Gavin looked down into Deli’s dark eyes, and gave her the most genuine, appreciative smile he could muster. The light kiss she had gifted his cheek was among the most sincere gestures of gratitude he had ever received, and it truly warmed his heart. Of its own accord, his hand raised to press against his heart, and Gavin inclined his head to Deli in the slightest of bows.

“Deli, it was my utmost pleasure. Anytime you should require me, I am at your service.” His smile broadened, and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes crinkled deeply. “As for the chess, I would very much appreciate learning a new opening. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?”

With that, just as in the manner she had arrived, Deli left his lab in a tempest of energy and whimsical gusto. Gavin shook his head and laughed. [i]What a character[/i].

Still lingering in Deli’s pleasant wake, Gavin peered through his reading glasses down to his wristwatch. His eyebrows rose. “Well, that shaved some time didn’t it?” he said to himself. The chess game, along with Deli’s treatment, had taken more time than he had intended. It was almost 1300 hours. He sincerely hoped that Abby was not waiting for him down in the galley for their lunch…[i]date?[/i]

The idea of that word was almost comical, Gavin thought, as he was floating in a human ark a million-miles from nowhere. Everything he had known, hell, that [i]humanity[/i] had known, was being made to undergo an inexorable shift in context. The [i]Copernicus[/i] was many things besides just a ship. It was the womb in which the human race would birth its new identity—even down to where one could take someone on a date.

Gavin snorted a laugh. [i]Hey there, beautiful. Want to go down to the cryo-deck and watch people sleep for a couple hours? Drinks are on me.[/i]

Even in spite of his internal sarcasm, there was a pleasant warmth that tickled around his heart. It was a sensation he had not felt for what seemed like an eternity, and when he realized what it was he almost laughed aloud once more. [i]Gavin Raymond Brock, you’re nervous![/i]

He rocked back and forth upon the balls of his feet, a wry smile springing to his cheeks in the solitude of the lab. Gavin looked up into the artificial lights above him, and shook his head. “It’s like university all over again.”

An afterthought came to him, and he glanced over at the large display that was his usual medium for interaction with OLGA. Gavin had not spoken with his digital ‘daughter’ since their short exchange at the briefing, when he had whisked her away to meet up with Hob. He felt some guilt for not asking after her, but resolved that he had been busy, and that hopefully her interaction with her friend had set to occupy her for the time being. There was plenty of work to be done soon enough, and Gavin would most certainly need OLGA’s assistance then.

With his guilt assuaged for the time being, Gavin set about a quick cleanup of his lab. In short order he had everything stowed, and the surfaces he had used were disinfected. His task complete, Gavin bent to the polished steel case of the pharmaceutical locker and appraised what he saw. His blue eyes stared back at him, and soon enough it prompted a shrug. 

“It’s as good as it’s going to get, old boy.” Gavin winked at his reflection.

Popping a mint in his mouth, Gavin exited the lab, and locked the electronic hatch behind him. With his Converse shoes moving swiftly down the long main passage of the [i]Copernicus[/i], Gavin made his way towards the galley. As he wove his way through the traffic of technicians, engineers, miners, and soldiers, he hoped that Sergeant Abby Larson hadn’t beat him there.