Space Cadets

It was a norm on Corran for everyone to be awake before the sun. Thalia was off to the factory before anyone was awake, and Becca had gotten up a little earlier to get some work done around the house before going to school. Colin helped her fix lunch for her and George, while Eliza helped Josef with his bandages and medication.

“You’ll feel better,” she reassured him.

“Bah, doubt it,” Josef argued. “My bones feel like gelatin, and all that bitter thing does is put me in a bad mood. You know, you should’ve seen me in my prime. I wish you did. You see Colin? I was twice his size. I was carrying steel on my shoulders on my own. None of the jellyfish stuff you see right now.”

“Daddy, please listen to Eliza and Colin while I’m gone, alright?” Becca begged. “Just give us a few days where I don’t have to worry.”

“My darling, you just worry about school,” Josef told her. “I don’t want you to concern yourself with anything but your final exams. We don’t want the Academy to change their mind, do we?”

Becca didn’t say anything, just offering him a weak smile.

“Come on, George,” she said, handing George his school bag. “Let’s get you to school so I don’t come in late.”

George waved goodbye before taking Becca’s hand and following her out. Josef grunted and relaxed back in his chair, seeming tired.

“Poor kid,” he grumbled. “We try to be encouraging, but she knows those medical bills are getting in her way.”

“In her way?” Eliza asked.

“We’ve had to dip into our savings for her tuition,” Josef explained. “All because of those damn rusty machines. Sometimes I wonder if it would’ve been better if I died, rather than keep my own daughter from the future she deserves.”

“Dad, don’t say that,” Colin said. “We’ll figure it out like we always do. Anyway, you should get to bed before the medication kicks in and you fall asleep again.”

He and Eliza helped Josef to his feet, walking him to the bedroom. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep. Finally, the house was quiet for the first time since they got there. Colin flopped on the couch with a long sigh. Eliza seemed deep in thought as she sat down in a chair across from him.

“What did he mean?” she asked, after a little while.

“About what?”

“About Becca’s tuition.”

Colin felt himself turn a bit pale. He cleared his throat and sat up, awkwardly shifting in his seat as he thought about how to put this. He didn’t like talking about his family’s financial struggle.

“The Zenian Academy doesn’t offer scholarships to the outer planets,” he said. “Low income families get assistance from the government, but only enough to afford the local vocational schools. In other words, factory training. It’s very difficult to get off Corran. It’s why people turn to the gangs.”

“But I thought Becca was already set to go,” Eliza said.

“She is,” Colin nodded. “But they can’t hold her place if she can’t afford the tuition. Not to mention travel expenses, room and board, books... And she has to feed herself, somehow. The factory really only pays for a quarter of that. Even less, with my father out of work.”

“That’s why you took this job, isn’t it?” Eliza asked.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Colin said with a smile. “For now, it looks like we have a couple hours of free time. I’d feel bad if I didn’t get to take you exploring a little bit.”

“Aren’t I supposed to be nursing?”

“You think he’s going to let you force any more medication down his throat?”

Eliza cracked a smile.

“Okay, fine.”

This time, she bundled up a little more to face Corran’s chilly summer weather. Having given the speeder back to the neighbors, it meant they had to walk where they needed to go. Eliza stuck close to Colin, but seemed fascinated by the surrounding neighborhood. The houses were small and drab, but she didn’t seem disgusted.

“Sorry the sights aren’t quite as beautiful as places you’re used to,” Colin said. “I’m actually taking you downtown. It can be a little seedy, but there’s a spot I think you’d like.”

Corran’s downtown district mainly consisted of clubs and bars. Mainly adult lounges, with flashing neon signs and pictures of scantily clad women posted on the walls. Eliza seemed a little uncomfortable as Colin took her deeper downtown.

“Colin?” she said. “You’re not taking me to a strip club, are you? I like adventure, but not that kind of adventure.”

“I know it looks bad,” he chuckled. “Actually, I’m taking you there.”

He pointed ahead at a small shop nestled between two large clubs. A little cafe that had somehow survived while the rest of Corran rapidly rotted. Eliza perked up slightly.

“Oh,” she said. “That seems a little... out of place.”

“You would think so,” Colin chuckled. “The owner, Mathilda, has owned this cafe since before all these clubs and bars existed. The woman is nearly a hundred years old, but she refuses to give up her cafe to the gangs. And they all respect her too much to threaten her. Little old ladies can ruin your life with the gossip they hear, you know?”

He held the door open for Eliza as they entered the quiet little shop. It was empty, except for Mathilda at the counter. Her eyes lit up and she squealed excitedly when she saw him, waddling out from behind the counter to grab his face and give him a big kiss on the cheek.

“Oh, Caiden, how nice of you to visit!” she said. “Working in the area again?”

“No, just visiting,” he said. “I’m showing a friend some good spots in town.”

Mathilda then spotted Eliza, giving her a big smile and grabbing her face too, giving her a big smooch on the cheek. Eliza seemed surprised, but not offended.

“Have a seat,” Mathilda said. “I’ll have Bubby bring out some tea and sweets for you. Bubby! Bubbikins!”

