Fractured Ties

Year 2341 | Month 12 | Day 29
Oasis colony | Plains of Gladsheim | Valhalla city

The Terran Empire were rumored to be one of the more aggressive human factions in the stars. Rumors hinted that the manpower of the empire was seemingly endless. It was said that the Terran's lust for war was unmatched, that their greed and technology was unrivaled. It was said nothing could stop this mighty foe, who seized worlds within days and entire domains in weeks. Even the Galactic Coalition, whose armies and fleets consisted of men and xenos all across the stars, were rumored to fear them.

Of course that's all rumors were to Decard; rumors. Decard was a man of intelligence and without proper proof to reinforce the existence of the Terran's power or he denied everything as lies made to keep the various colonies and government under Coalition rule united. After all, should such a foe exist it would be unwise to not have Coalition support.

It was almost the start of a new year on the planet Oasis, something people celebrated world-wide. Those near Valhalla city, or those who could afford a trip to it, would gather in the city streets in festivities. Fireworks shot up and illuminated the skies, fairs would raised and people would create elaborate parades that marched through Valhalla. It was a interplanetary holiday of sorts, something that everyone under in the Coalition's protection looked forward to. And it was only a few days away.

Decard thoroughly enjoyed these sort of events, even if they were a bit unnecessary. Growing up in a family of farmers and growing up to be a farmer wasn't exactly a life of adventure and action. New Years was something that was always fresh and chaotic and broke Decard from his yearly routines. It made him feel like he wasn't a drone, that there were other people on the planet besides his family and neighbors. Each stranger had a story and it was always interesting to hear them.

The capital city of Oasis offered an exotic change in scenery as well. Buildings that reached out to the heavens, hologram ads that combined moving pictures in animation, vehicles that hovered off the ground and could fly into the night sky. All this made the cost of visiting the city worthwhile to Decard, though he never heard the end of it from his parents, who thought it was a waste of time and money.

"Room for one." Decard mumbled to the owner of the hotel, drawing out cash from his pockets and exchanging it with a set of keys. He picked up his bags, slung them around his shoulder and moved from the lobby.

Oasis was founded by colonists looking for a better life. Gloria liked to believe they had found it here on Oasis. It was a beautiful planet. Just because Oasis was on the fringes of the universe, didn't mean they were uneducated. They had technology. They traded with other planets and even had their own space fleet! The capital city Valhalla was even full of technological wonders.

Gloria was proud to live on Oasis. There was nowhere else she'd rather be. She liked her friends. Though sometimes they didn't care for her. Gloria wasn't known as the most friendliest person in Valhalla. She had this really bad habit you see. Whatever she thought, she said. Most of the time it was thoughtless and rude. And she usually had to spend ten minutes apologizing to the offended party. Though her friends and family had developed a thick skin and learned not to take her words too personally.

Gloria also loved her job. She was a tinkerer at heart and working with her father fix things was the best thing for her. She also sometimes helped out her mother, a tailor and seamstress. The best part of life in the city was all the people. There was always some one new and all the stories they brought in.

Which was why this time of the year was the best. One year ending and the other beginning. The New Years Festival. It was a great time to just wander the streets and talk to new people. This is what Gloria found herself doing this afternoon. Her father had kicked her out of the repair shop shortly after she had insulted one of the customers. 'Go bother someone else.' He had said as he shoved her out the door, ignoring her attempts at apologizing.

So she found herself on the wide streets of Valhalla. This time of year they were full of people. She looked up and watched the cars drive by in the sky. She smiled, thinking that she probably fixed one or two of them, making her face look more prettier than usual. She was average looking, or so everyone told her. She then looked down at her clothes and frowned. They were covered in muck and grease. Her auburn hair was roughly pulled back away from her face. All in all she looked very much unkempt.

She sighed. Perhaps she go home and get changed. That decided she began walking home. Usually she would of taken the car with her father, but they only owned one vehicle and it would be mean to leave her father stranded.

Decard wandered out of the hotel, having checked and settled in. Now was his favorite part; exploring the city, bugging the locals and enjoying the sights. It wasn't often that he was able to visit the city. Part of him wished he could leave his family behind and just stay in Valhalla. Maybe he'd take up a job as a librarian, maybe as a cop. Nah, cops aren't any fun.. His mind wandered off as he dreamt about the many opportunities he had here. Decard felt like the lights and the energy would never get old.

"Maybe I'd a doctor, no wait! A professor!" Decard grinned. He always enjoyed books and teaching, something that puzzled his brothers, who Decard himself would describe as brutes. Simple, uneducated, brutes. He had never been one to embrace fighting and had always been the one to encouraged peaceful resolutions between disputes or problems. He felt like anything could be defused with some words. His brothers didn't exactly feel the same way he did and preferred to use violence instead. He sighed and asked himself how he could be related to such animals.

Though Decard visited Valhalla at least once at year, twice if he was lucky, he had never been good with directions around a city of Valhalla's scope. It's because of that Decard resorted to asking around, something that irked most of the natives of Valhalla. These backwards farmers, what do they know? Bunch of inbred, stupid hicks was how someone once described Decard and people like him. Initially it never ceased to fuel a burning rage inside of him but as time progressed he learnt to ignore such comments and cope with it. Hell, soon he would even start agreeing with them if he had to teach his father math one more time. He always seemed to forget what he was taught and was always too busy to have consistent lessons or study.

Looking around for someone that guide him around time, Decard noticed a nearby young lady. At least she looked young, but maybe it was all the oil smeared on her face. He quickly deduced that she probably worked at a shop not too far off and had just recently gotten off work. Something like that, he guessed. She would probably know!

