Shadow Slave

After leaving the hospital and sending his soldiers to the barracks, Sunny remained on the street, watching the snow dance in the stark beams of electric light. He had to rest, too…

After a while, Sunny sighed awkwardly.

’Right. I’m homeless now.’

He had been staying in the Rhino, but now, the APC was gone. That fact actually made Sunny feel very sad. The trusty vehicle had accompanied the Irregulars to the edge of the Antarctic Center and back, surviving countless battles. He had grown attached to it, so losing the vehicle was a bit of a blow.

It felt… like the end of something.

Shaking his head, Sunny started walking. He could get himself a room in the barracks, of course — the First Army had suffered severe losses, so there was plenty of space. But it was exactly for that reason that he didn’t want to. Being surrounded by bereaved soldiers would do his already foul mood no good.

’I can’t stand the thought of having them look at me right now.’

Respect, admiration, hope… that was what he saw in the eyes of the soldiers when they looked at him. They all had an expectation of him, and carrying those expectations was tiresome.

’To hell with it…’

Sunny simply wandered aimlessly for a while, trying not to think about anything in particular. In the end, he found himself standing in front of a familiar dormitory tower. He hesitated for a bit, then entered and descended to one of the underground levels.

The dormitory seemed much emptier than before. There had been three families living in the same apartment as Professor Obel and Beth, but now, he could only sense two shadows inside. Sunny stared at the flimsy door for a few moments, then knocked on it.

A few seconds later, it opened, revealing Professor Obel. The old man looked like he always did, having not changed even a little.

Why would he? The previous day was a dreadfully eventful one for Sunny, but for the Professor, it was just like all the others.

The old man looked at him with concern.

”Major Sunless? Oh, my! What happened?”

Even though most of Sunny’s body was hidden by the black silk of the Graceless Dusk, he still looked rather rough. There were ugly bruises covering his usually pristine skin, and his eyes were tired and dim.

He forced out a smile.

”Oh… that. Don’t worry, I’m fine. It was just a very tough battle.”

Everyone in Falcon Scott knew that the previous assault was a terrible one. After all, a large part of the defensive wall, as well as a vast stretch of the city itself, were now replaced by a giant crater. Even people hidden underground felt the titanic explosion. There were rumors, too — Army Command itself publicized the death of Goliath, hoping to improve morale among the refugees.

Professor Obel nodded.

”Yes… we heard all about it. Thank the gods you survived!”

Sunny lingered for a moment, then said:

”I, uh… you mentioned setting aside some food for me, the last time we met? To tell you the truth… I am kind of starving…”

The old man laughed.

”Sure, sure! Come in. Beth, Major Sunless is here!”

The young woman emerged from one of the rooms and looked at him with a hint of relief. She froze for a moment, then turned away and cleared her throat.

”Oh… it’s you. Good. I… I’ll go heat up the leftovers.”

They settled in the kitchen, and soon, Sunny was presented with several plates of simple, but delicious food. Professor Obel had not been joking when he said that he would cook up a feast — the ingredients Beth had procured were indeed rare for the besieged city, and made for a splendid dish. It was definitely better than what would have been available to Sunny in the barracks.

Sunny ate and chatted idly with the two of them. As he did, some of the tension pressing down on his heart strangely dissipated… but most of it still remained.

At some point, Professor Obel suddenly smiled.

”Ah, it totally slipped my mind! We were placed in the queue, finally. Both Beth and I will be leaving the day after tomorrow. We’ve already received the tickets… I imagine you will follow soon, too, Major?”

Sunny smiled as well.

’Finally, some good news.’

He nodded and took a sip of fragrant tea.

”I imagine we will be the last ones to ship out, a couple of days after you. Three weeks are coming to an end, after all… even though there were some delays, the Army mostly managed to stick to the schedule. Somehow. So, the next time we see each other will probably be in East Antarctica, unless they send you to the Northern Quadrant right away.”

He glanced at Beth, hesitated for a moment, then said awkwardly:

”Oh, by the way… my APC blew up, so... I kind of have nowhere to stay. Is it alright if I crash here today?”

Professor Obel chuckled.

”Of course! Most of the people in the dormitory had already been evacuated. There are three empty bedrooms in our apartment alone — you can take any one you want.”

Beth hid a smile and nodded.

”Sure... you can stay, if you want.”

Sunny smiled back and took another sip of tea. After that, he remained silent for a while, distracted.

Noticing his strange mood, the old man asked:

”Is something weighing on your mind, young man?”

Sunny flinched a little, then shrugged.

”No, nothing in particular. Just the usual stuff. I just… feel listless, I guess.”

He lingered for a few moments, then suddenly asked:

”Have I ever told you why I came to Antarctica, Professor?”

The old man and Beth glanced at each other, then shook their heads. A wistful expression appeared on Sunny’s face.

”It’s stupid, really. Someone told me that I was lacking. So, I thought that maybe I would be able to find whatever it is that I lack here, in the Southern Quadrant.”

He grew quiet, prompting the old man to ask with a hint of curiosity:

”So, did you end up finding what you were looking for?”

Sunny hesitated, then laughed.

”I am honestly not sure. It is hard to find something that you don’t know how to recognize. Maybe I found something, maybe I didn’t. Actually, maybe I even lost something instead. I guess time will tell.”

He finished his tea and looked at the two of them with a smile:

”I did find some other precious things, though. I mean… this dish? It’s a real treasure. You ought to teach me the recipe! I always dreamed of owning a shop, you know, but after meeting you, Professor, I am starting to think that opening a restaurant might be a better idea…”

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