Station Chronicles III: Martin Advance by Mary Brick

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The Station Chronicles: Martin Advance (4/6)
by Mary Brick

CHAPTER 4

(Morgan)

Morgan woke early the next morning, surprisingly refreshed despite only having had five hours sleep in a shabby hotel bed. The name "Bess' sang through his head as he prepared for his meeting with Maynard Klempt. He knew this meeting wouldn't be pleasant, but knowing that he was seeing Bess afterwards kept Morgan's spirits high.

Reviewing the incident report, Morgan was reminded of Bess' mother and how she died. His heart went out to Bess for the tragic way she lost her mother, but his pragmatic side told him that these things happened. He reminded himself that he was an agent of the station government and had to conduct himself as such. And in this case, the station government was not at fault. He considered checking into Bess' mother's death when he got home but quickly rejected the idea. It would serve no good purpose and might even lead him to a conflict of interest. Best to keep his personal and business lives separate.

That thought led him to another, more troubling thought. He would be going home tomorrow. His work would be finished today and only seeing Bess tonight kept him from leaving right after his meeting. How was he going to continue seeing Bess? He knew that he could take more planetside assignments. That would not only ensure his ability to see Bess, but it would also help him advance to Level Four faster. But the thought of spending that much time on Earth appalled him. He could take Bess stationside and set her up in a nice place. Then he could see her all he wanted. But Morgan knew that Bess wouldn't go for that. She had too much pride. Though most women living in this hell-hole would jump at the chance of being the mistress of a well-established Station Resident, Morgan knew that Bess deserved more. She deserved marriage.

"Am I really considering this?' Morgan thought. "I've known this girl for six hours and I'm ready to take planetside assignments and am thinking about marriage?' But he knew that not only was he considering it, he would do whatever it took to make it happen. For he knew that this girl had touched something in him, something that he had thought he had buried with his mother; his ability to love another human being totally and completely without regard for himself.

***

(Bess)

Maynard Klempt watched his daughter as she fixed breakfast. Humming softly to herself, she had a look about her he'd never seen before. He also knew she didn't get in until after 0300 this morning. Those two pieces of information weighed heavily on his mind.

"Bess, honey, anything on your mind?" he asked hesitantly.

Placing his plate in front of him, Bess quickly turned her head to hide the blush that had suddenly come over her. "Not really," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem in a particularly happy mood this morning, that's all," he said.

"Well..." Bess hesitated, but decided to go for it. "A man came into the restaurant last night."

"Ah, that explains the blush,' Maynard thought sullenly.

Bess hurried on. "And he's really nice, and he's from the stations, and we're going out to dinner tonight."

Maynard choked on his food. "From the stations! And you're going out with him tonight! Bess, what are you thinking?"

"Now, Daddy, don't get all upset." Bess mentally scolded herself for mentioning the stations, but it was too late now. "He's a nice man, and I see no reason not to go out with him if I want to."

Maynard put his fork down and stared at his daughter. "You don't see any reason not to go out with him, do you? Well, I see plenty of reasons. This is only going to cause you trouble, my girl. Don't you see that?"

"What kind of trouble can a harmless date cause?"

"You must be joking! You know the reputation these Station Res' have! They pick up innocent Earth girls like you, take advantage of them, and then head back to where they came from. Never coming back and leaving a trail of broken hearts and shattered reputations behind them!"

Bess nearly laughed but quickly realized her father was totally serious. She looked at his distraught face with tenderness and understanding.

"Daddy, he's not like that." Seeing the look of disbelief on her father's face, Bess quickly continued. "Honest! He's quiet, almost shy." Bess smiled as she all but spoke to herself. "Very considerate, kind, gentle, funny...and even a little goofy!" She laughed. "It's obvious that he's never been to Earth before. But he's not slick and polished, trying to impress me with fancy words and flashing his money around."

Maynard shook his head. "That's just another ploy they use to try and lure you in. Don't be fooled by it, Bess."

Bess placed a reassuring hand on her father's arm. "Daddy, this is me you're talking to. The child you taught to look life squarely in the eye and take as it came...and give as good as she gets. Now I've got to get to work." Bess got up from her chair and gave her father a hug. "Don't worry, Daddy, I know what I'm doing."

