Chapter 6: Phaon

"Trains are now departing," The deep sonorous voice calmly announced over speakers positioned throughout the station. Passengers of every walk strutted, waddled or jostled their way to the departing train. Peak travel time wouldn't be for another three months, Joe announced to his companions. Since there weren't as many people travelling, the trains were smaller and didn't run as frequently.
Strangely enough, the frugal Phaons made 3rd and 4th class the most popular seats, which often had to be booked weeks in advance. Of course, upper class patrons always travelled first class or luxury, which these days occupied only one railcar, which left 2nd class as the only seats available for the party to purchase. (deduct 290 pounds or 345 credits from your character's monies for a one-way ticket to Darbeyville.) Joe, Jessine, Leon and Bug were gathered together, having checked their baggage through.
Together, they lined up, and filed into their car. They had specifically made sure to get seats together, even to the point of having to trade another willing passenger for his ticket, so they could all sit together. As they filed onboard, Leon used his frame to shield tiny Bug, so that he wouldn't get jostled around by the crowd. Once they had gotten inside, each of them made for their seats.
After what seemed a interminable delay, though it turned out that the train was on schedule, there was a subtle feeling under their feet and the train smoothly glided out of the station. Avalon's white houses could soon be seen flowing past the windows beside their seats, which faced each other. Soon, as the speed of the train picked up, the houses flowed even faster, turning into an indistinguishable white band which itself turned into a blur of olive green as the train zoomed by at incredible speeds, having left the city in an instant. The tracks had become elevated and looking behind them as the train followed a turn in the tracks, they could just make out the quickly receding form of Avalon, glistening besides the bay and then it was gone and they were on their way, the vast stretch of fields below them keeping pace until darkness fell and they entered the mountains of the Kalina Range. Their estimated time to arrive in Darbyville, half a continent away, was five and a half standard hours.

"I thought you were going with the others?," Joe pointed his knife at Leon, while shoving a carved piece of some stuffed meat into his mouth.
"So did I," said Leon, contenting himself with a vegetable shake. "But I must have miscommunicated with Solo. He never showed at the pick up point. I hope that he's alright."
Jessine, who had been roped into playing chess with Bug because it was something Tessa did, gladly turned her attention away from the little pipsqueak to focus on what Leon had said. Still, all she did was watch and listen, volunteering no conversation besides an occasional frown as Bug proceeded to destroy her defenses on the chessboard.
"Well, how did you get here in time?" Joe asked.
Leon shook his head. "Some farmer gave me a ride. Turns out he was on his way to the station to send off a package to his brother. As it was, I just made it."
Joe stared out the window, not voicing any comment. Looking around, Bug thought that the humans looked ill at ease. "Well, if Solo's been caught, we'll know soon enough," he said, check-mating Jessine. "I'm assuming a dormant state. I will re-emerge before we arrive." So saying, his head tucked itself like a turtle's down into his carapace while his arms began to fold themselves flat against his body. Other passengers on the train turned and stared or pointed at the alien.
"Great," muttered Jessine, herself watching Bug and then noting the reaction of the other passengers. "I'm glad we've made their journey so memorable."
"They're just not used to seeing aliens," Joe told her. "Most don't venture beyond the starport. It's rare that they actually come onto Phaon."
Leon shook his head. "Jessine's right, though I don't think its Bugs fault. He may be the most obvious, but aside from Joe, we all stand out here. We have offworlder stamped on our foreheads and people will note us wherever we go. Which makes me wonder how Solo, Raymont and Thorn are getting out."
"Oh, I'm sure they blend," Jessine sneered.
"I think Bug has a good idea. Let's get some sleep." Joe promptly followed his own advice, nodding off. Jessine drifted off herself. The last thing she saw before she fell asleep was Leon, wide awake, staring out the window. The lights of Biago were coming into view.

