Free The Full Circle Six by Edward T. Anthony Page B

he ordered Freddie to engage engines and launch booster, and Sammy to employ shields as he began preparations to navigate them toward the proper coordinates.
    The funeral service was held in the recreational quarters where there was a great space of the wall made of transparent alloy that would permit them to watch the primary jettison into eternity. This would prove to be the most heart-breaking, soul wrenching experience of the current journey for all who were present. Drake entered the room and all fell silent. The coffin containing the body of Iriarte Croxon was in the ejection chamber.
    â€œWe are here to mourn the passing of an exceptional crew member and an amazing doctor who could cure anything with a shot.” Drake began. “Croxy was more valuable to me and this team than most of you here combined. Its death will not be for nothing. We will use this as a springboard to our victory.” He reached down to press the button that would forever remove his most trusted physician from his life. Nobody witnessed the single tear that became visible as it slowly trickled out from under Drake’s famous holochart gazers, and splashed onto the floor of the recreation quarters.
    â€œLive always in space and time.” The mourning race captain stated clearly, and with pure respect, in the manner it was written in which to be spoken.
    The crew watched silently as Croxon floated out of view. Bruvold then walked over to a cabinet and pulled out some more of his dark, smoking beverage.
    â€œIs good time to drink when there is friend dying,” he said while passing out the infusion. Most of the crew turned it down, but Drake, Kraus, and Sammy each took Bruvold’s offering.
    â€œTo old Croxy.” The four of them said as a toast. They all polished off the substance in one long guzzle.
    â€œIs good, yes? Is good for warming of the face.” Bruvold smiled proudly as he poured four more glasses for a second round. “Is good for race. Bruvold is knowing.” He said this last with his brow furrowed and his finger in the air as if making a profound point.
    It didn’t take long for Bruvold’s home planet cocktail to take effect on those who had ingested it and soon, the four were choosing sides for a partnered round of friendly sparring. This meant that they were drunk and wanted to beat each other senseless, using nothing but brute strength and sheer power of will, until all of them could hardly move to get back to their personal quarters to sleep it off.

CHAPTER FIVE
Fresh Start
    U pon waking, Drake was suffering a tremendous headache and nausea so badly that he did not know if the cleansing quarters would be close enough. For a split second, he caught himself thinking about going to medical and getting a shot to relieve him of this distress, but was now sure that the current M.O. would not allow such a procedure. Luck, it seemed, was turning for Drake this particular morning for when he turned to the door, he saw lying beside it Croxy’s old medical case. Someone had delivered this while he was passed out. He wondered who it was that could have put it inside his door. There was sure to be a cure inside the case. Drake did not pretend that he knew what was in these syringes or what they did respectively, but he had been injected by his healer for many years and had a good idea of which colors he needed to make himself feel better. If he failed and made his condition worse, he would insist that Priscilla give him treatment without unnecessary explanation.
    He picked up a blue and a red needle and shot them both simultaneously into his hips. The familiarity of the small, high-pitched hiss filled his ears like a forgotten symphony. A deep moan of relief escaped as the remedies washed through him. He now felt fully prepared to take the helm and get this thing moving fast again.
    Drake vacated his quarters into the navigation center and ordered the engines to full power. He strapped himself