Heritage (Under Revision)

Chapter 6 - Elena

“Class dismissed,” I say once again to my Cadets. The last period of the day has finally ended, and after a quick, respectful salute, the Cadets file out of the classroom in a hurry.

Just as I’m stowing away the rest of my un-graded quizzes in the drawer of my desk, locking it with the external plasma keypad, Ethan pokes his head into the room, grinning in the mischievous way of his.

“What would you say if I told you that I have reservations at your favorite restaurant tonight?” He asks me, crossing the threshold of the classroom and perching himself on my desk.

“Nova? You really got us reservations?”

“I sure did, baby. For seven. So you have plenty of time to relax in the HabMod before you get ready,” he replies, taking my hand and bringing it to his mouth, softly kissing my wedding band.

We had a simple wedding almost immediately upon arriving back on Earth after the disaster on the XR3-Hercules ship. We had a quiet ceremony, performed by a Justice of the Peace in the living room of our just-bought home. Leon was just a week old when we tied the knot, and we lived quite peacefully until two weeks after his third birthday.

That’s when the President of the United States contacted Ethan and I, requesting a meeting regarding a new ship, a new war, and a new life. The President damn near begged Ethan to run the ship, with my assistance and we both immediately agreed. Leon has been raised upon Poseidon, this is our home. It’s just too bad that most of that time, there’s been a war going on. The second Sekrid war, to be exact.

“Elena?” Ethan says, waving his hand in front of my face and pulling me out of my reverie.

“Sorry, love. I was spacing out,” I reply, “I’d love to go to dinner tonight. I can’t wait, thank you.”

He just smiles and takes my hand in his, as we make our way to the Habitation Wing. The Officers HabMods are on the upper levels of the ship, with the Cadets, in order of seniority, on the lower levels.

Ethan and my module is by far the largest, the size of a small one bedroom home. Leon had the choice of staying with us in our module, or staying in his own and being independent as any normal Cadet. Ethan encouraged him to stay in his own to learn responsibility, and while I agreed that it was best, it was still hard to see my only child leave the nest.

After swiping his keycard in the slot outside our door, he waits for the blue light signaling safe entry and pushes the door open. I make my way to our bedroom and the first thing I do is unpin my dark auburn hair, shaking it loose from the tight bun it’s always in. I hate having to wear it up, but it’s necessary.

Ethan approaches me from behind, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his face into my hair. He’s always loved my hair. I smile to myself when he kisses the spot on my neck, just behind my ear.

“How was your day?” I ask him softly, unbuttoning my jacket and tossing it onto the bed.

All of the officers have a special laundry chute, for the sole purpose of the cleaning staff to wash, dry clean and press their uniforms. The rest of our laundry is done in our personal quarters. The Cadets are made to do their laundry on the third floor, in a small room that is filled with washers and dryers.

“Besides our son wreaking havoc? Not too thrilling. Pushing papers mostly,” he responds, running his hands down my arms soothingly as I remove my regulation belt.

After I finish undressing, slapping Ethan’s hand many times for getting just a little too grabby, I smirk and flounce off to the bathroom for a long, hot bath, leaving him with a grin on his face.

Yup, I’ve still got it.

After spending a half an hour in the bathtub, soaking and relaxing, I dry myself off, apply my makeup and slip into my little black dress, the one with the slit up the leg that Ethan favors so much.

When I return to the bathroom to dry my hair, I find Ethan already occupying it, combing out his own hair and checking his face for stubble. We shift around the mirror for a few moments, taking turns using the sink, and when we’re both finally finished, I slip into my black heels and take Ethan’s hand.

He leads me down to the hangar, where all of the Officer’s various vehicles are parked, ready for departure at a moment’s notice. Our own vehicle, a Hydrapod, the latest in automobile technology, is parked in the General’s personal parking space. Its sleek silver finish and rounded dome roof seem to glitter even in the darkened, concrete garage.

Ethan slips his TAPs keycard into the slot in the door, unlocking it and automatically starting the engine up. He slips around to my side, opens the door for me and kisses me softly, grinning.

“Been waiting all day to do that properly, hop in, I’m starved,” he says to me, sliding into the driver’s seat himself.

After exiting the hangar, he picks up speed as he rolls along the short runway. One good thing about the Hydrapods, is their capability for flight. Not to mention that fuel cost is next to nothing, since they are fueled by H20, good ol’ water.

The Hydrapod’s interior is small, but not cramped, big enough for two people comfortably. The sleek black leather is pristine and the touch panel controls are top-of-the-line. Ethan presses the touch screen in the dash, signaling the Hydra to prepare for flight.

I grip the seat briefly as the pod rockets down the runway and drops a few short feet before ascending back into the sky, streaming silently for a few moments before Ethan begins the descent to the ship-town’s runway. The whole trip takes two minutes in all, and I barely have time to blink before Ethan is at my door, lifting it vertically and offering me his hand.

We walk the short, two block distance to Nova’s, my favorite eatery, and not long after an attractive blonde woman is showing us to our favorite booth. One of the many things I love about Ethan, is that even when faced with such a gorgeous woman, he doesn’t bat an eye in her direction.

Ethan’s TAPs beeps with a new message, and he retrieves it from the pocket of his suit, smirking at the plasma display.

“It’s Leon, here, take a look,” he says, handing it to me.

The TAPs unit themselves are sleek and come in a myriad of colors, although Ethan opted for basic silver. They’re owned by the general population on the station and in the ship-town, and are slim line with a tri-fold design. Each of the three fold-out panels serves a different purpose, and is feather-light with miniscule swiveling hinges. When folded, the unit is a slender rectangle, fitting into the palm of one’s hand.

