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In the gravlift on the way to Level A Micki found herself chewing on a nail, worrying about what her boss was going to say. As far as she knew she was in good standing, hadn’t messed up in last night’s performance or committed any of the various offenses which could get a girl a blackmark or even kicked off the team and set down on the next planet. A person had to be concerned, not complacent though. Being a Comette was thrilling and prestigious but came with its own costs.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the director’s door once she arrived in the backstage area of the Comettes’ spacious theater. The portal slid aside as Madame Cartajj granted her permission to enter and Micki was relieved to find her alone, reviewing files.
“Have a seat,” the director said pleasantly enough. “I have an unusual request in front of me and you were the first one in the troupe who came to mind as a possible candidate.”
Intrigued, Micki sat on the edge of her chair. Maybe it was another trideo role. She still had hopes of someday breaking out in the massive interstellar ‘movie’ business with all its glitz and glamor and possibilities. “I appreciate your thinking of me.”
Riall nodded. “I don’t know if your most recent misadventure with romance will affect your chances of landing the assignment but in this case I think the notoriety might actually help.”
Keeping herself from making a face or a tart comment, because one didn’t do those things in the presence of Riall Cartajj, Micki was chagrinned the director had obviously heard about the messy end of her romance with the famous sports star. But the director kept her eye on everything which affected the Comettes, so why was she surprised?
“Have you heard of Interstellar Stars Dancing?” Riall asked.
“It’s a competition show, isn’t it? Where amateurs partner with trained dancers and do routines for judges and for the public to vote up or down? Are we going to do a special number for them?” Micki couldn’t think of any other reason Riall would concern herself with the program.
“This is strictly confidential for the time being, but the ISD is planning to film a mini season on board the Nebula Zephyr. I think they hope the scenes on board the ship will draw the curious who couldn’t afford to cruise on her and of course our employer the CLC Cruise Lines hopes there’ll be a spike in leisure cruises across the Sectors. The Line operates quite a few midlevel ships on various routes which are more affordable, so there’s an audience matchup there.”
Micki made a sound of agreement and waited for more. She was unclear where the Comettes or she herself fitted into this. It would be terrific interstellar exposure though.
“There will be ten couples, one being eliminated each episode over seven weeks, with the final three competing for what I’m told is a rather tacky holographic trophy set in a revolving golden frame.” Riall sniffed, her contempt for the whole venture showing. "And in this case a large donation to the winner's favorite Sectors charity. Although the cast list isn’t quite settled, the contestants this time are generational billionaires with a sprinkling of socialites and possibly a major trideo star hoping to reboot her career. People who obviously would never compete normally but are doing it for their own reasons and the charity donation makes it all look good to the public.” Riall leaned forward. “The ISD has their own troupe of dancers experienced in the various types of dances required and used to working with untrained, temperamental amateurs. For this special season, however, the showrunner wants an active Comette to dance with one of their contestants to further enhance the connection to the cruise liner. I believe you have the background, based on your resume, as well as the patience to deal with a celebrity or billionaire. You also have the appearance and personality to handle the non-dancing segments. The show does delve into one’s personal life as I understand it, but more focused on the celebrity than the dancer so take a cautionary note there. In short as far as I’m aware, you’d represent the troupe well.” She raised one eyebrow.
Micki responded to the unspoken question with enthusiasm. This could be exactly the break she’d been wishing for. The idea of the show looking into her past gave her a little concern but overall the chance to be featured on a top-rated program, broadcast Sectors-wide, was too good to refuse. “Count me in,” she said with genuine interest.
“You’ll need to do an interview with the showrunner at our next stop. Not an audition precisely although there may be dancing involved. If you pass the screening, then you’d get to meet the amateur you’d be dancing with and could start working with him. All of them will be coming aboard and the filming will commence once we’re away from the planet and on the next leg of the voyage. I understand Maeve is already expanding certain portions of her space on Level C to accommodate all this activity.”
