Somnambulance [Retconned]

[Toaster]

The Dromedary's interior was as neat as its exterior. Olivia squeezed past the several hundred crates of Liberty ale that were tidily stacked in the freighter's cargo hold and into a small section that was separated from the main space by a heavy, plastic curtain. Within, she found a small living quarter, narrow bunk built into the wall, lockers, stove, sink, and mirror providing all the basic necessities a pilot could need on a prolonged hauling trip.

The stranger climbed up the short ladders at the far side, into the cockpit.

"Make yourself at home," he called back to the mercenary. Tired, she sat down on the edge of the bunk, placing the crate at her feet, and glanced around. The small living space was cozy enough, compared to the sparse accommodations she had been able to fit into her previous ships. She thought back to the Sutinga and Lich and their tiny, cramped cargo holds. How she had ever managed to live in such compartments was beyond her, months of living in comfort on Manhattan having spoiled her. Reminiscing, she sighed. Who knew what sort of conditions she would need to make due with from now on?

The ship shuddered as the engines sprang to life, lifting it from its landing pad.

"Off we go!" The stranger exclaimed from the cockpit and the Dromedary lurched forward, out through the station's airlock and into open space.


- - -


The pulsing, glowing tear in space and time loomed before them, bathing the Dromedary's cockpit in eerie, fluctuating light. Standing on the top rung of the ladder leading to the cockpit, Olivia eyed it with a mixture of apprehension and longing, uncertain of what her life would be like once she crossed over. Liberty now lay behind her, and with it her friends and family. Ahead lay an uncertain future, questions to be answered, and mysteries to be solved.

I'll figure this out, she told herself. I have to.

"Ready?" The stranger in the pilot's seat asked over his shoulder, his voice cheerful. Olivia wasn't certain whether he could sense her apprehension or whether he was just always in a jovial mood, but his attitude helped calm her nerves at least a little either way.

"Yeah," she said quietly. The pilot pushed the throttle and the freighter crept forward, closer and closer to the rift in space until it enveloped the ship entirely. Space around them flashed and stretched into a winding tunnel of blinding light as they raced across lightyears upon lightyears in an instant. A mere moment later, the Dromedary dropped back into real space, amidst a field of small rocks, tumbling about in slow, tranquil chaos.

"Welcome to Hamburg," the stranger announced with a laugh. Olivia only nodded as she glanced out through the canopy at the vista of Rheinland's northern-most system. It didn't look like much from their vantage point, the sole inhabited planet barely visible in the distance, a greyish-white orb against a backdrop of white stars.

"Where exactly do you want me to drop you off, anyway?" The pilot asked, turning his head slightly to look at the mercenary. "You look like you want to keep a low profile," he went on before she could answer. "There's a Junker station in New Berlin."

Olivia nodded again. Laying low on a scrappers' base sounded like the right thing to do while she tried to figure out how to proceed.

"Sounds good," she said and climbed back down into the small living quarter, sitting down on the bunk, resting her feet atop the black crate.

---

Olivia Sable