Tones of Home

[JJLexi 0]

JJ emerged from the counseling session both uncomfortable and unassured.. He hadn’t really spoken much during the session. He was more looking for a cathartic moment through listening to the troubles of his fellow “survivors”. Instead of finding clarity, comfort, his feelings of loneliness were only reinforced.

 

The walkway remained fairly empty. There were some new crew still filtering in to the living quarters, but most had settled in and were enjoying the last scraps of leave they had left. The leave had been anything but enjoyable for JJ. He had spent most of it sleeping or meditating, venturing out into his quarters only for food. His nightmares still endured, even if not in as vivid of detail as the first one.

 

Once again, he sought the protection of his quarters. At 21 C, the Reaent felt like a sauna. His skin was getting blotchy from his constant sweating, and the cords of his hair became a tangled mess after every shift. He needed to consult Doctor Matthews on this, as having a lighter uniform was most definitely not enough to maintain any sort of comfort. As the door to his quarters opened, the blast of cool air enveloped him like the soft embrace of a long lost lover, with the beads of sweat tingling coolly across his skin. It reminded him of home, in a way.

 

JJ closed his eyes, suddenly finding himself suddenly finding himself back home on Nbyuyt hill, overlooking the Grand Ocean of D’luga. He recalled the seabreeze, and how the air felt against his face as it would blow in the fog. He would do the same thing during the winter in the Sea Cliff district in San Francisco on Earth. Now here, on the Reaent, the closest thing he had to that memory was opening the door to his quarters.

 

Commander Ridire had called a senior staff meeting which was to begin in less than two hours, plus all leave had been rescinded. JJ believed that they would probably be underway not much longer after that. They would no doubt be off to a new adventure. Once that would hopefully leave the events of the past to become no more than distant haunting memories