Author: Julia Rajagopalan
Bertrand Dent knew that the lotto was rigged. Everyone knew. Only paid actors won, or friends of the Lotto Commission. Still, Bertrand stood in line at the Station 14 lotto stand to buy a ticket.
It was what everyone did when docking at a refueling station. 1. Dock, 2. Secure your ship, 3. Take a gravity-aided shit, 4. Take a water shower, 5. Get a lotto ticket, 6. Get drunk.
Long-haul spaceflight was harrowing, and stations offered rare comforts in their cold, metal worlds. The order of tasks differed from person to person, but Bertrand liked his order. He had plenty of time till the end-of-day drawing. Bertrand reached the front of the line and stepped up to the counter.
“One daily,” Bertrand said to the man behind the laser-proof glass. The man scratched his nose and printed out the ticket. According to the Lotto Commission, digital tickets were insecure, but Bertrand thought paper was just another way to control the winners.
Ticket in hand, Bertrand headed to his favorite bar, the Pink Fox. The Pink Fox was a dark yet clean establishment with enormous windows that overlooked the shipyards. He felt clean from his shower and pleasantly empty from his trip to the bathroom, and he was ready to drink.
Three beers later, the bar quieted as the bouncing lotto balls flashed onto the screen. Bertrand dug around in his pocket for his ticket. He knew he’d never win, but the dream was half the fun. Maybe he would buy a small property on Mars and start a business. Somedays, he thought he would buy out his partners and take over the hauler, but he wasn’t a masochist.
“The numbers are 19-21-48-54-89,” the pretty girl on the screen said. Bertrand choked on his beer. The paper sat in his hand like a live grenade.
19-21-48-54-89
It was impossible. It was a miracle. It was a giant target. He wanted to scream and shout and do a backflip, but he didn’t dare. He had to get to the claim window. Bertrand stood and waved down the bartender.
“All done?” the woman asked as she handed him the payment machine.
“Yeah, I gotta get back to my ship,” Bertrand said, pressing his thumb on the screen. He tucked the ticket into his pocket, his left hand still clenching the paper. He gave the woman a large tip, and she smiled at him.
“Wow, that was nice. You win the lotto or something?”
“Ha, I wish,” he said and hurried out. He couldn’t believe it. How had he won? Maybe the lotto wasn’t rigged. Bertrand’s feet clanged on the metal planks as he walked. He tried not to hurry. He didn’t want to draw attention. He just had to get to the claims office. Still, a big, goofy smile stretched across his face. The lotto wasn’t rigged. Sometimes, good things happened in this messy universe.
Across the concourse, he could see the sign for the claims office shining in welcome. Bertrand was only a few feet away when a large man stepped out in front of him. He wore a dark mechanic’s jumpsuit, but he walked like a soldier. He grabbed Bertrand’s upper arm and yanked him toward an alley between two food stalls. Another man stood in the shadows waiting.
“How’d you know?” Bertrand cried. “I didn’t say a word.”
“You don’t seriously think anyone ever wins, do you?” the man asked, a sad smirk on his face.
