Date Night on Union Station by E. M. Foner Read Free Book Online

people had voted with their feet before Kelly was born, making humans the latest wave of colonists and cheap labor migrants to compatible worlds circling thousands of stars. Wherever the Stryx had influence, intelligent robots enjoyed the same legal status as biologicals. So human labor only had to compete with non-thinking robots, and those “mechanicals” weren’t flexible enough to do many jobs. Intelligent robots had few needs and could always find better work than harvesting crops and doing manual labor, not to mention a strong preference for the clean environment of space.
    The excursion bay on the inner docking deck featured lower apparent gravity than Kelly was used to, so she had to walk gingerly to avoid bouncing off her feet. Any other time she would have worn deck shoes with their magnetic sticky cleats, but the black pumps practically belonged to the cocktail dress. She was on the lookout for “black suit, black tie, black hat,” which made her date sound like either a country western singer or an undertaker.
    Kelly’s date had arrived before her and was fidgeting about nervously next to the gangway of an expensive looking cabin cruiser, which made her feel a little better after Donna’s uninspiring tourism tale. The ship appeared much more spaceworthy than she had expected for an excursion craft, and she was also glad that she wasn’t the only one who looked a little nervous.
    “Welcome, welcome. I’m Olaf Thorgudsun,” he greeted Kelly energetically as he extended his hand. “You’re the last one, come aboard, come aboard.”
    “I’m Kelly,” she said as she reached for his hand, and was surprised when her date held on and basically yanked her into the craft. Of course, he was wearing sensible boots with magnetic cleats, and maybe he had noticed she was a little hesitant on the ramp.
    Olaf led her to a luxurious reclining seat pod, the sort of first-class accommodation that was equipped with a glass privacy cover that the occupant could activate to shut off all sound from the outside world. “Please strap in until you adjust to zero gravity after launch. You wouldn’t want to kick somebody in the head by mistake.”
    “Wow, this is the nicest ship I’ve ever been on,” Kelly gushed, smoothing her black dress over her thighs as she settled onto the plush cushions. The dress wasn’t really meant for lying down, she reflected. The fashion designers expected you to take it off at that point of the evening. “Are all these pods taken by people going on the tour?”
    “Yes, yes. We’ll have time to chat after the launch. I have to take my place.” He sounded much more excited than somebody going on a two hour cruise around the station, which Kelly took as a compliment to her appearance. Olaf vaulted into the pod next to Kelly, and she heard him mumble in the manner of somebody who had never quite mastered subvocalization, “Let’s get out of here.”
    The ship lifted gently and passed soundlessly through the atmosphere retention field as the seat pods all pivoted in unison, orienting themselves against the direction of the thrust. Acceleration was just noticeable at first, and then Kelly felt herself slowly sinking into the cushions as her full weight returned and then continued to increase as they shot out the end of the station’s cylindrical core.
    “Aren’t we going a bit too fast for a tour, Olaf?” Kelly ventured to ask her date, though her voice came out weakly since her chest felt like it was wrapped in heavy bands.
    “Not now,” he grunted, followed by a subvoc that she missed. Then he practically yelled, “I just said I wasn’t talking to you, idiot. Yes, now, now, now!”
    Kelly didn’t have time to think before the glass isolation cover whooshed down over her seat and her body felt like all of its warmth was being sucked away by a giant pump.
    “Libby,” she cried through her implant. “Libby, I think I’m being kidnapped!”
    A faint crackle sounded in her ears as