A Family Business Trip

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. That’s why space stations spend lots of money and time on distress broadcasting services,” Dave explained to his son Nathen as they walked home from school. His mom Lana would have been there too, but she was at a race.

Nathen’s home-planet Ragusa V was habitable, mostly water with small landmasses and a ring of white-blue ice crystals. Ragusa V was in the early low tide season. The school vacation had begun for Nathen and his family.

Dave was a tall man in his early thirties with an athletic body well-toned from rigorous exercise and sports club attendance. His goatee added some maturity to his still young face. For clothing, he wore a traditional engineering uniform of waterproof material. Dave turned toward Nathen with a smile and asked “So what camp do you want you go to? There are always science camps, but I know you don’t like being cramped in a building most of the day we could try something different like a sports camp or outdoor camp, and I’ve looked but they haven’t done a war camp.”

Nathan wanted to be a soldier and knew a good soldiers followed orders so that was why he consented to going to these camps. Nathen at first was willing to give science camps a try, until he realized the teacher would never teach them how plasma weapons work. Sports was just not the same as fighting. Why throw balls across a field when you could have a good fight. But before he could stop himself, he said “Dad, since they don’t have any war camps to help me become a soldier maybe I shouldn’t go to any camp. I never enjoyed the camps anyway.” His father said in quiet tone, “Nathen, there have never been any war camps. Not many children are interested in being soldiers. If you don’t want to go to a camp this year, where do you want do go? I remember you didn’t like summer camp last year. But where are we going to send you? You know what…”

Dave paused and stroked his goatee--his tone turned a little buttoned down, “Alright son, I know your were bored at the camps last year but we can’t just leave you at home by yourself since we’re both working this summer, wait, I’ll need to make sure it can be done and maybe get a new hotel room but there is that space station trip.”

Nathan knew just what he was talking about. It was some space station that hired Dad to work as an engineer. Mom also would race. The trip would bring them both a lot of money, but it meant he had to go to camp. Dad continued saying, “Well, if Mom agrees and we can make arrangements, you can hang out with us on the station.” Nathen hugged his father, saying, “that would be great. I’d love to go.” Dave continued, “If not, we’ll find some other way. You can always stay with Uncle Jim and Aunt Alice at the Brewery. Or maybe I’ll just drop you off at Fort Davis.” Nathen thought, “That would be cool too.” Until he just realized his father was joking.

Nathen and Dave walked to their small one-story stone house built in an archaic earth style. The Father and son spent the next few hours playing together. Dave arranged the furniture into a pretend garrison. Then Dave pretended to be an evil garrison captain while Nathan stormed the keep like a brave, Ragusan hero. Nathan and Dave were placing back the furniture when the front door opened and Lana, still wearing her racer jacket and pants, stepped in with a tired smile and wearing a small gold medal. She picked up Nathen and kissed him. Then she hugged Dave saying “It’s good to be home. We got our mortgage paid for the year and enough to put in our nest egg.” Lana was short, thin, with long dark hair and hazel eyes. Like Dave she also had an athletic body due to regular exercise. Lana also like to wear the heavy and durable racer jacket and pants, in contrast to the traditional Ragusan women’s long loose dress.

The family sprang into action making dinner. Lana popped on some Ancient-Metal music on the radio then chopped the sea vegetables into a sea salad while Dave cooked a Ragusan shark stew. The family tended to forego imported vegetables and land-meats to save money. While the parents cooked Nathen set the table.

Dave turned off the music. The family sat down and held hands in prayer “Dear Lord, thank you for feeding us, for our family, or shelter, and this new employment opportunity.”

The three ate in silence after the dinner. All were tired from the day. Lana broke the silence by asking, “So Nathen, have you thought which camp you want to go this summer?”

“Actually Mom, Dad said I might be able to go with you and Dad on the trip.”

“So, you don’t want to go to camp.”

“They don’t have any soldier camps and I’m too short for aqua ball. Plus, I was never happy in camp last year so I was thinking I might not go this year.”

“We’ll have to get another lodging room but you can go with us. You’ll probably learn more from this trip anyway and the three us will get more chances to do things as a family. Just don’t cause Dad trouble or try to beat up one of my competitors.”

After the family put up their dishes and cloth napkins in the dish cleaners. Lana headed to her bedroom and came back with a silver box saying, “Your grades have improved, and you’ve completed your personal goals this year so you’ve earned this.” Lana handed him the silver box. The boy’s eyes widened. Toys were earned, never given, in his house. Nathen opened it.

