The Saltwater Express

The Saltwater Express

On the sunny planet of Zaphoriazos, there was a salt flat so pristine, so beautiful that it reflected the cloudy sky perfectly. It was known as the "Mirror Flat", and was renowned for its beauty. It gave way to an ocean, shallow and warm, as the planet was fairly primordial, and gentle waves would lap against this salt flat's shores. It was the only break in the mirror for miles and miles. The only way to see such a beautiful thing was to come miles from the nearest city, Xialzaphoria, which also happened to be the capitol, via airship. From the airship docks, one would be taken along the guided walkways, from which they were not allowed to depart, lest they marr the pristine salt flats. This was the only way to see this marvel.

Well, thought Tam, there was another way.

The Saltwater Express.

Across the beautiful flats flew a train, going hundreds of kilometers per hour, a blur in the salty reflection. It had a black steam locomotive, blocky and laden with pipes around its cylindrical engine. Four steam pipes, two on either side, angled at ninety degrees exactly from one another, blasted out hot steam like the nose of an angry bull. The conductor's chamber had one way mirror glass, to reflect the brilliant, shining sun of the flats and the ocean beyond, and so none could see in, but he could see out.

Down the track the train flew, pulling behind it bright, verdant green passenger cars, all sleek, hovering on the maglev track, just like the locomotive. Theirs were not one way mirrors, but they had shades, and while some were pulled down, others were not, allowing the sunlight in and a view out as the train literally flew along the track. From within, awe-struck passengers got a premium view of the majestic flats, and it was as though the sky never ended here - it was inspiring, gorgeous.

Tam watched the flats go by for a bit. They seemed to go on forever, though to be fair, Zaphoriazos was a massive habitable planet. Perhaps that was why it was a research hub. That was why she was here, after all. A massive, habitable planet was rife for scientific reapings. Plus it was really cool.

Ten other scientists spoke amongst themselves while she sat alone. All had their eyes glued on the flats outside, commenting on its reflection, how they'd love to get a soil sample, how they wondered what microbes lived in such a place, if any - they chittered and chattered to each other, while she, comfortably situated on the plush green couch, watched silently, thinking.

The train made a slight curve, and she could barely feel it. It was honestly a marvel, the Saltwater Express. It could take you from Xialzaphoria to Morgwana five days- and it would, as this is where she was headed, to the convention there. Every year - of course, a year here was two and a half Earth years - but every year on Zaphoriazos, the Morgwana Convention of the Sciences would take place, an esteemed event held at the beautiful Morgwana Altana Convention Center.

And she was finally going to attend.

Her work on molecular superstructures had landed her, an invitation. And here she was, amongst the best and brightest of Xialzaphoria, headed to Morgwana to proudly display their findings amongst the best of the best on Zaphoriazos. It was incredible. She could barely contain herself, shifting and squirming on the couch, looking to the others, impatiently tapping her foot.

She wanted the trip to be over already.

Though, she thought, she had to admit: the Express was luxury at its finest. Usually a ticket would cost upwards of ten-thousand chits, but she was here on the dime of the Royal Morgwanan Sciences Association. So in other words, she was here for free, and that made her hungry, for some reason. She thought about heading to the dinner car to see if any action was taking place. Or should she go to the tea car, she wondered. The glass garden car, perhaps?

The insides of the cars were stained wood, plush carpet, mosaics, fountains on the walls, artwork, lush curtains, soft furniture, and beautiful reds and greens and stains and gradients. Sconces on the walls illuminated the cars like torches, and they gave the otherwise rustic cars a sleek, modern feel. In this car, one of the three social cars, a thin vein of silver light was the lightsource, running down the length of the ceiling and giving the room a sterling glow. Apparently, its color could be changed at will, and it was bioluminescent. Fascinating, she thought.

Her eyes wandered the room, occasionally checking on her fellow scientists. She'd yet to meet them all. Well, all but one. Across from her, and down the train car, sat a woman with long black hair and dazzling blue eyes, wearing red glasses that rested on her sharp nose. She was dressed in a long coat that resembled a lab coat, only more fashionable, buttoned in the front, with boots. She too was staring silently out the window, watching the salt flats go by. Observing. Thinking.

Tam frowned at the sight of her. That was Zo. And all these years later, she still didn't like Zo.

