Dan Silince - the short story

[Dan Silince]

"I'm a man of straight words, and I won't be babbling about this forever.

Oh, man... "Nothin' better than a good war", they said... Well tough job... Never knew we would have that... I mean, of course we'd have won. Can't doubt that. Can't doubt my officers. Or my ships, or my men... I would have given mercy on the souls of the poor fellows who were about to face this wrath of heaven horror. No stroll. They unleashed a hell painted so bright in the skies my younger eyes weren't ready for that. Teaches you well, y' know. Teaches you that Hell fires BACK.

Of course we pulled this off... As hard as those poor guys used to. We won. Given them no choice. Even if it means half of the fleet gets back, and not in one piece. Claiming victory ? Yeah gurgle this one in my throat 'till it bleed TWICE when returning from Omicron Nightmare Foxtrot you find Mother Leeds in flames. Ah ah, yeah... Count your clear naps after that, buddy, you do that.

Stop a sec'... Ain't no complex feeling. My young boy just couldn' take it. "Where were I and my big victorious armada face when the shuttle transporting my family was shot down by a Gallia cruiser ?" You've guessed it, son... It burned, and grew, enough to take a part of my mind down. Can't take a look at a Liber' Battleship well-organised deck anymore. Can't look at those clean uniforms, can't look at well-presenting privates popped fresh from Training Ground.

So I quit. No more Gunsboating with the Navy, done. First class Star officer, an entire fleet lead to victory in a cataclysmic battle, one of the most gifted pilot of my academy class and now Basky-bol Prodigy is done for the street. Ah ! Oh yeah, baby... Hard you say ? Wait until some try to find me a desk job. No, sir, you DON'T want to see me there. You want to sleep at night too.

I would laught if I haven't nothing to do at the time... Well retiring is a big joke when you're a thirty years old, even past Navy. Yeah, no grumphs, no deeds, that's reality. Yet days of dream aren't gone. So picking up the first civilian ship I hopped from planet to planet. Time to get some time and make a plan. Ideas can feed you, sometimes. What I did ? yeah, nothing much for starter. What any man-at-arm can do.

Then I discovered ain't no darn to do the job for the police too. Relationships with them 's still nice, and dellivers a good side-business if you want to be on your own. I have no fiendish with criminals, they are as much as downed as I was for sure, those crazy bastard, but they're here. And me too.
So there you go Cat and Mouse games anywhere, lasers-tag battles and missiles fumes, good grave billy odds in the end for employers, nice catch of cred for me - bread and butter, everyone's happy. I've been dancing, baby. Dancing aaaaall night. Anywho, anywhere. Just to find myself in the end of the day the luckiest guy in the bar: more money, more Women, and, god, with more wisky tab than a man shoud have.

Apparently, ' still have some pilot skills and keen senses.

I'm OK with that."

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