The sun rose over a nearby planet, shining light into the semicircular room that was the Captain's Nest of the Isararach, an ancient carrier that he had found and restored to operation.
Aracturus sat in the Captain's chair, a glass of scotch in hand, slumped to the side. Holodisplays flicker around the tall man as he stares out into space.
He was thinking about all those that had come to visit him while he had worked on this ship.
But most of all, he was thinking of the one person he wished would come visit him.
"Its so quiet and peaceful out in space."
His first instructor at the State school where he was raised had said this.. He has since learned it is false. Space was quiet, sure. But all that quiet was a mask for a violent, chaotic place.
"In space, nobody can hear you scream, kid. Best remember that before ye go rushing into it."
One of his flight instructors at SAK had said this. The Grizzled old starcaptain had been the same one who, years before, had given a young Aracturus Camarus his captain's hat while the boy was on a field trip sponsored by his State school.
"One of these days, you are going to get lost under a skirt and think its love, and space will eat your ass up and spit you out. Oh, and good work today, ensign."
That had been the last words he had spoken to him from Captain Aki Onaga, his shipscaptain from his time in the Caldari Navy. The last sounds he had heard were that same man, crying as he was carried away to rot in the Brig, after his Court Marshal, blaming him for the loss of the Fairborough.
"You are a brute! You are a stubborn, bullheaded, childish, arrogant, pigheaded bastard. But yes, I miss you."
Saira's voice echoed in his head, bringing warmth to his heart at the thought of her. Her strong voice, her curves, oh those curves! Curves like a river, flowing from its source, descending to the ground and then splashing back up like the wind! And that atitude, that no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is atitude.
"You're consuming yourself... look at you. You're killing yourself with this."
She had smashed that tiny golden model cormorant he had held on to.
"You'll thank me for this."
She was right. She was always right. Thats what he loved so much about her. She was always right.
Suddenly, everything became so clear. He had been dwelling on the past, and he wouldn't let his mistakes go. THAT was what she was waiting for, THAT was what she wanted to see before she'd take him back.
Aracturus stood, and simply dropped his glass of scotch to the cold floor of the room.
Today was a brand new day.
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Topic: Dawn or dusk. (Read 1138 times)