Showdown at Jupiter's Edge: A Maxo Magnaveer Adventure by Daniel P. Douglas

Author:Daniel P. Douglas [Douglas, Daniel P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Geminid Press
Published: 2021-08-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Play Dreamtime Again

After his conversation with Leo and Ariel, Maxo left them on Candy Lady’s drive deck, Dreamtime playing again, and headed toward the bridge. He walked across the concourse, past the airlock that led to the tow bar with the eight Venusian pod gliders, and into the elevator. He watched the doors close, then lingered and contemplated his talk with Leo and Ariel.

“Making this about a promotion isn’t right,” Leo had said to him.

“Your purpose is not about what rank you achieve,” Ariel had added, “it’s about how you make the solar system a little better than when you came into it.”

While speaking with the two young Digis, concerned they were beginning to doubt his leadership abilities, he sent Never Better: 10 Ways to Get Ahead in Life to their compu-pads and encouraged them to read or listen to it.

“What did Alice say to upset you?” Ariel asked. “She really felt bad about it.”

Maxo explained Alice must have been referring to telling him, “There was more to life than the CLF.”

“Maybe she meant there’s something bigger out there,” Leo had said. “Something bigger than ourselves, and even the CLF, that we can strive to be a part of.”

“Making ourselves better human beings for it,” Ariel had added, “and making life better for others, now and in the future.”

“Something bigger, like justice and equality?” Maxo had asked. “Happiness and goodness?”

Standing in the elevator, he furrowed his brow and realized just how much he had turned his life and career into a single transaction. They were two sides of the same coin, and it didn’t matter which side was up. He had never stepped back and tried to distinguish between the two. They merged and became his top priority. Everything else was secondary.

Within him, a light flickered and revealed a part of his internal, unconscious conflict. By not developing other aspects of himself, his emptiness had grown. Over the years, Maxo sensed and suffered from the deepening void, one he tried to fill with work, but that road led to a dead end. He was never better on that road, so stagnation followed.

Although a workhorse, he often filed incomplete reports, earned low training scores, arrived late to meetings, submitted incorrect procurement documents, or made dubious budget requests. He was a good patrol officer and investigator, and had earned the respect and admiration of colleagues, but as an administrator, Maxo came up short. His job fitness suffered, so he never progressed beyond the rank of detectant.

The flickering light took on a steady glow.

The years ticked by, and advancement eluded him. The lack of progress deflated his spirit and darkened his psyche. He ached enough to end the conflict by trying to take his own life in a manner which people would conclude was a tragic accident. Even in his suicide attempt, he tried to hide from the truth. Denial survived along with him though, so instead of waking up from near death to a new world, he went right back to that road.

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