"Again with the not knocking," said the pilot when Scott entered the darkened cell. "Didn't anyone ever teach you manners?"
"Lights on full." As soon as Scott said it, the overhead lights flashed up to full strength. It was then he saw the pilot lying on his cot across the room, shielding his eyes with his arm. The bedclothes were no longer scattered on the floor; he had put them back on the mattress and was lying on them.
"Thanks a lot!" snapped the pilot. "You could at least have left them at half-strength!"
Scott ignored his complaint. "I thought you were dead."
"Because my eyes were closed?" said the pilot. "It's called sleeping."
"For the past thirteen years, I thought you were dead," said Scott. "I thought you died at Iridess Chasm."
"Ah." The pilot sat up and rolled h
