Reality Cheques

[Jimothy]

REALITY CHEQUES

"What is reality anyway! It's nothing but a collective hunch" - Jane Wagner

Chapter 1 - From Tiny Acorns

The farm house shrank slowly into the distance as the small transport lifted away from the bordering small suburb, it’s large converted barn standing out across the sea of otherwise identical building. Sat in that transport, a woman cradled her baby, resting against her husband’s shoulder. Their mood could be felt throughout the small compartment, keeping the few passengers quiet, even mournful. The couple raised their heads slightly as the Transport began to turn, keeping their view on the house. The baby stared with them, remaining still as he sensed the mood. As the house was falling from view, an explosion could be seen, engulfing it in flames. Only the couple and their baby saw this from the transport, and averted their gaze knowingly. The baby lay quiet for a minute, before crying softly.

That was Tyler Skye’s first memory. As a child he had nightmares about it, and Russell and Marie, his parents, always assured him it was only a dream, and never spoke of a life they had in that farm house. Tyler slowly came to forget all about it as he grew up and moved on, his childhood memories taking precedence over that of a dream. As a childhood, Tyler’s was perhaps the most peaceful and stable of modern families in this space-faring age. Both his parents were alive and well, and neither were risking their lives in space, away from home for weeks or months at a time.

Living in a quiet estate just outside Kinross, a large city on Planet Cambridge, Tyler’s Father ran a small planet-side storage business with a handful of depots across the city, which brought in enough money for the family to live happily off of. They were by no means rich, but wealthy enough to live without worries. With four-year-younger twin brother and sister, Jacob and Hayley, Tyler grew up as the responsible one, mediating arguments and fights between them in what was a remarkable show of maturity among siblings. As a child, he matured quickly and was incredibly enthusiastic about his Father’s work, dreaming to be a businessman like his dad. Despite being a fair Father and allowing his children to peruse their own dreams Russell’s unspoken dislike for space rubbed off on Tyler, and he barely considered leaving Planet Cambridge. His brother Jacob, on the other hand, followed the dreams of many of his childhood friends, dreaming of fighting pirates and chasing smugglers and finding his fortune there, the stories of daring and heroic pilots capturing his childhood imagination. Hayley was different again. She had no clear aim in life, and with two motivated and driven brothers, became more and more rebellious as she grew up, subconsciously jealous of the approval her brothers had, and seeking attention in her own way.

As Tyler progressed through his school life, he went from strength to strength with his studies, being one of the most promising students in his class. A school project one term sparked what was to become his life-long ambition, to set up his own business. His original plan involved simply taking what Russell had planet-side and expanding it, but Tyler’s agile mind came to realise that there was far more profit to be had in space, specifically in the movement of good as opposed to their storage. He formed loose plans for his own shipping company, aiming to undermine even the conglomerates of Borderworld Exports and Gateway with more a more personal and reassuring service to customers. On leaving school with great prospect for accounting and shipping, Tyler signed up for an apprentice position with Bowex, to learn the basics of freighter and transport piloting, the rules and regulations involved with cargo haulage and the ins and outs of piracy and insurance against it. A combination of a bursary for his promising grades and a part time job as an administrator for his Father’s business paid for his training and avoided the five-year contract the other apprentices were roped into, and come the end of the apprenticeship, Tyler had all the knowledge, skills and training he needed to chase his dream.

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I was formerly know as Spiritar.

It's been a while.