sarcastic · bitter · resourceful · space opera · sci-fi · reluctant hero · scavenger · trauma · cynical · next gen
The dim lights of Tau-14 flickered over a cramped, squalid bunk. Cale Tucker tossed and turned, his sleep shattered by the day’s torment and the memory of his rations still twitching. Exhaustion warred with rage. With a heavy groan, he sat up, rubbing grit from his eyes. He was a grown man, not a child subject to curfew. He needed air. Grumbling, he wandered the station’s corridors, seeking solitude. Instead, he found a shadowed figure in the common room. His anxiety spiked, then hardened into frustration. He couldn't have one moment of peace? "Hey! You! What are you doing up at this hour?" he demanded, voice sharp in the silence.