On his way out of the door of the mess, Private Visa Honka hesitated, then turned back. "M'm," he said. "Do you think she'll be different?"
"Who?" Corporal Satu Weilin asked absently, most of her attention on the datapadd she'd been reading while she ploughed through two helpings of flavour-enhanced beef-substitute.
"Alpassi. Do you think she'll be different. When she comes back."
Weilin looked up, letting the datapadd drop to the table. "Different how?"
"I don't know." Honka shrugged. " Different."
"She's still Alpassi," Weilin said firmly.
"Yeah, but ..."
" But nothing. She's still Alpassi. She just won't remember the last two weeks. And she'll be bald." It was Weilin's turn to shrug. "Worse things than being bald."
"How did it happen?" Honka asked.
"Landcar accident. Brake failure, or something." Weilin looked at her empty plate, then glanced at the servery. "Flipped, broken neck. Instant."
"That's .... random. For a marine."
"Life happens, right? At least for Alpassi, this time, life happening wasn't fatal." Weilin pushed her plate away. "Thanks to Pilot's generosity."
Honka paused. "I don't know what I should say to her."
"Just treat her as normal," Weilin said. "She's Alpassi. Just ... bald. And a little amnesiac."
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so," Honka said without conviction.
"You'll do more than guess so," Weilin said sharply. "It's an order, Private."
"Yes'm," Honka said.
He turned to go, and was almost out the door when Weilin spoke again.
"Visa," she said quietly. "If you don't know what to say to her - remember. We're all in the Significance program. Next time it could be me. Or you."
"Bald and amnesiac?" Honka said with a ghost of a grin.
"In your case, Private, an improvement," Weilin said dryly. "Now get out of here. Don't you have range-time booked?"
Honka sketched a salute, and was gone.
Weilin listened to his footsteps fading down the corridor, then made a note on her datapadd for CTO Hurun.
He wants to know what to say to her, she thought. What to say to a woman who died three days ago and arrives back on the ship tomorrow.
As if I know.
"Who?" Corporal Satu Weilin asked absently, most of her attention on the datapadd she'd been reading while she ploughed through two helpings of flavour-enhanced beef-substitute.
"Alpassi. Do you think she'll be different. When she comes back."
Weilin looked up, letting the datapadd drop to the table. "Different how?"
"I don't know." Honka shrugged. " Different."
"She's still Alpassi," Weilin said firmly.
"Yeah, but ..."
" But nothing. She's still Alpassi. She just won't remember the last two weeks. And she'll be bald." It was Weilin's turn to shrug. "Worse things than being bald."
"How did it happen?" Honka asked.
"Landcar accident. Brake failure, or something." Weilin looked at her empty plate, then glanced at the servery. "Flipped, broken neck. Instant."
"That's .... random. For a marine."
"Life happens, right? At least for Alpassi, this time, life happening wasn't fatal." Weilin pushed her plate away. "Thanks to Pilot's generosity."
Honka paused. "I don't know what I should say to her."
"Just treat her as normal," Weilin said. "She's Alpassi. Just ... bald. And a little amnesiac."
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so," Honka said without conviction.
"You'll do more than guess so," Weilin said sharply. "It's an order, Private."
"Yes'm," Honka said.
He turned to go, and was almost out the door when Weilin spoke again.
"Visa," she said quietly. "If you don't know what to say to her - remember. We're all in the Significance program. Next time it could be me. Or you."
"Bald and amnesiac?" Honka said with a ghost of a grin.
"In your case, Private, an improvement," Weilin said dryly. "Now get out of here. Don't you have range-time booked?"
Honka sketched a salute, and was gone.
Weilin listened to his footsteps fading down the corridor, then made a note on her datapadd for CTO Hurun.
He wants to know what to say to her, she thought. What to say to a woman who died three days ago and arrives back on the ship tomorrow.
As if I know.
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