Marooned on Araxes

Seren sat at the communciations terminal in the Araxes High Port offices of the Persephone Trading Corporation and frowned. Leaning back into her seat, she monitored the communications coming from the planet's surface. The whole planet was now under quarantine. The virus that had already claimed the lives of so many on the surface had now recorded its first official victims on a frieghter several parsecs away. The Admirality of the United Systems Directorate had locked down the planet "for everyone's safety" and positioned five warships in orbital positions. No-one was questioning them. A brief conversation with the USD officer Darkwolf had put any aspirations of leaving the planet firmly on the back burner. Oh, how she'd pleaded her point. Explained how her shipments of Spice Coffee were due to reach the Inner Worlds, how her business contacts were expecting her to complete important negotiations back in the New Paradigm. It had come to nothing. Only medical ships and officers were allowed to leave the system.

While she found herself marooned, the rival Vulture company which dealt with medical supplies was free to come and go as they pleased. She wondered if that was what Darkwolf had meant when he said "some people were making money out of it". Seren knew what she'd have done. Shoved her boxes of Spice Coffee underneath the boxes of used medical supplies and smuggled the goods out. 

"Miss?", the voice came from the freshly hired receptionist, Terena, "I've finished the last of the transport dockets.Can I head back planetside now?"

"You may as well" said Seren hoarsely, "There's nothing going on up here. The shuttle is still running. If you can't get back up tomorrow, don't worry about it"

The receptionist nodded and collected her things from the desk. "How about you Miss?"

Seren swivelled the chair around to face the receptionist, letting her arms drop limply at her side. "I'm waiting for a transmission from the Folly.", she sighed, "Then I'll probably have an early night. Too many sick people down there..."

She paused noticing the expression on the receptionist's face. A poorly hid look of fear. "...But I'm sure everything will work out. You've got your coveralls and facemask with you, yes?"

Terena nodded, emphasising the bagpack she carried. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Miss."

Seren smiled and waved weakly, swivelling back to the computer terminal which was being bombarded with images of sick people, administrators, soldiers and safety advice. Disasters on a planet wide scale seemed to be more prevalent than ever. It wasn't so long ago that Hale's Moon had imploded into a million pieces of rock. Talmont was out of bounds for reasons so far unexplained and now Araxes risked falling over the edge of destruction.

A light flickered in the bottom right of the screen. Incoming Message. The panopticon of disaster slid out of view and was replaced with the familiar  face of Galewind sat at the work terminal of the Folly. 

"Salutations Mistress! I have news!"

"You got me a permit to get off this rock?" said Seren, hopefully.

"Um, no mistress. I have word of your father. It appears he was last seen hitching a ride on a freighter destined for Botany Bay..."

Puzzled, Seren exclaimed "Botany Bay? Hitched a ride? Oh, this just gets better and better."

"Mistress?"

"I'm stuck here on Araxes and he's off galavanting around the galaxy."

"Indeed. We shall carry on bravely without you mistress. I am currently piloting the Folly to Botany Bay to rendezvous with your father."

Elena Galewind looked away, was momentarily distracted, her fingers dancing over the terminal buttons. "I have to go mistress. Approaching the Lagrange Point space station - they will be wanting to do an inspection. Farewell!"

The screen darkened and then reset to the live disaster footage. More sick people, more guns, more administrators mouthing weasely words of comfort. 

"You still haven't told me what happened at the Laandsrat", she said wistfully to the screen where Galewind has been, before swivelling in her chair in nonchalant boredom.