“That’s the story. Ravana sounded really excited last time I spoke to her, though that was a couple of weeks ago,” Quirinus told her. He looked uncomfortable in the age-old role of worried father. “Communication links aren’t too reliable on Falsafah. She quite surprised me when she volunteered to go on the trip. She used to be such a shy little thing.”
Verdandi smiled, recognising the slight bewilderment common in all parents who are finally starting to realise just how much their children have grown up. Quirinus shifted awkwardly in his chair in the manner of someone who had run out of things to say. Verdandi herself had other appointments waiting.
“I hope it works out for you, Quirinus.” Verdandi extended her hand, a signal that their discussion was over. “You’ll soon be back on your feet, I’m sure.”
There were three people in the waiting room outside Verdandi’s office when Quirinus emerged, one of whom he was surprised to see was Ostara, a smartly-dressed slim young Chinese woman, who at the time of Raja Surya’s kidnap had been head of security on the Dandridge Cole. Her success in solving that particular mystery, albeit with help from Ravana and her friend Zotz, had convinced Ostara she was born to be a detective and upon arriving at Newbrum she had applied to join the local police force. Quirinus had not seen her for some days and they greeted each other with broad smiles, pleased at their chance meeting.
“Fancy meeting you here!” Quirinus exclaimed, earning disapproving stares from the two men sitting opposite. “What brings you before the mighty Administrator?”
“Business,” Ostara told him. “It’s good to see you, Quirinus.”
“You too. Have you had your interview with the police?”
“Yesterday,” she replied, looking solemn. “I didn’t get the job. The officer said I failed to meet the pass mark on one of the tests, but I just know its because they’ve got something against us refugees. Either that or they haven’t got a uniform to fit me!”
Quirinus suppressed a smirk. While it was well known that Newbrum police officers were traditionally big, burly types who could undoubtedly lift petite Ostara with one finger, he could imagine her going off on a completely random tangent when faced with a mental aptitude conundrum. However, what she said about the bad feelings between the locals and the displaced residents of the hollow moon was sadly true.
“Something will come up,” he said, feeling he should pass on some of Verdandi’s optimism. He had already noticed that she did not look too despondent.
“Oh, I have plans,” Ostara told him, looking secretive. “If you fancy a drink later I’ll tell you all about it,” she added coyly.
Quirinus smiled. “I have to collect Zotz from school, then we’re off to stay with his father over the break. I’m sure Wak could use some help on the Dandridge Cole.”
“Say hello from me.”
“Do you want to come with us? Another pair of hands is always welcome.”
Ostara paused, then shook her head. “I’ve things to do here,” she told him. “Besides, last time Wak asked for helping hands, I managed to trap him inside an airlock and leave Ravana dangling down that horrible shaft. I think I’ll give it a miss.”
Quirinus grinned. “We’ll have that drink when I get back,” he promised.
Quirinus strode through the entrance lobby of New Birmingham Chamber and out onto the street. Verdandi’s administrative hub was aptly situated at the geographic heart of the kilometre-wide dome of steel and glass that protected Newbrum’s inhabitants from the alien environment of the world outside. The buildings beneath the dome were predominantly concrete, laid out in a concentric street pattern with Circle Park at the centre. The crumbling tower blocks around the park were squashed close, separated by streets barely wide enough for the transports that brought in supplies from the spaceport and external greenhouses. The bloated red sun of Barnard’s Star hung high above and cast its rusty rays upon the glass to paint the city in dim scarlet hues.
The Chamber was the sole survivor from the initial rush of construction during the founding of New Birmingham by Commonwealth and European colonists barely two generations ago. The building ran in a graceful curve a quarter of the way around the park, but the architecture of the imposing ten-storey structure was otherwise stark and box-like, with only the distinctive red, white and blue flag of the United Kingdom hanging limply from the pole above the main entrance to brighten the grey exterior. The European Space Agency’s interest in Barnard’s Star was short-lived, for there was little in the system worth travelling six light years for. However, after all their hard work in building Newbrum, Bradbury Heights and the other human enclaves on Ascension, many who had settled steadfastly refused to abandon their new homes and so it was that the United Kingdom reluctantly agreed to grant Ascension the status of a Commonwealth colony.
The streets were thronged with people and few were in a rush. Newbrum maintained European Central Time and artificial lighting within the dome did its best to mimic the day and night cycles of Earth. Ascension rotated slowly backwards and was so close to Barnard’s Star it orbited once every three Terran weeks, resulting in a day that saw the sun rise in the west every seven Terran days. Faced with such a confusion of daylight cycles, most people just got up out of bed and went to work or school whenever they pleased. Newbrum was not so much the city that never sleeps, but more one that never quite fully woke up.
Quirinus crossed the street and entered the park through the southern entrance, taking care to steer clear of the small group of protesters picketing the south-east quarter. The people waving placards, mostly employees of big pharmaceutical companies, were residents of the much-prized apartments overlooking the park and as such had not taken kindly to the sprawl of temporary cabins now spoiling their view. Quirinus had spent his first few weeks in Newbrum sharing a cramped module in the refugee camp and felt genuinely sorry for the ex-residents of the hollow moon who found they had no skills or expertise the city wanted. Many had found jobs in the salvage yards or hydrogen works, but it was work no one else cared for. Quirinus had later secured pilot lodgings at Aston Pier for himself, Ravana and Zotz, but now he had lost his licence even that piece of luck was about to come to an end. Fortunately, the city made sure no one went hungry, which was more than could be said for refugees on Earth, where countless millions had been displaced and vast swathes of arable land lost due to climate change.
Circle Park was a pleasant, tree-lined grassy space, split into four by north-to-south and east-to-west paths radiating from a tiny duck pond at the centre. The trees were imported Alpine species that grew tall in the low gravity of Ascension, which was around half that of their native Earth. A young mother and child lobbed stale bread at a disinterested duck, while a flock of cockatoos swept past from one roost to the next, screeching madly. It was a warm day and a few office workers were out upon the grass to eat their lunch. Further along, an elderly man in a hoverchair was being led towards the pond by his nurse. It was sometimes hard to remember that beyond the dome was a harsh, unforgiving rock where only the toughest forms of life managed to scratch out a feeble existence.
The grey facade of Newbrum Academy stood at the north-eastern edge of the park. This, the city’s sole state-funded school, had been on the brink of closure due to the popularity of private corporation colleges, but the need to cater for the children of the hollow moon brought a temporary reprieve. The Symposium, the congress of philosophers formerly responsible for education and other matters on the Dandridge Cole, reached an agreement with Verdandi to become resident tutors on the proviso they did not insult her by asking for anything more than regular meals and a roof over their heads. The building was badly dilapidated even by Newbrum standards; many windows were patched with boards, the letter ‘R’ and one of the ‘A’s had dropped off the sign above the entrance and a colony of pigeons had taken up residence behind the broken vents of the roof-top air-conditioning unit.