As Maynard watched his daughter walk out the door, he had one last thought. "I hope you do, my girl, I truly do hope you do.'

***

(Morgan)

Morgan walked down to the restaurant where Bess worked. His rationalization was that he needed to eat breakfast anyway. But, of course, it was just so he could see Bess. Unfortunately for Morgan's plans, the restaurant was amazingly busy. Every table was taken, but Morgan managed to find a seat at the counter. He waved to Bess as she walked by, and her smile of pleasure at seeing him made Morgan warm all over. He hoped that she would be working behind the counter, but it was Frank who came up to take his order.

"Oh, you're back," was Frank's surly greeting. "What do you want?"

"Coffee and toast will be fine," Morgan replied, watching Bess go into the kitchen.

Frank poured the coffee and put two pieces of bread in to toast. Returning with the food, Frank watched Morgan watch Bess. "Look, buddy, a piece of advice. Stay away from her. She's a good kid and doesn't need to get her heart broken by the likes of you."

Morgan was startled by Frank's comments. He was aware that Frank didn't like him. However, he thought it was because Frank had designs on Bess himself, not because he felt protective of her.

Morgan looked at Frank steadily. "I'm not going to break her heart, okay?"

"Yeah, well, see that you don't." With that, Frank went back to his work.

Morgan tried in vain to get a moment to talk with Bess, but she was too busy. So he contented himself with watching her work. She performed her duties like a pro, carrying heavy trays of food from the kitchen to the tables and returning with heavy dishpans filled with dirty dishes. Morgan's resolve to take her away from this drudgery strengthened with each passing minute.

Morgan knew he could watch her all day, but he wanted to get his meeting with Maynard Klempt over with as soon as possible. So forcing himself off the seat, Morgan turned to leave and came face to face with Bess.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi, yourself," she answered.

"Busy this morning, huh?"

"Yeah. Real busy."

"I had a great time last night."

"Me too."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"So, I'll see you tonight, then."

"Right. 1700 sharp."

"1700 sharp."

"Bye, Morgan."

"Bye, Bess."

Morgan floated out of the restaurant.

And crash landed in the Zone 3 Copper Mine Operations Office.

"Mr. Klempt, you cannot hold the station government responsible for using equipment you knew was old and in disrepair."

"I can and I will, Mr. Martin. That piece of equipment was vital to our mining operations. Without it, we'd have to shut down. I was told over and over that a replacement piece would be delivered. Until then, we were to carry on as usual. Those were their exact words. *Carry on as usual.* What was I supposed to do?"

They had been at it for two hours. For every argument Maynard Klempt offered, Morgan countered with the company line. Neither was going to give an inch.

"Look, Mr. Klempt. There's really nothing I, personally, can do about this," Morgan said for what felt like the thousandth time. "All I can do is report back to my supervisor with the details. It will be up to him to decide if a full-scale investigation is warranted."

"Okay, fine," Klempt relented. "But will you do me one thing?"

Morgan looked warily at the man seated across from him. This sudden acquiescence after hours of arguing the same points over and over put Morgan on his guard.

"Perhaps. What is the favor?"

Maynard Klempt leaned forward as if to confide in Morgan. "Your report will be the determining factor on whether or not the horrid conditions down here ever get investigated. You can word that report in just the right manner so as to ensure that such an investigation will take place. Will you do that?"

Morgan knew that rocking the boat was a sure way of ending up on the receiving end of a pink slip. Morgan couldn't jeopardize his career. So he answered the man before him the only way he knew how, still keep his job, and manage to get out of this office.

"I'll do the best I can."

Klempt looked down at his hands and then back up at Morgan. "Yeah, I'm sure you will."

Dismissed, Morgan left the office and went back to his hotel.

***

(Morgan and Bess)

The time was 1700, and Morgan was standing outside of "Bess' Restaurant' as he had come to think of it. Actually, he'd been there for quite a while just so he could be closer to her. He was wondering if he was becoming obsessed. He supposed he was, but it was such a pleasant obsession. A few minutes later, Bess walked out the door, took one look at him, and laughed right out loud.

