Blake sat on his couch lazily, almost sleeping. The strange brew beside his right elbow kept on sparkling with bubbles the size of a cherry. He rearly drank anything alcoholic. Mainly, because engineer work and booze doesn't mix well. But boredom gets into a man's nerves, and now, standards lowered, he just sat back on the apartment, counted his bills over and over, and sometimes burped.
-Get all my ships in good shape, he said. I'll be back soon, he said. Hmph. Never trust someone who dies in goo and wakes up covered in goo the next second - the door almost sprung out from its frame. A slim figure materialized in the light, and yelled.
-Get up you dirty pig! We've got work to do! - kem poked the tantalized engineer - You've been drinking again? Man, you smell.. How long is it since you've had a shower? Never mind, get moving, he's back. We're heading out!
-We're what... Who's back?
-The boss is back, you idiot! We're heading out to deep space.
He stood in front of the window, staring at the starfield in front of him. The thick composite glass reflected some of the pilot's features. He looked almost ten years older than when he last left this room. In the past six months, he's been wishing back to these parts many times. But there were things to be done. Things that must not be recorded by fluid routers. Things that matter more than a few months inside the capsule. A few things lay scattered over the table. He turned back, released a soft blow, and the dust ran up from the sudden movement of air. The uniform barely changed in color, but the insignias very much did. He took off the robes, the comfortable shirt, and put the uniform back on. Then he pulled out a small but heavy box from the shelf beyond the hanger inside the cabinet and put it on the table. He slowly took out the parts and assembled an old handgun, hiding it under the uniform. Stepping back in front of the window he released a heavy sigh. The Neocom booted up, and several messages started flashing on the mental projection.
- I'm home - he muttered, walking down the steps.
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