The low hum of the bar seemed to fade away as Dominic sat across from the woman, the clink of glasses and soft murmurs of conversation distant sounds, almost muffled by the intensity of their exchange. He had expected a fleeting distraction from the war, but this felt... different. For once, there was no talk of missions or the horrors of battle. It was just two people, exchanging thoughts, with no pretense, no masks.
Her eyes never left his, not even when she reached for her drink, the smooth motion fluid and controlled. Dominic found himself captivated by the subtle strength she radiated. She wasn't just another soldier on leave. She was someone who had seen the same scars in the galaxy's wounds—someone who understood the weight he carried, without needing to say a word.
"You're not what I expected," Dominic finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was quieter now, more thoughtful than when he'd first sat down.
She tilted her head slightly, a small smile playing at her lips. "And what did you expect?"
"Someone like the rest of us," Dominic replied, his eyes flicking briefly toward the room full of soldiers. "Someone who needs to forget. Just another drinker looking for a momentary escape from the mess outside these walls."
She laughed, but it was laced with a trace of sadness. "Funny you should say that. I've had my fair share of escapes, believe me." Her tone shifted, becoming more serious. "But I learned something along the way. Escaping doesn't fix anything. It just keeps you running."
Dominic leaned forward slightly, intrigued by the change in her demeanor. "So, what's your answer? How do you face it all and still keep going?"
Her gaze softened, as if she were pondering the question herself. "It's not easy. There's no magic solution. But you have to find something that gives you purpose, something worth sticking around for. The fighting... it's not who we are. It's what we've been forced into."
She paused for a moment, as if deciding whether to share something more personal. Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "You've got the right idea, though. You're here, aren't you? Not just running away. You're looking for something."
Dominic wasn't sure how to respond. The woman across from him seemed to see right through him, as if she could read the unspoken thoughts swirling in his mind. He'd spent so long focused on the war, on the endless cycle of missions, that he had forgotten to ask himself the question she'd just posed: What's next?
For a moment, the weight of it all pressed down on him. The war, the battles, the unrelenting loss—had it all really just been a distraction? An excuse to avoid facing the void that lay beneath the surface?
"I'm not sure I even know what I'm looking for," Dominic admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
The woman studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "That's okay. Sometimes, you don't have to know right away. You just have to start somewhere."
Before he could respond, a low beep came from her wrist comm. She glanced at the display before looking back up at him.
"Looks like my ride's here," she said, standing up slowly, the movement fluid, almost graceful. "Duty calls."
Dominic stood as well, a sense of regret rising in him. The brief connection they'd shared felt like a fleeting moment, and he wasn't sure if it was something he could hold onto. But something about her words lingered with him, as if they had opened a door to a new possibility.
She offered him a faint smile. "Take care, Dominic. I think you might just find what you're looking for, if you're willing to look hard enough."
He nodded, watching as she turned and walked toward the exit, disappearing into the crowd. For a moment, Dominic just stood there, lost in thought, until the bartender gave him a subtle nod, as if signaling it was time for him to leave as well.
Dominic walked out of the bar, his mind buzzing with new thoughts. The station was quiet now, the noise of the bar replaced by the hum of machinery and distant voices echoing through the halls. He didn't know what would come next. The mission, the war, everything seemed so distant now. But for the first time in a long while, Dominic felt a flicker of something else—something beyond the battlefield.
He took a deep breath, his thoughts focusing on the woman's words. Take the good with the bad. Find something worth sticking around for.
Maybe she was right. Maybe it wasn't just about surviving. Maybe it was about finding meaning in the chaos, something that could give his life purpose again.
Dominic didn't have all the answers. But for the first time in a long time, he felt like he was ready to start looking for them.