Hot Water

The night had gone slowly. Not being able to sleep made it all difficult.

Of course, Jamie knew he wouldn't be the only one unable to sleep, but he was definitely going to be the only one who couldn't sleep because of the strange foreign noises that everyone else would have been used to.

Yes, the SS Hercules had its own share of noises, but that was ten years ago.

Heck, it had been ten years since Jamie had consumed a pint of beer - his last one had been the night before the raid on the Hymenoptera Homeworld. Now, it was a foreign substance that his taste buds had become unaccustomed to - let alone his liver.

He had forced himself to drink half a pint by now - Beer was definitely an acquired taste, and one that you could lose after such a long time. This half pint, mixed with several kinds of food that he really shouldn't have eaten together (Curry, Steak, Chocolate, Ice Cream, and "Chicken" Fajitas all on the same plate) hadn't settled well in his stomach.

Nonetheless, he was now making a good job of finishing the half pint, and almost falling asleep on the table due to the effects of the alcohol. Any kind of sleep was better than none at this point.

The alcohol supplies in the refectory weren't in such a bad shape - with the crew in such small numbers, the huge stocks would last a long time - and probably gain strength with time.

All of the dispensers of food and drink were now working at peak efficiency, the moving trays weren't even squeaking any more, and anyone who entered would have seen the selection of manual tools surrounding the exhausted engineer, and layers of grease and oil that covered his hands.

That is, if anyone would recognise him. His trip to the Promenade had caused him to lose his beard, and some of his hair - a very gentlemanly giant rodent of some description (He thought it was a guinea pig once upon a time, but they all looked the same, really) had opened a barbers. Jamie now looked completely different. Clean shaven, combed hair and some respectable looking clothes to replace his home made leather. Now he wore factory made leather in the form of a jacket, and some thick, well made jeans that replicated the feel of tough leather. Like Cass, the feel of clothes on his skin had changed over time, feeling rather odd.

Still, he had earned the rest, until breakfast time.

Groggily, he raised his head from the table, almost pulling a page from his journal at the same time. it fell to the floor with a bit of a clatter on the assortment of screwdrivers and spanners. He inhaled harshly through his nose, and succumbed to the smell of... well, what smelled like bacon. After 3 million years of the ship slowly spinning through space, there was no telling what it actually was.

That was when Jaxx and Evelina walked through the door.

"Thanks, Eve babe." he said as she held the door open for him. His wounds were looking better, but he still looked a bit stiff.

Jamie stood up, and headed out towards the habitation decks, of course nodding greeting on his way past. They both gave him an odd look, like they didn't recognise him.

He entered a room that Holly had set aside for him. With the majority of the crew dead thanks to the radiation leak 3 million years ago, pretty much everyone got a room close to their normal working areas.

He looked at the shower as he entered the bathroom.

"Hot... Water..." He said slowly to himself. Yes, his jungle home had running water, and yes, he'd engineered that into a shower... But it was always cold. With the house being mostly made of wood, heating the water tank was impossible without setting fire to the place. Something in his mind jumped for joy at the prospect of hot running water. and SOAP! actual soap. No one was going to recognise him when he was done. He was going to look - and more importantly, smell - like a normal human being for the first time in 10 years.

He thought back to the planet, and wondered how long it would be before Efof burnt it down. If he'd had more time, he would have left a manual for everything he'd made, but escape had been rather a rush job.

A very long, hot shower later, he headed towards the medical bay. His intention was to get some painkillers for his headache, but as soon as the door opened, all he could see was Jay lying on the bed with all the equipment plumbed into him, and Cass. She looked much more peaceful now than she had been when Jay had unceremoniously dumped her, which was good.

Instead of making noise looking for the painkillers, he thought it best to leave her be. He draped a blanket over her, and left as quietly as he had entered, seeking an alternative cure for his head - Coffee.