The Queen Mary entered orbit at Malton 3 seven minutes later than scheduled. This doesn't seem like a huge delay until one considers how many pounds per minute it takes to operate a yacht. Suffice it to say, it's enough to make the average citizen's head spin. Fortunately, this time deficit won't have any meaningful impact, as the Marlton system is nothing more than a stopover. There's nothing particularly important or interesting here as far as tourism is concerned - no celestial formations, no famous landmarks, no local festivals, not even a bit of weird history. The only reason the yacht was there was because it was waiting for a cargo ship to move to a more interesting location in three days, so wasting a few minutes didn't matter.
The ship is already here, so there is no reason to refuse to take some passengers to and from Malton Three. The aforementioned lack of attractions means there are no official guided tours, which in turn means anyone going to the planet side must sign a certain waiver. The document does nothing else but absolve the cruise organizers of any legal liability if something happens to passengers while they are away. It also informed people that the ship would not wait for their return before continuing on its planned voyage. If someone loses track of time and misses their departure time, they will be left behind and that is entirely their responsibility.
This is just what Joe and Maggie want, because this is almost their final destination - the solar system where Barry Mulligan is sentenced to hard labor. That said, this girl desperately wants to go on an interstellar cruise because she hasn't seen enough of the Milky Way. Moreover, she had paid all the money, only a part was missing, which was inconsistent with her orderly feelings. Of course, helping Joe with his family issues is her first priority, but ideally, they'd be able to get that done before the Queen Mary leaves. It won't be easy, since Barry's mining station is in a distant asteroid field, but as long as the couple sticks to Maggie's carefully prepared schedule, it's far from impossible.
The first thing is to go to the planet and get two things - a space shuttle capable of interstellar travel and a flight license. The latter is more or less a foregone conclusion. Maggie had been secretly entering virtual flight hours throughout the cruise and had logged enough of them to serve as a training course. She handed the documents to the local government and asked to take the test immediately. Normally, she would not be allowed to do this, but she is still technically a diplomat with all the associated privileges and benefits. One of them, most certainly, is to expedite the release of any official government documents. Because of this, she passed the written, practical, and psychological exams with full marks in record time, and got her driver's license in just three and a half hours.
Well, the psychological evaluator may have left a questionable "strange but polite" comment on her file, but that didn't have any significant impact on the entire process.
Now that she's legally allowed to fly a real space shuttle, Maggie has to get one. Or, more accurately, she had to pick it up. A "Silver Storm" orbital space shuttle model OS-64-M is already waiting for her. It's not an ordinary silver storm, it's her silver storm. The girl has been able to "convince" Director Millington to "donate" a spaceship in exchange for her scientific breakthroughs. He was also "persuaded" to transport the painting to No. 3 Malton until its new owner came to claim it. Of course, this is all to keep Maggie cooperating.
Joe isn't sure he's happy with the way his girlfriend blackmailed government officials, but that smarmy Millington should be punished for the "fan club" stunt. Questionable ethics aside, the man isn't going to complain about being able to fly in style and comfort. "Silver Storm" is a high-end car, equivalent to a luxury sports car, while Maggie's car is decorated like a flying hotel suite. It has a bathroom, bedroom, living room, kitchen, and even a VR pod. The last one surprised Joe the most, though that was mostly because it was where the bloody shogot hung out. Then again, he probably should have thought of that, since Jeeves, the butler robot, was also transported here.
Another thing that gave him pause was how much effort Maggie had put into outfitting her new shuttle without Joe realizing it. It's obvious that she didn't go this far just for a trip, she probably wanted them both to go further and further on their journey. The simple-minded guy didn't know what to think. He never liked traveling. He likes to occasionally go to new places and see exotic scenery, but doesn't like the process of actually getting there. Then again, he might prefer long trips in this mobile home, especially since Maggie will be there. This positive attitude lasted a full three minutes.