I glance down at the text message on the screen and roll my eyes amusedly.

Dad r u buying my

Bday gift?

“That son of ours is a piece of work,” Ethan says, folding his TAPs unit back up and slipping into his breast pocket. He grins over at me and sips his water.

“I wonder where he gets it from,” I reply jokingly.

“Yes, I wonder. He didn’t pick up his mischievous nature entirely from me, Mommy dearest,” he says, grinning as the leggy blonde approaches our table to take our order.

As usual, we both order the same thing. Since the food on the station is barely fit for human consumption, we like coming to Nova’s a few times a week. I always order the Mexican plate, tacos, with rice and beans, while Ethan opts for the Italian route. Lasagna and garlic bread.

“I’m actually kind of glad he brought that up, to be honest it slipped my mind. Not his birthday, of course, just the fact that we haven’t bought him a gift yet. Do you have any ideas?” I ask my husband, clasping my fingers in his.

“Well, he did mention a few weeks back that he wants this plasma cutter that he saw in Ronnie’s window. It’s kind of beat up looking, to be honest. I was thinking that since it’s his eighteenth birthday, that maybe we could get him a new one. One of those really fancy ones like the one you use for your repairs,” Ethan explains, glancing over at me and waiting to hear my reaction.

“I think that’s a great idea, honey. As a matter of fact, Rarefield’s carries the latest models of plasma cutters. I saw one a couple days ago when I was browsing that I think would be perfect for him. Maybe it’ll encourage him to focus more on his studies than misbehaving and chasing after Stella. She’s clearly not interested in him,” I say to him, thanking the waitress, who has just placed our plates in front of us.

“You can’t blame the kid for trying, El, and with the way those other girls look at him, I’m surprised he isn’t getting any tail yet.”

“Ethan Blake!” I scold, scowling at him. “That is your son! Don’t encourage him to be a man-whore!”

Ethan grins at me and we both burst into laughter.

“Baby, I’m not encouraging anything of the sort, I’m simply stating a fact. He’s a good looking kid, I’m surprised…and proud, that he hasn’t been with anyone yet.”

“And how would you know if he has or not?” I question him, raising an eyebrow.

“Because, El, he’s my son. I was his age once, I can tell. And to be completely truthful, I wish Stella was interested in him. I think she’d do him a lot of good. Maybe she could set him on track,” he replies.

“I can’t argue with you there. That girl is the total package, and Leon would jump at the chance to be with her, I’m positive. But can you blame Stella for not wanting anything to do with him? Yes, he is my son, and of course, I love him, but his attitude is irritating and he’s just a little too confident in himself.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Ethan states, taking a bite of his lasagna.

We continue our conversation concerning Leon and Stella for another twenty minutes or so, and after sharing an ice cream sundae, Ethan pays the bill and we head out on foot towards Rarefield’s Technology. It’s my favorite store in the entire ship-town and it’s packed full of every technological device and tool imaginable.

After greeting the cashier, whom I’ve come to know pretty well, seeing as I make it a point to shop here constantly, I lead Ethan over to the back wall of new stock.

“That one, third one up,” I say, pointing to a sleek blue plasma cutter on the top shelf of the glass case it’s enclosed in. This is where they keep all of the most expensive and state-of-the-art equipment.

“Elena, can I help you with anything today?” Gemma asks me. The cashier is very friendly and helpful, even if she is just a little awkward, in personality and looks.

’Yes, please. I need that Laseron plasma cutter on the top shelf, it’s for Leon s birthday.”

“Ah, so he’s got his mother’s talents, I see! Just a moment, let me open the case,” she says, flipping open the top of the keypad, which is affixed to the front of the glass case and pressing her finger to the plasma screen. It scans her fingerprint quickly and the case slides open impressively.

She lifts down one of the many slim cases, which are made from titanium and house the plasma cutter, and brings it back to the cashier’s counter to be paid for.

“Could we possibly get the case engraved? It’s his eighteenth birthday and it’s a special one,” Ethan asks. How sweet of him.

“Of course, General, what would you like to have engraved on it?” Gemma asks, gently setting the plasma cutter down on a cloth on the counter and carrying the case to the slim engraving machine.

“I want his name, first and last, engraved on the front. Leon Blake,” he states, as Gemma types in the according keys. The machine sets to work and thirty seconds later it glides smoothly out the other end. She picks it up, examines it and nods.

“Anything on the back?”

“Yeah…How about, reach for the stars, they’re within your grasp?” I say to her, glancing over at Ethan, who is nodding his approval.

She repeats the process again, this time engraving the backside of the case, and when it’s finished she brings it back to the counter for Ethan and I to inspect.

“It looks great, Gem, thanks so much,” I say to her, smiling brightly. She quickly gift wraps it in shiny silver paper and hands it back to me.

“I can’t wait till he opens this. We should save this gift for last,” I say to Ethan proudly.

We discuss Leon’s party plans as we make our way back to the Hydrapod, wondering aloud to one another whether Leon will grow a pair anytime soon and invite Stella to the celebration.

It’s to be held in the Grand Hall of the station and we’ve been planning it for two months now. All of the invitations have been handed out already, but there are a few leftovers for any last minute invites. The party is to take place in a week’s time, so if Leon actually is going to invite Stella, he’d better get a move on.

Maybe I’ll have Ethan talk to him about it.