Well, she didn't dislike her, she supposed. But how else could one feel about one's rival scientist? She'd solved the Machlen Equation when Tam had failed. Of course, Tam was younger than her by four years, and thus had more room to grow, she thought, but it was an insult, and she took it as such. Ever since then, they'd been warring with each other, scientifically speaking.

Zo caught her gaze and turned to face her, and Tam looked away hurriedly. She wasn't wanting to engage. Her attention instead turned back to the salt flats, which she hoped would preoccupy her mind and push the thoughts of Zo out. But, when there was movement from down the train car, she knew it was hopeless.

Zo had stood, dusted herself off, and was making her way toward Tam now. Tam sat up straight, and quickly recalibrated her emotions, throwing on a grin as her rival approached. She looked over to Zo, and smiled, offering a small wave as the other scientist approached.

"Zo, Zo, how's it going," she said, waving to a seat beside her on the otherwise empty couch.

Zo examined her for a moment with a cold stare, before taking a seat on the couch opposite her, across the train car. Here, the woman crossed her legs and sat back, staring at Tam for a moment. Then, finally, she said, "Congratulations on finally doing something useful, Tamatha. I'm sure you're enjoying the train ride."

Tam felt a heat flush in her cheeks. "It'd be better with some alcohol. Might head to the tea car, honestly. Care to join me? Might be a little difficult lugging your giant ego between cars though."

"I think I'll stay here and enjoy the salt flats."

Tam eyed her suspiciously. "You're just pissed because my work on molecular superstructures outdoes your work on black hole singularities. And that's okay, Zo. Just because I'm going to win the Committee's prize this year, doesn't mean your work is any less valuable, unless it's compared to mine."

She winked, and Zo rolled her eyes. Tam continued, "And besides, it's my last year doing any of this, so you'll be free of me soon enough."

Zo paused. Blinking, she opened her mouth as if to say something, but hesitated. Then, finally, she said, "And what does that mean?"

"It means," Tam said, "I win. This year, I'm taking my prize, and I'm leaving Zaphoriazos. Going back home, to go to school. On Lullalamon."

"I see..." Zo said, frowning. "For what?"

"Hydroponics. Lullalamon is an ocean planet, so that's how we farm. Gonna settle down with my family for a bit." Tam shrugged. "Being a scientist, it was my dream. But this will be just as good, I guess. A simple life."

Zo examined her for a moment, before standing, and looking down at her. "Well, I wish you luck, Tam."

Then, she walked off.

Tam sat there, staring at her, watching her as she departed the train car and stepped into the adjacent social car, before Tam turned her attention once more to the salt flats outside. Now, they were skirting along the edge of the ocean, having made it around the bend. The track made something of an S shape, cutting straight through the salt flats, before curving and running along the ocean shore for a bit, before correcting course and shooting straight out over the water on raised concrete pylons.

Tam watched the water flow by. It was crystal blue, and sparkling in the sun. The way the water mixed with the reflective flats bent her perception, warped her mind for a moment. It was beautiful. Still, over five hours of beauty into the ride, one might come to the conclusion that a drink is more than a necessity, especially after her conversation with Zo.

Before she walked away, however, she caught her reflection in the window pane. Short blonde hair, on a thin, short frame, with strong hazel eyes that held a mischievous glint in them, thin brows, thin lips, and a smattering of freckles across her face, she was, she had to admit, rather pretty, if a little tired. The preparation for the trip had worn her out, writing and rewriting her thesis, the late hours leaving dark circles under her eyes.

All the more reason for a drink, she decided, popping her suspenders and heading through the social cars, to the tea car. On her way, she passed by Zo once more, and though neither spoke, Zo cast her a glare that seemed to either say Stay out of my way or I will destroy you, and Tam wasn't sure which it was. She swallowed and averted her eyes, before slipping through this car's link to the next, and the next, until she finally found it.

Some booze.

~Seven Hours Later~

As the sun began to grow fat and orange on the horizon, and the long night time crept up from the opposite skyline, the sky itself growing a mixture of purples and blues and oranges and reds and pinks. The waters teemed with life beneath the train as it cut through the vespertine light, steam billowing out of its stacks. Fish jumped in the water, strange, long eel-like creatures swam around and darted through the concrete pillars. Some were even bioluminescent, and there would be streaks of glowing green and purple in the water as some fish like creature or other swam by. Lemongulls and Zaphori Pelicans swooped across the water and beside the train.

