“Right now, Ty?” he said.
         Ty replied, “Leaving tomorrow, Jim. Now’s a better time than never. I mean, before you go and pass out.”
         “Ah, shit.” said Jim, cracking another beer and putting an arm around his friend. “You know, I think I’m just gonna stick around. Get that job up in Rusty Hills, ya know.”
         “Oh, come on, Jim!” said Ty, pushing his friend off him, “Your my best friend. Remember when you said we’d stick together no matter what? This could be the opportunity of a lifetime, man.”
         “Yeah, Ty, well... you know...” replied Jim, and he paused to take a chug of beer and continued, “We were kids when I said that. You’re my best friend, Ty, but I got a girlfriend now. And she doesn’t want me to go, Ok?”
         “Man!” said Ty, gesturing so wildly that he spilled half his drink, “You are so whipped. You wanted to go to space ever since I knew you. Why don’t you just grow some balls?”
         “You know, what? Fuck you, Keefer!” yelled Jim and he threw his beer can at Tyler who back handed it out of the air. He snorted and dived at Jim, fists out. They scuffled for a couple minutes, yelling profanities at each other, before, who else, but Tod Kavinsky showed up and pushed them apart.
         “What’s going on here, guys?” he said, loud and sternly.
         “Nothin’,” said Jim. And he brushed himself off and walked away. Ty patted Tod on the shoulder and walked away himself.


        
         Later in the night, Jim found himself lying with Suzie on a blanket on the wide marble steps of the ancient courthouse overlooking the valleys of the Mudwater and Steinhauer Rivers and the lights of Fort Hamely below, nestled comfortably on the little piece of land where the two rivers joined. By now, Phaethon’s second sun, much smaller and dimmer than its main sun, had risen in the East, flooding the land in a dim, orange, twilight glow.
         “So, have you made up your mind?” asked Suzie, “Are you going up there?”
         “No,” said Jim.
         “Oh, thank God.” said Suzie, squeezing Jim tighter.
         “Nah,” said Jim, “I’m gonna take that job up in Rusty Hills. But I’m still gonna have to leave tomorrow. It starts on Monday.”
         “Oh,” complained Suzie, “I don’t want you to leave me so soon.”
         “I know,” said Jim, “But this way I’ll be back in only two weeks. I’m doin’ this for you, ya know.”
         Suzie smiled, looking him in the eyes.
         “I know.” she said. And Jim rolled over and kissed her.

~
         Jack woke up in his hotel room next to the woman he had met the night before. The Togarmian woman who called herself Nastya Burkov. Trying not to wake her, he quietly slipped out of bed and began putting on his pants. Nastya woke up, however, and rolled over to look at him.
         “Going so soon?” she said.
         “Hsyeah,” said Jack in a hoarse whisper, “I’m going down to the planet for the next little while. No need for me to stay in this rusty barrel any longer. He put his shirt on and buttoned it up as Nastya, herself, got out of bed and put her clothes on.
         “I had very good time with you, last night.” she said.
         “Yeah,” said Jack, tying up his boots, “It wasn’t bad. Maybe next time I’m on the station, I’ll give you a call.”
         “I vould like that very much. Here,” said Nastya, as she took the complimentary notepad and pen from the room’s reading desk and jotted down a number, “Dees is my virk number. If you come to de station again, you can call me here.”
         Jack took the slip of paper and looked at it.
         “Yeah,” he said, half-nodding “Yeah. I might just do that.” He folded the paper up and slipped it in his breast pocket before picking up his suitcase and walking out the door. He turned around, just before he left, and winked.
         He walked down the hall and took the elevator up to the spinning, cylindrical station’s central axis. From there, he walked down the long, busy axis corridor; past the habitat section where he came from, past the reactor section where Nastya worked, through station customs, and into the hangar bay.