“It’s a stupid name,” Logan said, eyes forward as he and Cameron leaned on opposite sides of a guardrail that ran the length of one of Arsius Station’s many moving sidewalks.
“It is not!” Cameron shot back, throwing his hands up in the air animatedly, “It’s cool! And even if it was a stupid name, why didn’t you say anything back at the office?!”
Logan shrugged, “Like I said. It’s your money, not mine. If you want to have a company that sounds like some sort of old earth fantasy dog breed, that’s your prerogative, not mine.”
The two of them had been bickering since they had exited the door leading out of the GAC registration office. Now, thanks to the long walk back to the Fenris, what was at first a quiet little spat, had turned into animated spectacle, due in part to Cameron’s desire to defend the name he’d give his new company, and Logan’s desire to wind up his former mentee and current co-owner.
“You do realize that neither the constellation of Orion, nor Orion’s Belt are near the Pirou system. You know that right?” Logan said, doing his best to hide a smirk.
“Of course I know it!” Cameron shot back, cheeks scarlet from a combination of embarrassment and aggravation, “But Hounds of Pirou, or Hounds of Ketris doesn’t sound as cool.”
“Why do we need to sound cool?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow, “Most GAC names are something along the lines of…” He scratched his chin as he thought, eyes looking up towards the glittering lights of the station's upper levels, “I dunno, ‘Callum Solutions’, or ‘Combat Insight Global’... you can’t go wrong with having ‘solutions’ or ‘global’ in the name. Makes it seem like we’re professionals.”
“We are professionals,” Cameron groaned, running a hand over his face, “The name doesn’t matter as long as we get the job done. Besides, who wants to have a name just like everyone else?”
“People who want their companies to be successful,” Logan replied, looking over at Cameron with a smarmy grin.
Cameron stared back at his mentor, and blinked, “... You… You’re fucking with me aren’t you?”
“Me?!” Logan said, false indignation in his voice as his hand went towards his throat, clutching at imaginary pearls, “I would never!”
Cameron narrowed his eyes, trying to fight the amusement that threatened to show, “I can find a new co-owner you know. I’m sure Aurora would be great! Or better yet, Marcus. If the old man can help run a planet, he can run a company.”
Logan scoffed, rolling his eyes, “You and I both know that you and her wouldn’t last a week if you needed to come to a consensus on anything. And you don’t want Marcus. The man loves you like a son, and you damn sure don’t need a yes man.”
He stretched languidly, draping an arm around Cameron’s shoulders as he smirked, “Face it kid, I’m the best option you got.”
Cameron rolled his eyes, wrenching himself free from Logan’s grasp as the two of them stepped off the sidewalk, making their way past a set of large blast doors that ushered them onto a large circular platform. The moment they stepped on, the disc shifted, rocketing upward through an opening directly above, quickly gaining speed as it shot towards the surface. After a few moments the lift settled, and the pair were now standing underneath an enormous translucent dome that provided ample viewing of the lifeless void of deep space outside of its protection. Six hallways branched out in equidistant directions, similar to the spokes on a wheel, each hallway leading towards a ship that was docked on the surface outside.
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Cameron looked around, taking in the size and shape of the other starcraft, before his attention was drawn to the large boxy shape of the Fenris, off to his left. With a nod from Logan, the two of them stepped off the large dais, and made their way down the hall, quickly approaching a set of makeshift stairs that connected the station to the ship's main airlock about fifty feet above.
“Good to be home?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Cameron looked at him for a long while, before offering a simple smile and a shrug, “That depends,” He said, “Is this home for me?”
Logan's grin fell, as his eyes softened slightly, and his shoulders slumped, “Look, kid,” He said with a sigh, “I’m not gonna pretend like I’m the good guy here. I fucked up… pretty badly. I just… I saw Aurora get hurt, and I saw the medical report and… I know it doesn’t excuse what I did or said, and if I could go back in time, I can promise you it wouldn’t have happened like that. I just-”
“It’s fine,” Cameron said, cutting him off as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “Shit happens. Let’s just move past it, yeah?”
Logan sniffed slightly, and nodded, meeting Cameron’s gaze, “Yeah… Let’s do that.”
He reached an arm out to Cameron, fingers splayed open, “But this time… as partners.”
Cameron’s eyes left Logan’s, slowly dropping down to look at his outstretched hand. Slowly, but surely, Cameron reached out, clasping the man’s hand as they shook.
“Yeah… Partners.”
Logan smiled warmly, and, for the faintest moment, Cameron thought the old soldier got a little misty eyed. That was quickly abated however, as Logan rapidly blinked, slapping Cameron on the back as he spoke.
“Gah… Enough of all the sappy shit,” He said, “Let’s get you re-settled in and see if those parts you ordered have gotten delivered yet.
Taking the steps two at a time, the pair of pilots bounded upward, racing to the landing. About two-thirds of the way up, Cameron started to see the unmistakable brown packaging of the various A.R.M.S. parts he had ordered. At first it was only one or two small boxes per step, but as they ascended, the size and number seemed to increase exponentially. It was only, when he and Logan had reached the top, that he realized just how far his money actually went. The landing itself was flooded with brown cardboard parcels of all kinds, blocking out most of the landing. But the mountain of parts and upgrades wasn’t the most surprising thing that Cameron saw, when he finally reached the top.
No, the most surprising thing that caught his attention immediately as his feet left the stairs wasn’t the packaging, but the woman standing in the center of the cramped room, her cinnamon colored eyes immediately locking onto his, while giving him a smile that would make the average man melt.
“Priya?!” Cameron exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise.
“Hey there stranger,” She said in the same giggling coo that he remembered, “long time no see.”
She wasn’t wearing a ball gown this time-if Cameron would dare to refer to the suede number from the night of the party as such-but even still, her attire was practically hand-picked to draw the eye. With a tight white tube top, cut off at the stomach to show off her toned midriff, and a pair of black leggings that looked to be stretched to their limit. Her midnight hair was curled slightly, and fell delicately at her shoulders, marking her attire as plain as it was revealing. Even her makeup was different, brandishing a simple smokey-eye and light foundation that contrasted nicely to the silver ring that hung from her nostril.
Cameron was speechless as he looked at her, not from her beauty, but the bizarre situation that he found himself in. Logan, on the other hand, had no qualms about finding the right words to voice his thoughts.
“By the stars kid,” He said in a whisper, “What catalog did you order her from?”
Cameron gulped, turning on a dime to face Logan, as he bellowed out, “I didn’t order her from anywhere!”
“Priya giggled softly, taking her time to saunter over as she spoke, “No, Sir. He didn’t order me,” She said, “To be honest it was more like the other way around. He kept me… entertained for a night a couple of weeks ago, and, I have to admit…”
She was standing mere inches in front of Cameron now, raising a hand to caress his cheek, as she spoke in a soft, soothing whisper, “I started to miss him.”
Cameron didn’t take his eyes off of her. He couldn’t if he tried. Her dark brown irises holding him captivated in a way he couldn’t quite shake. Still, his peripheral vision worked well enough to see Logan’s slack jawed face slowly turn to face him from out of the corner of his eye.
“You must be one hell of a stripper, kid.”
