Dear sis, I miss you. Remember your father’s ship? The one we used for all those years? Well, when you left, I didn’t have enough mechanical experience to keep the ship going. After a while of disrepair, the engines failed and I was left drifting in space. Luckily enough, I was able to communicate with a friend of your and get hauled to a nearby planet. Unfortunately, Apex ships are so complex that I couldn’t afford to have it repaired by our mutual friend. I used the money you left for me when you left to book a charter ship to a nearby popular planet in Council Space, Upside. The four days I have spent here have been a journey of sorts. When I first arrived on Upside, I was met by an officer, Clark Atkins, who gave me a tour of Upside. Before starting our tour of Upside, I asked about jobs. Knowing that I didn’t have much job experience other than those few months on Jalto, I knew that I could only apply for low wage jobs. Clark said that there were two jobs open with that in mind, custodial work and table bussing. Being a busboy sounded great, as I would have the chance to get to know practically everyone on Upside. There were a bit of complications with that, but I will get into that later. Though it is small, it is still quite lively. A lot bigger than our ship, at least. They have a clinic, a pool and sparring area, a library, several residences, a gun shop, a bakery a restaurant, a town hall, and a fairly complex sewer system. Although, listening to Clark, I learned that no - one goes down to the sewers. That probably means that I shouldn’t either if you catch my drift. When I asked Clark about finding a place to stay on Upside, he said that most of the places were booked up. When asked about finding a place to stay in town, he said that vagrancy was prohibited. Outside city limits was open for living in, though he was worried about hostile creatures outside. You have to understand sis, I needed a place to stay; I asked for a sleeping bag and started my life outdoors. The next day, I was still unemployed, so I wandered around Upside, meeting the visitors and residents. The two people I met looked grizzled- one being a salvager (like you!) and the other being- I forgot. Junko was the salvager’s name and Ashley was the other girl’s name. Sure, they both dismissed me, but I don’t fault them for it. Space is a harsh place. Junko didn’t want to talk to me, and I feel like apologizing for being annoying if I was. Before I could talk to Ashley, she had run off to “Flirt with the baker” or something similar. Ashley’s behavior reminds me of your sunny disposition sis. You know you were always so happy, or at least, tried to remain happy. I contacted Argus Hemstreet, the mayor of Upside, for work. Argus told me he wasn’t in charge of the restaurant, and told me to contact Quixca- the head chef. He did told me that he could hire me on for the janitorial position. I don’t know why I didn’t but I didn’t contact Quixca until- well until after the fact. Council Space has something called “Starnet”, but I didn’t use it to contact her. I know I was completely stupid, please don’t rub it in. Look, I am sorry sis. I don’t know why I am apologizing to you, but you have basically been my parent figure for more than 15 years. I know you are gone, but I still want to make you happy. You told me never to discriminate, and always believe in the good in people. I want to live up to your ideal of me. Working a minimum wage job isn’t very much “living”, but I want you to see that I have become a better person because of you. That is why I am apologizing for what I am about to tell you. On my third day, something happened. It was my first day as a custodian and the colonial police were out in force. I must have seen at least two more officers out and about; talking to residents in the restaurant, patrolling outside. Clark was nowhere to be found, but I am fairly certain he was out there. I actually waited a fair bit before I started cleaning. To be honest, I didn’t want to get involved in what was happening. Something serious must have gone on, and I would have just added to the confusion. I spent some of my first day in front of the bakery, worried for the residents and not courageous enough to start cleaning around a crime scene. What else could I do? When I approached the restaurant, Quixca- the head chef- came downstairs to meet me. She was carrying her right arm in a bandage, which maybe related to the aforementioned incident. That was her business though. I explained to her that I was just there to clean around Upside. As the restaurant looked fairly open, I thought it was my duty to help clean it up. She accepted, and I started doing my janitorial work. Now, imagine my surprise when the person I was told to contact was actually on Upside. I had thought that since she was off planet, she was unable to contact- so I had started up my custodial job in the meantime. I was both excited and confused that she was here. Should I call that exfused? No? Alright. This is when things got crazy. As I continued to clean up the resturaunt, Clark approached me. Sis, he looked so ragged and tired, I felt kind of sorry for him. He was the person who helped me get on my feet, so I felt obligated to hold him in some regard. Clark approached me and told me that he thought I was working for the restaurant. I jokingly told him that I was started working as a custodian on my first day- when the head chef came over. Maybe someone told Clark that I was working there or something clicked in his mind, but he did not take no for an answer. He simply said “I don’t care, I am so hungry.” Again, I felt obligated to help Clark out. Without much thought, I dropped my janitorial equipment, headed upstairs, and started my job that I was never formally employed for. Even though I wasn’t- well- Legally working there, I still tried my best. I made grilled cheese and served chocolate cake like a champ (I would like to believe). You know me- that even though I wasn’t working there I kept the place as spic and span as your sense of humor. Even though I could only make grilled cheese, everyone seemed to love my service. Clark even spoke up that I was doing a good job. When he said that, the smile on my face must have been bigger than the biggest banana you have ever seen. That is a racial joke, I know. I don’t know humor, leave me alone. It was a great time, but one time during the evening, the stress got to me. I sat down next to the freezer for a bit and almost broke into tears. The amount of shit I must have been in- impersonating staff and working without being formally hired. Davel, the true owner (I didn’t know who he was until later), could have arrested me for breaking and entering, as well several other laws I must have been breaking at that time. It was just my third day! I couldn’t believe it that even though it was just my third day I was inches away from being jailed, penalized, or even kicked off planet. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. The stress I felt was immense and overbearing. Somehow though, I made it through the day. I felt proud of the things that I did, but dreaded the penalty of what I did. Fortunately, Clark was kind enough to give me a tent. Quite an upgrade from my sleeping bag. Which brings me to my fourth day. I emailed Davel about my work there, telling him about the situation and basically begging forgiveness. I continued to work as a custodian, avoiding the restaurant as much as I could. Did people think I worked there now? I hoped to hell not. One of the patrons I previously served, whom I learned was named “Ation”, I became fast friends with. I almost immediately recognized him as a Novakid, which surprised him. To be honest, even though he was wearing a hood, the glaring white of his face stood out as an overbearing symbol of who he was. As far as I know, no other races glow as bright as a novakid. He also wore a hood, which reminded me of the rebels back home. He was one of the nicest people I have ever met, and I thanked him a lot for it. In fact, he even agreed to teach me some survival skills! I could live outdoors with even more sense than before. Man, life was looking up. Not much, since I illegally impersonated a staff member and was probably in deep (badly), but life was looking up a bit thanks to Ation. So, my fourth day ends with Davel’s email response to my ingratiating apology. Well, he was not happy. He was not a happy camper (get it? Because I am living in a tent? Ah nevermind.). He accepted my apology though, and now I am working for the restaurant legally! Everything is resolved, and resolved peacefully. Sure this “doesn’t excuse my actions”, but it is a start. Sis, I want you to be proud of me. I know I haven’t done much to receive that pride so far, but I want you to know that everyday I work hard to live up to your name. I remember one of your favorite things to say to me before sleep was “people are lovely”. Even with all of this stuff happening to me, I still agree. I got into a bit of trouble, but by the milk of racial kindness, I have not been deported! Yay for me! I miss you. Yours, Angel
