The Station, Part 19 cont.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I’d said I’d bury Sam. I don’t have a shovel or a pick or anything remotely resembling a digging implement. Even if I did, I have no idea how deep the soil, or whatever this ground is made of, goes down. For all I know it’s a whole five centimeters. And cremation is out of the question as well. No a single flammable material on board. It is a space station you see. Instead, I’m leaving him right where he is. Let this strange nature take its course. Perhaps in a few weeks or less, all that Sam was will be reduced to the most basic parts, even the bones I’d say. Ashes to ashes they used to say weren’t it? Quaint. This is element to element really. In its own way, more through than even cremation would have been.

There’s nothing left here. Nothing that I can use. No food or water. I could take some spare power packs for the suit, but the ones I have can last for months without recharging. Hell, one wouldn’t hurt or make a difference anyhow. I’m leaving Frontier 1. Goodbye Sam. I’m sorry.

I feel like shit. I really do. I’m very tired all of a sudden. Sitting here a ways from Sam’s final resting place I’m looking at the wilderness around me and really, really thinking about what to do next. Okay, I’m really thinking about Sam. Why he never left his own station and explored the tunnels. Hell, it looks like he never even went outside once. Why did he just give up? Damn it, we could’ve found each other, pooled resources. Kept each other company. Sam you bastard. You should’ve tried. You were supposed to be a trained officer of the navy. Instead, you just said, fuck it, I’m outta here and shot up to end all shot ups. You were a fucking coward, Sam. Now you’ve left me here to do your job, too. What finally made you do it? Was it the weed coming in and getting into the food, or the power flickering and leaving you sitting there in the dark? Was that when you pulled out the needle? Over a damn weed—

The weed. It might grow elsewhere. There’s no way to know. It’s all over Frontier 1 and it’s so tangled can see no actual origin point. More of it could be growing beyond just this space. And if I’m right, my station isn’t that far from here. Maybe in a place much like this one. Sitting there, unprotected, and being covering by this stuff. Getting into the stores of food and water. I’ve got only days left with me. If Frontier 2 has been compromised, there’s nothing left. That might have been what Sam was thinking. No communications, no power, no food. He thought he was totally alone. And if he had been brought here before me, then he was. Goddamn it, why didn’t you try exploring, Sam? We could’ve made a hell of a team. I need to get off my ass and moving again. I’ve wasted too much time already. My own station is close, I know it. Now I’m a little more than afraid to find out what’s happened to her. I don’t want to think about what condition she’ll be in when I finally do lay eyes on her. If she’s covered in the weed… No. I’m not going to consider that yet. Too soon. And it’ll do me no good. Gotta stay focused. Get to Frontier 1 and resupply. Once I’ve reenergized myself, I’ll be more than ready to take on this…place. Or places. Whatever. I will find a way out of here. Fuck you, Sam for making it all that much harder. Time to get moving.