Veil

[Kazinsal]

Planet Toledo, Omicron Minor System
May 29, 818 A.S.

A young man poured a pair of small, round pills into his hand and popped them into his mouth. He swallowed them along with a swig of water and sighed. His hair was a mess and his head was pounding. He didn't know why though. His mind was a blank slate, unknowing of the events in the past fifteen minutes.

The door chimed and he pressed the button to open it. The metal gate slid open sideways and revealed a young woman of small stature, no more than five foot four inches tall. Her Order uniform was embroidered with gold stitching and the a small fabric name plate that simply read, "Zoe".

"Ah, Zoe," the man said. "Please come in." He stepped aside and let her enter.

The door closed behind Zoe as she came in and straightened her uniform. The Toledo atmosphere rendered the dull green space of the Omicron Minor star system null and void with its bright blue sky and reflective, ice-covered surface. Light shone through the solid glass -- well, not really glass; they were more of a transparent synthetic alloy -- windows. He took one look through the open viewport and pressed a small button on the wall. Blinds built into the wall dropped down and covered the aperture completely. The room was dark, with an almost mysterious feel.

"Kaz, are you--" she started, but Kaz cut her off.

"I'm not okay, Zoe..." he said. "Something happened... I don't know what though..."

She stepped in towards him and put her hand on his back. Her fingernails scratched gently on his back, sending a tingling sensation up his back and dissipating in his neck. He smiled a bit and placed his arm around her waist. She leaned her head against his shoulder; he tilted his head to lean on hers.

"Kazinsal... Whatever it was..."

She sighed.

"Whatever it was... whatever it may be... whatever it might do to you..." She paused. "I'll still love you."

He moved his head downwards and lightly kissed her on the cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, Zoe..."

---

Retired, permanently.