Several cars down from the locomotive, there was a glass garden car, made of arching clear glass panes. It was a unique, long car, and it acted as a greenhouse, within which there were tomatoes growing on vines, silverflowers hanging from the rafters, evening glories in pots and gold coster flowers sprouting up here and there. There was even a fruit tree in the center of the car, a small one that grew simple seapples, its red, five pointed leaves soaking up the last rays of the setting sun. The car was warm, though air conditioned, and every thirty minutes, misters would spray the greenery and cool down the occupants.

Tam, slightly intoxicated, wandered through this car, sitting on a bench beside the fruit tree. It was truly something, the Saltwater Express, she thought as she sipped on her next martini. For a moment, she felt at peace. She'd go to Morgwana, display her findings, win her prize, and go home. A... bit disappointing, she had to admit. She'd had hopes for being a great scientist. But, she thought, maybe she just wasn't cut out for it.

And it was a lot of work, besides.

Maybe she'd enjoy farming more. Who knew? It's what her family had wanted her to do, instead of going to Xialzaphoria's University for the Sciences. Initially, she'd protested being stuck on Lullalamon, as a farmer, even if it guaranteed her food and basically infinite fickleweed. She wanted to do something with her life. Become somebody. See and do and become renowned. Well, this was her shot. If she could win the committee's favor, she'd have accomplished that goal, or at least, come close enough to it for her to be satisfied, she supposed. Maybe it was just... time to go home.

Just then, someone sat beside her. She flinched, and nearly spilt her martini, its green liquid sloshing in the V-shaped glass. She took a deep breath, and turned sharply to see who had just invaded her space, only to find it was a young woman who was smiling at her. Well, beaming, really. Her smile, white and wide, beautifully contrasted with her darker skin, and her beautiful, rich brown eyes happily stared into Tam's hazels.

"Hi," the girl said. "Name's Tamika. You're Tamitha, right?"

Tam stared at her for a moment, and then tried to stifle a laugh in her throat, but couldn't help it, the alcohol had lubricated her, and it came spilling out. She laughed, covering her mouth, and said, "Holy shit, another Tam? No way."

Tamika nodded, grinning. "Yes way. I also heard you were from Lullalamon. You're not gonna believe this..."

Tam's expression fell and she stared at Tamika with wide eyes and an opening mouth. "Oh... no, no way, you're from Lullalamon too?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes."

Cocking her head, Tam said, "That's... pretty wild, I've gotta admit." She ran a hand through her hair and turned away, soaking in the coincidence. "Where from? What are you doing out here?"

"From Illiomol," Tamika said, "and I'm here for my research on the Kru-Starber warp drive that's being developed. I'm not part of your cohort, but I am headed to the Morgwanan convention with you all. It's so nice to meet you!"

"It's, ah, it's nice to meet you too," Tam said, holding out her hand. Tamika took it and they gave each other a shake, before Tam said, "That's really cool about the Kru-Starber engine. I've heard about that."

"Drive, technically," Tamika said, giggling and pointing her finger skyward matter-of-factly. "What about you? What are you out here for?"

"My work on molecular superstructures on the quantum level," Tam said, smiling. "Imagine, tiny structures of quantum particles making up some of the strongest bonds in the universe, things that are usually only found in the core of neutron stars, and what we could do with that. It's kinda boring at first, but once you get the full picture, it's really neat."

Tamika listened intently, seemingly astounded. "Wow," she said, nodding, "That's so cool. So like, you're messing with neutron goop."

Tam laughed. "Sorta."

"Ohh... we had to look into stuff like that for the drive. Maybe we used some of your research! When did you publish it?"

"Oh, about thirty years ago," Tam said, smiling.

"Wow, you published young," Tamika noted. "I mean, you're still youthful and young and all that but, wow, how old were you? Couldn't have been more than forty Earth years."

Tam blushed, and smiled, waving her off. "You're too kind. I was thirty seven Earth years, so yes, incredibly young. Of course, as you said, seventy is still pretty young. I look forward to seeing where I am by the age of a hundred. Maybe I'll finally feel like an adult."

"Hah, I know how you feel," Tamika said. "I'm only fifty three, and I'm still basically a kid."

"But a smart one," Tam said, winking. "To be working on the Kru-Starber drive."

