Meeting an old friend

Walking the streets of Seranis, Jol found himself fading into the masses. There was a point in time when he was special. The elite. A member of the few men who could pass the grueling training to become a Raider. Now he was just another face in the crowd. He'd never wear the Raider uniform again. Now, he found himself in similar clothes to the average citizens around him.

He drifted towards the Cargo Hold, a bar in a quieter part of the city. Most of the people there didn't ask questions, and he could handle those who might try their luck. The interior was cold and grey, much like the bar's namesake. As he approached the bar, he wondered what the hell he was looking for. A drink to forget? A girl to fuck? Despite the temptation, he had no real desire to drink himself into oblivion. The bartender looked at him and asked, "What can I getcha?"

"Just a Miner's Respite, thanks."

The bartender nodded and placed a can of Seranis' most popular spiced ale. Most of the cans he used to drink would be self-cooling, but that was unnecessary in the cold of Seranis. As Jol took a sip, he heard a familiar voice say, "First one for the night?"

He turned to see the former Captain Eris. Gone was her prim and proper uniform, traded in for orange and dyed oil-black worker overalls. Her hair was longer, tamed in a messy bun and her eyes were baggy.

"Captain?" Jol said, the surprise evident on his face.

Eris' eyes went wide. "Heh. Long time since then, Jol."

"Sure is."

After taking a seat next to Jol, Eris asked, "So, how are you doing?"

"I'm breathing."

"That's something."

"Guess you could say the same?"

"Yeah. Running maintenance jobs for Tavar-Marskov miner ships. It ain't pretty, but the pay is."

Jol nodded as Eris ordered a Miner's Respite.

"What about you?"

"I've been reassigned."

Eris raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"And demoted to Private."

"Ugh. That's bullshit."

"Yeah, no need to tell me, but it gets better, because I managed to run into Jani herself."

"Really?"

"Yep, and she's about as much of a bitch as you made her out to be."

Eris couldn't help but chuckle. "So what have they got you doing?"

There was a pause as Jol calculated his answer. He didn't want to lose his job just because he got careless talking to a friend. "Security work."

"Well, whoever has you watching their back sure is lucky."

"Yeah, well, by the looks of things, I'm stuck on armory duty for a while before that happens."

"That's a shame."

Jol shrugged. "It's not my call."

Eris then watched him finish his drink, before saying, "Want another?"

"You buying?"

"You wish."

Jol shrugged. "It was worth a try."

As he waited for his drink, Jol asked, "So, how are you and Hori going?"

Eris shook her head. "Divorced."

"Shit... I'm sorry to bring it up."

"It's alright. We're managing."

"How's your daughter taking it?"

"As well as she can. I hardly see Valtiva these days, but it’s not like I used to see her much anyway."

"Work?" Jol said as his drink arrived.

"Yeah. Still, if I get enough of a nest egg I oughta be able to retire soon enough." She sighed, making it clear she didn’t believe her own words. "Anyway. I didn't really come here to mope."

"Nor did I, but look at where we are."

Eris raised her can. "To moping."

The two clinked their cans together before drinking. Jol then asked, "So what ship are you on?"

"The White Sparrow. It's a T3. Decommissioned, but still in good shape."

"She give you any problems?"

She shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. A lotta people overlook the older models, but T3s are workhorses."

"Maybe you'll have to give me a tour of her sometime?"

"Yeah, good luck with that. She's guarded twenty-four-seven. Just got a contract to mine another Aurum planet so everyone's on edge."

Jol nodded. Aurum planets were rich with resources, making them the main objective in the empires’ battles. Most private entities tend to fight over the scraps of planets the empires had already ravaged, but still somehow manage to find a profit.

"Anyway, that'll be coming at the end of the month."

"So you got a bit of time off?"

"Eh, gotta do maintenance checks. It's overkill but it pays well so I'm not complaining."

"Doesn't sound too bad of a gig, to be honest."

"Certainly could be worse. I mean, if you want in, you'd probably pass. Got plenty of ex-Raiders on board."

Jol smiled. "I'll keep it in mind, but I'm afraid I can't quit just yet."

"Fair enough. Anyway, I better call it a night. Got a long day tomorrow."

"Sure. It was good catching up with you."

"Well, if you ever want to catch up again, you can usually find me here."

With that, Jol and Eris went their separate ways, with Jol disappearing back into the late-night crowds and heading back to his barracks at the tower.