New Thessalonica Space-port, Planet Yuma, Coronado
8 Sept. 824 A.S.
Peter nagged Benjen for a few more minutes, asking what he wished for... but since his insistence was met with refusal, he gave up quickly and changed the subject. After everyone was out of the ship, Erik glanced around at Doreen and the kids, smiling. It had been a wonderful day for all of them.
Twilight was starting for the city of New Thessalonica and under this fiery shade of light, Doreen's hair seemed to be ablaze for Erik. For a second, he just stared. After his gray-blue eyes unstuck, he commented "This was... lovely." He allowed his words to be carried by the breeze for a moment, before continuing "I can only thank you both... " - he was looking at Doreen and Ben - "for the chance to spend this important day with you. And I'm sure Peter agrees." His son quickly nodded in agreement, still excited.
He was thinking of today, and of the days to come... With his "deal" with Ben, he now had to arrange some sort of private internship day, and while no emergencies came up, tomorrow would be just another day of work. His gaze wandered around the space-port with a faded smirk. War was raging just a few systems away and yet throughout this day the thought didn't even cross his mind. This realisation stung a bit, as he asked himself how would Cynthia have felt... Her life was dedicated to the nation's struggle in arms... and it was also ended by it.