Every day I look up at Oasis and see that blue gem shining back at me, it reminds me of the gleaming sapphire necklace that Gallus secured around my throat.
It’s poisoned what was once my dream. It makes me look at the binary planet, orbiting ours like a glistening gemstone, and feel a bitterness inside that I never had before.
But I can’t throw the dream away now. Not when I’m so close.
Not now, when I need to be completely focused if I ever want the chance to get away.
So, I wait.
I sit there and I wait – stretching to keep my body limber, taut and ready like a cat. When it’s finally time – when I suspect that Darr has finally left – I creep out of my room and tiptoe up the stairs.
I open the door to the barroom of The Stag, peering out.
Darr is gone.
Thank the Gods!
I don’t waste any time. I’m out, throwing open the door, marching into the bright sunshine, and leaving The Stag for the last time.
I don’t look back. The harsh air of Deemak greets me, but I breathe it in eagerly, knowing that soon I will be basking in the cool breezes of Oasis instead.
The squalor of Sector 4 surrounds me. Garbage is piled up in the alleyways, and those passersby that are foolishly braving the heat of the early afternoon are downcast and slow.
Not me – I march like a soldier. I need to get away.
It doesn’t take long to reach the border into Sector 3. The borders between the lower Sectors aren’t guarded, unlike the more affluent ones, and except for the general demographic, there isn’t a huge amount of obvious difference between the worst parts of Sector 3 and the better parts of Sector 4.
People are less downcast here, though. I see families playing in the parks, covered by the shade of the huge trees that protect them.
I look up. The sun hurts my eyes, but against the glare I can just vaguely make out that blue gemstone of promise, hanging in the sky. Oasis is a glittering jewel up there, a circle of water blue promise that will give my life the new start I’ve been dreaming of my whole life.
My feet keep moving. The border of Sector 2 – the more wealthy part of the capital city, have guards aplenty, questioning all those who are entering from the poorer Sector 3.
I’m not going to risk their questions – especially since I’ve got so much money stashed in the hidden pockets of this old shirt. So, instead, I use the skills I’ve had since childhood to scale one of the towering trees overhanging the wall that separates Sector 3 from Sector 2.
I hug my body close to the thick branches as I scale the towering tree. From the vantage point at the top of the wall, I then leap across – onto one of the roofs of a long, low home in Sector 2. This home has a classic balcony, where the homeowners have clothes hanging out to dry in the sunlight. I stride across it, walking to the rear of the home, which borders a small alleyway.
From there, it’s child’s play to make my way down the wall. The clay of the home has cracks in it that are as big as my fist – and they give me all the handholds and footholds I need to clamber down the side of the house like a monkey.
Finally, I’m in the heart of Sector 2 – where the spaceport is located.
It doesn’t take me long to reach it, and as I draw near there is a deafening rumble as a huge spaceship roars overhead. I gaze up as it flies over, blocking the sun and the gleaming jewel of Oasis in its shadow.
That vessel along is big enough to fit a thousand souls on it – soaring into the sky and putting Deemak far behind the flare of its engines.
I long to feel the acceleration of a ship like that, as I leave this planet of dust and hardship behind to begin a new life on a promising world.
I stride into the towering spaceport, bustling with activity. There are few guards here – the spaceport doesn’t care where you come from, or where you’re going, as long as you have your luggage packed and enough credits to get there.
Enough credits to make your dream a reality.
I follow the pathways beneath the looming spaceport, headed towards the ticket desks. My skin is crawling. I’m so close, and that will make it so much more painful if something goes wrong at the last minute.
As I stride through the crowds, I constantly glance left and right, scanning everyone I see for a familiar face. Familiar, in my lonely life, means danger.
I’ve made enemies on Deemak, but none of them know anything more than my first name and my face – not even the Aurelians.
I’m nervous – but it would still be a stroke of incredible bad fortune to run into one of the families I’ve robbed. The good thing about crowds is how easy it is to get lost in them.
The spaceport looms above me. It’s kept as low as possible, to blend in with the more traditional buildings of the city, but there’s still no keeping a spaceport small.
There are no huge transport vessels in the shipyard, but there are still plenty of smaller and mid-sized shuttles gathered at the docks. Those can easily make the trip to Oasis, which is our closest world, orbiting Deemak in that mismatched, binary orbit.
All around me are crowds of eager travelers. I see families on vacation, laden with screaming children, and businessmen in linen suits marching importantly to the First-Class sections.
The spaceport has tall ceilings, with
