Gren ran his fingers along the pictures one his wall, just as he did every day. Each one a memory of something long past, of something he'd never have again. He stopped on the picture of a young man, blue eyes filled with an innocence he'd long forgotten. The youth stood by a fence, the sky blue and clear behind him.
He hadn't seen a blue sky like that since the day his wife had taken that picture of him. The next morning, before the sun had risen, he shipped out as a military man, eager eyed and unsuspecting of what the affects of the war on Titan would bring.
That was several years ago, but might have well been a lifetime away. He'd broken all ties to those days and would never return to fix them. Jupiter was where he belonged now, where he never had to look into the eyes of his family and let them see what he'd become. His life ended on Titan. It was best for them to believe that, just as he did.
He turned away from the photos and back into the cold reality of the present. His saxophone was what he had left. It took away his thoughts for just awhile, enough so that he could still move forward each day and wouldn't get lost in the memories those photos held.
Yet some days even that wasn't enough. It was Julia who first asked him to play that lilting tune, Julia who brought with her a wave of her own memories where her past intertwined with Vicious, just like his own.
He reached for his jacket and pulled it on. It was cold on Jupiter. Colder even than the vast wasteland of Titan. His saxophone case leaned beside the door, and he picked it up. With a final glance, he took in the photos, and left for another chance at a brief release.