Suspended in Thought — 1
The airbus hovered gently to the stop and shuddered slightly as it docked. ‘Peace Square’ a gentle, female voice spoke. ‘Next stop: Rieger Park’ she continued after a short pause. ‘A ticket to… uh… to the… uh Parliament stop?’ a passenger asked. The driver nodded, his cap stood sturdy on his head and his eyes had small little bags under them. He bore a laser gun wound on his neck, which Parliament passenger stared at, the bus driver seemed used to it. The passenger heading to Parliament stop took out his credit chip, swiped it, and swaggered on to the back to take a seat.
In one seat sat an elderly lady with a very round, straw hat, with a peacock feather in it and a light purple dress. She clutched her handbag and stared outwards with a faint smile. In another sat a young man, fidgeting a piece of paper as he bit his lip and looked out of the other side, his eyes filled with worry as his crooked hat balanced gently on his auburn hair. No one sat in the back, so Parliament went all the way to the back and took a seat, taking his dear time to settle down, no rush at all. He took off his hat, brushed his brown suit slightly and the airbus set into motion once the driver had noticed he had taken a seat.
Orange hues bathed the walls of the various high-rises and large buildings of the city of Nova Terra, as the double sunset slowly delved beyond the horizon. Another airbus hovered by and the driver gave a short honk and waved. The other driver nodded and honked as well. A delivery airbus loomed gloomily below, releasing a low-pitched whirring hum.
‘Citizens of Nova Terra, please be advised that the summer festival is coming up. Have a great day!’ a voice boomed out from the walls, or one of the various platforms in between, Parliament passenger couldn’t tell for sure. As the dark of night slowly engulfed the cityscape, lights flickered on slowly and appeared a sea of stars, yet almost reachable. It wouldn’t take 30 years of hyperspace to reach those, but a mere hop and a jump. ‘Rieger Park’ the gentle, and soft voice spoke within the airbus as it shuddered to a halt upon the next platform. Four more passengers got on board as a mother and child approached from further down the station. They all got on without a word.
One was a young woman, with bionic legs. They whirred and whizzed as she walked to her seat until she sat down. She seemed very fit, but had a frown on her face. The other was a young adult, dressed in a light blue suit and perhaps headed home after a walk in the park after work. The third was an older man, perhaps in his mid-forties. He was smoking an e-cigar as he entered the airbus and continued to blow the smoke out to the side after it took off, watching it whirl around before dispersing into nothingness again. He seemed to be satisfied with himself every time he did so, and gave the smoke a slight nod.
The last was a regally dressed woman, wearing a large hat. Parliament passenger missed her face, or rather, did not look exactly as she got on. Her hair was beautiful though, from behind. It was very long and shiny and her dress was a faint pink. It changed colour slightly as she sat there, the latest craze these days among the upper class. Parliament passenger sighed and he looked back out of the airbus, he noticed a small red balloon float up towards the Ganymede sky. Smiling he followed it’s path until he would have had to lean out of the airbus to still see it. ‘Next stop: Parliament’ the gentle voice spoke, and Parliament passenger readied himself to leave the airbus. ‘All I need is all I have, and all I have is now’ he whispered to himself as he donned his hat.
The airbus had to stop for a moment, together with various other airships, as the traffic light showed red. A honk here and there as impatient drivers went upwards and downwards, trying to get a good position before the light would switch to green. Loud music came out of an airship that pulled up besides the airbus. It carried a few party goers who were barely dressed, one of them even in the nude. Lower class or higher class, it was hard to tell on party-ships like the one he was looking at now. One of the female passengers pressed her breasts together and waved them at Parliament passenger. Blushing, he looked away to the other side before the light turned green and the airships bustled onward.
The gardens of the parliament isle appeared as the airbus drifted higher and higher upwards, for Parliament was one of the higher isles on Ganymede. Tulips of all colours of the rainbow adorned the gardens, and a fountain with the likeness of the former Empress Líle Finnuala ‘the Uniter of Worlds’ gave it a hint of regal class. The Parliament in the distance was very round, with two domes to either side of a large column in the center. Parliament passenger always found it to be quite phallic in appearance, but no one else seemed to agree with him when he pointed it out.
‘Parliament’ the kind and benevolent spoke gently, as the airbus turned slowly 90 degrees to the left to dock to the Parliament stop. Parliament passenger rose slowly as he exited the back of the airbus. He took a few steps, straightened his jacket, and headed towards Parliament.
