ve been under for weeks is wearing me down, like water turning a giant boulder into a pebble.

“When I can’t sleep, you know what I do?” Jinzo asks, and I shake my head. “I close my eyes, and I remember that walk we took on your farm.”

“The one during golden hour?”

He nods, lifting his chin to keep his eyes on mine.

“I can imagine myself there. I can see us all living there together, and let me tell you, I never, ever in my wildest dreams thought I’d consider farming someday.” His smile is sweet and tugs at my heart. “I don’t want to give up on this dream, and you shouldn’t either.”

I drop my head and scuff my shoe on the floor.

“Marcelo is right about my mom and Cressida, but you’re nothing like her. I promise. It’ll be fine.”

He wraps me up in a hug, and I bury my face into his shoulder.

“I’m going to sell the ship, and the money will be ours to put towards the auction. It’s the right thing to do. I’ll sell all of my ships if I have to.”

“You won’t have to.” I sniff up and remove my tear-stained face from his shoulder.

A throat clears behind us.

“We’re docking with the home ship in five minutes,” Asteria says. I turn my back to her so she can’t see my tears. Jinzo’s shirt is wet, though, and if she heard anything, she’s going to think we were fighting.

For fuck’s sake. I am not making a good impression.

I clean up my face and turn around. “Thanks, Asteria. I guess I should go get my bag and dog, then?”

Jinzo nods. “I’ll come with you and get mine too.”

“Okay.” Asteria nods at us both. “We’re docking port side. We’ll all meet in the airlock in five.”

She ducks back inside, and I deflate to Jinzo. “Great. Your sister thinks I’m a mess. I am fucking things up left and right.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He waves me away towards the crew quarters. “Let’s get our bags and Frogger. We’ll deal with the rest later.”

—-

The tap tap tap staccato rhythm of Frogger’s nails on the metal floors of the Lee home ship keep my heart from racing away. Nervous energy jolts through my limbs, but I tense my muscles to keep them still. I place a death grip on Frogger’s leash and hope to God no one notices my white knuckles and forced smile.

Jinzo is a constant stream of chatter and information. This here on the left is the corridor to B wing where most of the staff quarters and schools are. There’s a kennel and full exercise facility for animals two decks down. Oh, and here’s his favorite restaurant, the electronics market he always hid out in as a kid, his uncle’s office, the med bay and dispensary…

The Lee home ship is twice the size of Ossun Orbital Station easily. I’ve heard it’s one of the biggest spaceships in the Duo Systems. Only the military has ships bigger than this.

I swallow in a dry throat as we approach a restricted section. Asteria leads us through and shuts the door behind Gus and Ken. Lia and Carlos are off on their own. I hope they don’t get lost.

“Everything forward of here is family and top staff only,” Jinzo says, placing his hand on my lower back and urging me forward. My leaden feet are slow as I take in the change of scenery. The floors have changed from metal to wood, buffed to a glowing shine. The warm yellow lights are softer, and walls are painted a luscious cream. Even the air feels different, a degree or two cooler and dusted with lavender. I peek into quiet common rooms as we make our way forward and find men lounging in armchairs, reading from tablets, and drinking coffee. I have no idea who they are, but they look like they’re waiting for a spa appointment, not going about their daily routines.

“My apartment is up here on the right. You all have access and can come and go whenever you like.”

We pass by his apartment, and there’s no sign it’s his. Only the number twelve adorns the door.

“Where are we going?” I ask, realizing that we’re leaving the crew and family quarters and heading into more specialized areas.

“Mom’s on the bridge. We’re heading there.” Asteria opens another bulkhead door and leads us through.

Oh damn. The bridge? I think I’m going to be sick. I can’t think of a more intimidating place to meet the new mother-in-law than on the bridge of her super ship.

My head swims like I’ve been plunged underwater and my breathing speeds up, becoming shallower by the millisecond. No, Vivian. Now is not the time to panic…

But my brain is at war. It’s tired, it’s stressed out, and all my other Vivians I call on to help me are surprisingly absent. It’s like they know I’m heading to my own funeral.

“Wait,” Ken says, and his voice sounds like it’s underwater. He grasps my arms and looks into my eyes. “You’re on the verge of an anxiety attack.”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out but a grunt.

“Breathe in.” Ken inhales. “Breathe out.” He exhales, and I follow him.

“Want some meds?” Gus asks, bringing his bag around to his front. “I’m fully stocked.”

I shake my head and continue with the breathing until the darkness in my vision recedes, and I surface from the watery grave I had been sinking into.

“It’s going to be fine,” Ken assures me. “Remember when you met my mom, and she got you drunk?”

I nod with my lips pressed shut. I do remember. Juliana has the alcohol tolerance of five burly men put together. We bonded right away.

“You’ll be fine.”

People keep saying that, and I’m starting to not believe them.

Once I’m back in my own head after a few more breaths, I pull myself together and give myself a pep talk. Hey, I’ve done worse and more stressful things in my life than meet my new boyfriend’s mother… I can do this, yeah.

