How I Got Here: "The Nine"
27 Jul 2022Columbuss
Commander Justin Estok. Stardate 26-JUL-3308."Any channel..."
There's an old Earth story I heard, about a scorpion asking a frog for a ride across a stream. The frog refuses the scorpion at first, for fear he'll sting him. The scorpion assures the frog that if he stings him, they'll both drown. Seeing the logic, the frog agrees to give the scorpion a lift. As the scorpion inevitably sinks his stinger into the frogs back, the frog asks why? Now they'll both drown. The scorpion tells him that he couldn't help it. It's in his nature.
Out in The Black, peace never lasts. It doesn't matter what line of work you're in. At some point, whatever peaceful existence you might find for yourself will undoubtedly be interrupted. It's human nature. It's almost instinctual. The human desire, and capability, to destroy is written into our DNA. It's almost cellular.
When you're in a new place, you tend to try and stick to what you know. Now that I was here in Gillekens Terminal, orbiting the planet I'd come to learn was called Al Mina B1, I followed Ragina around like a dog. She introduced me around to some of the people she knew who were all thrilled to see her alive. She regaled her old friends with stories of where we were and how we found our way back, never hesitating to include me in the story, to add my perspective. This is how I met John Grayson.
Have you ever met someone you were so sure you'd met before? Even though it's your first meeting, you feel like you've known this person for your entire life? If you have, you know how I felt toward John. He was like everyone I'd known growing up. He was handsome, but weathered and hardened. He was funny and whimsical with a deep, underlying, serious defiance about him. When I looked at John, it was like looking at a book of old photos. A book of happy memories you can hardly remember.
John and I would become inseparable. Ragina looked up to him as he was somewhat of a figurehead of their revolutionary movement in the Al Mina system. I would eventually come to stay in an apartment on Gilleken's, owned by John and not too far from where he stayed. We'd spend most nights out at one on station pub or another, drinking late into the night and learning almost everything there was to know about each other.
Normally, this would be the part of the story where I'd tell you everything you need to know about John, but peace never lasts and all good times will undoubtedly be interrupted.
Fast forward to me waking up in my bed with a four alarm hangover to my comm pad ringing with John's name highlighted on the screen. I tap it to receive the call and John's stern, serious face appears on my screen.
"Good morning wild man," I say, the hangover sticking hard to my tongue like I just ate a fistful of sand. "It's a bit early for you to be calling to collect on those last few rounds you bought last night."
"Are you sitting down?" he asked.
"Laying down... why?"
"Turn on your view screen..." he said.
"What channel?" I asked, suddenly concerned and reaching for the remote.
"Any channel..."