Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Epispode 7: Homecoming #15

Kleppie climbed out of his car and stretched. The Denny's parking lot was mostly empty. Stephen climbed out of a battered old Buick. He looked pale and wan. About how Kleppie had felt this morning.

Their mutual friend, Lily, climbed out of the passenger seat and came bounding up. "Bright eyed and bushy tailed," Kleppie joked.

"I didn't drink half as much as either of you," she said with a glance at Stephen. "I know my limits."

Stephen groaned and held his head. "I usually do too," he said. "But last night was a special occasion. God, I almost called and canceled this morning. How are you holding up?" he asked Kleppie.

Kleppie shrugged and then went to the trunk of his rental car. "I got a secret weapon," he said. He fished in his bag. He had packed his bag with a lot of, in retrospect, foolish things. He had thought his parents, his friends and, well, everyone would be curious about his day-to-day life among the stars. He brought samples of various teas, some food, and a few cans of this or that. His hands found a canned beverage and pulled it out. "Anti-nausea can," he said, holding it out to Stephen.

Stephen took the can and eyed it suspiciously. "What is it?"

"A beverage," Kleppie said. "But it's got anti-nausea medicine or something in it. Got them all the time on the Corelean when we were sick and stuff. But it's not just for medical cases. Every spaceflight, they hand the stuff out for people who get motion sickness or get sick in zero G." He took the can back from Stephen and showed him how to open it. "Drink up."

Stephen took an experimental sip. "Not bad."

"Let me try," Lily said. Stephen handed the can over, and she took a sip too. "Salty, odd, but not bad."

"More a broth than a drink," Kleppie said. "But yeah, it's not bad." To Stephen, he said, "Chug it."

Stephen did.

Another car pulled in with a couple other friends, Mike and Randy. Kleppie was heading back this morning, but not before having breakfast with a few people.

"Mindy?" Lily asked.

"Not coming. Not feeling well this morning," Kleppie said with a shrug. She'd texted him earlier. He didn't know if she was as hung over as he had been, or Stephen was, or if she was still stinging from his rejection.

Lily gave him a sidelong glance, like she might know about something. "Did you guys . . .?"

"No. I have a girlfriend," he said.

Lily fell into step alongside him as they made for the Denny's. She ran her hands along his back. "Yeah," she said. "You're one of the good ones." There was a wistful tone in her voice.

Mindy's friend, Janet, joined them before they had been seated, and a couple others, Cheryl and Mark, arrived moments later.

Kavi messaged him as they were all looking over their menus. It was evening where she was, and she was just sitting down to her dinner meal. He motioned Lily to scoot down a seat, and he set the slate on the empty seat and pulled up Kavi's hologram. He introduced her all around, and they greeted her warmly.

The waitress even tried to ask for her food order and then did a double take when Kavi laughed and waved her arms through the table to show that she wasn't physically there.

The mood turned festive. Stephen bragged about Kleppie's anti-nausea drink as he ordered a huge breakfast. Janet and Cheryl had become friends since high school and immediately started talking about family and work.

Now this is how it should be, Kleppie thought, as they chatted and ate. Not his silly dream of being the hometown hero, nor his family's dismissal. This. Old friends and new friends, enjoying each other's company.