“Queue here to hand your suits in. Keep your bags with you. It won’t be long” called a Pretty Petty Officer.
Joe shuffled after the others in his bare feet. Naked men and women who just wanted to get home. And get there quickly. They just wanted the medical and go. But The Navy wanted suits handed in with all the records kept.
There was a woman with the sort of skin colour Bibi had talked about. Coppery. There was another woman the same black colour Bibi was now. Joe wasn’t sure copper was better than black. But it was none of his business.
“Lets have your suit. Thanks. It’s a bit scratched.”
“I was at Al Banduq in that.” Said Joe.
“Oh” The quartermaster wasn’t impressed. Most of the people he’d seen today had done the same. Or more. “It says here you were issued one at Rose Red for use on the Vengeance. What happened to it?”
“I last saw it on the Zheng He. They said I had to have this one instead.”
“You should have left it on the Vengeance. That’s the ship it was issued for. Either there or here for onward return to Rose Red. Its an irregular transaction. I expect you’ll be phoned about it.”
“Right.”
“Next.”
Joe followed the rest into the medical section and queued again.
“Next. Put this into your naval please.” Said a doctor. “Connect this to your skull port. Stand still. Wait a few moments. Wait. What is wrong with this thing?”
The doctor hit the mankwala feed with his hand and Joe could feel the liquids enter the pouches in his abdomen. The doctor studied the graphs and numbers in the air in front of Joe “I suppose they’ll get a new one sometime.” He hit the mankwala feed again. “That should do. I should see your own doctor in a few days though. Just to be on the safe side.”
“Thanks” Joe unplugged himself and joined another queue for new overalls.
“This is awful.” Said a woman running her hands over her hips “I’m not going to light any fires looking like this.”
“Mi cyan help yuh with dat ya lagga head.” Said the Quartermaster “You too gravalicious an cubbitch for dis ya Navy clot. Galang bout yuh business. All dat labrish”
Joe was next at the counter.
“Cuyah, she gwan like she nice ee. Come yar grindsman, you got wood eh?. I elp yuh widdat clot now?”
“Yes please.” Said Joe
“Come flight bad in de morning, hackle to dis satellite. Den time longer dan rope if ya slevin fo Babylon. Dis ya clot man.”
“Thank you.”
“One love.”
Joe got out of the press of people and stood by a window to get dressed. Below was Africa. This station was right above the north shore of Lake Victoria. The water was blue. The land was mostly covered in concrete buildings. Marching in from the Atlantic right across the continent, and on out into the blue Indian Ocean. All the industry of Old Earth. The commercial heart of the old Empire. The difference between this and Mirconium was staggering. Judged by their standards there were no poor or sick on Earth at all.
Around him everyone was talking on their skull phones. Joe joined them
“Alicia? Alicia? Hi, its me.”
“Joe? Wow Joe. You’re on Earth net? Wow. Where are you?”
“In a ferry port over Africa. Queuing for a ferry.”
“Oh Joe. That’s great.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too. But I’m at work.”
“That’s OK. I’ll be ages yet.”
“But you’ll be home tonight?”
“Oh yes.”
“Oh wow Joe. How was the medical? I heard about them, you know. You can’t get a, you know.”
“I know. And its OK. Or it will be by then. I’m a bit tired at the moment. Did you get the carving I sent?”
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