A deer in the headlight
The shuttle wasn't too comfortable and the seats were modelled after a classic planetary craft with rows of seats with a large pathway separating the rows. Theo took his seat, offering a pleasant view showing all the other shuttles and the other sides of the port. After a few minutes, the shuttle filled up and the automated launching announcement informed the passengers to strap in for the launch. The launch of the shuttle was calm but the passengers could feel the Gs albeit reduced but still made itself known, unlike the high-class interstellar travel. As the shuttle escaped the gravity of the planet into the atmosphere then space blended from the golden skies of Persephone to the darkness of the mother void. As the ship moved farther away from the planet and begin the procedure for faster-than-light travel Theo felt longing and a little anxiety as he knew he would not be back there for a while and also since he would not know what he would find in the future.
The ship came out of FTL and a massive space trading port came into view. This was the Rec 240 aka Darak station and it was a port that was used for massive interplanetary and interstellar trading. It consisted of multiple platforms around a giant central platform with rings which were used to generate gravity for the space stations and also as silos for materials and food. The space station had several ships and cruisers flying into and out of the station. The shuttle entered an entrance on one of the smaller platforms and was depressurized. Theo was amazed as he got out of the shuttle and walked out of the hangar and the station opened up to him. The buildings were mostly sleek high-rise buildings with chrome colours, mostly contrasted by the neon signs and brightly lit hologram ads. Hover cars and trams lined the skies between the buildings transporting passengers from one platform to another and the ground was filled with aliens and humans of all different types and races. At the central largest platform, there was a large elevator which separated different floors of the platform. The platforms were protected from space by a large dome which simulated weather conditions and retain the atmosphere for the denizens of the station. The lower floors were low-cost residential areas and few shops while the few floors higher were the commercial districts where trading and information occurred beyond that are the middle-class residential area while the top floors were reserved for the truly rich and corporate executives.
Theo approached a security droid coloured in the standard navy blue and silver suit "good day sir where can I get a reasonably priced inn".
"Follow me sir" the android started walking towards the elevator, welcome to the space station "Darak we hope your business would be fruitful". The elevator took the duo to a higher level and the droid lead them to a moderate-looking inn. "We have arrived sir at your destination. Thank you for using our services and if you could leave a rating that would be splendid:
Theo thanked the droid and promptly left a 5-star rating and approached the reception of the inn. Theo got a room and felt like an idiot due to the fact he was gawking at the receptionist who was an aquatic squid-like alien. Theo unlocked the door with the electronic chip and walked into his inn room. The room was quite compact with a desk and bed which was beside a huge glass that showed a view of the space station as hover cars flew through the air and the neon lights blinked throughout the skyline and with that Theo's first night away far from home in a new phase of his life began.
Theo walked down the steps to the meal and bar section of the inn, as he approached the waiter he could not help but awe at the various species and people he saw in the bar. Aliens of different sizes and shapes, some humanoids and some more bizarre than the rest. He ordered his meal and a delivery robot brought the food to his table. It was a standard English breakfast which consisted of bacon, fried egg, sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, toast, grilled tomatoes, and accompanied with coffee. As he was finishing his meal a short man with slight pointy green ears walked up to him" Hey kid haven't seen your face around here you can call me Deez".
"Yeah I just got here yesterday" Theo shifted his plate to his side as the waiter came to pick it up.
" Guessed as much, I'm certain you need a job right about now" he smiled at Theo" I have one if you are interested".
My funds aren't low yet but I need to think in the long term. "What does this job entail and what is the pay like cause I might leave soon"
" Oh it isn't anything hard and since you will be working with our company we can offer you some accommodation till you are ready to leave the station. Deez brought out a business card which showed the name of the company and tapped Theo's device giving him the contact information and services of the company.
"Just come to the bottom layer and call the number. I would show you the factory and take you to the accommodation area after I give you a tour". Deez started walking back to his seat "I will catch you later kid".