Jessine kicked the morning dust, looking out over the squat utilitarian buildings of Darbyville. It was a new town and lacked the charm and elegance of Avalon. However, it was a bustling place as evidenced by all the early morning activity of groundcars, scooters and wagons that already congested the road.
"See anything yet?" Jessine called above her, where Bug was hovering high up, trying to get a view of the city.
Rather than shouting, he lowered down, his eyes hovering the same height as Jessine's. She found this annoying, but Bug acted as if she was used to it.
"A very spread out place," Bug informed her. "It actually seems bigger than Avalon, but I'm sure that's only perception."
Jessine looked at the buildings. They were all the same prefab.
Bug looked behind her and Jessine turned to see Leon helping Joe carry all his stuff. Neither Bug, Jessine, or Leon had seen fit to take more than one carrycase, but Joe, it seemed, liked to travel like he was permanently relocating. Jessine was sure he must have taken everything he owned.
"Sure you didn't forget anything?" she asked.
"I like to travel well prepared," he protested.
"What's the news?" Bug asked.
"Not good," Leon told them. "I guess we didn't do our homework. The train continues on to the other side of the continent, up to Winnaker and then down to Venetzia. It stops at a bunch of towns on the way, but this is as far as we get on to Ballynena."
"Well, what now?" Jessine asked.
Joe had already begun to drag some of his carrycases down the street, leaving the others to Leon and Jessine.
"Well, I'm going to take a groundbus," he called back. "Of course, you could walk if you want to."
Scowling, Jessine scooped up one of Joe's carrycases, tucking her own under her other arm. Even Bug tried to get into the act, wrapping six arms around one of Joe's smaller pieces and using his grav belt to help drag it along. The locals stopped to stare at all of them. Leon ignored their ignorant glaring and picked up the rest of the luggage and brought up the rear.

"Are we having fun yet?" Joe yelled aloud, his head occasionally hitting the roof of the overcrowded groundbus.
Jessine just scowled at him in reply. (All characters deduct 200 pounds or 234 credits for groundbus tickets to Ballynena plus .90 pounds or 114 credits for lodging enroute.) A porcama screeched at her when her foot accidentally jostled its side. It was disgusting enough, she thought, to have to travel with these Phaonic yokels. Why did they have to bring their farm animals along with them?
"I don't know," Bug voiced, squeezed helplessly between Leon and a Phaons farmer, who glared at the alien and muttered Talyo to the woman seated behind the farmer. "I don't see how I'm going to survive four more days of this." They had travelled two days already, stopping at small towns and hamlets for the night. Some of these, place names on a map such as Stokely, Alist, and Etibeobecoke, turned out to me nothing more than a handful of buildings and a wide place on the dusty road.
"What's to eat?" Leon asked, deciding to change the subject.
"What else," Joe replied.
"Not Spinecones again!" Bug protested. "I'm sick of Spinecones!"
"Hey, we've got to budget," Joe told him. "Now, just decide how you want your Spinecones cooked. How about mashed? We haven't tried them mashed yet."
"Trouble is, they'll still taste like Spinecones," Jessine muttered.
"Well, enjoy this while it lasts," Leon told her. "It's going to get worse."
"How could it get worse?" she asked him.
"Well, yesterday, I was talking to the fellow next to me. From what he said, we should be leaving the paved road soon," he told her.
"This is paved!" Jessine's jaw dropped just as the groundbus gave a great heave throwing all of them up so that they had to use their arms to keep from hitting their heads on the bus's roof. They had just left the paved road.
"I can't take four days of this!" Bug screeched, being suffocated by the crushing bulk of Leon and the farmer.

"Hey, slow down dammit!" Solo yelled at Raymont. "Last thing we need is a speeding ticket! We're in a stolen car, remember?"
"Oh, come on, Grandpa," Raymont chided him, "This thing handles great! Let's have some fun."
"What's the punishment if Tessa, uh, Jessine killed that policeman?" Thorn asked from the back seat. "I mean, do we get jailed as accessories to murder or just for having a stolen car?"
Raymont and Solo looked at each other with grim faces.
"I think I'd better slow down," Raymont announced.
"Good idea," Solo agreed.
"Well, what do you think?" Thorn pressed.
"I think we should change the subject," Solo told her. "Let's think positively for a change, alright?"
Thorn stopped talking and everything was quiet for awhile. Fields of barley and Spinecone orchards were blurs out of the side windows while ahead, a ribbon of paved roadway undulated and weaved as they raced along its surface.
Finally, Thorn broke the silence again. "How come we're meeting Leon so far out? I thought he said he was going to meet us just outside of Avalon?"
"He decided to take the train," Solo announced.
"He told you that?" Raymont asked, looking over from his driving.
"Yeah, he said was going to take the train with the others," Solo said.
"Well, he told me that he was only going to do that if there wasn't room in the car," Thorn called up from in back.
Once again, Raymont and Solo exchanged grim glances.
"Shit!" Raymont announced as he slowed down and spun the car around on the empty road. Soon they were racing back the way they came, back to Avalon.

