the monitor. He glanced quickly to each side, ensuring that the Fun Police were not pursuing them for public displays of laughter. The trio scanned their identification cards as they passed through the kiosks, officially signing out on shore leave. Yen let the others get ahead of him before turning back and accessing one of the monitors on the kiosk. Typing quickly, he entered her name onto the screen. The search quickly came back with no one matching that name. It didn’t surprise Yen that Keryn hadn’t taken her leave. Since their argument, she had handily avoided him at all costs. Consumed fully in her work, she had put her pilots through a series of flight simulations, much to the dismay of her already weary Squadron.
Feeling a strong hand on his shoulder, Yen stepped away from the kiosk and let Adam lead him toward the two-story archway that led into the actual city of Farimas. As they cleared the kiosk area and moved across the open courtyard between the disembarkation area and the city entrance, civilians began standing and applauding the Crewmen, soldiers, and pilots of the
Penchant slid between Adam and Yen, hiding himself from public eye. “This is a little awkward.”
Adam raised an eyebrow at the concealed Lithid. “We’re the first crew to fight and defeat the Terran Empire in a long time. We are heroes to these people. So quit cowering, give them a smile, and thank them for their support.” Confidently, Adam flashed a broad smile and waved to some of the gathered crowd.
“I’d prefer to stay a little more under the radar, Adam,” Yen muttered, his voice barely carrying over the clapping. “Why are you drawing more attention to us?”
“I’m doing it for them,” Adam said, the smile never leaving his face. Yen followed his gaze and found Adam waving and winking toward a group of Academy-aged girls who giggled from Adam’s blatant attention.
“You’re impossible,” Yen sighed, grabbing Adam’s arm. “Let’s go, lover boy.”
Together, the trio made their way past the crowd and under the massive archway before entering into the first floor of Farimas City. The ceiling of the city’s first floor rose thirty feet above the three as they cleared the archway. The walls of the surrounding buildings brushed the ceiling, acting both as edifices for the stores and supports for the heavy ceiling above. The smooth streets and alleyways that interconnected the main thoroughfares of the city were pristinely kept, as were the storefronts themselves.
Yen, Adam, and Penchant found themselves in the business district of the city. All around them, merchants hawked their wares to throngs of recently disembarked Fleet personnel. Despite being confined to the interior of a massive space station, the sprawling city was full of lush greenery, which recycled the oxygen throughout the ship. Hanging plants draped their lazy vines down the sides of the buildings as ivy and other climbing plants clung to the lower structures. Trees lined the streets, accentuated by smaller shrubs and open parks with lush green grasses. Tilting his head skyward, Yen let the warmth of the artificial sunlight soak into his skin. It had been a long time since his body had felt anything even remotely close to sunlight and it seemed to instantly brighten his mood.
“So where to?” Penchant asked, wasting little time absorbing the noises and subtleties of the city around him.
Adam motioned toward a series of lifts and stairwells that led both up into the ceiling and disappearing into the floor below. “The city is split into three levels. This one is the main level of the city and the most sprawling. Above us is mostly the residential area. We’ll have to head up there eventually to check into a hotel. Below us is where we really want to go, though. That’s the entertainment district of the city. It’s more heavily patrolled by the guard force, but it’s also where we’ll find the bars, clubs, and theaters.”
Yen stared at the stairwells and shifted the weight of the overnight bag from one shoulder to the other. “We’ll head up first. I want to drop my bag and get cleaned up before we go exploring.”
“Do my ears deceive me?” Adam asked curiously. “Does it sound like Yen Xiao might actually be interested in enjoying himself during this leave?”
Yen’s arm shot out, punching Adam in the ribs. “Kicking your ass is step one to having a good time.”
“Come on, children,” Penchant said dryly as he led the way upstairs.
Riding the escalator, the trio passed through the thick ceiling of Farimas City’s main level before entering through the floor of the upper level. For Yen, it was a little disorienting. The artificial sunlight of the main floor faded away during the transition, only to be replaced by a second level of artificial sunlight above them. The streets themselves also added to Yen’s disorientation. Structured like an ancient floating city, the residential floor of the city had vast hand-crafted rivers that flowed through the streets. Framed on either side by raised sidewalks, large bridges spanned the rivers and interconnected the city blocks. Even the architecture of the buildings was different, relying more on faux bricks to create a more archaic look to the city. It seemed hard to believe that so differently designed a city could exist just forty feet above the bustling business district below. Near the center of the residential district, a large glass dome was clearly visible. At his query, Adam identified it as an observation deck, something he described as a romantic escape in the heart of the city.
Adam, being the only one of the three that had visited Farimas before, led the way over the sturdy bridges and along the winding rivers. Yen quickly found himself lost to the twists and turns. He was sure that, if left alone, he would never find his way back to their hotel. Eventually, Adam led them across a wide bridge and stopped before a pillared exterior. The tall pillars reached nearly to the ceiling and were capped by an extending balcony above. Draped from the balcony were both the Alliance and Fleet flags, proudly displaying their support for both organizations.
Yen looked at the mirrored glass windows and the intricate reliefs carved upon the brick exterior. Mentally calculating, Yen was suddenly aware of how few credits still remained in his account. “This place looks a little out of our price range,” he muttered, slightly embarrassed.
Adam smiled broadly. “This is one of the forgotten gems of Farimas. It’s off the beaten path and it offers discounts to active duty Fleet personnel on shore leave. With the three of us splitting the cost for the room, it won’t be that expensive.”
Entering the hotel, Yen wasn’t convinced. A small fountain bubbled happily in the center of the large, open foyer. To either side, artistically upholstered couches and chairs offered plush relaxation for weary travelers. The countertops, behind which the concierge waited with a patient smile, were crafted from artificial marble. Though lightweight compared to its contemporary cousin, the false marble was still significantly more expensive then most other substances available for architects and shipbuilders. Yen swallowed hard, his eyes tracing the carvings and small statues set into alcoves along the walls.
“Welcome to the
Adam handed over his identification card, which the manager swiped through the system. The computer beeped loudly and a soft green light glowed form its monitor. The manager looked up with a warm and inviting smile.
“Welcome back, Mr. Decker,” he said, significantly more cordial then he had been upon their arrival. “I’m glad to see that you could stay with us again.”
“Thank you,” Adam replied. “Can you give us my normal room?”
The manager typed furiously on the computer before looking up, the broad smile having never left his face. “Absolutely, sir. I’ll have someone come around immediately to take your bags up to your room.” Lifting a handheld console and setting it on the counter, the manager continued. “If you could please sign here and here, we will get you set up immediately.”
Yen nearly choked on his own saliva when he saw the price for the room. Even split three ways, the room would cost him nearly all of his savings, leaving little money to use the rest of his leave. Though Yen tried to say something about it to Adam, the Pilgrim passively held up his index finger, stopping Yen in mid-thought. As the manager walked away to get the keys, Adam turned toward Yen.
“Are you crazy?” Yen hissed, not waiting to get to the heart of his complaint. “We barely have enough money to cover this room!”
“No,” Adam replied, “
“Adam,” Penchant added. “We can’t ask you to pay for this room. We can find somewhere cheaper.”
“Of course we can,” Adam said with a sigh, “but that’s not the point. You have to understand, I’m an infantryman. I’ve been on active duty for a few years now. During that entire time, I’ve been assigned to Fleet duty.
