Not going out - part 2

Who: Bruno Downing & General Von Hare
Where: Bruno's ship, Flight deck 2

“Okay I'm going to do it this time. I'm going to do it!” Bruno said, psyching himself up.
“Yes, You're ready!” Said general Von Hare, rubbing his shoulders. “You can do it!”
“Yes I can!” Said Bruno, almost believing it.

He walked towards his ship's gangway. Then just before he left the ship, he stopped and turned. “I can't do it.”
“Of course you can!” Said the invisible rabbit.
“No I can't. I'll go out tomorrow.” Bruno said, walking back to the cockpit.
General Von Hare grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around, then pushed him gently in the direction of the exit.
“What if they don't like me? What if I say something stupid?”
“You probably will.”
“What?!!”
“What I mean is you probably will. But it doesn't matter. Just go talk to someone, you're driving yourself stir crazy.”
Bruno looked nervous to the point of tears. “Come with me.”
“No you need to do this by yourself!”

Bruno took a deep breath. He looked longingly back towards the cockpit where Barry Manilow's greatest hits was playing. “Don't let the music run out will you? Put another track on straight after, I don't want dead air.”
“Is it that important?”
“YES!”
“Okay okay!” Said the rabbit. “I'll make sure Barry Manilow doesn't run out. You make it sound like life or death.”
Bruno nodded. “Okay I'm doing it this time.” He walked forwards, down the exist ramp, across the flight deck, and towards a door leading him into a stairwell.

In the ship, General Leverett Von Hare grinned and rubbed his hands together.

An hour later, Bruno came back all flustered. He found Von Hare in the cockpit.
“Ho did it go?”
“I've been chased by an angry mob!”
“Oh. That bad eh?”
“I just went to this place signposted as 'the promenade' and there's all these furry creatures with placards saying they want more food.”
“Furry creatures?”
“Yeah like giant rats and mice.”
“Any sexy female rabbits?” General Von Hare asked with a toothy grin. But Bruno shook his head.

There was a knock on the ship's exterior hull that made Bruno jump.
“They've followed me!”
General Von Hare peered around the door. “No it's a Human lady with short dark hair. No rodents in sight.”

Bruno nervously went to meet her.
“Cass” she said, holding out her hand. “Are you still living here? We've got crew quarters if you want...”
“No I'm fine here.” Said Bruno.
“Okay, well think about it. It'd be much better and safer if you're in the crew quarters like everyone else.” Cass said this quite forcefully, that made Bruno not want to argue. But he didn't feel comfortable sleeping anywhere he wasn't familiar with. He just kept quiet.
“So anyway we've got a food shortage on the ship...”
“Oh I've got loads of nutrigrain bars you can have-”
“It's... okay thanks.” Cass said as politely as she could. “We're putting a mission together to a nearby space station.”
“What sort of space station?” Bruno said nervously. “Don't take me back to the Serraco station. They're be really pissed off with me by now. Their shipment's late!”
“no, no, it's a resort actually. Like a space station for holidays.”
“Holiday.” The word sounded so alien to Bruno. He hadn't thought about a holiday for a long long time.
“Yeah, you know, pools, comfy beds, wine, relaxing.”
“Relaxing?” Bruno said nervously.
Cass knew this might be a hard sell to the ever-nervous Bruno. So she decided to wrap this up.
“Jay's prepping a Starbug in Flight deck 1, all you have to do is turn up if you want to come.”
“I.. I... Think I'll drive separately.” Bruno said.
“What? Why? We don't need 2 shuttles, only 1.”
“I know but...” Bruno didn't know how to phrase it. 'I don't know if I can handle the social awkwardness' didn't seem a valid reason to say out loud.
“I... uh...”
“Okay whatever, we'll see you over there.”

Cass left, and Bruno went back to the cockpit. “Okay we have to leave. Right now.” he told Von Hare. I can't see these people ever again, it's too embarrassing.
“What?” Said the invisible rabbit.
“They want to see me in my swimming shorts. We have to leave, and never come back.”
“Just relax!” Said Von Hare. “She's just inviting you to be part of the team. You want to be part of this crew don't you?”
“No.”
“Yes you do. It's either this or going back to being a delivery man for two emotionless spacestation robots, and living on a diet of diarrhoea bars.”
Bruno sighed. “Okay. You're right. I should make an effort.”
“Good!” Said Von Hare.
“But I'm driving separately though.”
Von Hare cringed. “Just go and be part of the team.”
“One small step at a time.” Said Bruno.

Where: Reality Resort
He landed his ship in the statuion's huge hangar a few minutes after the Blue Dwarf's Starbug had landed. The space was lit by the colossal red giant, which dominated the view through the darkly tinted, diamond glass dome, arcing high above.

He approached the other crewmembers, nervously hanging back slightly while they talked to the robot. Mostly he looked at his feet, and whispered “Hi” to the people who acknowledged him.

<OOC - Not sure if I should be the one to choose our holiday theme as I feel guilty already for taking so long to post!>