Colony One Read Online Free PDF Page A

the walk to be a leisurely stroll to enjoy the euphoria of the moment, but the euphoric moment was cut short as she found her steps quickened by the sound of voices rising up in the distance. They did not sound joyous.
    She rounded the entrance to the large room of the first set of living quarters. The ceiling opened up because of the requirements of the function of the room – there were rectangular compartments cut out of the bulkhead with mattresses inserted into them. There were three platforms and each platform held two bunks vertically. The platforms were accessible by a ladder that extended from floor to ceiling every ten meters. They lined the entire expanse of the compartment – twenty along the length of the walls and ten across the back wall that was perpendicular to the entrance. It had a distinct honeycomb look to it. Skylar noticed many bunks already had bags or clothing placed on them. The whole compartment was a mess of strewn bags and people – the noise they made collectively intensified by the echo of the room.
    In the middle of the compartment, long steel dining hall tables and benches were bolted to the floor. A group of people were circled along one side of them with some commotion coming from the middle of the mass.
    “I was here first!” Skylar heard a man’s voice insist.
    “I don’t see no name tags on these bunks!” A woman’s voice countered.
    “Please, let’s be reasonable…” a third voice tried to mediate, but it wasn’t working. A collective motion took over the circle of people, as some stepped back and others moved forward. Sounds of a scuffle rose up and Skylar acted on instinct, rushing into the fray.
    “Hey!” She shouted, pulling people out of the way. “HEY!” She tried again when she made it to the center to see a woman gripping a tuft of shortly cropped hair of a man who had picked her up. A third man was trying to separate them.
    At the Captain’s appearance, the woman released the grip on his hair and the man promptly dropped her. She might have fallen, but the third man stabilized her.
    “What’s going on here?” Skylar asked as the two offenders stared at her wide-eyed. They recognized her immediately from the orientation content as the Captain.
    The man was quick to speak up, “This –” he spoke a word in Spanish that did not sound friendly, “moved my things and tried to take the bunk I had chosen.” His chest rose and fell with fervor – the woman’s decision to challenge the man was risky considering his stature – easily 6’4” with strong forearms and large hands that were balled up in frustration. He clenched his jaw, which was already pronounced with day old stubble showing.
    “Your bag was on the ground!” The woman insisted, pointing to the spot beside the bunk. “And then he shoved me!” She exclaimed, the offense renewed in her mind. She took an angry step towards the man but was restrained by the impromptu mediator. Her long, curly hair was a mess with the scuffle and her high, round cheekbones were pink even through her caramel skin tone. She craned her neck to look up at the man and glared without reservation.
    The man’s anger flared, too, “I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t started screaming in my face!”
    Skylar held out her hands, “Alright, let’s stop for a minute. First – sir, what is your name?” She asked.
    The man looked stunned for a moment – clearly unsure why she cared. “Demetri,” he finally offered.
    “Miss – your name?”
    “Lucinda,” she answered timidly after a pause.
    “And you sir,” Skylar pointed to the man who seemed to be the referee. “What is your name?”
    “Javier,” he answered without hesitation. He was a man in his late 30s with strong shoulders, white hair streaking just over his ears and an assertive look in his eyes.
    “Thank you, Javier, for trying to keep the peace.” She nodded to him. “Now, we are all friends here. We should all be getting to know each other