Spearman Logbook Entry Draft 2.5

''...and then this dude just pulls out a tiny little GUITAR and smacks the lemurian with it. Craziest stuff I've ever seen.''

''Those have a name, you know. Ukuleles.'' 

''I'll uku-lay you into a shallow grave if you correct me one more time.''

''Hah, you cracked a smile! You gotta buy the next round.''

A haze of smoke converges around the rafters of the bar, the only remaining witness to the two men within.

''That's like the third one, man. You'll have to laugh at one of my stories eventually.''

''Maybe you need to start telling some funny ones.''

''Ok, fine. This was back when I served on the Guard...''

''Can you even talk about that? Last I heard the Cobalt Guard 'never existed'.''

''You wonder why, what with some of the specimens that were in our unit. This one guy always left his guns on the ship, did missions armed with nothing but a stick.''

''You're lying.''

''I wish I was, man. Dude was just begging to have one of us visit his mom with a folded flag. Dashing between our gunfire, dropping onto targets from like 30 feet in the air.''

The hollow thud of empty mugs hitting the table rings out. The man tosses a credit chip onto the bar. He stands up, steps behind the bar and over the body of the bartender, wetting his boots in the pool of blood forming around it. He returns holding two overflowing mugs and drinks deep from one, sliding the other over to his compatriot.

''And your CO just *let* him do this?''

''Not like any of us could stop him! You know the type that got recruited for the CG, and he could probably beat any one of us in the unit if the gloves dropped. Maybe all of us at once.''

''With or without the stick?''

''I once saw him impale 6 lemurians in a single throw. The big yellow ones. Probably could have been even more if the spear was longer.''

''I gotta wonder how he got such a good lineup with the rest of you gunning the others down.''

''It's otherworldly. Guy hunted magma worms big enough to eat our dropships whole. For FUN. Probably still does it.''

''Still? But magma worms are native to Pe-''

''Yep, he stayed behind. We got the order to leave, he said he wouldn't. I wasn't gonna be the one to tell him otherwise.''

''BAHAHHAHA, he really stayed on that armpit of a planet?! Alright you got me, I'll buy the next one.''

''He saw it differently. Thought it was a paradise. The perfect food chain for him to climb atop and rule over.''

''If we ever end up stationed there, remind me to look out for a giant, golden statue of him.''

Both men erupt in laughter, and another credit chip is tossed on the splintered, smoldering remnants of the bar to pay for the next round.