Wreckers: A Denver Boyd Novel by George Ellis (ebook reader ink .TXT) 📕

My uncle conceded the point but added, “You’re perfectly capable of having your moments while sober. Trust me.”

After a cup of coffee in the galley, my head was starting to clear and I realized the opportunity that laid before me. I would be able to learn the trade from my uncle, who I had always admired, and I’d be able to enjoy the Stang’s on-board entertainment system, which was unique in the galaxy. My uncle had spent a lifetime collecting classic TV programs and movies from around the verse. On the Sheffield, my only entertainment were the scant options on my handheld, or cards with the rest of the crew.

The job offer came with rules, my uncle explained. While I was free to enjoy myself in my spare time, I was expected to be sober during my shifts. I knew this was the main reason he wanted me to sign on: to dry me out. I had been on a bender since leaving my dad’s ship, and was drinking pretty heavily the last couple months of my time on it. My uncle had no problems with enjoying a good beer from time to time, but he thought over-indulging was a tool of the weak-minded. In fairness, we were all weak-minded compared to him. I agreed to the stipulations.

Gary was not happy to have me on the crew. I told him he should hope I didn’t “accidentally” turn him off when I was working on the Stang to keep it in peak condition.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Gary said.

“I guess we’ll just see,” I shrugged.

My handheld dinged with an incoming transmission request. It was from my mom. Gary must have scanned the caller, as he chuckled. “Mommy’s calling. Better answer it, Denver, or you’ll be grounded.”

I considered whether to accept the beam. Despite the coffee, I was still pretty buzzed and didn’t want to face my mom at the moment. Then again, my uncle had likely filled her in already.

“Hi Den!” she said when I accepted her call. It had only been a few months since we’d spoken, but she too looked like she’d aged rapidly, more so than my uncle. Her face looked thinner, even gaunt, and her voice had a bit more gravel to it.

“Hey mom…”

She noticed my reaction to how she looked and sounded. She brushed it off. “I’ve been a little under the weather lately. Not that we have weather here on the moon…I guess it’s one of those things we used to say back on Earth.”

I was still concerned about her, but she quickly changed the subject.

“Erwin says you’re on the Stang with him and you’ve decided to take a job. I think that’s great!”

Wow, that was fast. Something told me the two of them had been scheming about the job offer all along.

“It’s just until Mars,” I said. For some reason, I felt the need to minimize the fact I would be working on my uncle’s ship.

My mom smiled and told me she understood. She also said she was sorry things didn’t work out on the Sheffield. She deliberately worded it that way so she didn’t mention my dad or brother. As if the general situation with the ship was the problem.

“It was time anyway,” I said, trying to play it off, but I didn’t go any further with my denials. There was no use lying to her. As good as I’d gotten at bluffing, my mom knew all my tells. Mothers were like that.

“I’ve always thought you and your uncle would make a good team,” she said. “When you were a kid, remember how much fun you’d have when he’d take you on his ship for a couple weeks?”

Those trips felt like a lifetime ago. It was a different ship and a different time, but I did remember them with affection. My mom coughed roughly and then paused to drink some water.

“You sure you’re okay? Have you been to the doctor?” I asked.

“Oh, Denny…” she said, before correcting herself. “Sorry, Denver. I know you don’t like that anymore. Yes, I’ve been to the doctor. I don’t want you to worry about it. I’ll be fine. Your uncle tells me after Mars, he plans to boomerang back home. Will you promise to at least make the trip back so I can see you?”

I promised her I would. She didn’t look well and it had been a while since I’d seen her in person. As we said our goodbyes, she told me that Uncle Erwin had a surprise for me, and that she was excited for me to hear about it, when the time was right.

A couple hours later, I settled into the co-pilot chair in the cabin of the Stang. As impressive as the ship was from a technical standpoint, its cabin was highly functional and compact. Enough room for a pilot, co-pilot, and three crew stations. My uncle didn’t have any crew (well, other than me), but he had built the ship to include the option of a small assortment of people. He looked over at me.

“I’m glad you took that beam,” he said, referring to the chat I’d had with my mom.

“She didn’t look good. What’s wrong with her?”

My uncle sighed. “She won’t tell me, either, and I’m not going to hazard a guess. Eleanor is a tough woman. Even if it’s something serious, she’ll fight like hell to beat it. You’ll see her soon enough and can ask her in person about it.”

Uncle E glanced at the seat restraints in my chair. I got the hint and buckled myself in.

“Better safe than sorry, that’s my motto,” he reminded me.

We weren’t exactly breaking the speed record. We were towing a ship a few times our size, after all. I checked the rear camera feed and saw that the water hauler was trailing behind us, secured by a series of thick cables and a mechanical jib. The cables were a bit slack and served more as a backup for the jib, which was