"Hi, excuse me! I'm from uh.. not around here. Think you help me out? I'm a bit lost." He smiled, speaking in a friendly tune. Having learned the hard way that speaking with even the slightest hint of an attitude could land him knee deep in trouble, Decard had perfected his manner of speech, despite his social upbringings.

Gloria wandered down a side walk. It was on the ground, so the sun didn't reach down here. But you could still see the sky and the streets were clean. Well, cleaner, after she walked on them. Some the oil and grease was drying and flaking off. She frowned and rubbed her hands and watched clean skin appear.

Not that she had white hands anymore. Years of being a mechanic had taken care of that. Now her hands were permanently stained a light brown color of old motor oil and grease. Under her nails was dirt and grime. Years and years of it. Also permanent. She'd never get rid of it. Not that she minded. She worked for a living and she was proud of that fact. So she ignored the looks she got from more well to do people. They sneered at her like she was scum, not just wearing it.

Of course not everyone ignored her. There was a man. He was very tan and out of place looking. Not from the city, Gloria thought as he spoke. He was very cultured and mannered. But his appearance told her that he also knew hard work. At first she thought that maybe he was a laborer, like a farmer or something. But his manner belied that.

Something new! Gloria thought happily. Before the man even finished talking, Gloria was ready to follow him until he told her everything she wanted to know. The bonus was that he wanted her help. She refrained from jumping up and down, clapping her hands, and shouting. That would probably scare him away. (But she might do it once he got to know her better, or she forgot her manners. Which ever came first.)

"Hey." Gloria smiled. "It's quite a task to get lost here in Valhalla. The city was built on a grid system, and once you know it, it's impossible to get lost."

Which was true, but perhaps not the best thing to say at the moment. Most people would think Gloria was calling them dumb or stupid, or unintelligent or something of the like, rather than stating a simple fact.

"Gloria." She extended her filthy hand without taking a breath for talking. When Gloria talks it tends to be a mile a minute and before she knows it, she's insulted everyone in a five foot radius. "Where did you come from?" She intended the question to mean: 'where are you staying in the city so I can point you back the right way'. But someone could also take it at face value. As in, you're not from here. What city did you travel in from?

Decard smiled at her energy. Most people in the city were too busy to pay him in mind, not that he cared though. Unlike him they had jobs and lives to get to. Why stop for some dumb hick who didn't know a thing about anything? Needless to say, after previous experiences with the locals, Gloria was one of the best encounters he's had to date. He repeated the name Gloria just so he could remember it later on in his life. His memory was funny like that; if he said, heard or saw anything twice he could easily recall it. He'd definitely have to remember the grid system note, it'd come in handy the next time he passed a public archives. He'd study the grid, remember every detail about it and promised himself not to get lost again and be forced to disrupt other lives for guidance.

"Decard." He shook her hand after a moment's pause. Though it was dirty, who was he to deny her a handshake? It'd be unlike him, as a gentleman, to do such a thing!

"Where did I come from? The uh.. the.." Decard was almost too embarrassed to admit he was from a farm in the open plains. What would her opinion of him be then? Maybe she didn't know he was a farmer, but she just assumed he worked with his hands! Maybe that's why she was acting so nice, he thought, she thinks he's one of the city folk!

A million other question crossed his mind in the brief pause Decard to answer her question. What would happen if she found out he was a farmer? Would she laugh at his face? Would she insult him on the spot? Maybe she'd play it out, send him in the wrong direction and have him end up lost or worse, jumped! His face began to turn blood red at the embarrassment of going home with bruises and cuts in addition to Gloria figuring out he was a lowly farmhand with nothing of real value in his name but his honor, name and personality.

He remained silent, hand rubbing his chin in thought of what to say or what to do, his eyes avoiding making contact with hers.

Gloria missed the pause as he reached out to shake her hand. She always though the best of people until she could no longer. Usually that moment came when they yelled at her and called her names and told her to never bother them again. But that didn't mean they were bad people. It just meant that Gloria screwed up again. Of course, with her goldfish like memory, it would be forgotten, then repeated over and over again. Like those terrible soap operas they showed on TV.

The man's name was Decard. She smiled brightly and released his hand. She could have pulled him into a hug, but she'd learned the hard way that it was often misconstrued. The last time it ended badly and her father had to step in. The man she had hugged ended up in jail with assault charges and she had been told not to hug strange men. Just in case.

Then he fell silent. Gloria waited for a few seconds but he remained quiet and avoided looking at her to boot. Had she offended him already? People from the country often found weird things insulting or offensive. Perhaps she had already put her foot in it. As the old saying went. Or maybe he just forgot. He did look like her father when he was embarrassed by something.

Gloria waited for a few more seconds then opened her mouth. If she had already messed up, then what was the harm in continuing talking?

"Can't be the memorable if you've forgotten already. I suppose the city is rather big and confusing." She gestured around her. "But I can get you anywhere you want. Do you remember the quadrant or something distinctive about where you are staying? I can probably narrow it down to a couple of blocks. Of course they'll be city blocks, so it will still be a couple of miles big. A lot of area to search, but it beats searching the entire city by foot."

Gloria looked him up and down. "Of course you seem like you have money. So maybe you could hire a driver to take you back, once I help you remember." She pointed to one of the vehicles that flew overhead. "Not much good though if you don't have a destination." She took a breath and looked at Decard expectantly. Her green eyes wide and innocent.