Looking at that biomechanical abomination and servile automaton, Joe realized how much he missed home. He missed spending time with Benny and Karen. He missed watching AJ walk around the house with that "always on duty" look. He missed a random visit from Officer Maloney. He missed going to Mr. Charles's shop to see what new pointless gadgets there were. Hell, oddly enough, he even starts to miss his nosy old neighbor, Lady Edith Mandrake. Whenever the neighbor's message board was flooded with talk of him and Maggie, she must have been so angry that he couldn't help but laugh. If she saw what almost happened to Kelly, she would probably explode with jealousy.
"what are you laughing at?"
The girl asked the question so suddenly and so perfectly that Joe jumped in his seat.
"Oh, uh, nothing," he stammered. "Just, you know. I can't wait to get this over with and go home."
"I... see."
"What?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm just disappointed that we're going to miss the rest of the cruise."
It dawned on Joe, like a volcano erupting. She didn't say anything, but he really should have known. Why else would she finish today's agenda quickly and with such determined efficiency? The man felt a little embarrassed that her hopes were dashed like this, especially after she had done so much for him. Even if she said something like "your love is enough compensation", he felt that he should at least accommodate her a little.
"You know, if that's important to you, we could stay on the yacht for another week or two. It's not like I'm in a hurry to go back."
"Thank you."
Seeing the smile on her face, Joe felt like he had made the right decision. What does self-sacrifice mean if the girl he likes is happy?
"What about you?" Have you decided how to face your father? She suddenly changed the topic.
"Yeah. I think there's going to be a lot of yelling. Maybe there'll be punches. Maybe there'll be a lot of punches."
"I see."
"But don't blow my dad's head off, okay?" That's a little too much. "
"certainly."
"Also, why are you so excited suddenly?"
Her voice was relaxed, but her hair was shaking with anticipation.
"I just wanted to confirm whether human males can actually communicate through physical violence."
"Uh, Maggie? I'm pretty sure the whole 'men speak with their fists' thing is a metaphor."
"Are you one hundred percent sure?"
"Well, no..."
"Then I look forward to your conversation, no matter what form it takes."
"Now that you say so. By the way, how long until we get there?"
"About twenty-six hours and thirty-eight minutes."
"Yeah. Okay."
Joe couldn't help but feel conflicted about this time frame. It was longer than he expected, but shorter than he'd hoped. It made sense that it would take a while to get to Barry's place of work. Even with a brand new top-of-the-line shuttle, it was an unimaginable distance before reaching the mining facility where he was stationed. At least he could see Maggie and Joe once they got there. After all, the couple was going to visit a prisoner, which required making some requests and obtaining the necessary permissions. Of course, nothing could speed up the day's flight, which gave Joe something to think about.
"You know, I've always wondered why Dad chose to work so long," he said, expressing his thoughts. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to live in a space bungalow almost year-round, unless they're an absolute lunatic. So, you know, I'm kind of happy to find out that dad didn't do it willingly. So much for the whole... being convicted of lying thing. Not so excited.”
Maggie started to formulate a response, but Joe wouldn't give her a chance.
"I need some time alone."
He stood up from the passenger seat, walked to the back, and entered the virtual reality cabin. Of course, it wasn't connected to anything outside the ship, but it still had a hard copy in his personal collection. The girl wanted to follow him in and stay with him. However, she couldn't do it. During flight, shuttle pilots must remain alert and in the cockpit to react immediately if any complications arise. Since Joe's physical safety is more important than his emotional problems, Maggie has no choice but to leave him alone. Well, he was asking for a little space, which she thought was a reasonable request at this point. Still, she couldn't help but start to feel lonely when she realized Joe planned to spend the entire flight in that pod. He only came out when eating or sleeping, and he didn't say much to her except for some casual greetings or simple requests. The girl didn't know what was going on because this was the first time a man had been so distant. Then, she reminded herself that he probably had good reasons for snubbing her, and left it at that.
