“No need to apologize to me. Just wait, I'll say something so stupid you will question how I passed the basic IQ requirements. I would get around to it faster if I hadn't been up for the last thirty-six hours.”
“Wow, I didn't realize propulsion was working double shifts this cycle?” Nina questioned.
“Got to pay to play, I guess. My leave was scheduled well in advance, but it still came at a bad time for my team. My grandparents have their life-celebration ceremony at the end of the week.”
“Isn’t that a somewhat outdated tradition now that the continental government declared society stabilized,” Nina remarked rummaging in her carry-on bag again.
“I think the government has been stabilizing for the last hundred years. My grandfather has a degenerative bone disease. He isn't looking forward to enduring many more years. Besides, they are both in their late seventies. It is old enough for the ceremony to be socially acceptable and young enough to pass down some tax benefits to my mother. They see it as the right time to go,” I explained, knowing how cold and ridiculous the situation sounded when spoken out loud.
“So many diseases have been eradicated over the last hundred years, probably osteoarthritis. Its common onset is between fifty and seventy. Medical science can still only manage the symptoms, but most people wouldn't consider it a deal-breaker.”
“Yeah, that's what I thought too, but I think he wants to go out on his terms” I made air quotations as non-threatening as I could in such a small space.” A day of his choosing, instead of waiting for old age to take him by surprise.”
“I guess that makes sense. I will choose to fight until the bitter end, but I suppose you really can't know for sure until your end arrives.” Nina confessed, looking around the small cabin more carefully.
“Where are my manners? Are you hungry? I have some freeze-dried cookies, and some home-preserved natural apple slices.”
“Apple slices? I have heard of natural apples, of course, but I've never eaten one.” Nina leaned forward to inspect the apple slices.
“You are in for a treat. My mother is in the nutrition field. Her seed banks include Fuji apples. This variant was presumed lost after the 2076 event. She was pretty damn excited to find seeds and successfully grow them again. They have a synth version, but the real fruit is more velvety feeling somehow.”
“It's the sugar molecules,” Nina explained, in a clinical tone. “they give the flesh an uneven surface. Modified foods struggle to replicate the chaos that nature creates. And the brain responds to the natural sugar faster and with more dopamine.”
“Damn, I knew the naturals taste better than the synthetics, but I didn't realize they have better chemical properties. I brought three rehydration packs. This pod was supposed to come with a hydrating unit. The thing should be around here somewhere.”
“Found it,” Nina exclaimed. “There under the far counter. They do pack quite a bit into each of these cabins.” Nina looked in the cupboards and drawers that lined the wall as if she had never traveled in a basic cabin before.
I opened the egg-shaped appliance and carefully inserted a rehydration pack, one pouch of cookies, and one pouch of apples.
“The next price level gets you more creature comforts, but I was traveling with another guy. We opted to travel on the cheap. No one to impress.”
“A practical consideration. I will compensate you for the seat, of course. I should have made that clear before accepting your generosity. When a ticket became available, I was so excited, I quickly packed my bag and left without any thought of food or anything else, really.”
“We can hash out payment when we arrive, plus anything you're missing can be picked up in my township. We are just twenty minutes down the line from Old San Francisco, the Middle Valley sector. We occupy stop 3, 4, and 5 on the west rail line.”
“Perfect. I'm traveling to stop 7. It is supposed to be forty-five minutes by train from the main hub. I have several surrogate children. One of them needs my assistance with a legal matter of some urgency.”
Surrogate children, plural, piqued my curiosity, but I didn't want to pry. “Have you secured a room in that sector? I think it's mostly agriculture that far down the rail line. They aren't known for their abundant lodging,” I explained, moving my belongings away from the food.
“No, I haven't. I only need to sign some lineage documents. Then, I plan to head back to work.”
“You know this decent is the start of a maintenance cycle run? There won't be a shuttle to the top of the Tree for fifteen days after we dock—that's why this shuttle is at capacity.”
“Shit, that makes perfect sense with fifteen days between now and the next trip dates. No, I was not aware. I didn't even think to ask about a return date. I'll have to contact my team. I only signed out for a five-day leave.”
“As long as you have the vacation time, you should be fine. Any number of things can delay your return once you are at the mercy of the transportation department. Unless your boss is a hard ass like mine.”
“No, my superior is quite reasonable. In fact, the department asked me to take time off. I have too many days accrued. My department heads have been questioned about it several times.” Nina picked at the lint on the cabin seat. “I haven't left the top of the Tree in at least five years.”
“That is the saddest thing I have ever heard. You need to stay in my district, take in some planet nightlife and the food. One thing we