But the reality is that I’ve never been this stressed out accumulatively. School was hard, but it was nothing compared to this. School was clear assignments with deadlines. It wasn’t a choice between eating or being homeless. I run my hands down my shirt to straighten myself up and feel my ribs too close to the surface. The extra padding of softness I got from eating my anger away is gone now that keeping the fridge stocked becomes harder with fewer credits in the bank.

I need to ask Ken and Jinzo for the money and move on.

“Okay. I’m good. I’m good,” I say, more to convince myself than anyone else. “Just a small panic. Nothing major.” I turn on a smile that would melt metal at one hundred paces. “Let’s go.”

I’m not surprised to see matching dubious expressions on Jinzo and Asteria. Asteria comes forward and squeezes my arm.

“My husband, Jonathan, was so nervous about meeting my mom that he chewed his fingernails till his fingers bled. They’re now the best of friends.”

I present her a weak smile and then squeeze her arm back. “Thank you.”

I follow them onto the bridge, and I’m impressed with its size and depth. Everything is state-of-the-art, which is notable for a ship this old and massive. Hera Lee doesn’t scrimp on improvements, and it gives me relief to see in concrete ways that she cares about her legacy.

Asteria rushes forward to a station halfway across the upper deck to a woman I’ve only seen in photographs, but those photographs have never captured her stature and grace.

Hera Lee is the embodiment of quiet beauty. Jinzo had said their Earth lineage was Korean and Japanese, and the features of both make her stand out in a crowd. I see where he gets his good looks from. Her hair is up in a loose knot, and she wears comfortable flowing pants with a snug wrap-around long sleeve blue top. Even though she’s a short woman, her neck and limbs are long and graceful. I immediately like her, before she’s even opened her mouth or looked my way.

While Asteria whispers with her mother, I glance around the bridge. This is not a military vessel, so everyone is wearing civilian clothing. The mash of cultures and colors relaxes me and releases some of the tension in my shoulders. No one pays us any mind. They all have jobs to do that don’t relate to visitors on the bridge.

Frogger whimpers at my side, so I bend down and scratch his head. “Sit, boy. I’ll take you for a walk later.” I kiss him on the top of his head.

When I look up, Hera Lee has turned towards us. Her face is unreadable for a moment and then softens as Jinzo raises his hand to wave to her.

“My Jin.” Hera approaches us with her hands out to Jinzo. “It’s good to see your face here.” She pulls him in for a warm kiss on the cheek, and I smile at how he melts for his mother.

She leans back and turns her smile on me. “And this tall beauty must be Vivian.” She produces her hand, and I shake it. Okay good. I like her handshake. That’s important to me.

“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Lee. I’ve heard many great and intimidating things about you.”

What, Vivian? That came out without me thinking.

She pauses and then bursts into a hearty laugh.

“I can only imagine,” she drawls.

Behind her, Asteria mimes wiping sweat from her brow.

I lean forward, buoyed by her laughter. “I assure you the ‘great’ things outweigh the ‘intimidating’ ones.”

The anxiety and fear I had earlier sloughs away like I’m shedding a second skin, and I am more like myself. Jinzo is visibly relieved and charmed. Pride blooms in my belly that I could pull myself together at the last moment. I need to remember this feeling and save it for later. Surely this will not be the last stressful meeting I’ll ever have to endure.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Hera says, taking my hand. “I’ve heard a great many wonderful things about you.” She rubs my hand between both of hers then releases it to present her hand to Frogger and scratch his head.

I watch her closely as Jinzo introduces Ken and Gus. Hera is equally warm and welcoming with them too. If she feels like these other men may threaten her son, there’s no sign of that on the surface. Another thing to admire about her. Ken is all smiles and kind words, and I bury the laughter in my gut. He wants to make a good impression since many of his clients come out of Lee Shipyards. Gus is quiet and polite, as usual.

My anxiety ebbs away as we chat, and my stomach grumbles with hunger. I can’t remember the last time I ate a full meal. It had to have been yesterday… whenever that was. I’ve been lost without Ai keeping me on schedule.

Hera Lee glances at me a few times while she discusses plans for the Amagi with Jinzo, and I’m sure she suspects that I’m not one-hundred percent. A young male assistant approaches to whisper in her ear, and she nods to him.

“It’s time for lunch, it seems.” She clasps her hands together. “Jin, my dear, why don’t you take Ken and Gus out for lunch, then show them to their guest quarters? I’ve had the family chef prepare a meal for Vivian and me.”

The smirk on Jinzo’s face tells me he’s not surprised by this development. He takes a half-step forward to intervene, but I stop him by handing him Frogger’s leash.

“I would love to have lunch with you, Ms. Lee. Would you mind taking Frogger to the doggy daycare, Jin? I’m sure he can’t wait to chase balls and get belly rubs for hours on end.”

The humor in his eyes increases. “Sure thing.” He leans forward and kisses me on the cheek. “We’ll meet up later. Number twelve, remember?”

I nod, more than ready to see his home apartment. I’m sure it has a lot more of his charm and character than his Ossun Station apartment had.

Hera touches my elbow as the guys turn to leave. “This way. We’ll eat in the private dining room.”

I lift my head and walk at her side as everyone turns along the way to watch us go.