This time, Joe really didn't. He didn't know why, but for the first time in a long, long time he was separated from Maggie and he felt strangely refreshed. Now that he thought about it, his girlfriend had been pretty bossy lately, especially since what happened with Kelly. However, this simple young man didn't mind that she was a little clingy. If anything, he thought, it was a good question. Besides that, he did have a lot to think about, a lot of things he'd been putting off since he'd left home. As Maggie begins docking with the mining station, his last-minute introspection doesn't yield much. Joe was still not sure what he was going to say to his dad, and was even starting to wonder if there was any point in him being here.
"Are you going to be okay?" the girl noted his indecision.
"Well, yes. Probably. Let's get this over with."
The couple disembarked and were greeted by a very bored security guard standing in the middle of an almost empty docking bay. To say the least, they don't get many visitors. The man did a basic security scan and waved them through lazily. He didn't even notice that his psychic sensors were blowing him up while reading Maggie's brainwaves. She did, but felt no need to complicate matters by telling him about it. He then gave the couple general directions to the dormitory and told them where to find Barry. As they walked through the station, they noticed that it wasn't actually a correctional facility. As far as they knew, it was just a privately run mining operation, apparently with some convicted laborers. These men are considered non-violent and pose no threat to society, so they are allowed to serve out their sentences in relatively comfortable conditions rather than being sent to regular prisons.
Joe felt reassured by all this. Even though he was angry with Barry, he didn't want to see his dad in pain. He harbored no ill will toward anyone, let alone his family. By the time he and Maggie arrived at Mulligan Sr.'s place, he already knew exactly what to do. He rang the doorbell and the sliding door hissed open, revealing a rather small living space. It's nowhere near as small as Joe's old apartment, but it's also much more cramped than any room in Maggie's new home. It also looked very messy until its owner recently tried to clean it up. With a pile of dirty old paper plates and cups under the bed, it was almost a "bachelor apartment," even though the only occupant must have been married.
Speaking of which, Barry isn't much better. He was still as tall, bald, clean-shaven, and broad-shouldered as Joe remembered him. His attire consisted of a T-shirt, baggy pants, and bulky boots that looked almost as old as Joe, judging by the antique stains on them. The father himself had been holding a cup of cold tea on the small table in the corner, but he still stood and greeted the guests as best he could. When he locks eyes with Joe, the look on his face is best described as an unbelievable smirk with no complicated thoughts, an expression that Maggie now classifies as a "Mulligan Special."
"Joe!" Barry roared. "It's so nice to see you, my boy! Come here!"
He hugged his son like a bear, without any courtesy or reservation, actually picking up the smaller son.
"Nice to meet you too, Dad."
"I miss you so much you won't believe it!"
"No, I'm pretty sure I will. Can you let me come down?"
Barry did so, then tapped Joe on the shoulder and turned his heartless smile to the girl.
"This lovely bird must be Maggie."
"Indeed. Nice to meet you."
"So polite, so formal! Just like your mother said," he turned to Joe. "I'm so proud of you, son." So happy for you both too. "
"Thanks, Dad. What about you, are you okay?"
"Oh, you know. Same old, same old. I'm hanging on, staying positive. In 20 months I'll be free."
Barry had no intention of keeping his little secret. He already knew his wife had spilled the beans. Even if he didn't go, he would have to allow Joe and Maggie to go see him, and they wouldn't have asked if he weren't in this situation.
"How is your health? Are they taking care of you here?" the son asked.
"Of course. It takes a lot of effort to equip them with drilling suits, and the management here likes to keep their workhorses strong. The hours are insanely long, and I don't get paid, but at least I'm healthy. You've felt that way, too. I'm on The first time I saw you, you were much stronger than me. You must be at least ten kilograms heavier."
"Oh, um, you can see?" Joe was a little embarrassed.
