Relics of the Past - Chapter Two

Mark arrived on satellite B9746FD ninety six hours later. To him however, it seemed like only a moment had passed because he had spent the entire time asleep. His actual destination was outpost K754FD. The only transport that went to outpost K754FD was not scheduled to leave for another twelve days. A room had already been reserved for Mark’s use so Mark went up to a display station in the waiting area and checked to see where he was staying.

The waiting area had an open concept design. The ceilings were high and there were several corridors that led to different places in the building. Mark picked one and started walking. He didn’t really care where he was going. He didn’t need to be anywhere and he didn’t need to do anything. He stepped onto an automated walkway. The walkway left the waiting area and entered what could be described as a glass tube. The glass tube was high in the air and extended to another large building further toward the center of the colony. Mark looked around. Below him he could see buildings with patches of green space between them. Mark guessed that the lighting was 60%, which indicated it was close to evening. He proceeded to cross the glass tube and entered a large building which contained places to eat and be entertained. Mark checked the directory and selected a place to eat where he could sit down at a nice table and relax. He hit the button to indicate that he wanted to reserve a table and the display told him a table would be available in 30 minutes.

Mark walked around. He wasn’t going anywhere specific, he was just checking things out. He was in the mood to listen to some jazz. He noticed that there was a little place that had live music and he decided he would swing back this way when his meal was done. Mark entered the restaurant and woman greeted him as soon as he walked in. “Hi, I’m so glad you are decided to dine with us tonight.” The woman smiled and took Mark’s hand. When she did she scanned his id but he didn’t notice. “Come right this way Mark, I have a nice table for you right over here.” She sat Mark down at a nice table. There were warm dinner rolls already waiting for him. There was a candle and there was nice plates and utensils. A glass a water was also waiting. Mark took a sip. The water was pure and refreshing. The woman continued “Your waiter will be with you shortly.” And then she walked away.

It was not long after that, that the waiter did appear. He had a fine shirt and tie. He took his responsibilities as a waiter very seriously. It’s not because he earned a lot of money as a waiter. He actually did not get paid anything. The fact was nobody got paid for any work that they did and nothing anybody did cost them anything. The only requirement for living in the colony is you had to do something. The waiter got his compensation from the satisfaction of doing his job well and from the prestige that people afforded him by their praise of his work. The waiter asked Mark what he was in the mood for and upon securing that information, suggested several meals which would satisfy his appetite. Mark decided on a steak with potatoes and for desert he had something which included chocolate. Mark sat leisurely while he ate his dinner.

When Mark was finished he went back to the place which had the live music. Mark enjoyed live music because it included the imperfections which gave the music its quality. When computers played the music, it sounded crisp and clean but there was no soul. It was too perfect. There were three people who were playing. There was a drummer, someone playing the saxophone and another person playing a stand- up bass guitar. After Mark had been there a few minutes, People engaged him in conversation. The days past where there were strangers did not exist anymore. Everyone was a friend. It was always exciting to find out what people were doing and what they were interested in. Mark participated by telling everyone about the exciting discovery on outpost K754FD. They were all fascinated by the discovery.

Mark settled into his room. It was a standard room, it had a bed, and bathroom and a living area. It also had a small kitchen in it where he could prepare meals. It was only around 900 Square Feet but because of its open concept design, it seemed larger than that. Mark settled into his bed. He adjusted the firmness and when he had finished that, he had the computer play some soothing music to help him fall asleep.