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29 Sep 2022Sagacious Panda
“Yes, you heard me right” Panda said while leaning to the bar “This round, on me, for everyone”. He turned around to face the crowd in the bar and raised his glass “cheers people”While he was walking away, the loud cheerful noises were by some miracle getting synchronized and the cacophony turned to singing, he smiled to himself
“ooh, ‘mmander my ‘ields ‘r’ down / ‘m’ ‘ields ‘r’ down / can’t take ‘nymore, no sir, no m’re
Was minin’n’haulin / jumpin’n’dockin / my cargos got no silv’r / hopin’ to deliv’r
Ma’lady’s waitin, for me to landin, / no tea ‘r’ wine, just my ‘rooked smile
Hope you’ll maketh quick ‘ere / ‘cause my ‘ields ‘r’ down …..”
It was nice to be among the living again.
He took an express lift, then found the walkway up to his unit. He passed a couple of street vendors and took a mental note to try their food next time.
That last B.Head was too much he said to himself.
Surely he was right.
His unit was in a habitat ring of an Ocellus class station. Certain times of the day he was able to sit down on the entrance of his unit and look “up” to watch the ships making their final approach to the station.
He opened the door and went in.
“Hi ICE, lights 30% and let’s have the roof transforscent....parent I mean...tonight”
“Good morning, Pan.”
“uhh, yeah? Good morning?…what time is it, here I mean?”
“We are still on planet-side time, since you didn’t take your met-meds, Pan”
“Yeah, yeah, ICE, I think I nailed it. A couple of A. Blues and B. Heads with a large group of noisy people, is the eckii….hmmm…equlavi….equivalent! of those meds.”
“Meaning? Pan?”
“Meaning, it’s definitely night for me and you should set your time accorfingy, accor...ack...tingly"
“And the time is?”
“It’s time to ‘ower our ‘ields ‘mander” he replied with a chuckle
“Got, it. Informing Bell and Ran to delay your meeting and informing Legion….”
“Mute! ICE, thank you” and Pan laid down looking out to the ever-rotating station while a couple of ships just dropped from the cruise.
Lights reflecting from their hulls the moment they drop make them seem like magical starts popping up just over there. Arriving to a destination, maybe just evaded an interdiction, maybe just safely embracing the L-pad after a dozen of jumps…millions of thoughts crossing minds of all the travelers he could just fit behind his thumb. A certain alcohol fueled rush came over him, he felt his stretched hands touching the controls when he closed his eyes, a grin then a smile…
“aaaah, I missed this ICE” he said while hugging his boot.
Comm lights replied without any sound. The room started to fade away “I’m home” Pan said while embracing sleep.