Hopewell 2107

Jack Cooper looked at himself in the mirror. Having shaved off most of his unkempt beard, he looked almost new. The pilot was in his early thirties and was beginning to see some very faint age lines on his face, but was never really concerned about such things. This time however, the look did catch him a bit off guard, given the intensity of their last mission.

Cooper stepped out of one of the many bathrooms in Hopewell Airport. He walked up to a nearby window in the semi-busy hall. His airship, the Aetherwing, was docked at one of the eighty foot ship towers. It was one of five towers that could dock three ships at once. Each tower stretched into the azure colored clouds that hovered over Hopewell and the surrounding areas, capping off with a dome at the top. Runways for other smaller types of aircraft were five stories below the airships, situated neatly around the airport.

The docking tunnel connected to a port on the Aetherwing in the middle of the body. The docking clamps under the Aetherwing’s belly kept it stable as they gripped the designated platform holding it aloft. The airship had the capacity to hold 100 people in emergencies, but was ultimately meant for housing of a capacity of no more than 20 people. With twin anti-gravity engines, the Aetherwing was able to keep itself afloat in the air for long periods. The rear of the airship housed two hulking propulsion engines able to allow the ship to move faster than most airliners. The Aetherwing had a black matte finish with unique stripes of glowing lights along each side, its current shade an oceanic hue. Matching vibrant blue clouds filled the sky of Hopewell, making it a clear indicator that this port was controlled by the Ascendancy

While most aircraft were able to use landing strips, airships were different. The Aetherwing was built for long term travel. After all, fuel for an airship was rare, but would last an exceptionally long time. Towers like the ones in Hopewell were designed to help refuel and repair, given the numerous storms airships generally came across.

Cooper ran a hand over his buzzcut head. The Aetherwing had taken a real beating just to get to Hopewell for some much-needed fuel. Now that his airship was refueling and getting necessary repairs, Cooper was left to determine the next course of action for him and his crew.

He moved from the window to one of the customs lines nearby.

“Sir,” nodded the elderly customs lady at the entryway. “Passport, please.”

Cooper handed her a card with a chip for his identification. He missed the days when it was common practice to carry a hardcopy. Many hard copy items had been integrated into the recent digital revolution. If he and his crew were to make it from one port to another, keeping with the times was vital.

The officer scanned the digital code and a report appeared on her computer monitor. “Jack Cooper, owner of the Aetherwing?” she asked, her tone neutral.

“That’s me.” His half smile accentuated his newly formed wrinkles as he tried to set her mind at ease.

“Ah, yes. The Aetherwing is yours?” She didn’t return the smile. .

“That’s correct.”

“In for refuel and repairs?”

“Correct again.” When would this verbal dance end?

The lady input commands on her touchscreen monitor. “I’ve provided you with temporary accommodations while your airship is fixed. Total of four crew members?”

Cooper nodded, relieved and impressed with the service. “Yes, and thank you!”

She gave him a half-hearted smile. “It’s not a problem. Just give me a moment while your background check comes in.”

Cooper’s grin faded into a frown. “Why do you need a background check to let me in?”

"Standard procedure here these days," she remarked eyes narrowing. "We've had more than our fair share of sketchy folks come in and put the people at risk. Criminals leading the Influence here. And some weren't full-on criminals if you catch my drift. Getting the Influence’s attention and dragging them in with you to Hopewell is not tolerated, knowingly or unknowingly.”

As that reality set in, Cooper realized something. “I take it my airship has been inspected?”

The woman’s face smiled but her eyes were still deep pools of nothing. “Absolutely. Standard procedure here at Hopewell.”

He sighed. They would find nothing out of the ordinary on the Aetherwing...this time. He was wondering whether Hopewell was worth coming back to if this was to happen every time he arrived.

A ding sounded on the customs officer’s computer. She immediately turned her full attention to it, reading over whatever content happened to appear. Her brows knit together and furrowed as she read. Cooper raised a curious eyebrow of his own.

“It states your ship is considered neutral. Some scuffles with the Influence, but none indicated with the Ascendancy. Is this accurate?”

Cooper hesitantly stated, “Yes.”

She leaned back and eyed Cooper seriously. Her tones were even and measured, “Why were you involved in those scuffles?”

Prying questions equaled prying eyes. There were a good deal of jobs Cooper would like to keep under wraps. No need to share it all though. "There were a couple of jobs I did for a neutral party. The Influence got word of it and given that it required us to trespass on their territory, they sought out the airship they knew had been involved.”

"What did it involve?" She pressed on, eyes narrowing again as if to assess the truthfulness of his words.

"Artifacts that we no longer have." he begrudgingly admitted.

She nodded, finally deciding she believed him. "You aren't violating any laws given you have an archaeologist aboard. But the Influence does not care about such things. Are they still hunting you down?”

“No,” he said confidently.

“Have you taken on any new passengers recently? Or come in to contact with the Influence on a personal level?”

"No to both questions, but to be fair, if I was being inhabited by one, would you honestly know? Are you going to believe what I say?" He was concerned that the Ascendancy could easily detain him if necessary. They did, after all, have control of his airship in the repair docks.

The old woman chuckled lightly. "If you were inhabited by the Influence, we would know. Nothing like that gets by our scanners." She patted a thin electronic box with a small camera nestled at its top, pointed right at Cooper, that had been neatly hidden from his view. It was a pretty sophisticated piece of tech for an airport.

Another ding sounded on the woman’s computer, and she immediately inclined forward to view the message more carefully. “Well,” she said. “It seems another member of your crew is being held up for questioning. Your name was mentioned, so they want you in for questioning. You’ll also need to explain more about your interactions with the Influence. You won’t be getting into the city unless they are convinced the Influence are not on the way. Another officer is on the way and will escort you.”

Cooper’s lungs suddenly couldn’t get enough air. Who had been held up? And how had the other two gotten through?

After giving Cooper another smile, she added sympathetically. “I’m sure everything will be just fine. It is pretty typical to have some questioning when folks show up as a neutral party here.”

Cooper didn’t like how this was going. His ship was being inspected, background checks were being performed on his crew, and now they were to be detained and questioned? This was turning from a headache into something far worse.

Almost immediately, another officer appeared. “If you’ll come with me, sir,” the man stated flatly.

The old woman gently nudged him past her and said, "Like I said, pretty standard. Don't you worry, the accommodations will still be there when you’re cleared."

At least she hadn’t said “If you’re cleared,” he thought to himself.

Cooper reluctantly allowed the new officer to take him to his crew and find out just what was really going on in Hopewell.