Sox dutifully followed Buzz back to the Space Ranger's living quarters, his collar jingling as he walked. It was the only notable sound in the dorm hallways, as Buzz hadn't spoken since they parted ways with the rest of the crew. Sox's sensors indicated high levels of exhaustion from his companion, which was not a surprise, considering the long day (or really, years) they'd had. He determined it was best to refrain from making conversation for the rest of the night.
He broke the silence between them when they reached Buzz's living quarters. "Welcome home Buzz!" Sox said as the Space Ranger opened the door.
"You too buddy," Buzz responded, but he didn't look at Sox. Instead, he looked around, as though he was taking everything in for the first time. He stood there for a few moments too long, and Sox became concerned. The cat placed a paw on Buzz's boot.
"Is everything alright?"
Buzz's voice was quiet when he finally answered. "During the first year that we spent here, people began referring to their living quarters as 'home'. I always said I would never do that."
"It's going to require some adjustment."
Buzz appeared to be thinking of a response, but he moved toward the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."
It was about fifteen minutes later when Buzz sat on his bed, freshly showered and wearing his sleep clothes. Instead of lying down, he stared at the floor.
Sox hopped up and sat next to him on the bed. "I expect you must be experiencing a great deal of emotional turmoil, considering everything you've gone through." He rubbed his head against his friend's arm. "I recognize that this may not be the ideal time, if you would like, we can talk about how you're feeling."
Buzz turned toward the orange cat and ruffled his ears. "No, thank you Sox. I would prefer to get some sleep."
"Alright then. Goodnight Buzz."
"Goodnight Sox."
"What are you doing, Buzz?" Sox asked from his perch on the kitchen counter.
"Unpacking," Buzz responded, brushing eighty-year-old dust off of a box. "When we first arrived here, I unpacked only essential items. I assumed we would be leaving the planet soon and it would be pointless to take everything out."
"I have always wondered what was inside those boxes. Would you like my help?" Sox asked.
"Sure, you can help if you want," Buzz said as he opened the box. There wasn't much to unpack, given that he hadn't brought many non-essential items aboard the Turnip in the first place. It was mostly books and clothes, and a handful of assorted personal items. He found a book that was small enough for Sox to handle and offered it to the cat. "Here, why don't you take this and put it on the bookshelf over there?"
"Okay." Sox took the book in his mouth and carried it over to the bookshelf. He put his front paws against the shelf and stood on his hind legs so he could reach the spot where the book would go. But as he did so, something fell out from between the pages of the book. It appeared to be a photograph.
Sox pushed the book into place and got down to take a better look at the photo. It was a picture of a younger Buzz with two middle-aged adults who by all appearances seemed to be related to him. The robotic cat picked it up and brought it over to the closet, where Buzz was hanging up one of his shirts.
"This fell out of the book. It appears to be a photograph of you and two of your relatives."
Buzz turned around and looked at the photo in surprise. "I had no idea that was in there," he said as he bent down to pick it up.
"Who are those people with you?"
"Those are my parents." Buzz sat down on the edge of his bed, still looking at the photograph. "This was taken the day I graduated from the Academy."
Sox hopped onto the bed. "They look like they were very proud of you."
Buzz didn't respond. Instead he stood up and started walking over to the bookshelf. "That book belonged to my father," he explained. "He must have left this inside it."
"When was the last time you saw your parents?"
Buzz stopped walking. "We said goodbye before I boarded the Turnip."
"You must miss them a great deal. Would you like to talk about it?"
The Space Ranger stood there for a moment before shaking his head. "Negative. There are too many tasks that need to be taken care of today."
"It would help you feel better," Sox reminded him.
Buzz opened up the book the photo had come from and placed it back inside. "Maybe some other time."
"I can't believe people actually used to eat those," Izzy said, looking disgusted at the "bread-meat-bread" sandwich that Buzz had made to show her.
Sox sat next to Buzz and across from Izzy on a table in the Star Command commissary. Darby and Mo had both opted to have their lunches elsewhere that day, so it was just the three of them.
"I assure you, this was the standard form of sandwiches back on Earth."
"I believe the change to 'meat-bread-meat' came about as a result of how difficult it is to harvest wheat on this planet," Sox explained.
Izzy shook her head in disbelief. "My grandmas told me a lot about Earth food, but somehow neither of them ever mentioned this."
"What did your grandmas tell you about Earth food?" Buzz asked, and took a bite of his sandwich.
"Well for one, Grandma Alisha told me you can't cook."
He chuckled. "Did she tell you about the time she tried to teach me how?"
"You mean the time you nearly burnt down her parent's house?"
Sox's eyes went wide with alarm. "He did what?!"
"It wasn't quite that bad," Buzz said, rolling his eyes. "I burned whatever it was we were making and set off the smoke detector." He leaned back a little in his chair. "We decided to call it a day after that and try again some other time, but there were no kitchens in the Academy dormitories, and we never had time to use her parent's kitchen again."
Sox watched Buzz's face as sadness escaped through a forced neutral expression. "For years she kept saying she was going to make another attempt to teach me someday. But we never got a chance to do it."
Izzy must've also seen the sadness that Sox noticed, because she put her hand on top of Buzz's. "I'm sorry if it's hard for you to talk about her. I keep forgetting she's only been gone a few weeks for you."
He waved a dismissive hand. "I appreciate your concern, but it's alright. I was the one who brought up the story anyway."
Izzy gave his hand a squeeze. "Well, if you ever do wanna talk about her, just let me know."
Buzz smiled at her as though he was unsure how to react. "Thank you, however at the moment I'd like to finish my sandwich."
"How can you eat that thing? It's too dry!"
Sox rubbed his head against Buzz's arm as the three of them continued to discuss sandwiches and other types of Earth cuisine.
It was 2:27 A.M. when Sox's sensors alerted him that Buzz was awake, and that his breathing had become irregular. Something was wrong.
Sox awoke from sleep mode, unable to see what was going on because Buzz was facing the opposite side of the bed. But he could hear something- and it was the sound of crying.
"Buzz?" Sox said gently. "I can hear that you're crying. What's wrong?
The robotic cat waited for Buzz to answer. When no answer came, he crawled over to the other side of the bed to get a better look at his friend. Buzz's face was covered in tears.
"Buzz," Sox repeated, "what's wrong?"
Buzz attempted to catch his breath before responding. "She's... Alisha's... she's gone," he said between sobs. "So is everyone and everything else."
Sox placed his paw on Buzz's hand as a gesture of comfort. "It is normal to experience grief like this after the tremendous losses you have suffered," he assured him. "I am here to help in whatever ways I ca-"
Before he could finish what he was saying, Buzz wrapped his arm around the cat and pulled him into his chest. He began to rub his thumb against Sox's head, and Sox purred soothingly as Buzz cried into his fur.
Eventually Buzz's breathing evened out, his thumb movements came to a stop, and his eyes closed. After making sure his companion was asleep, Sox rubbed his head against Buzz's chest. "Goodnight Buzz," he whispered softly, and finally went back into sleep mode.