Night and Day

[Sean Xiang 0]

Sean finished his tea and laid the saucer down. He glanced up and out the viewport at the stars. He had always found it interesting how in space it was eternal night. There really was no day, no night. He wondered then why it was so odd to be back on the alpha shift.

 

He nodded at something Dave said, mulling the puzzle in his mind. It still felt kind of like a day dream, being back around the familiar again. He never truly realized that a totally different group of people took the ship over when all his friends, acquaintances, and he went to bed. He had met people on the delta shift he had never even seen aboard before.

 

The chef walked by and Sean smiled and nodded as his cup was refilled. There even a different cook on delta… He stretched and yawned, his body still not fully adjusted to his new sleep routine. He started sipping on the fresh cup of tea as the conversation with Dave continued.

 

Dave was one of the reasons he was glad to be back on alpha. He had missed the chief and his sense of humor. The scientists on delta could be so dry. He had tried to lighten their moods while he was working with them, but it had usually just ended up with them getting annoyed at him.

 

Before he knew it the tea was gone and it was time to return to duty. Sean stood, taking one last look out the viewport. In the end, the lack of day or night was really irrelevant. Sean was now back on the alpha shift and he finally felt like things were returning to normal again.

 

It was true, some things had changed; Giovanni was Captain now, and they had just received a new Commander. Sean was sure there were other additions and changes; he had not had time to get fully caught up yet. However, he felt that the old saying held true: The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

 

Sean smiled at the thought, and turned to follow Dave out the door.