The past haunts a colonel as she faces a lonely retirement. A trip to inspect the space station she helped design forces her into a deadly encounter. She had not looked forward to retirement but prefers it to being murdered. Can she escape her captors and her regrets?
 

Echoes of screams, cries of pain, and klaxons blaring filled Les' head along with images of bloody bodies.

“Departure for Orion Station, now boarding at Gate 13.”

Les jerked upright and wiped the sweat from her face. What had caused that flashback?

Her face set, Les stood and straightened the jacket of the standard grey uniform. She headed for the departure gate, her bag in hand.

Recognition shone in the young man's eyes at the gate as he said, “Have a good trip, Colonel.”

Les marched past in silence. After stowing the carry-on and sitting, Les tilted the seat back and pretended to be asleep, trying to shake off the haunting scene.

“Can't hide from me that way,” a familiar grating voice said with a chuckle.

Les sat up, surprised but not unhappy. Blue eyes sparkled beneath shaggy eyebrows. “Stu Graham! How long has it been?”

“Years. Last time I saw you was at your seventieth birthday party. I hear you've finally taken retirement.”

Les drank in the sight of her old friend. Oh, he had aged, hair now all white, but still that crooked smile and those knowing eyes remained unchanged.

“Yes, they forced the old horse out to pasture. But only after one last look at my first love.”

Stu grinned. “Orion Station. Yes, you would make your final hurrah there, wouldn't you?”

“And what would you know of final hurrahs, hmm?”

“I made mine several years ago, you know. I'm just a civilian now.”

“So I heard. I'm not officially retired for another week, and as a favor I'm inspecting my star base one last time.” Then I linger on, with only memories. And regrets.