"Well. Your mom and I never agreed on that. I wanted my son to be big and strong, but she insisted that as long as you were comfortable and relaxed like a human slug. That's pretty much what we The only thing to argue about. Call me corny, but men should be manly."
Maggie nodded vigorously from behind, and Joe scratched his cheek nervously.
"So, yeah. I'm just...really, really happy to see you taking care of yourself," Barry said with a smile.
"You know what? Me too. I'm not really passionate about the fitness thing, but I do feel better. It feels good to only be able to climb three flights of stairs without being out of breath."
"Ha! I bet Maggie admires your stamina too, right?" He winked.
"Well, we-we haven't, you know..."
Regret flashed across Barry's face as he realized what Joe was trying to say.
"Yeah," the girl interjected. "Joe's commitment to improving his physique for my sake was most endearing."
Whether or not she understood the subtext, the girl's honest answer went a long way in avoiding any awkwardness.
"Okay," Dad regained his composure. "Your new muscles probably need more than the bare minimum of nutrients, right?"
He glanced back at the clock on the back wall of his tiny room, just above his portrait of Queen May Elizabeth II.
"How about you join me for a late lunch in the cafeteria?" he suggested. "I'd love to invite you in, but even I can't fit in that tin."
"Yes, I can eat it. Maggie?"
"certainly."
"Great! I'm sure you'll love the food. It's not some fancy robot butler cooking, but it will fill you up."
In fact, the space station's canteen serves extremely basic food, consisting mainly of bread, potatoes, beans, dried fruit, and maybe a sausage or two. The Knott-goop that Joe had relied on for most of his life was nowhere to be found. Although cheaper to produce, easier to store, and more nutritionally balanced, the protein paste's absolute lack of texture and flavor was devastating to worker morale. These individuals work in high-stress environments and need adequate comfort and distraction after get off work if they are to fully perform their duties. As such, this mining station is equipped with considerable leisure facilities, including several bars and a casino.
However, on that special day, the cafeteria is the place to be. As one of the oldest miners here, Barry is friends with almost everyone. Word spread that his son and his drop dead gorgeous girlfriend were coming to visit and everyone wanted to meet them. People even left work early just to come and see it. What was supposed to be a quiet family lunch quickly turned into something more like an office party. Of course, the all-male staff knew better than to disturb Maggie, but they had no reservations about being intimate with Joe. As the girl expected, both father and son had more or less the same humble and easy-going nature, so Barry's friends soon became Joe's friends. At some point, Maggie decides to get back on the boat so the guys don't have to hold back for her. Of course, she was curious about how things would play out, but she didn't need to see them for herself.
It wasn't until six hours later that Joe finally returned to the shuttle. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that Joe was sent. The guy unwisely entered into a drinking contest and passed out. A tipsy security guard had to bring him over in an automated cargo box, a space-age wheelbarrow. Technically, this was also three hours later than the scheduled visitation time, but no one seemed to mind. Quite the opposite actually. The guard said he was sad to have to remove Barry's son from the station, but there was only so much he and his colleagues could do before they got into trouble. He left the fainted guest in Maggie's care, along with a small gift from Barry, which the father apparently forgot in his excitement.
When Joe woke up eight hours later, he was on his way back to Malton 3 with a terrible headache. Thankfully, his dad's parting gift was a small bottle of homemade hangover medicine. It tasted strangely like sour cabbage juice. Although not very comfortable, it cured my condition within 15 minutes. Of course, that wasn't the only thing Barry left him. His shoebox-sized package also contained some interesting mineral samples that he had collected during his work over the years. The accompanying note says that a big-headed scientist like Maggie might appreciate these strange formations, and he's right on the money. The last and most important gift was of course for Joe. It was a small holographic locket, just like his mother's. It contained lots of pictures of him and Barry partying the night before, and they were very popular. He was flipping through the pages next to Maggie with a bright smile on his face. The girl was naturally glad that the visit had been without any serious trouble, even though that was a problem in itself.
"Jo?"
