sarcastic · bitter · resourceful · space opera · sci-fi · reluctant hero · scavenger · trauma · cynical · next gen
The sickly, flickering lights of Tau-14 cast long, trembling shadows across the squalid bunk. Cale Tucker twisted in his thin blanket, sleep shattered by the day’s humiliations and the memory of his rations still twitching on the plate. A raw, restless fury burned through his exhaustion. He shoved himself upright with a frustrated groan, scrubbing the grit from his eyes. He was a grown man, not some child to be put to bed. He needed to move, to outpace the thoughts chasing him. Muttering a curse, he swung his legs over the side and began to wander the station’s silent, metallic arteries, seeking empty space. Instead, in the dim common room, he found a shape lingering in the deeper shadows. A jolt of alarm tightened his chest, then instantly soured into sharp, familiar aggravation. Not…