sent down to this one planet. Something in the atmosphere wreaked havoc with the plasma rifles. So, since the platoon didn’t have any backup weapons, not one member of the platoon had a working weapon. They fought bravely, but the whole platoon got slaughtered. The captain, who’d insisted on going down on the planet with the platoon was captured. I ended up going in with my “primitive weaponry” and saving his butt. That’s when they gave me my gold bars,” Mario explained, proudly fingering his new rank insignia.
“Yeah,” K’Alan nodded. “I noticed you got promoted. Congrats, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Mario grinned.
“So,” K’Alan continued after taking another sip of his drink. “What happened to the Captain?”
“Court-martialed for stupidity and losing a whole platoon of troops as a result of said stupidity,” Mario laughed. The waiter came back with the refill of Mario’s drink. Mario smiled and took a sip before asking the burning question he’d been wanting to ask all morning. “Heard anything from Kit lately?
K’Alan took a long sip from his drink and sighed deeply before answering. “I haven’t talked to her in over two months. We’d been on silent running for a long time before my transfer to the White Knight. And with the transfer, I’ve just been running ragged. I’m going to call her before we leave.”
“Don’t forget to say hi for me,” Mario said, tossing off another of his famous grins.
“Sure enough,” K’Alan laughed. “Except she doesn’t much like you.”
“Everyone loves me!” Mario said, sounding wounded. “I’m just that kind of loveable guy, you know?”
“Yeah. Sure you are,” K’Alan grinned, nodding with his friend. “And you don’t have an ego problem either, right?”
Mario laughed long and hard. Yes, it was definitely going to be good serving on the same ship as his friend again.
“Hey,” Mario started suddenly, a thought occurring to him out of nowhere. “Stop by my quarters later. I have something for you.”
“I hope it’s a stiff drink,” K’Alan muttered tapping his glass idly. “I have a feeling I’m going to need one after I talk to the Captain. Listen, I’ve got a couple things I need to do before I go see her, so I’ll see you later, buddy.”
K’Alan gulped back the last of his drink and stood. He smiled at Mario, clapped him on the shoulder, gave him a wink and strode out of the bar.
“I don’t believe it!” Mario groaned as he watched K’Alan go. “He stiffed me with the bill again!”
1.30.2136
0847
Gamma Epsilon Station
Another Part of Soran’s Bar
Three girls sat at a table in a corner of the bar. Each of the three girls were nursing a root beer and they were all watching their friend who was making her way towards their table.
“About time you showed up, Sarah,” Kim Chellman grumped as Sarah arrived at the table. She crossed her arms and looked up at her friend. “I thought we agreed to meet here at 8 this morning.”
“Sorry,” Sarah shrugged as she sat down. The waiter came over and placed a root beer in front of her. “But guess what?”
“What?” Kim asked, uncrossing her arms and taking another sip of her root beer.
“I just talked to Captain Ker’sal. That’s why I’m so late,” the very excited Sarah grinned. She took a swallow of her root beer before continuing. “Mmm. Great root beer as always! Anyway, Captain Ker’sal told me that I was just assigned to the SLS White Knight as the Chief Engineer.”
“Like, shyeah, right,” another one of the girls at the table spat out the mouthful of root beer that she’d just sipped. “And I’m the next person to be named a squad leader. Sarah, get real.”
“You haven’t even been through the Academy,” the third girl snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. “And you’re too young to serve in the Defense Force anyway. So how do
“Yeah,” K’Alan nodded. “I noticed you got promoted. Congrats, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Mario grinned.
“So,” K’Alan continued after taking another sip of his drink. “What happened to the Captain?”
“Court-martialed for stupidity and losing a whole platoon of troops as a result of said stupidity,” Mario laughed. The waiter came back with the refill of Mario’s drink. Mario smiled and took a sip before asking the burning question he’d been wanting to ask all morning. “Heard anything from Kit lately?
K’Alan took a long sip from his drink and sighed deeply before answering. “I haven’t talked to her in over two months. We’d been on silent running for a long time before my transfer to the White Knight. And with the transfer, I’ve just been running ragged. I’m going to call her before we leave.”
“Don’t forget to say hi for me,” Mario said, tossing off another of his famous grins.
“Sure enough,” K’Alan laughed. “Except she doesn’t much like you.”
“Everyone loves me!” Mario said, sounding wounded. “I’m just that kind of loveable guy, you know?”
“Yeah. Sure you are,” K’Alan grinned, nodding with his friend. “And you don’t have an ego problem either, right?”
Mario laughed long and hard. Yes, it was definitely going to be good serving on the same ship as his friend again.
“Hey,” Mario started suddenly, a thought occurring to him out of nowhere. “Stop by my quarters later. I have something for you.”
“I hope it’s a stiff drink,” K’Alan muttered tapping his glass idly. “I have a feeling I’m going to need one after I talk to the Captain. Listen, I’ve got a couple things I need to do before I go see her, so I’ll see you later, buddy.”
K’Alan gulped back the last of his drink and stood. He smiled at Mario, clapped him on the shoulder, gave him a wink and strode out of the bar.
“I don’t believe it!” Mario groaned as he watched K’Alan go. “He stiffed me with the bill again!”
1.30.2136
0847
Gamma Epsilon Station
Another Part of Soran’s Bar
Three girls sat at a table in a corner of the bar. Each of the three girls were nursing a root beer and they were all watching their friend who was making her way towards their table.
“About time you showed up, Sarah,” Kim Chellman grumped as Sarah arrived at the table. She crossed her arms and looked up at her friend. “I thought we agreed to meet here at 8 this morning.”
“Sorry,” Sarah shrugged as she sat down. The waiter came over and placed a root beer in front of her. “But guess what?”
“What?” Kim asked, uncrossing her arms and taking another sip of her root beer.
“I just talked to Captain Ker’sal. That’s why I’m so late,” the very excited Sarah grinned. She took a swallow of her root beer before continuing. “Mmm. Great root beer as always! Anyway, Captain Ker’sal told me that I was just assigned to the SLS White Knight as the Chief Engineer.”
“Like, shyeah, right,” another one of the girls at the table spat out the mouthful of root beer that she’d just sipped. “And I’m the next person to be named a squad leader. Sarah, get real.”
“You haven’t even been through the Academy,” the third girl snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. “And you’re too young to serve in the Defense Force anyway. So how do
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