Micki was impressed. The AI who was the Ship had an amazing ability to change things about her configuration but rarely did so. The fact she was taking the step now spoke to how highly the CLC Line rated the opportunity for free publicity on a vast scale.
“One more thing, you won’t be dancing for us while you’re on the program but you’ll remain on the active roster as a Comette in good standing. There is a salary for working on ISD and you’ll draw your usual pay as well.” Riall had a smug expression on her face. “I refused to put you on inactive status for this and the captain backed me up. So enjoy the double dip while it lasts.”
“This is an incredible opportunity, madame. I’m grateful you picked me and I won’t let you or the ship down, I promise.” Micki was in shock at the gift she was being handed and couldn’t wait to get to her cabin and binge all the past seasons of ISD to see what she was in for. Her vague impression was she’d get to choreograph the routines she and the unknown man would perform, which was another enticement for doing the show.
“Anything I can do to help, within the rules of the program of course, let me know,” Riall said, indicating the interview was over.
Micki thanked her again, rose from her chair and had to work hard not to dance her way out of the office. Once safely in the corridor with the door shut behind her she let out a whoop and did a leap into the air. This could be the huge break she’d dreamed of and now she prayed to the Lords of Space she got assigned either a celebrity who was an excellent dancer or else a person who was a total klutz but who the Sectors voters loved. She’d make it work. She and her mystery partner were not going to be the first team eliminated. They were going all the way for the trophy, tacky or not.
CHAPTER TWO
Her boundless enthusiasm was undimmed when the Nebula Zephyr entered orbit around Caminae Twelve and she took the shuttle to the planet’s surface for her meeting with the showrunner. Micki spent the extra credits to take a robo taxi to the complex the entertainment company had rented temporarily, not trusting public transit here. She wasn’t going to be late.
Entering the building she heard music and had to work hard not to be drawn in the direction it was coming from. The tune was catchy and dance routines began crowding her mind immediately. There was a human receptionist, who escorted her promptly to the large office the executive in charge of the show had established.
“I’ll keep your dance bag at the front desk with me,” the woman said.
Reluctantly Micki handed it over, straightened her tunic as the receptionist walked away and entered the office after knocking and being told to come in. She was glad for her limited experience working in the two trideos, because the person behind the desk was the epitome of a Sectors Entertainment Insider and intimidating because he was the gatekeeper to the opportunity Micki craved. She was able to remind herself she wasn’t a total newbie to the business and she could dance rings around anyone else.
Although her binge watching of the past seasons had shown her what a top notch set of professional dancers worked on the program.
Micki felt confident she was their equal. Maybe she wasn’t a superstar dancer like her friend Tassia, who could have been a supernova if she’d been willing to leave the Nebula Zephyr and Liam, but neither was anyone else on the ISD team. Micki would fit in fine.
The man behind the desk didn’t get up. He nodded to the empty chair. “I’m Eddie Bevnar, Ms. Allwell. Have a seat and let’s talk.”
Sitting down as ordered, Micki said, “I’m excited about this opportunity. Working with the ISD dancers will be a thrill.”
“We think our viewers will enjoy having a Comette in the mix. Your troupe has quite a reputation all through the Sectors.” He leaned forward. “Any skeletons in your closet? Can you handle teaching a total tyro to dance? Are you prepared to work harder than you ever have before? Our deadlines are tight.”
The barrage of questions was unexpected but Micki kept her calm. “I work hard as a Comette, sir, so I’m not afraid of that aspect of the job. If you’ve looked at my resume, I have experience as a dance teacher and I assure you I’m very patient.” Unlike some of his star dancers, who regularly blew up on screen at the mistakes and attitudes of their assigned celebrities. She was sure a lot of it was scripted for ratings. “And as for my background—” With a shrug, she said, “Poor girl from the outer Sectors works hard, hones her craft, auditions several times for the Comettes, makes it finally and lives happily ever after. Call me Cinderella.”
“Glib. I like it.” Eddie slapped the desk. “No doubt we’ll play up the fairy tale angle, fair warning to you.”
