Skyscraper
SJ Brailovsky
Copyright © 2009 By SJ Brailovsky
Worldwide rights reserved
Published by The Trashy Novel Corp at Smashwords
Grand Gala
In the year 2641, a booming world economy produces high end frills. War is a thing of the past, so there is a shit load of money for other things now. The last war was in the 21st century. Nobody can even remember WW4 when Israel knocked out Iran’s nuclear facilities and the Russian and Chinese contingency took Iran’s side. But, that was so long ago; even the tributes to the fallen have been replaced with Theme Parks. Oh yes, the war machines have been deconstructed and the parts have been reassembled to create unimaginable industries. Like, for instance underwater cities are a reality in the 27th century. Another is that some companies have sprung up to rebuild Africa; like rebuilding the Sudan into a more livable area, something a little touristier. So yea, tourism, Communist governments and watching the environment take up every ones time these days and the world is a much better place now than in the days of old.
Today is the day the most expensive and adventurous luncheon to ever happen, happens. People went ape shit to get a ticket over 2 years ago; but you’re here now and things are lively. Shhhhhhhh, quiet now, the Grand Gala is about to begin.
The lights dim after all the V.I.P.’s have been ushered in and seated. Musicians holographically float around the arena area while images of the galaxy and the universe flash and bounce along the walls. Dax staggers up from offstage. The music softens and the lights start to come up and certain holograms disintegrate.
“Welcome to Skyscraper!” Dax squeals into the microphone and drops his glass.
This welcoming luncheon isn’t going anywhere close to plan and the suits from sales jump into action. They expected a welcome speech and got a drugged up mess.
“Hit the lights.”
Boom – the lights come down
“Cue the dancers.”
“Someone get him off that stage, we don’t need him until the end of the luncheon now, come on people let’s get him off that stage.” The head suit orders his dudes
“Welcome to Los Angeles!!” Dax screams in the dark
“Start the music…GO!...and dancers…GO!”
A Hologram of the 20th century band, The Human League, sings amidst more photos of Mars and the Universe dancers swarm around and past Dax. Then 3 men gingerly walk out onto the stage and hand him a drink and help him off into the backstage area. He is met by a roar of applause from his staff: A’lux, Stevie Kix, Lorneon, P37-BX, and Krush. They’re all cogs in this machine and got a backstage pass for the show tonight.
“Good work, Conductor.” Krush hollers
“Good job, Conductor.” Lorneon hoots
“I didn’t get to tell any of my jokes.” Dax says
“You did fantastic!” Someone in a suit reassures Dax that his welcoming speech is finished, “we have a green room for you around here somewhere.”
The Grand Gala Launching Luncheon features an array of A-list stars and comedians, dancers, a circus act from Las Vegas, 25 live and vintage hologram band feeds and 2 Broadway shows. Its to celebrate the opening of Blush Spacelines which specializes in 6 month roundtrip flights to Mars and back. All in the lap of luxury with expensive slippers to enjoy and explore your 19K square foot outer space suite. Top entertainment beamed by laser-cable into your bed so you don’t have to leave it. Hash bars next to the mini-bar. If you dare to leave your suite there are 5 world class copies of golf courses, casinos, clubs, restaurants, and a small downtown region that’s been replicated to look like a steam cleaned version of Los Angeles, but don’t forget the cheering and winning and shopping. Blush spent 5 trillion updating a section of the Skyscraper series 1A Space-engine DSS Los Angeles to build a luxury resort that travels in space. It’s worth every penny to fly across the great expanse on Los Angeles.
So Dax has rented out part of Skyscraper to Blush. He was never really consulted on the fine points in the contract. He just flies this heap and hopes to make some extra money with this massive space train, and he’s lonely and wants some entertainment. To say that he is just the Conductor would be an understatement because he is quite a savvy businessman; with this deal he’s created a new profession, a space train conductor/space hotelier. Dax just wants to have magazine articles written about him. He wants to be popular and do things that popular people do, but he’s had way too much to drink tonight and his cabin-boy, A’lux, is now helping him back to the green room. A’lux knows better this time than to get a room at the Hotel Bux de Lux. It’s the hotel Blush built to house the guest suites. They partied there last night at the pre-party. It almost killed them, but it didn’t so they’ll be back, but not soon.
Everyone at the party is dancing now as Dax is being force walked down the hallway to the greenroom by A’lux.
Suddenly Dax breaks free. He manages to trip up A’lux while holding his arms so that he cannot stop the fall and really gets hurt.
Now he's running like a madman down the hallway and to the bar, composes himself, and gets a drink. He staggers over to the dance floor and starts to dance. Dance Dax dance. The music is some extended hologram remix of The Human League that seems to grip Daxs’ tail feather and shake it. The corporation guys in suits have given up. The beat moves the party into the early early hours. A’lux has torn his spacesuit pants and is a bummer most of the time but finally gives in and lets Dax party.
Skyscraper floats off the edge of the Earth. This mammoth ship has to be constructed in outer space. No amount of rocket fuel can lift this structure off Earth. Squadrons of high atmosphere airliners bring workmen up and out of the grip of gravity to construct this thing. 4 spaceports have sprung up to exclusively run the Skyscraper series 1A Space-engine franchise; one in Fiji, another in New Mexico and 2 in UAE. Now those same high atmosphere airliners carry the guests and their expensive stuff up into the belly of Skyscraper. It’s been loading cargo and exchanging crew for 2 weeks and today is the scheduled departure.