The Chronicles of Aallandranon - Episode One - Ant-Lion Read Online Free Page A

of the stringy meat on his plate
with his chopsticks.
    “ It ’ s just barbecued meat. I ’ ve had plenty of that,
living in Texas when I was a kid. ” George took a bite out of his
hamburger.
    “ It ’ s not the same. ” Ryan said.
    “ I’ ll take a nice
hamburger over a pile of pulled meat any day. ” George
said.
    The
bartender, a woman with long black hair, walked by and Jonathan
ordered a beer. “ How ’ s steering this big girl going for you? ” Jonathan asked
Ryan.
    “ Just inputting numbers all day. It ’ s difficult. Until
we ’ re
out of this mess, I ’ m not allowed to drink, which is just shitty. What
else can I do to calm my nerves? ”
    “ Meditate. Juan Langston teaches meditation every day from
three to six, and on weekends from nine to twelve in the evening.
It will steady your hand and do what you think alcohol does for you
but better. ” Jonathan said.
    “ I’ ve heard all about how
important meditation is for us, but it ’ s simply not something
that ’s for me. I’ d rather kick back a few beers and relax over sitting
up for hours while my knees hate me for the rest of the
day. ” Ryan laughed. George, to his left, smiled and nodded with a
mouthful of hamburger.
    “ You
should meditate like your head ’ s on
fire, ” said Jonathan. “ You ’ re the one who ’ s complaining that he can ’ t relax without alcohol.
Since that ’ s not possible for you, I ’ m merely offering a
solution to your problem. ”
    “ Think I ’ d rather just go to bed early. ” Ryan pushed his seat
out.
    “ Suit yourself. ” Jonathan said as Ryan made his way toward the
lift. Jonathan glanced at George Freeman. “ Did you like
working for Cameron Co? ”
    “ It
taught me a lot, but ‘ like ’ isn ’ t the word I ’ d use. Mining asteroids
is a dangerous business no matter which seat you ’ re sitting in; good
money, though. My manager offered me a pay raise to pass up the
Enigma. ”
    “ Why
didn ’ t
you take it? ” Jonathan asked.
    George narrowed his brown eyes on
Jonathan ’ s. “ Maybe not everybody
sees what you ’ re doing here, Doctor Tabith, but I
wouldn ’ t miss being part of this ride for the
world. ” He ate the last of his hamburger in two bites. “ Gotta get back to the Bridge. ”
    “ You ’ ve already pulled your shift today. Let Liam handle
it. ” Jonathan said. Making sure the key players of the crew were
well-rested and happy was as important as maintaining the basic
functions of the ship.
    “ I
know I did. ” George wiped his face. “ I just like doing it.
Call it a hobby. ”
    “ If
you get tired, call me. I ’ ll come down to the
Bridge and take over. ”
    “ Thanks. You ’ re a good man, Jonathan. Just because
you ’ re
wealthy doesn ’ t mean you stopped knowing what hard work
is. ”
    “ I
never did anything I did to become wealthy. ” Jonathan said. “ I’ m probably the poorest
person on this boat now. ”
    George gave Jonathan a casual salute before
heading off to the Bridge.
    “ So
you built this thing all on your own? ” The bartender asked
from behind the counter as she wiped water off a recently cleaned
glass.
    “ I
designed and built a lot on my own, but not all of it. Building
this thing would have taken me two-hundred years by myself, and
then I wouldn ’ t have the crew to fly it. ” He noticed her watching him
interestedly. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail. Jonathan
studied the rings of tattoos climbing from her wrists to her
sleeves. “ What made you want to give up life on Earth to
bartend on the Enigma? ”
    “ If
I didn ’ t volunteer, somebody else would have.
There ’ s no coincidental story that brings me
here. ” She said.
    “ All
right. ”
    “ I’ m not stingy about
getting tipped, so don ’ t hesitate to do so. ” She
beamed.
    “ Even though Earthen money is completely useless and
you ’ ll
probably never see Earth again? ” He inquired.
    “ We ’ re still using Earthen currency on