The shuttle sets down gently onto the landing pad at the Omni-1 spaceport. The door cracks open with a woosh as pressurized air is released, and the passengers crowd at the door, blinking at the sudden exposure to the Rubi-Ka light. Chattering excitedly to each other, the passengers stream out of the shuttle and down the landing ramp to the tarmac.
Finally the last passenger steps to the doorway. He takes in a deep breath of the spaceport air, relishing the taste and smell of the oil, coolant, soot, and chemical waste that are a staple of spaceports the galaxy over. His ears are assaulted by the sounds of machinery loading and unloading, shuttles taking off and landing, and voices droning over loudspeakers. And his eyes...his eyes drink in the sight of the spaceport, the hustle and bustle of human existence.
The man slowly clanks down the metal ramp in his military-issue boots. As he steps onto the tarmac, he can't help but feel a thrill of excitement. He had finally returned home...
Zack "Eternalforce" Craddock was back on Rubi-Ka.