Sibling Duty

[Miaou]

Low altitude shuttles flew by over head, their exhaust filtering downwards to the civilian walkways. The few walking down the pathway covered their faces with scarfs or masks as the exhaust and general condition was thick with pollution. The buildings rose high in the sky, shaping the pathways for the shuttles to follow.

Behind, the naval spaceport was an impressive sight. Tall pillars of communication arrays and landing decks neatly placed for maximum useful space. It was a shame it sat over such a slum.

Malachy shook his head. He turned away from the spaceport and continued down the road. It was a short walk from the spaceport to his new apartment. He sported his pilot suit with a heavy jacket slung over his shoulders, his flight bag in hand. A scarf was rapped around his nose and mouth to keep the smog out. He still coughed regardless.

Getting to the building, he took out his knew keycard, swiped it, and entered. A rather glorious entrance of an unmanned desk and the elevators greeted him. He walked to the elevator and checked a piece of paper in his hand. 843-B was his assigned room. Sighing, he pressed the button and waited.

After what seemed forever, the elevator creaked down and opened. He stepped in, pressed "8" and waited. The ride was fairly quick and he walked out into a carpeted hallway. He looked a sign and found that his room was near the end of the hallway. He gripped his back better and went down to his room.

His room key took three swipes to work, and when it did, the door took about 10 seconds to activate. Opening the door, a rather sparce living quarters was displayed. It was better than the recruitment area he was staying in, but this was only a tad better. Without looking around, he found a small couch and sat in it. Malachy closed his eyes and felt like just going to sleep, pilot suit and all.

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Characters & Stories