INSTRUCTIONS: Thin Ice - in 300 -1000 words, tell the same story or a new story of the same kind, deliberately shifting POV from character to character several times without any obvious signal to the reader that you are doing so. I think it is likely to end up being written by the involved author, even though you are apparently using only limited third-person viewpoint. This ice really is thin, and the waters are deep.
Another cargo freighter, the Once in a Lifetime, hummed its way into the loading bay of Aluna Station, leaving the vast universe behind for a crowded, noisy crossroads between one star system and another. Aviosa swung the guidelights to the left to guide the pilot to their bay, snapped an image of their call numbers, and logged it in the station database. She waited, her foot tapping against the floor, for the scanner screen to turn green and let her know that the ship was meant to be there.
Stupid system, really. She’d told her supervisor that they should work this out before the ships got here–how the hell was she supposed to get the pilot back on their ship and back out to space if they weren’t wanted? But her supervisor was terrified of the station administrator. Which was fair. Everyone was terrified of Administrator Riheyotusemona. She’d been told it was a biological response to the Regemon, and even though they claimed they’d given up violence, she still couldn’t stay in the same room with one without wanting to crawl out of her own skin.
The screen lit up green and Aviosa finally exhaled. She signaled to the pilot of Lifetime that they were good to deboard. A few moments later, the gangplank lowered, venting pale blue mist. Three humanoids strode down, the fluorescent lights shining off their bald heads and those permanent smiles that every Zad seemed to possess. Aviosa groaned quietly as they approached. “Welcome to Aluna Station,” she said. “Your ship ID has been processed, you can continue with your business.”
The lead Zad cocked their head, the smile not moving at all. “Thank you, young….” He leaned forward to read her badge. “Young Aviosa. Such a lovely name. I am Irexis.” She flinched slightly, and he leaned back. Humans always seemed so uncomfortable around the Zad. He couldn’t imagine why. “If you would, could you tell us where we might find some food and a place to rest?” They gestured to their companions. “We have traveled a long way and are quite tired.”
The human–no, Aviosa–shifted her stance slightly. Irexis recalled that meant uncertainty. Or perhaps some other unpleasantness that she–they were reasonably sure Aviosa was female, but who was to say?–was uncomfortable. “There are some rooms you can reserve in the outer hub if you wish. They have basic services for any of the seven known species.” She glanced at the exit doors. “And the entertainment and dining is near the hub. We have something for everyone.” Aviosa’s shoulders twitched back and her head tilted up. Pride, Irexis thought. She was proud of this station and her place in it.
They’d remember that.
“Thank you, young Aviosa. You have been of exceptional help.” They reached out and pressed a thin silicon waver into her hand. A tip. Humans loved tips.
Aviosa looked at the wafer in her hand and did her best not to goggle at it. The money the Zad had given her would pay for a few weeks of improved food rations, maybe a few nights out as well. She cleared her throat and glanced at the scanner screen, which was blinking to indicate another arrival. “Thank you,” she said to Irexis, and she meant it. “Please enjoy your time on the station.”
Irexis’ smile didn’t widen, and didn’t drop. “We will,” they said. She watched them walk out of the loading bay. Three strange, bald, grinning aliens.
Her scanner buzzed, and a small planet-hopper was sliding out of its berth, looking to make its way back out into space. Never a dull moment, she thought, and got back to work.
REFLECTION
This wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, assuming I did it right. The exemplar that LeGuin used was from To the Lighthouse, and after I read that a couple of times, I could see what Woolf was doing. So I hope I pulled it off as well.
Aluna Station, by the way, is one of my little projects that has been quietly percolating. I basically decided I wanted to have a space station to set stories in, a la Deep Space Nine. So I worked out what it looked like, came up with some alien species to populate it, and started working out what the dynamics of it would be.
If we’re all lucky? Some stories will be forthcoming. Look for that.
