It was yet another cloudy day in the south side of Cambridge.
Andrew Aston was on an unusuall cheerfull mood today. It was to be expected though. His grandchildren were going to visit him in that day. The laughter of the children and their fascination for his stories were more than enough to put a smile on the old mans face, especially since his wife had died. This unusuall visit was due to his son John, a rich bounty hunter, taking on a particularly lenghty bounty and needing someone to look after his children. His wife and fellow bounty hunter had died as well while chasing a bounty in the Tau systems.
The old man Andrew was sitting on his chair reading a book when the doors to his office were opened slowly. He was too concentrated on his reading to notice though but shortly thereafter he felt like he was beeing watched. Lifting his eyes from his book there stood his two grandchildren.
“Grandpa, grandpa! Can you tell us one of your stories ?”- asked him his grandson
Carefully but quickly bookmarking the page he was reading, Andrew put the book away on a small table nearby.
“But of course! Gather around children, this is a good one!”
The children cheered and sat on the couches that surrounded Andrew's chair.
“Will you tell us a story about heros and monsters grandpa ?”
The old man chuckled
“Not this time- he said in a soft voice- This time i will tell you an even better story”
“There once lived a man in Cambridge. Even though he came from a middle class familly , his parents had gathered enough money throughout their lives to provide him the finest education. The man lived his young adult years studying in the finest universities. He was quite fond of literature.”
“Literature? Whats that grandpa?”- asked his grandson
“Literature is basically books. But it goes much further than regular reading”-answered Andrew
“As i was saying, the man was very fond of literature. He read books day and night. Some could even say he was obcessed. After he studied all he could on Cambridges univirsities, he decided that he would not let his love of books die. He would take a loan from a bank and open up a bookstore.”
“Like yours grandpa?”-asked his granddaughter
“Yes , just like mine.”- he replied
“And take that loan he did. He bought a modestly sized house and converted part of it into a book store. He then took all the books he had gotten throughout his life and put them on the shelves , carefully organised. Shortly afterwards , people became aware of his litle shop for its fine selection of books. The richest people in Bretonia came specifically to the mans shop to buy his rare and not-so rare books.”
“Did he get rich and lived happily ever after?”
“Indeed he did , but im not finished yet”- laughed Andrew , patting his grandson on the head
“The man got rich quickly , and soon had enough money to increase the size of his bookstore. And so he did. He continued to gather rare books to sell and the rich elites of Bretonia continued to come to him for their needs. After a few years , he already had a number of bookstores all around Cambridge and a crew of people working with him to find the best books.”
Andrew then stopped for a moment. It seems he got carried away and his grandchildren were getting a bit bored.
“Lets take a litle break now and go get something to eat”
The children seemed to agree.
Andrew called his buttler and he soon brough a snack for the children.
“Grandpa , can you keep telling your story now?”
The man chuckled once again
“Of course i can.”
Andrew then continued:
“ After around a decade the man was already as rich as most of his costumers. Despite that he continued to run the business, saving up every credit he had to spare. After a long life of work , the man decided that he wanted to live the last years of his life exploring space.”
Andrew then stopped. Despite the story not seeming complete, it seemed he had nothing else to say.
“What happened after that grandpa?”
“That only time will tell.”
It was getting late , and his son had just showed up to pick up their children.
“Thanks for taking care of them dad. I really needed to take this bounty.”- said his son.
“Its always a pleasure. You can bring them here anytime you want!”
“Yea , the kids always seem to be able to cheer you up... Well , id best be going. The kids have to go to school in the morning”
Andrew put his hand on his sons shoulder just as he was leaving.
“Wait a second, i need to have a word with you.”
“Sure dad , what is it about ?”
“Come to my office.”
They both walked to the office. Andrew sat again on his chair and John on another chair directly in front of Andrew's
“Alright dad , what did you want to talk about. Is it something important ?”
“Indeed it is. I have made a decision. I want to spend the rest of my days exploring space”
“Arent you a litle old for that now dad ?”- said John , rolling his eyes in disbelief
“You are never too old unless you are dead!”- said Andrew-” I have already arranged with my contacts at Orbital Spa & Cruise for them to sell me a ship”
John sighed. He , who has been a risk taker for most of his life , was now worried about the safety of his father.
“I guess im a chip of the old block”- said John with a chuckle- “Alright. But you best fly well protected. What are you going to fly on , a Luxury Liner?”
“No, that is too large of a ship. Some people might think of it as a menace. Besides , i dont need that much room. I decided to buy a Yatch.”
“A Yatch!? That thing is too light! What if you are atacked!?”
“Dont worry. Ill get a good Armor Upgrade and a good crew to get me out of trouble. Besides , its not like im out to make enemies, quite the oposite.
“Alright dad... just be carefull out there. If you ever get in trouble, you know my callsign. Ill call my fellow hunters to help you”
“Thanks son. Well , that was all i had to tell you. I'm going to hire a crew and buy the Yatch soon. Come , lets go. Your kids should already be in bed by now”
After his son left, Andrew headed to his balcony where he looked up at the stars that illuminated the skies.
“Soon... very soon i will be out there in those wild skies.”- the man paused for a moment, staring at the skies-”Well, i should try getting some sleep. It will be a long day tomorow.
A few weeks afterwards , and with his crew and ship chosen and ready, the old man undocked out of Cambridge , headed to wherever his adventures take him.