LOST IN THE CITY

The edge of the sky hung a perfect slash through the dark. What I loved most about the sunsets on Arhiatron were the bright streaks of purple and orange, cut short by a horizontal line separating the artificial light from the dull grey of space. Color receded like a stage curtain being lowered, until the planet was enveloped in shadow. I sat on the terrace of Overdue Café, a little retro diner built into the roof of one of the solar labs. I still nursed a whiskey neat I had ordered nearly two hours before. It’s not that there was anything wrong with it, other than that I couldn’t stomach whiskey on the best of days. Still, I had an image to uphold, so I grimaced and choked down another sip. I’d been trapped on Arhiatron now for two days, a mostly abandoned research post and ships station orbiting a far moon called Lotus from Main Planet. My transponder had lost all signal soon after I’d arrived, thanks to Lotus situating itself in eclipse between Arhiatron and Main. Now, my transponder was nearly out of solar battery, and there would be no going home – no going anywhere, really – without it. My whole identity was tied to the quar-code on my transponder, and I couldn’t even order a better drink, much less a flight home, until I found some sort of signal. It was a dangerous thing to be alone and disconnected on outposts like this. I was lucky to look much tougher than I actually was, in my Main Patrol black suit and thick, silver rocket boots. Even so, walking after the dark shift was never a smart plan. I considered my options, of which there weren’t any, actually. I was stuck until the eclipse ended. It could be a few hours… or it could be a few more days, depending on Arhiatron’s orbit schedule. Sighing, I dumped the remaining whiskey into the plastic topiary next to me and stood, contemplating all the life choices that had led me here. I had a knack for the rash and unreasonable, sure, but until now, it had usually worked in my favor. Until now, you always had Modi with you, too, I thought. Against my better judgment, I powered up my transponder again and scrolled until I found our old correspondence. Most of it was business as usual to avoid being traced, but a few of our messages gave clues to the true nature of our friendship. As I read through our conversations from the last Main year, my transponder beeped, signaling a notification. On the screen, a new message from Modi appeared, reading: They found it on Lotus. 7th stack – 11 hours. I barely had time to read it before the screen flashed and my transponder went dead.

To be continued…