"Um?"
"May I ask a question?"
"Of course." He put the locket away for now. "What's wrong?"
"You were much kinder to your father than you let on. Why is that?"
In fact, every time the subject of confrontation with his father came up, Joe would just say how much he wanted to yell at Mulligan Sr. and berate him to the point where he expected violence. However, none of this happened.
"Oh, right. About that. I ended up watching a bunch of old photos and videos of him on the plane, you know? And I realized I wasn't mad at him because he lied. I was mad at him because , I just miss him. Ever since I was a kid I wanted him to be with me more and I hate him because he doesn't. I just don't know it wasn't his decision and I still hate him and my mom Lying about it. And then I saw his big, stupid face and I just...I decided that I'd rather spend our time together instead of fighting."
"I see……"
"And, his two buddies?" Tim and the other Tim? I mentioned the "talking with fists" thing, and they said they were involved in some scientific research on it. The person who performed the surgery was called Bobe
stie
Doctor or something. Maybe you can look into it. "
"I will, thank you."
The girl had remotely observed the conversation being discussed, but decided to acknowledge Joe's thoughtfulness rather than point out the obvious. The man then continued browsing photos of the impromptu party. These were a great help as they helped jog his vague memories of the celebrations. He had to admit, he was having a great time despite being surrounded by strangers. They even taught him to play darts, which he enjoyed much more than he previously thought. Having said that, the visit wasn’t all laughs and wine. There was also a conversation between him and his father that the son will never forget.
In the middle of the celebration, Barry pulled his son aside to chat alone with the noisy miners. Instead of pretending nothing happened, the father admitted and apologized for lying to Joe for most of his life. Mulligan Jr. accepted immediately, no questions asked. That was a big reason why Joe later felt good about the whole thing, but it wasn't the only thing his father wanted to say. Barry Mulligan tries his best every time he sees his son, and this time is no exception.
"Jo, listen to me," he told him sternly. "I don't know how you ended up with that girl. I'm sure it's a good story and I'd love to hear it, but not right now. Now, I'm going to tell you something I've been meaning to tell you for years. You need to Start being yourself instead of letting others dictate what you do."
"What do you mean?" the son asked confused. "I came all the way here just to see you!"
"I know, it takes courage. But you didn't 'come' here. You were brought here. I know Maggie is your everything, and that's awesome, really. And yet, you can't let that Girl becomes your everything. Feel me?"
"Oh, stop talking nonsense. It's not like that."
"You lived in her apartment. You took advantage of her salary. She shuttled you here for Queenie. You even admitted that you started eating right and working for her. Not for yourself. For her. of."
"I... wasn't... actually, you... might have a point," Joe admitted with difficulty. "I guess I've been feeling that way lately, but I just brushed it off. I guess I shouldn't have done that, right?"
"No, you shouldn't. It's not healthy. I mean mentally. You should start doing things for yourself. Take some initiative. Learn proper self-reliance. Start saying "no" to others. I know life seems great right now, but It’s not always going to offer you something on a silver platter, right? You need to be prepared for when things don’t go your way.”
None of this is particularly profound, but it's all true. To be honest, it's pretty impressive that Barry can see all this since he rarely sees his son. After learning something from his wife's bimonthly letters and hearing the way the boy talked about his girlfriend, the older man realized the same flaws that had gotten him into trouble. In fact, it was his codependent nature and desire to please that kept him in forced labor for decades.
It all started long before Joe was born. One of Barry's colleagues asked the man if he could cover the last half hour of his shift as he was so tired and offered him a pint of beer as compensation. Barry was just as tired, but agreed to work even harder for the rest of the day. It was a favor to a friend, he told himself. A few weeks later, the same person asked the same question. Then he did it a third time. This became a trend, but it didn't stop there. As word spread that Barry was particularly helpful and hard-working, more and more people began to place their blame on him. I don't mean it out of malice. They're just lazy, incompetent, inconsiderate, or a mixture of these. Barry didn't want to let any of them down and did what was asked of him to the best of his ability, in addition to his own workload. For a while, he had to come up with his own little shortcuts to keep up. Examples include stacking crates where they shouldn't be, or dumping raw ore into containers without checking to see if they are empty. They're just a bunch of time-wasting regulations that companies do just because some stupid law says so.
