Prologue

The dimly lit room was filled with chatter and music. The soft light of a thousand Neon signs filtered through large windows, painting the room in a patchwork of greens, blues and yellows. People perched on barstools sipped at colourful cocktails and the bar was lined with people drinking and talking.

Six men sat around the table farthest into the corner, grinning and laughing over drinks and tall tales. Their clothing was worn, but in good taste.

"So how did that last shipment of yours go? Had any problems?"

"Nah. It went as smooth as a maiden's ass. I've done that route over a dozen times by now."

"Don't act so tough. I remember when you first flew there, hands shaking and sweating so much it looked like you were having a stroke. Who would have thought you'd feel so bad flying through asteroids that don't even shoot back?" Said one man, laughing.

The others joined in the laughter as the victim struggled to regain his composure.

Minutes passed into hours as the men spoke of past adventures, future plans, and current affairs, sometimes softly, sometimes loud enough to raise a few judgemental eyebrows from the opposite side of the room. The bars customer count had halved and the mood in the room was calming down as the evening light faded behind the horizon.

One of them put down his glass after taking a sip and looked up to the rest. His eyes flickered with mischief in the limited light, yet he seemed troubled.

As he gave voice to his thoughts, it came out barely more than a whisper.

"I still can't believe how natural this all has become."

A silence descended on the men, each contemplating their fates, quietly understanding the implications of the words.

"This bar, this world, even this damn beer. I know it's not supposed to be, but still. Here we sit, simply chatting away."

"It's how it is now." Shrugged the long haired man gruffly. "No point trying to go back. Besides, who'd want to?" He raised his glass and emptied its contents with a self satisfactory grin.

"Yes, I know." He said with a wry smile. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Still, I wonder sometimes how our old lives would have been."

"Far more boring than this. That's for damn sure." The light illuminated a man with a grizzled scar on his cheek, so puckered and faded with time that it looked as much a part of his face as his eyes or nose.

"I do miss when I didn't have to fear for my life when I set foot onto my ships." A red faced man retorted. "But then again," He took a long sip of his wine. "I would never have made all this money if it never happened."

The blue eyed man leaned back and let out a sigh.

"You know what makes all this worth it to me? The view. Whenever I look out the window when we're in space I can lose myself staring at it for hours on end. Just an endless expanse of stars, depending where you even get the most varied and vibrant colours."

"I don't know about that, but I can appreciate that kind of view." Said the long haired man, nodding at the back of a barmaid whilst nonchalantly raising his glass to his lips. He winked as she caught his eye, making her blush and scuttle off behind the bar. He smirked.

"You all still remember when it happened?"

"Yes." said the blue eyed man. "Every bit of it."