After several days of lazing on the beach, Mike and Penny found themselves packing for the second phase of their dream vacation... The shuttle bus arrived at a civilized hour, and after stopping at several of the other resorts around the bay, made its way inland to the skyport. Most of the others on the bus were obviously accustomed to such luxury, but Mike couldn't help but notice a young woman travelling alone with an extremely talkative and inquisitive child. They had that same fish-out-of-water aura as Mike and Penny; although, Mike admitted ruefully, Penny seemed to be acclimatizing to this unbridled luxury quite well!
Although part of him resented the child's constant questions, another part of him, perhaps brought out of hiding by several days' relaxation, got a bit of a kick out of the youngster's boundless enthusiasm for everything around them! It stood out in stark contrast to the air of 'ennui' evident among the wealthier passengers. Nonetheless, he empathized with the young mother, probably another contest-winner like himself and Penny, as she tried to bear up under the stress of her rambunctious offspring.
As the bus approached the skyport, the passengers could see the waiting Luxury Liner docked at the Embarcation Tower. A delicate creature of the air, it hovered above the field, deigning to contact the upthrust tower only for a short while. One of its sister ships had just left, and was slowly ascending to cruising altitude where it belonged. The kid's sense of wonder was contagious - Mike felt a surge of excitement himself as he watched the ship sail away.
At the edge of the 'port, the human busdriver slowed down at the kid's insistence, and let everyone out for a view of the landing field. Several orbital shuttles sat on the apron, having ferried more visitors down to this Paradise. Other auxiliary service craft bobbed around, many of them prepping the magnificent Liner for its upcoming voyage. Impressive, yes, but Mike realized he was eager to be away, and found it hard not to resent the delay as the kid bounced around outside the bus. Mike kind of wished the driver had been a Mandroid, impervious to the youngster's pleading...
Another Bryce 5 composition, this time incorporating one of the new Millennium Child models from DAZ, along with a 'mainly-metaballs' atmospheric liner. All ships and buildings are my own constructs...
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