"Morgan, what are you wearing?" she exclaimed.

Morgan shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his clothes. "Well, I hadn't expected an overnight visit, let alone two. I had been wearing the same suit for two days. I decided I had better find something else to wear."

Morgan had spent the afternoon getting ready for this night out with Bess. He scouted around until he found what passed for a fairly decent place to eat. Then he found a nightclub that promised entertainment of a higher caliber than one would normally expect to find on Earth. Deciding a change of clothes would be in order, he searched the stores until he found something bordering on passable. However new the clothes might be, it was obvious they were below the standard he was used to judging from the suit he came here in.

"Am I presentable?" Morgan asked worriedly.

"You look fine," Bess assured him. She looked expectantly at Morgan who looked at her in return. It suddenly occurred to him that Bess had given special consideration to her own wardrobe. The dress she wore was substantially nicer than the clothes she had been working in the night before. Though it, too, was of an inferior quality to station fashions, Morgan didn't care. She looked beautiful. And he told her so. Bess rewarded him with a radiant smile.

"Shall we be off?" Morgan asked and he extended his arm to Bess. She took it and they headed down the walkway.

Bess' eyes widened in delight as they entered the restaurant Morgan chose making it obvious to him that he had chosen well. The hostess showed them to their table and presented them with menus.

They enjoyed a surprisingly good meal and picked up their conversation right where they left off. When dinner was over, Morgan suggested that they head over to the nightclub he found, but Bess demurred.

"That place will be so crowded and noisy," she explained. "Why don't we just take a walk like we did last night. Then we can talk some more."

That idea was eminently agreeable to Morgan and so they found themselves, once again, wandering the walkways with particular destination in mind. They again talked of everything and nothing, seeming desperate to fill a lifetime into a few short hours. Morgan reached out and took her hand in his as they walked. Bess looked up at him and smiled as her hand relaxed in his. Morgan had never been happier.

Without warning, Morgan heard the question he'd be fearing all night and his heart froze in his chest.

"When are you going back home?"

She said it casually, but the expression on her face belied that casualness. Morgan saw a bench up ahead and he guided her towards it. Sitting down, he took both of her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes.

"Bess, we have to talk."

In rapid succession, expressions of sadness, expectation, and acceptance replaced the look of happiness on Bess' face. Taking a deep breath, she quickly said, "That's okay, Morgan. I understand. Hey, it's been a fun two days, though, huh?"

"No, Bess, you don't understand," Morgan began but she interrupted him.

"Don't, Morgan. Don't spoil it." She withdrew her hands from his. "Look, I didn't go into this with any expectations and I don't..."

"I love you."

"...want you to feel that you...what?"

"I love you."

"You love me?"

"Yes, I do."

Bess' hand flew to cover her mouth. "Oh, my." she murmured quietly.

Morgan took her hands in his again as he leaned his face close to hers. "I love you," he whispered. Bess reached a hand up to caress his face. "I love you, too," she whispered back.

Morgan leaned closer and gently pressed his lips to hers. Bess softly returned his kiss and time stood still.

A million years later, or so it seemed, they separated and looked at each other. Their worlds had changed but their circumstances hadn't.

"So, where do we go from here?" Bess asked.

"I'm not sure, Bess," Morgan admitted. "I just know that I can't let you walk out of my life now."

Bess smiled playfully. "Planning on moving to Earth?"

Morgan couldn't stop a look of horror from crossing his face. "No!" came his all too quick reply. Managing to look chagrined, Morgan quickly got himself back under control. "I mean, no, that isn't what I had in mind."

Bess laughed. "That's okay. So, what did you have in mind?"

Morgan sighed. He had to do what he had to do. This was his life he was talking about after all. He knew he couldn't live without her.

"Bess, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she said quickly with her heart before her mind could say no.

Morgan managed to look dazed, relieved, and ecstatic all at the same time. Taking her in his arms, he buried his face in her hair. "Oh, Bess, I promise to make you the happiest woman in the world." he said.

Bess leaned back and looked him straight in the eye. "You already have."

END OF CHAPTER 4

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