Outcasts of Gideon

Dawn Imara : Part 2

Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn saw the tracking icon of the Aion blinking on its approach. She turned toward it and switched back to the video feed, tightening the beam on the Aion. She hoped that Dewey had at least straightened the shuttle. She knew he hadn't just as she knew it didn't matter. She felt better when he did the little things. He rarely did. She opened a channel to the Aion. "Dewey, you're running lopsided again."

"So?"

She flipped on the video feed and waited for him to do the same. When he finally did, he glared at her from seventy thousand kilometers away. "You know it don't matter." He cut the feed.

"Dammit." She reopened the channel to the Aion.

"What is your problem?" Dewey glared at her through the video.

"I was checking to make sure everything was okay."

"That's because you don't think I know what I'm doin'. But I do know. I do this every day, Dawn."

"What about the tremor on Phaethon?"

"What about it? I'm not on Phaethon."

"Yes, but you barely got off in time."

"That ain't the half of it. You know Bobby Ray Elliot, don't you?"

"I've met him. I don't really know him." It was only a half truth. She'd met Bobby several times. She knew plenty of men like him. They were men who were always grasping at straws, reaching for the easy answer. A man like Bobby was the reason she was stranded in Odyssey.

"Well, there's always somethin' wrong with him. That happens when you're lookin' for things you're never gonna find. This time seemed different, though." Dewey turned from the screen to engage controls for the main engines. She left him to it. He reached for something above, then winced as main thrust engaged. When he'd regained his balance, he looked back at the screen. "I mean, he started screamin' in his sleep. Tellin' me he found somethin'. I don't have time for all that."

"He's a friend of yours, isn't he?"

"He's a guy who would be on the next ship outta Odyssey if he thought it carried a pot of gold. Or phaethonium."

"Oh, before I forget, I just heard from Mister Lackey."

Dewey's eyes grew into large blue saucers. "Mister L? He called durin' workin' hours?"

"Says he needs to meet your shuttle."

"My shuttle?"

"You're the only one flying right now, aren't you?"

"What did I do?"

"Who said you did anything? Maybe he just needs to get to Phaethon."

Dewey's head shook. He seemed to be warming to that explanation. "Maybe."

"Well, I'll let you get to it." She waited a few silent moments before killing the transmission.

The shuttle would take the better part of the next hour to arrive. That gave her time to analyze the system McAfee calibration. She was deep into that analysis when Prakit contacted her through the panel. "Dawn, what is the Aion doing?"

She switched the monitor to telemetry and shook her head. "He's trying to get here early. He's trying to beat Mister Lackey here."

"Mister Lackey is coming here?"

"He is. Should be soon."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry, I got distracted. If you want, I can meet him instead. I probably should. If you'll take over for me here."

Prakit let himself into dispatch. Dawn wrapped up what she was doing and slid out from behind the panel. Prakit eased around her and settled into the operator's chair.

Dawn made her way downstairs and across the busy office space. The large room was a hive of activity, much more than usual. She assumed that Prakit had warned the rest of the staff. She smiled. It made her less anxious knowing everyone else was on their toes.

The alarm sounded for the Aion's approach. Dewey hadn't beaten the boss after all. Mister Lackey arrived with the alarm. He was a tall man, wider than he should have been, with gray encroaching on his temples. Carrying a black leather satchel under one arm, he made his way through the busy office toward Dawn. Around him, the many video monitors tracked the shuttle's descent.

"I thought you said he was seventy out."

"He was. He decided to get here early when he heard you were coming."

"He did, did he?"

"There was a disturbance on Phaethon."

"What kind of disturbance?"

"Well, a tremor hit the planet."

"That's impossible."

"Impossible or not, traffic has been shut down. Nothing going in or out."

"What the hell? I need to get to Phaethon."

Dawn sensed a desperation in his voice. He wasn't the type to scare easily. "Dewey also said something about a disturbance on the shuttle."

"You were waiting to tell me this?"

"I don't think it was a major issue. Just a passenger having a bad dream."

Grant shook his head and screwed up his mouth. "Where's Prakit? Isn't he shift lead?"

"He's covering dispatch. Since you called me, I thought..."

"I don't pay you to think, I pay you to keep my shuttles flying on time."

Dawn offered a smile. She'd worked for difficult people before. "Sorry, sir." She turned and headed away.

"Where are you going?"

She stopped, turned, and smiled again. "Back to dispatch, I guess."

"Does Prakit have any idea what's going on with the shuttle?" The green disembarkation light became lit on all video monitors in the large room. "Come on!" Grant's large frame brushed by her. Dawn followed. As they made their way through the room, the busy staff moved aside, leaving them a path to the dock.