<USS Avalon> "Constellations"

Constellations 

*by Cadet John Forester*

Swinging his legs back and forth over the edge of the top bunk, John laid 
back and stared at the ceiling. Every so often, he reached behind him, 
withdrew a sticker from a packet and applied it to the increasingly 
intricate pattern above him. After about half an hour of this, he grinned 
and sat up.

"Sagittarius," he said as he jumped down from his bed.

His roommate watched him with dark brown eyes as he wandered over to the 
replicator. "So how many does that make?"

"Most of the well known ones are done, I'm gonna add Cassiopeia after work. 
The Vain Queen is easy though." With a grin that lit up his baby blue eyes, 
he added, "She's my favourite."

"Favourite? How can you have a favourite constellation? They're just 
pin-pricks of light." Shaking his head, Orley Remus dumped the PADD he'd 
been reading on his bunk and stared at John expectantly.

"Because she's the prettiest?" Giggling, John asked for cinnamon toast and 
strawberry milk before crossing his legs underneath him and sitting on the 
floor.

"And anyway, that chart is wrong, the constellations are different out here 
and they're always changing."

"Doesn't matter," John said, taking a bite of his toast and using the rest 
of the slice to point with. "That chart is an accurate representation of the 
night sky back home in California. It's not *meant* to be accurate out 
here."

"No, well, it's a damn good thing too, coz if it were and we had to navigate 
by it, fuck knows where we'd end up." Eyeing the remainder of the toast, 
Orley surged to his feet and swiped a piece.

"Hey! Get your own!" John pulled the plate toward himself protectively.

"Nope, that's part and parcel of having a roomie." Orley took a huge bite 
out of his prize. "Share and share alike."

"Get some out of the replicator, it's not as if it's going to run out." 
Pouting, John stuffed the rest of the toast in his mouth and said around the 
food, "It'sh a shodding weplicator."

Chuckling, Orley returned to his bunk and began reading again. "So... why *
are* you messing up my ceiling with your stickers?"

"It's not *your* ceiling," John said when he could finally speak. "It's *our
* ceiling. Part and parcel of having a roomie, remember?"

Pursing his lips, Orley lowered the PADD just enough to be able to peer over 
it. "Okay, why are you messing up *our* ceiling with your stickers?"

"I have the same chart in my room at the Academy and at home. I like them, 
it makes me feel safe."

"Uh-huh, but that doesn't really answer the question. Why do we need them?"

Taking a swig of his milk, John pondered for a moment. A slow, knowing smile 
spread over his face as he said triumphantly, "Because they glow in the 
dark."

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