The Aftermath

[Nicolas Lepage 0]

Nick was standing at the door of what used to be his quarters on Aegis. He took a few cautious steps forward trying not to trip on the debris that was littering the floor. He looked around. The room was completely dark. He let his wrist-light wander over the bulkheads and the scorch marks that covered them. The remains of the few pieces of furniture that were still discernible in the chaos were equally covered in a black residue. The viewports were blackend. The signs of the fire were unmistakable.

 

Slowly making his way to where his desk used to stand, Nick tried hard not to imagine what would have happened to him had he been here at the time of the fire. He knelt down next to what was left of his desk and tried to find some of his more valuable personal items. After a few moments, however, Nick realized that he wouldn't be able to find anything here. He sighed.

 

Nick got up and walked over to the doors to his bedroom almost tripping over a piece of debris. He tried to open the doors manually but they were jammed. It took quite some effort to prise them open. By the time he had managed to open them just enough so he could squeeze through Nick was covered in sweat, grime and the black residue left by the fire on every single surface.

 

When he had finally made his way into his bedroom Nick gave up all hopes of finding anything in there though the fire had not extended to this room. A look toward the viewport revealed a gaping hole that was now sealed by a forcefield. His personal belongings and bedsheets were now probably floating in the vacuum of space. Somehow the thought made Nick smile. He hoped noone would ever have the pleasure coming across his laundry. He wiped the sweat off his face with his right sleeve and decided that trying to find anything in here was a waste of time.

 

Nick turned around and returned to the main room of his quarters. For a few minutes he went on searching the debis but it was hopeless. The few things that had not been consumed by the fire were blackened and hardly recognizable. Shaking his head he left his quarters. It was time to start all over again and focus on the future instead of the past.

Edited January 12, 2007 by Nicolas Lepage