"Well, at least we decided to call Dicey's," Thorn pointed out. "That saved us some time. Who knows what happened to Leon though."
"Well, if he goes back to Dicey's, she'll tell him to take the train." Solo replied. "He won't be very far behind the others."
"Do you want me to drive?" Thorn asked him from the passenger seat. "You've been driving all night. You must be exhausted."
"No, but thanks," he told her, "I want to make up some time. Just keep an eye on the map and let me know when to turn off for Darbyville. How's the kid?" he asked.
"I think he's asleep," Thorn told him, not bothering to look back.
"No I'm not," Raymont replied from the back seat. "Quit calling me kid."
"Well, you drive like one," Solo told him.
"Well, at least my driving has style," Raymont replied.
"Is that what you call it?" Solo quipped.
"Hey you two," Thorn interjected, "As far as I'm concerned, you're both a couple of babys. Just calm down. You're both so edgy."
"Well, you had to bring up that bit about a murdered cop," Solo told her.
"That was hours ago," Thorn protested. "Forget it. Bad topic of conversation."
Everyone was quiet. Looking over, Solo could see the glow of the instrument dash underlighting Thorn's face. She seemed to be lost in thought.
"What are you thinking?," he asked her, trying to make conversation.
"I was just trying to remember if Phaon has the death penalty," she told him.
"Would you shut up about that!" he yelled.
"Hey, Solo!," Raymont called from the back seat.
"What?" Solo barked back.
"At least my stylish driving didn't attract a cop," Raymont told him.
"What?" Solo looked into his rear sensor screens. Indeed, they showed a small vehicle matching his pace, but keeping about two hundred metres to the rear. "Are you sure?"
"Believe me," Raymont told him, "I know when I'm being tailed. This cop's been fading in and out for about three hours now. I didn't say anything before, but now I'm sure its more than coincidence."
"What do we do?" Thorn asked Solo.
"What's the next town," he asked her, not answering her question.
Thorn looked at the map display on the dash. "Someplace called Ybel."
"O.K. Let me know when we get near. I'll pull out there and you take over," he told Thorn. "We'll see what the cop does then."
"And if we're being followed?" Thorn asked him.
"We'll play it by ear," Solo replied. Turning his head, Solo called back to Raymont, "You got that, Raymont?"
"Absolutely," Raymont replied. He was busy changing the setting on what looked like a pistol. Solo couldn't see what kind it was.
Solo shook his head. They travelled on for about half a standard. The cop shadowing him never varied his course, always maintaining his distance. Solo didn't have the skill or instrumentation to know for sure, but if he didn't need to know that the cop had probably scanned them, and knew how many they were and what kind of energy fields were present in the vehicle.
"Hey, don't charge your gun up," he told Raymont as their compguide told them they were approaching Ybel.
"Take it easy, Solo," Raymont reassured him. "I'm not stupid. He probably scanned us."
Seeing the rest site, Solo slowed down and pulled off the road. Thorn got out and went to the restroom, actually hoping to find some cover. Raymont followed her while Solo stayed with the car. Soon, an a-grav bike glided into the rest stop. The helmeted policeman stopped well to the rear of the car and watched Solo intently.
Raymont and Thorn returned to the car and, trying not to appear nervous, got in just like any other travellers would do.
Solo plugged a coin into the water dispenser and started to fill up his tank, even though he didn't need to. (Solo - deduct 1 pound). Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cop glide over to behind the car. The cop got out and scanned the car from behind and then made a point of walking around the far side of the vehicle, and then, completing the circle, approaching Solo from the front of the car. Thorn and Raymont watched nervously from inside.
"Evening, officer," Solo greeted the policeman without looking up. "How's things?"
"Where you headed?" the police officer asked him. It was a woman's voice and Solo was startled, having assumed it would be a man for some reason.
"Uh, just on a family vacation," he tried to lie convincingly. "Just out with the sister and little brother on a camping trip."
"Why are you filling up? You haven't used a tenth of your tank yet." she told Solo.
Knowing that he'd been scanned, Solo kicked himself mentally. Filling up had been a stupid thing to do - a nervous thing to do.
"You know, you can stop playing games. I know who you are," the police officer told him. Solo just about dropped the water hose. He just managed to put it back. Turning to the officer, he tried to look nonchalant. Getting a good look at her, he could see that she was packing a nice shiny disruptor pistol which lay unstrapped and ready to use.
"Um,. do I know you?" It was all Solo could think to say. The air seemed electric. He was sure that whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon.
