Board Queen – Part 4
I’m glad that I took the time yesterday to write in the fashion that I did. That post will never be something I promote or reference back to. In the end, this is a website about my journey as an author, and sometimes I need a forum to write down what I am feeling. Yesterday was an example of such a use, one I will try my best to keep from being a habit. It’s more important that I write stories.
On the subject of stories, Board Queen is without doubt the most bookable story I’ve had. I thought before that Eye of the Beholder (somewhere around 10k words now) was a better example of a world with an understandable protagonist. However, that was before I met Diz, and all the amazing things that her world brought with her. I’ve come to really enjoy both her background and how wide open her abilities are. It’s tantalizing to see what I could do with an entire novel to play with.
For now, I will simply focus on telling the story I’ve set out to tell. It’ll be roughly 12k words in length, more of a novella than a short story. But! At least we shall all have more Diz to look forward to as we move along. The character of Pony gives me a wonderful chance to introduce a friendly guidance figure for Diz’s everyday adventures. It’s all good and well that Carl and Jeanine have her back, but Carl runs an insanely successful business. That’s going to be most of his day, I’m sure. And Jeanine is his personal assistant, so she’s just as busy if not more so. Pony provides something they can’t offer: Day to Day companionship. Plus, I like how unabashed her character is. She says what she is thinking, and doesn’t really alter herself to fit the standards and norms of others expectations. I think that’s a really wonderful role model for Diz.
Today’s entry is going to be more building towards the action I envision for Diz. It’s hard sometimes to pace a story, and allow for the development of the characters. My natural instinct is to rush from one action scene to the next, with no pause in-between for lavishing the story with more depth. I have to fight that urge however. Books are not action films, and although short stories should contain times of action and suspense, it shouldn’t be all they contain. Even just from the books that I love most, that has never been the case. So, I shall once again test my ability to be patient, and tell the story in the fashion I had originally planned.
Without further interruption…
Board Queen – Part 4
True to her word, Pony proved instrumental to making sure Diz learned everything she needed to be successful. Pony, it turns out, had been a courier since she was 17. For ten long years, Pony had delivered for Speedway and Carl, never making a mistake on her assignments. She was one of Carls “Classified” business couriers. They were the men and women who had clearance to deliver the most expensive packages. It’s not a light assignment, and couriers of that class have to be able to take care of themselves. Pony carried two different grav pistols, and the way she carried herself with them indicated she practiced with them frequently. The pistols made Diz a little nervous, but Pony soon reassured her when they arrived on the training floor by checking them into a security drop-off at the entrance.
“No one is allowed to go into the training rooms armed” Pony offered when Diz looked quizzically at the station. “We’re trying to teach the potential couriers how to do their jobs. No need having to worry about accidental firearm discharge on top of everything else that can go wrong.” Diz walked with Pony, who guided her to the orientation room. “We’re going to do Orientation here in five minutes, so grab a chair and rest your board on the rack over there” Pony pointed towards a rack which ran the length of the wall. Each slot in the rack was covered and had a security panel, so Diz stretched out her right hand and placed it on the panel of an empty slot. The cover slid open with a quiet swishing sound, and she stored her board inside. It slid closed with the same swish, and at a wave from Pony, Diz took a seat in the front row of the raised semi-circle of chairs that filled the orientation room.
She was hardly alone in the room. Almost forty other trainees in their yellow and black uniforms were already present, chatting amiably amongst themselves. It was a very pleasant atmosphere, and everyone gave her a warm hello and a wave as she looked around. Pony stepped up to the podium which was the focal point of the room, and cleared her throat. Everyone fell silent at this, and she let loose a huge smile as they did. Pony had a very charming smile, too. “Welcome to training all of you. For the next six months we are going to see a lot of each other, and I’m glad to see we’re all getting along so well. You’ve been selected to go through training at Speedway, which is no small feat. Some of you have experience with hoverboarding, some of you do not. I will not tolerate derogatory comments on anyone’s riding skills. First and foremost, you are hired because you are worthy of trust. Riding is a skill that can be taught with practice and repetition, discretion isn’t. So bear that in mind when we hit the hover course.” Pony looked sternly around to make sure everyone had understood her message about not mocking another on any lack of riding skills.
Diz thought it was a strange idea to hire people as couriers who didn’t know how to ride a board, but she figured Carl knew what he was doing. Pony recaptured her attention once more as she continued “Not all of you will be offered a job a the end of the training period. Certain requirements have to be met to be a successful courier, and although we are willing to do everything in our power to give you the necessary tools, it is up to you to be successful. I will not lie to you. Courier work is hard, dangerous work. Your days are long, the physical strain is a constant, and there is always the possibility that a member of the Mob or a rival service will attempt to waylay you as you deliver a package. I will not lie to you, we have had couriers die. Not often, not for a few years now, but it has happened.” She was very solemn, and Diz could tell how much the memory of those slain while doing their jobs had hurt her.
“You were all hired for this training course however. Unless you voluntarily quit, or commit a major infraction, you are all guaranteed to be paid for the entire six months of training. Carl has a pretty protective mindset when it comes to his employees. He asks a lot of us, but in return he watches out for us with everything he does.” Pony smiled at this, and Diz was smiling as well. Carl had gone out of his way to make sure Diz had everything she needed, and she looked forward to giving him her best effort in return. Pony then spent the next two hours going over very important information we needed. What was considered harassment in the workplace, what all the infractions were, what all the regulations in place for parcel delivery were. It was exhaustive, but thankfully Pony had handed out a vidpad which had everything she was discussing on it, and Diz furiously scribbled notes as fast as her nascent aptitude with writing would allow.
After all the notes, Pony dismissed them to lunch, and reminded everyone on their way out that the orientation room was where everyone would meet each morning. She hopped down off the raised dais where the podium sat, and smiled as she approached Diz. “Well Spike, overwhelmed yet?” she asked playfully. Diz smiled back, and replied “Very much, but I hope I can fix that given time.” Pony laughed, a bright and loud sound, and clapped Diz on the shoulder. “C’mon, we should hit the lunchroom before all the good seats are taken.” The lunchroom was enormous. The ceiling was easily 15 meters high, and one of the walls was nothing but a large window which looked out into the Ring and beyond into space. The view was breathtaking. Diz stopped and stared in wonder at the skyline on display. Pony grabbed by the shoulders and pushed her towards one of the tables along the row which sat next to the glass. If she hadn’t moved so fast, she wouldn’t have gotten one for the pair of them. Diz sat down and simply stared out the window at the edge of the Ring and the beautiful collection of stars beyond. She knew the shields which covered the Ring allowed for a full view of the cosmos beyond them, but always before she had lived in dark alcoves without a true view of the sky. Even her apartment was Ringward facing. This however….
Diz jumped when Pony slid a tray of food in front of her, an enormous grin on her face. “Enjoying the view?” she asked with politely suppressed laughter in her eyes. Diz could only nod, eyes huge from trying to soak in every sight. Pony sat down, and she too stared out at the heavens, her smile one of contentment. “This entire side of the building is one big window, so every floor has access to this view. That’s Carl for you.” Pony tore her eyes reluctantly from the vista, and tore into her food with gusto. Diz sensed that Pony was a woman untroubled by her lack of manners, which made Diz happy. It was nice to meet someone who was so honest with themselves and others. She looked down at her own platter, and her mouth started watering. The food looked astonishingly good. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten breakfast, and with a hungry smile, she tore into her own meal with equal fervor.
To be continued
Ringfully,
Justin