It turns out these laws exist for a reason. Due to Barry's willful negligence, he mixed a large amount of unrefined magnesium with a box of tungsten ore and poured it into the smelting furnace, causing an explosion that dumped molten metal onto the fuel lines. What happened next was officially described as a "cascading structural failure." When the dust settled, several people were hospitalized and millions of pounds of property damage was caused. An investigation was launched and all logs and security monitoring were thoroughly reviewed.
As expected, many of Barry's indiscretions were exposed and pointed at him. Realistically, was he alone to blame for that? Absolutely not. The only reason magnesium is shipped that far down the production line without being noticed is because a group of people didn't do their job. However, Barry foolishly believed that it was indeed his fault and admitted it during the hearing. It wasn't until years later that he realized how naive and stupid he had been both before and after the incident, and he hated himself for it.
As a good father, he didn't want his son to make the same mistake again.
"What I'm trying to say is, you should at least be a little selfish," he said to Joe. "Not for me, but for you. Do you know what I mean?"
"Yes, Dad. I think I know. I'll try."
"Such a good kid. Now come here and let's make sure you don't forget this little conversation."
The next picture Barry took was the one Joe had been staring at for the past few minutes. Even without these backgrounds, it stands out from other works. All the other pictures are of them both making goofy faces while surrounded by some random rude guy. By comparison, the photo looks like a normal father-son selfie, the kind that would be framed and displayed proudly on a shelf. In fact, Joe liked the idea and made a mental note to do it when he got home. But that was later. At that time, he was planning a more direct implementation of his father's words of wisdom.
"Maggie, can you come with me for a moment?"
"I'm afraid not," she refused. "I couldn't leave the pilot's seat while the shuttle was in flight."
Technically this is a traffic law, but in practice no one follows it. Navigation computers are advanced enough that unmanned spaceflight is statistically safer than manned spaceflight. However, it was still a law and Maggie had to obey it.
"Then you can't pull over or something?" the man insisted.
"I can, but then we'll miss the boat's departure."
Bringing the shuttle to a complete stop would mean killing the momentum it had gradually built up since leaving the space station. It's theoretically possible to get it back up to speed fast enough to meet the deadline, but that would require burning a lot of fuel, which the shuttle simply doesn't have.
"Please? This is important," Joe insisted.
"clear."
Maggie hit the brakes without hesitation. The whole ship screamed and rocked, its thrusters killing its momentum as fast as it could without tearing the hull in half. Even so, it took about a minute for Silver Storm to come to a complete stop. By then Joe had stepped out of the cockpit. Maggie turns on the shuttle's "flash beacon" to warn other ships that they may be on a collision course. The odds of that happening are astronomically low, yes, but that's the rule. With all the details taken care of, she finally stood up from her seat and walked over to Joe. The man sat on the double bed in the cabin they shared with a certain look of determination on his face. He patted the sheets beside him. The girl took the hint and sat down immediately.
"What - um -!"
As soon as Maggie said two words, the man couldn't find a better word and pounced on her. He pressed his lips to hers and pinned her aggressively to the bed. He held her tightly, clawing at her soft skin and kissing her mercilessly. Like a caged, hungry beast that was finally let out, he embraced her without hesitation like never before. Girls not only allow this to happen, they welcome it. In fact, she had been quietly looking forward to this moment for a long time, and the fact that this moment came so suddenly made her even more excited. She doesn't just passively accept a man's passion. She replied eagerly and enthusiastically.
Just like that, Joe and Maggie fell in love for the first time, and hopefully many more times to come.
