“Finally. Can’t wait to go home.”
Travis looked up, and shrugged. “Yeah, I would, uh, like to go home, as well, and see my brother. What about you, do you have anybody waiting, for you I mean?”
“My wife,” the other man chuckled.
“Oh.”
Travis could see that he was headed to the infirmary. He knew disabled persons were held priority in the infirmary but he thought it was a little ridiculous. He was fine, just a little shaken and bruised from the impacts. He liked to think that he wasn’t, but he always had to have a check-up after missions, just to be safe.
As he was wheeled into the clean room, the sharp smell of alcohol and anispetic hit him. He crinkled his nose, and gave no resistance as he was lifted up from the chair to an examining table. He took off the shirt of his fleet uniform and stared into space as the usual check-up procedure was being performed on him. Heartbeat was still there, his reflexes were fine, yadda yadda. He just wanted some ice for his bruises and to go sleep in his cabin until they arrived.
He then wondered about his brother, Rufio, who was in the Second Fleet with him. He was on another ship, though, the ACV Liberty. Hopefully he didn’t have any problems. He found himself repeating in his head the advice Rufio had given him before he went to enlist: Don’t get to attached to your crewmates, because you never know when they’ll die, never smoke in the fighter (like you’d do that), and never let anybody get you down.
His thoughts were interrupted as a message came over the PA system, from Captain Young.
"Crew of the ACV Decistor. In the last hours you have served admirably in the face of what many called impossible odds. You were assigned to a ship that has already seen it's decommission date, one of the few that survived long enough to do so. In the last hours you have done the name of the Decistor a justice, as a ship that survived it's time in the war, it can now claim the feat of returning to active condition and surviving one of the greatest space battles of the war. By doing this you have also written her legend the honor of seeing the end of the war among the stars."
A pause.
"We have suffered great loss, but also great victory. Take heart for the days ahead, they have been left to you so that you might live for those who died in bringing us this victory. When we set out we where but messengers in an eternal conflict, we return now harbingers of an age of peace. Today we can begin a celebration that will continue on across the stars."
Travis smirked, and put his shirt back on. The medic was now putting him back in his wheelchair, and presumably went to go get some ice for his bruises.
He felt the jump, then, and he felt like he was going to hurl. Well, every time the ship jumped, he always felt a little nauseous. Looks like he would have to get used to it soon, or he'd throw up everywhere.