[Open] A Game of Solitare

[youngsoldat.livejournal.com]

Erwin was still in a state of mild shock after his arrival on board Stacy. The idea that his whole world and with it, everyone he'd ever known or cared about, his parents, his comrades, all gone. As surely as if they had been struck by a bomb. The very idea that there were weapons powerful enough to annihilate whole planets and universes stunned him. The fact that he, out of all people, had been saved seemed strange. He wasn't anyone important. He was just a footsoldier. An oberschütze from an infantry division in the German army. He wasn't an officer or a general or even a great politician. Why hadn't the ship saved Rommel or Guderian? Someone who was brilliant? As to why he'd been chosen, he had no idea.

After the breakup of the meet and greet, he'd taken the time to explore and poke around. He'd seen the cafeteria (the food there seemed even worse then army rations), the Sensoriums (which had spooked him, badly), and finally gone to look at the room he'd be staying in. He'd been pleasantly surprised there - a real bed, sheets, a shower. It was luxury compared to what he'd had in Russia or even in France. He'd returned to the observation deck, looking out into the stars. It was so strange to see them like this.

The strange, biological nature of the ship unnerved him even more. Still, he'd nowhere else to go. He pulled up a chair and sat down. He was rather glad his gear had come with him - he had a pack of cards in there, after all - and began dealing himself a hand of solitare, glancing up occasionally to see who else might wander by. Maybe he could interest someone in a game of skat or just idle conversation....