A disgruntled looking teenager came out of the kitchen, looking incredibly embarrassed.

“Bubby, let’s get a platter for these two please,” she said.

“Gram, please call me David in front of customers,” the teenager begged.

“Bubbikins, quickly now,” Mathilda scolded. “Caleb is trying to impress his girlfriend.”

Colin and Eliza both turned red. Colin tripped over his own words as he tried to clarify.

“Oh, she’s not my-”

“It’ll just be a few minutes, Connor,” Mathilda interrupted before disappearing into the kitchen.

Eliza watched them go before turning back to Colin.

“She calls you a different name every time,” she noted.

“Yeah, I stopped correcting her after a little while,” he chuckled. “I used to come here a lot. I had frequent raids and undercover at the clubs, but it’s not really my scene. I liked coming here after jobs for a little refreshing. After spending all night pretending to be a sleazebag or a villain, I always felt like this is the place where I can be myself again.”

David brought them a tiered tray of assorted pastries, along with two cups of a floral tea.

“Thank you, Bubbikins,” Eliza said, making the boy flush red.

As usual, the pastries were delicious and the time spent at the cafe was light and fun. It really was an entirely different world from the slimy nightlife outside, and it was easy to forget what a rough place Corran was.

They thanked Mathilda on their way out, knowing they’d have to be back before Eliza and George came home from school. Eliza coaxed Josef into having some light broth and noodles while Colin got started on dinner. He wasn’t the best cook, but he did what he could to take some of the weight off of his sister. By the time everyone was home, he had been able to come up with a simple soup he had learned while he was in training. It wasn’t anything special, but it was certainly filling.

Thalia was practically falling asleep at the dinner table, snapping back awake any time Josef would nudge her under the table. Her eyes shot open, snapping towards her youngest son as George pretended pieces of bread were boats floating in his soup.

“George, stop that,” Thalia scolded. “If you’re not going to eat properly, you can go straight to bed.”

“I don’t like it,” George whined. “It tastes like school food.”

“Close enough,” Colin smirked. “It’s military food.”

“I want pizza,” George announced.

“Well I like it,” Josef said, giving Colin a nod. “Georgie, you’ll eat what you’re given. And you’ll be grateful that your brother came all this way to make dinner for you.”

“Thank you, Colin,” George mumbled, stirring the soup with his spoon.

“You know, Eliza, my wife is quite the star in the kitchen,” Josef said. “That’s how we first met.”

All the Holman children groaned as Josef started on the story of how he met his wife for the thousandth time, making Thalia crack a tired smile.

“Ignore them,” Josef said, waving his hand dismissively. “See, I met Thalia when we were still in school. Just Becca’s age. She used to work in her father’s restaurant, and I went in with my friends one day. I had the best smoked brisket I had ever tasted in my life. I asked if I could meet the person who cooked my meal, and I was introduced to the loveliest young woman I had ever seen. I knew right then and there that I wanted to marry her.”

“And then there was that other thing,” Thalia said.

“What other thing?” George asked.

“Colin is the thing,” Josef said.

“Dad, please don’t,” Colin said, sinking in his seat.

“Colin decided to surprise us with his arrival while we were still quite young,” Josef explained. “But it only made our love grow, didn’t it?”

“Dad, you’re killing me,” Colin said. “Can we please change the subject?”

“No need to be embarrassed, Georgie was an accident too!”

“DAD.”

“Fine,” Josef chuckled. “Let’s talk about you a little, Colin. How’re they treating you in Zenia? What’s the sunshine like?”

“They’re treating me well,” Colin said. “I’m busy, but I have everything I need.”

“Good,” Josef nodded. “We miss you here, but I suppose I should be happy you’ve been able to leave Corran.”

This comment seemed to strike a nerve with Becca, who looked down at her food. Clearly, she was worried she’d never get to leave. Thalia reached out and squeezed her daughter’s hand.

“You’ll have your chance, my love,” she reassured her. “Maybe you’ll have to stay home one more year, but you’ll get there. I promise.”

“Once I get back into the factories, things will be different,” Josef said.

“Oh, Josef, please,” Thalia sighed. “You know you can’t go back there. You’ll die. And it’s all because those damn foremen refuse to update anything.”

“Don’t curse at them,” Josef said. “Those foremen give us our jobs, and we should be grateful to them. And we are grateful to the queen, for bringing Colin to Zenia. And we are incredibly grateful to the Rothchild family for giving Colin an opportunity for such high paying work.”

Colin cast a glance at Eliza, who seemed alarmed at the last comment. She then seemed to remember that she was just supposed to be a nurse and looked down.

“I am grateful,” Colin said, glancing at a red faced Eliza again.

“A toast to the Rothschild family, then,” Josef said, raising his glass of water. “Thanks to them, we’re just a little closer to a better future.”

Everyone raised their glasses as well. Eliza raised hers last, seeming a little shy and hiding a look of embarrassment with her glass. Clearly, she hadn’t been prepared to hear such praise of her family out of nowhere. Josef grinned, setting his glass back down.

“Family optimism, I love it. I feel better already. I don’t even think I need my medication tonight.”

“Nice try, Jo.”