The large transport ship was in-route to the Alliance Space Station 3942-112, or as it was affectionately known to the locals the Valhalla. Very few travelers stayed on the station for more than a few weeks. The station’s main crew and their families made up most of the constant population. Some positions rotated out every few years, providing Valhalla with fresh blood. A group of fresh blood was arriving on the incoming transport as well as one of Valhalla’s token sons, Lieutenant First Class Valon Leotrim.

Valon was filled with excitement as he watched the stars winking though the endless black. He was coming home for the first time in the last four years. The soldier was looking forward to his mother’s home cooked meals, his father’s smile wrinkled face, and the constant thrum of the Valhalla’s engines. Most of all he was looking forward to seeing Bram.

He had missed his friend like an appendage. Leaving for the academy was one of the hardest decisions he ever had to make. The two had been inseparable as children, thicker than thieves and twice as crafty. Valon chuckled silently as he remembered how he and Bram had reprogrammed the food processors so they only made chocolate ice cream. They’d gotten so sick.

A small hologram of a skimpily dressed stewardess with bright green hair appeared in front of his face. “We will be arriving at The Valhalla in less than 5 minutes. Please prepare to dock; anyone with anything to declare please remember to have the items ready. Alliance Space Travel thanks you for your patronage.” Numerous audio tracks in different languages played throughout the cabin. Valon’s smile grew wider; he was almost home.