The afternoon came faster than expected, not that you could tell from the sky like on a planet since the station seemed perpetually in a night cycle. Theo took the elevator and arrived at the bottom layer, unlike the upper levels the lower levels were highly populated with people and merchants with stalls littering the streets and some scraps here and there. Theo had called Deez as soon as he left the elevator who met him and took him down the shady-looking markets and buildings leading to a warehouse. "This is where you will be working" he opened the door and there were several people packaging crystals into tiny boxes and moving them into trucks. "A man looked up from the working people and saw nuts and Theo at the door " Hey Deez is this the new kid"
"Yup, just showing him around will start tomorrow. I hope you will show him around when the time comes."
"No problem see you tomorrow then" the man waved and returned to his work". "Come along let me show you where you will stay when you work with us".
"Will I also pack up the crystals?" Theo asked as they walked away from the warehouse and moved further into the district.
"No, a bright kid like you would work in supervision pays well and the packaging is done by a certain group of people and doesn't pay as much. We have reached your accommodation" they approached an apartment building which looked far more decent than the surroundings around them. "Deez brought Theo up to a certain door and gave him a key card.
"Here is your card. I would send you the details to the warehouse tomorrow so you can start work. See you tomorrow kid" Deez smiled, walked away and entered a room a few metres from Theo's room.
The alarm rang waking up Theo, the room looked quite barren and dull. Well, I can spice things up after I stay for a while. Theo dressed up and looked at his communication ring as he pulled up a navigation map that Deez sent over last night. He went to Deez's room and tried knocking and no one answered. Well, he might be at work. I would reach him later on another day. For some reason, the route to the warehouse with the help of the map felt longer and more confusing now that Deez wasn't with him. Theo had to stop and double-check at times to make sure he was on the right track. Theo finally reached the warehouse and noticed it was unusually quiet and as he opened the door he could not hide his surprise. There was nothing in the warehouse. The machines, the conveyor belts, the trucks, the people and no crystals or Deez in sight. Theo was flabbergasted at how everything could be gone that doesn't make sense. It was all here yesterday. Did they move? Were they attacked and had to move everything, how come Deez didn't inform me about this? Theo could not believe what he was seeing and decided to go back to the apartment and check for Deez. He reached the apartment and went up to his room and as he opened the door a scream escaped his mouth. The room was empty, all of his stuff and bags were gone. Theo ran to Deez's door and started knocking and knocking but there were no answers. "Fuck I was scammed" tears were streaming down his eyes as the realisation hit him, "off cause no company would just accept someone for a managerial position without any experience or even interviews, but the people there at the warehouse were there in on it". Theo ran back to the warehouse and as he searched he saw an oval disk in the upper corner of the warehouse." Fuck this is a holograph device Theo turned it on and he saw the same scene he saw yesterday including the conversation between Deez and the man. Shit, this was elaborate, but fuck all my cash cards were in that bag so I don't have anything to use to buy or rent a place to stay. I've got to find that bastard he might be at that inn where I first met him ". Theo ran to the inn and started asking around but for some reason, people thought he was trying to play a joke on them.
"Hey kid come over here I heard you are looking for Deez" a man beckoned him to the side of the building. Theo approached the man quickly without a second thought.
"Sir, please tell me anything about Deez and where I can find him".
"Slow down kid he is at Ligma," the man said with a smile.
"Ligma?" Theo stuttered" Where can I find that place". Even though Theo hadn't heard of this place before, he was sure he could somehow find it.
"Ligma… balls, Ligma balls". All of a sudden Theo felt a hit on his head and his vision started spinning, he stumbled to the ground and felt a liquid trickling down his head. The liquid reached his mouth and he could feel the metallic taste. "Fuck is this blood I'm bleeding".
"Don't look for Deez anymore or you will regret the day you came to this station".
The world got dim as his eyes closed and he passed out on the ground wondering how the fuck he got into this situation.