Tamika looked away bashfully. "Well, maybe. Thank you," she said with a smile, flashing her eyes at Tam.

Just then, from the corner of her eye, Tam saw a labcoat like duster, and the woman inside it headed towards her. She looked over, then up, to see Zo standing above her, staring down at her coldly. Both she and Tamika stared up at her.

Tam huffed and said, "Can I help you? Don't get jealous just because I'm giving someone else attention, now."

Zo stood there quietly, and Tam felt herself break a sweat despite herself. She swallowed, and forced a frown. "Can we help you?"

Finally speaking, Zo said, "Yes, you can. Come by my quarters after sunset. I want to talk to you. And here, take this." She held out her hand and gave Tam a small pill. "It'll sober you up. Don't make me come find you."

With that, Zo turned and walked away, her coat whipping around as she departed this car and stepped into the adjacent lounge car. Tam frowned and looked at her hand, where a small pink pill rested in her palm. Tamika leaned over and looked at it, then up at Tam.

"Who was that?" she asked, innocent.

"That was Zo," Tam replied. "My rival, essentially."

Tamika mouthed an 'ohh' before sitting back. "So are you gonna go?"

Shrugging, Tam said, "Maybe. I dunno. I dunno why she'd even want me to. She has such a big ego and it's all tied to her work ethic, it's stifling and annoying and stupid. She needs to learn to smile a bit."

"How long have you two known each other?" Tamika asked.

Tam hummed and closed her eyes, thinking. "About twenty some-odd years. We met after I published my research trying to solve the Machlen Equation, and failed. She then gave it a shot and succeeded, publishing her research a year after mine and blowing me out of the water. Ever since then, we've been at each other's throats."

Tapping her feet, Tamika hummed out, "Sounds like you're kinda jealous."

Tam scoffed. "What? I'm not jealous. She did that just to one up me. Nobody had worked on the Machlen Equation, it was deemed unsolvable, until I gave it a shot and came this close. Then she comes along and devastates my research. And she does it in the coldest, most calloused way possible, at that."

"Which is?"

"She presented it publicly at the University during a seminar wherein I was one of the speakers. So I took it personally." Tam shrugged and looked down, feeling something resembling shame welling up within her. "You would've too."

Tamika nodded. "Probably."

Tam gave the girl a soft, kind look, and smiled. "Thanks for saying hi. I'm staying in room thirteen-dash-two. You should come visit sometime, we can talk about nerd shit."

Smiling, Tamika said, "I'd really like that. Thanks Tam."

"No, thank you Tam," Tam said, and they shared a laugh. With that, Tamika bowed out, heading to the dining car for dinner, leaving Tam alone in the garden car, holding the pink pill and a martini. Would she go? Should she go? She thought on it for a moment, torn, unsettled by the command. In the end, she supposed she didn't have a choice but to see what Zo wanted. And besides, the curiosity would kill her if she didn't go.

So, she popped the pill in her mouth, took a swig of her drink - because why not? - and stood, giving one last glimpse to the sunset outside, before departing the car and following Tamika to the dining car. She had a strange feeling in her gut. Something odd was prickling at her as she walked through the connector tube. Something off.

Tonight would be weird, she could just tell.

~Three and a Half Hours Later~

The train cut through the night like an illuminated knife, light spilling out of its windows and onto the shallow ocean's calm waters in little yellow patches. Before it, the elevated rail system curved away like a concrete snake disappearing into the night. Chugging, huffing, the train sped down its rails, green passenger car after silky green passenger car flying by jumping fish and floating seaweed caught in their lights. Steam billowed out from the blocky black locomotive, wafting high into the night, toward the stars overhead. The night sky watched the train from the heavens, a thousand sparkling eyes witnessing its path through the barely waving waters.

Inside passenger car zero-six, as the freight of the train settled in for the night, the luxurious doors to luxurious bedrooms shutting and locking, the foreman making his way through the empty corridors, peering out into the night, Tam and Zo sat quietly in Zo's bedroom.

She - Zo - sat at her desk, staring at her computer, and Tam, well, she sat on the bed, staring out the roomy compartment's window. Neither spoke, and there was an odd tension in the room, some dialectic tension that pulled on them both. Tam folded her arms and crossed her legs, thinking to herself, thinking things like: Why has she not spoken to me since I got here? What is going through her head? Why am I even here?