Amidst the hums, whirs, and tinks of the engineering deck, a soft repetitive beep pierced through the steady rhythm of sound. A loud clang followed and a groan, as Bram rubbed his head and winced – being careful to move his head around the pipe this time instead of going through it. He took the antique watch in his hand and turned off the alarm, stood, and made his way across the deck.

There wasn't much time to get from engineering to the loading docks, so he didn't have time to wash – despite the occasion. The young man just wiped his hands on his already grungy pants, then used a cloth to brush away most of whatever was on his face. He would have to be presentable enough as he was. After all, he set his clock a little late, so there wasn't much time.

It was an occasion he had been getting more and more excited about as the date came closer. His childhood friend, one he always felt the closest to, was coming home after an endless amount of time at an academy. Being just kids at the time, they hadn't been great with keeping in touch after a while. Not that it stopped Bram from thinking back on their escapades around the space station. Well, most of those instances were Bram's idea and for whatever reason Valon had gone along with it. After his friend left, things got less interesting. He was ready to see him again. He, well, missed him terribly. The feeling only grew as he got older and the memories became harder to keep fresh.

If it wasn't for his own stubbornness, he probably could have seen him every day. The academy was for young students with intelligence, talent, and a willingness to learn. Bram was all of these. In fact, if it weren't for his issues with authority and order, he probably would have done well. Valon was the opposite. He was born and raised with a healthy sense of respect for those who were higher than him. Now that he was older, Bram was surprised the two of them were ever friends in the first place.

He wondered if the academy had changed his friend.

Bram had changed, certainly. He went from an clumsy, mischievous, kind of over weight boy with a mechanical arm. Now he was a mid ranking engineer with a mechanical arm, a fitter body, and a mischievous streak. Alright, so maybe he hadn't changed much from what he could tell. From the time he was a boy, to now, he still looked out into the vastness of space and yearned for something more in his heart. It felt as if his home was holding him back. That was what had changed. He had become restless for escape. Having the station guard chase him around just wasn't fun anymore.

As he stepped on to the loading bridge to join the flock of welcomers, he fixed his ponytail a bit. No need to look totally wretched. There were plenty of people there to bump into and fight his way towards the front. After all, quite a few of the children had left on this same craft to go to the academy. This would be the first time they had seen their family and friends in person for many years. Plus, the crew of the Valhalla were always curious to see any new comers to their ranks.

He could only guess at what Valon would look like now. At the first sign of auburn hair and bronze skin, he raised his hand up with the others to wave and greet his old friend.

“Oy, Valon!” he called out, a broad, crafty smile playing across his features.