"No, except by reputation. I'm Sergeant Ohar," the cop took off one of her gloves and reached out for a handshake. Solo was floored, but he managed to take her hand and shake it. Since his reactions seemed wooden, she went on, "Aylaine Ohar?" she told him, expecting to jog his memory.
"Ohh, oh yes," he pretended to remember.
"Well, I must say, you Bwenterr's don't hold grudges." She took off her helmet allowing a generous wealth of red gold hair to fall down. Solo's eyes just about popped out.
"Holy Dia!" Raymont popped his head out of the car, "You're a cop?!!"
"Shut up, kid," Solo barked at Raymont, "she's mine, uh, I mean we're talking. Go back inside."
Ohar laughed. "Cute. Is he going to join up too?"
"You bet!" Raymont yelled from inside.
Solo kicked the door of the car. Turning to the policewoman, he smiled, "Nice to meet you at last," he said. From what few glances he allowed himself to make of her, he had to admit that Ohar put a certain Viridian mime to shame.
"So, you ever going to take a shot at getting your old man's record back?" she asked him, leaning on the car. "How is he, by the way?"
"He's fine," Solo told her. "He's active. Good. Very fine."
"He's out of hospital then?" Ohar seemed surprised.
"Oh, no, uh, he's active for where he is, I mean," Solo told her.
Ohar looked at him confused.
"So, uh, so how did you know it was me," Solo asked her, frustrated about having to talk around topics he knew nothing of.
"Are you kidding?!" she asked him. "Oh, cmon, Bwenterr. How many people on Phaon are driving one of these?" She patted the car.
"Oh," Solo smiled, when actually inside he was crying. What she said next only confirmed his fears.
"I must admit, you've got taste," she pulled her body off the car and gazed at it admiringly. "Must have set you back pounds a plenty. You're the talk of circuit, Rincarlo. You don't mind if I call you Rincarlo, do you?"
"Oh no," Solo shook his head.
She went back to admiring the car. "A 487v Bertol Lancedrago." She whistled. "You know, we were just reading that article in `Groundcar' at the station when we heard you got one. Most of my unit's already been to Avalon just to see this thing. I hate to admit this, but I was going to go my next off duty days, and" she looked at Solo, "here you are."
"Yep," Solo nodded, "One of a kind."
"Certainly on Phaon," she said. "You'll turn heads wherever you go. Though I guess that's what you wanted," she smiled at him.
He smiled back, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
"Can we go now? I'm bored!" Thorn yelled from inside, having lost her fear of the cop through overhearing the conversation.
"Shut up Sis, I'm talking," Solo yelled back.
"Hey, uh" Ohar looked shyly over at Solo, "we should get together some time. I mean, Avalon's not so far away. Maybe, we have some lunch."
Solo bit his lip. He was thinking that his luck was either incredibly good or tragically bad, depending on the view.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I would really love to do that," he told her. "Believe me, I really would."
"Great!" she flashed him a smile. "Wait," She walked over to her grav bike and, after getting something out, walked back over to him. "Here's my card." She showed Solo a phone card. It was for a private number. "You could always get a hold of me through the station too," she told him. "And uh, " she placed the card into his hand, "promise you won't hold it against me if I take on your father's quickdraw record too."
Taking the card he said, "Won't bother me a bit."
"Great!" she smiled. "Hate to think anything would come between us."
"Yeah," Solo nodded sadly, "me too."
"Cmon Brother!" Thorn yelled from inside. "Remember, Mom told you not to talk to girls until you see the doctor again."
Ohar gave a wry smile. "You Bwenterrs! Weird humor," she laughed. Getting on her grav bike she looked back after having put on her helmet again, and Solo was surprised to find out how much prettier a police uniform was when a smile went with it.
"Hey!" she called back. "Cheer up! I'll see you again - soon," she promised. Waving, she sped off into the darkness. Solo waved until she was out of sight then got back into the car while Thorn scooted over into the drivers seat.
"You guys are so stupid!" Thorn accosted Solo and Raymont. "A pretty face and you just fall to pieces. She was a cop, for Dia's sake! Did you hear her talk about records and quickdraws? Wake up! She was a killer!"
"Girl of my dreams," Solo sighed, gazing off into the distance.
"Ugh!" Thorn started the car and pulled back onto the road.
Raymont held up his hand. "Well, I know what face ole hand here is going to have tonight."
Solo's hand shot out and grabbed Raymont by the throat.
"Jokh" Raymont wheezed, "Jokh, jokh. lez go."
"Let him go, Solo," Thorn told him. "This is getting silly, you just met her!"
Solo let Raymont go. "Sorry, I uh, justOh fuck it! Can't you drive any faster?!" he yelled at Thorn.
"Wouldn't want me to get a ticket, would you?" Thorn asked.
Solo glared at her and then just turned and looked out the window.

