News Letter
31 Jul 2019Jim Beaumont
Entering the bar felt like yesterday and not the 3 years it had been. The furniture was the same, décor not different and the barman was still there, Samson serving his brews in what appeared to be the same glasses. As I crossed the room to the bar Samson turned to lay down a drink on the bar top and I obviously caught his eye. He stopped in his track, mouth agape in stunned silence. A grin slowly appeared as I took a seat at the bar and smiled at an old friend. All shenanigans of the past firmly in the back of both our minds.‘Wow, never thought I’d see your face again Jim. But bloody good to see you just the same.’
‘And you Samson, how are you doing? And the lad?’
‘Same as always for me, just keep serving the beer’ as he pulled a Doombar for me. ‘On the house Jim, welcome back. The lad is fine, grown up and moved to Tau Ceti and followed his Dad’s footsteps and running a bar on Ortiz station.’
‘Good for him. Better than this distant place!’
‘Yeah I encouraged him to go. Get away from here. And very glad he did. I guess you’ve noticed the changes in the area.’
‘I have that. I went to the Asylum, not sure if that place is rougher than the first time I ever I went. This place hasn’t changed though which is nice’ as my eyes scanned the room, trying to identify anything that might have changed. But nothing from memory.
Samson turned away and lent behind the till, unpinning a sealed envelope from the noticed board propped behind it.
‘Guess I can give you this finally. Merc left it for you a few years back should you ever reappear.’
Simply identified on the front with ‘JIM’, I took the envelope and broke the seal.
‘Thanks Samson, has he been by of late?’
‘After you disappeared, he kept coming by most days, then weeks and then he appeared one day months after you left and gave me that saying to keep it for as long as I was here just in case you should come by. Not sure he expected it to be this long when you did, maybe never. What kept you away for so long?’
‘Stuff’ and I left it at that. He was courteous enough to ask no more.
I pulled the letter out and unfurled it.
Jim
Hope this reaches you and your well. We all kept about the place, doing our thing but slowly we drifted away spending less and less time around, it just wasn’t the same fun. I suppose we all drift at some point but yours didn’t seem much of a drift. You had your reasons we know.
I have taken time away from here and went down towards Moyot, the Empire pays ridiculously well. I kept coming back to see Samson for any update but as time passed it looked less and less likely on your return and in the end left this for hopefully some day in the future.
Oppo went to Sol, not sure why but he likes it there. We keep in touch now and again, at some random bar for a scoop and chat.
During my last visit to Samson I bumped into Duta, literally. He just glared as if I knew something, God only knows what it was meant to be about. No sign of old Pastolis.
And Casandra, not a clue how she is. Not seen her since we all had drinks in the bar.
So I guess that’s it. And now you are reading this, get in touch you moron!
Stay good Buddy.
Merc 4 Jan 3303
‘Good friends you have their Jim. They waited for you for some time.’
‘Yeah, that’s what makes things harder.’
I needed to go back to Odu to pay up on the storage fee’s for the ships I left behind. 3 years, no storage payments, it’s going to cost me a fortune. Assuming they haven’t sold it yet. But another day won’t hurt.
‘Another please Samson.’