The box housed was a miniature A5 Plasma Blaster and two cartridges like the ones used by the Space Guards. It was designed for the child’s hand, but it looked like the real thing. Nathen hugged both his parents saying, “I love it. I can practice my shooting.” He placed it by his wooden chair and took off the cartridges if it were the real thing. Lana mused, “My son the safety conscious soldier.” After the family finished the shark stew and washed their dishes Nathan asked, “may I be excused and go outside please?” Lana answered, “of course.”

Nathan ran outside taking his new gun with him. The back yard was a plane of ragu-grass with the dark black tiny berries that were too hard to eat and the pink three petal flowers. The yard was enclosed in a blue picket fence, keeping his family’s yard separate. Nathen felt like the yard suited him just fine. He pretended to be on another planet like King II which was being swarmed by the Weeds. Weeds were a race of mindless mass breeding aliens that eradicated life on a neighboring system. Nathen ran through his yard pretending to fire and blast at the Weeds, only the gun fired beams of light. The boy stopped and fired at a flower. The beam hit the flower but left no scorch marks. Nathen made a mental note to be careful not to break this new toy.

Retreating into his fantasy he imagined himself on a dark grey crater-filled planet with the Weeds advancing toward him and his comrades. Nathen played and played until he decided to go inside. He envisioned himself retreating inside a bunker.

Inside Nathen overheard his parents talking. Both Lana and Dave were sitting at the dinner table rather than in the living room.

Lana asked, “So you think the idea Nathan should come on that trip? We’ve talked about it before.”

“Yes, he should, we can have a bed brought for him or he’ll sleep with us. Getting a two double bed room will still be cheaper than the camp fees. For that matter, he’s not enjoying the summer camps and he’ll learn something from this trip.”

“It’s not the expense I’m worried about. It’s Nathen’s future. I know he wants to be a soldier but he’s only 8 and like it or not soldiering is the lowest status profession you can go into. It’s lower than maintenance and technical work.”

“I know its low status, but we followed our own goals, and our lives aren’t perfect but they’re better than most peoples’. Maybe Nathen could rise through the ranks. We have officer training academies.”

“Will he fit in? Those are usually dumping grounds for dumb kids of rich families. For that matter he might be a good soldier and maybe it is right place for him, but the army has a high death rate”

“Whether he becomes a soldier or not, I still think we should take him with us. In fact, he might be exposed to things on the space station that make him interested in another line of work.”

“On that we agree, it’s not like we don’t want him with us. But we’ll look bad for doing this.” Dave nodded and said, “How so?”

Lana’s tone grew more worried, “I was nearly kicked out of the Mother’s Circle yesterday. They chided me for not having another kid. I defended my decision saying Nathen was happy as an only child and his sibling would be too young for him to enjoy playing with especially if the sibling was a girl. I left out the money argument. No one here is a good parent unless they go into debt,” said Lana, rolling her eyes.

Dave asked, “What did they respond with?” Lana groaned, “they said I was selfish and spoiling Nathen, never mind that most kids have more toys than Nathen does and Nathen is usually better behaved. But our town wants conformity not quality. Once they find out Nathen doesn’t go to camp and wants to be a soldier he could be cast out by the parents of his peers.”

Nathen was not entirely sure what his parents were saying but understood that not going to camp meant the town wouldn’t like him. Approaching the table, he pleadingly asked his parents, “The town won’t like me for not going to camp or being a soldier? Should I just go to camp anyway?” Nathen wanted to cry. Both his parents rushed to him. Lana answered while putting her armed around him, “You don’t need to go to camp.”

Dave reinforced, “This town is filled with a bunch of people who cannot think for themselves. Our family can, that scares them. Especially since it’s not illegal or harmful.”

Nathen understood as best as an 8-year-old could. He wondered if thinking for himself might a problem during his time as a soldier.

The three took a walk outside watching the three moons and the stars come out. As the family took their stroll, they observed the neighborhood. A good number of the neighbors were sitting together in the dens with the Simulated Reality Helmets(S.R.H.). Each member was sitting down as if asleep on their couch or chair. Some watched Holovision either outside or inside. Since the continent was in low tide season the odds of tidal waves were slimmer, so a few families chose to sit outside.

Nathen’s family just walked and admired the scenery and wildlife. They watch the nocturnal winged ottars take flight and the leaves of the trees glow in the night sky. The family was also treated to watching a large steel starship in the nearby Space, Air, and Ocean Terminal take flight. Nathen cheered with excitement. One of the moms who wearing a typical Ragusan dress and belt covered her closest child’s ears and snapped, “We’re trying to watch the Geology channel here.” Once they reached the end of the neighborhood Lana pointed in the sky saying, “While the other kids are at camp, you’ll be there.”