`Cmon Solo, It's `Chainsaw Mayhem," Raymont told him. Your favorite!" Raymont tried to ply the vidgame on Solo, but there was no cheering him up. The party's pilot had been acting weird for days. His cursing and swearing was down by a good fifty-percent margin. Thorn saw him open a door for a little old lady. And they even found him watching Police dramas on the televid in the room.
They had been in Ballynena for three days now. It was a small town, a mere hamlet really. A small river ran through the town and the locals found escape from the mid day sun by swimming or fishing in the river for flatfish spawn. The others hadn't arrived yet, but Thorn and the others waited. There was only one inn in Ballynena and so it wasn't hard to guess where they would meet.
Having made a ritual of checking the bus everyday, Thorn, Raymont and Solo once again plied out of the inn proper and onto its deck, sipping iced bark tea and fanning themselves. Like it had the two days previously, a small groundbus jostled its way into the town square and unloaded mail and packages for the residents. Also, for the first time in a long time, it also brought visitors, more than doubling the size of the "tourists" already in town. The locals were startled, even somewhat frightened to see that one of them was an alien.
Thorn waved as Joe, Bug, Jessine and, thankfully, Leon, got off the bus. Everybody greeted one another and Joe went inside to check into the inn. (First comers deduct 30 pounds or 36 credits for food and lodging. Thereafter, everyone deduct 10 pounds or 11 credits for each night stayed.) Jessine and Bug gazed fondly at the menu, lusting after anything that didn't smack of Spinecone.
"Welcome to Ballynena," Raymont greeted them. "Armpit of paradise."
"Is that the car?" Leon was shocked to see the condition of the sportscar.
Raymont nodded. "Yep, that's a 487v Bertol Lancedrago," Raymont told him. "I guess we might have knocked a little of its value. Unpaved roads," he explained.
"Tell me about it." Leon reached back to rub the numbness out of his backside.
"So, where were you?" Raymont asked him.
"Where was I?," Leon scowled, "I was at the place. You guys never showed."
"Oh, yeah," Raymont nodded. "Sorry. Glad to see you made it though."

Later, in the evening, everyone was gathered around outside in the cafe. Glowbirds could be seen, dancing about in the naked arms of the oak trees.
Jessine had just come out of the inn. She was holding a paper. Jessine's name could be seen scrawled on it's surface. "Hey everyone," she whispered. "It's a message from Dicey that's been here waiting for me. She says that the Police were at her place looking for Tessa. That's all it says."
Everyone was quiet. It was up to Raymont to break the silence. "Boy, Jessine, I bet you're glad you're not in Tessa's shoes."
A heavy silence covered all.
"No one appreciates a good joke around here," Raymont complained

(Alright. This is it. Pretty basic and should be fairly straight forward. This is your last meagre chance to have a minimal crack at securing supplies before hoofing it into the wild. Terrain will not support travel in a ground vehicle at this point. Solo's previous estimate stated a probability of 30+ days to reach the site. Good luck.)

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