The Odyssey cruised smoothly beneath the clouds.
Outside the porthole, the crimson sky and the rapidly receding, scorched earth wove a monotonous tapestry.
Allen sat alone in the spacious cabin.
He issued a command, severing the connection to his seven sub-threads.
For the first time in a long while, his mind was a blank slate.
No piercing alarms, no scrolling damage reports, no complex resource calculations.
He leaned back in his chair and regulated his breathing. His gaze drifted to the dim sky outside the porthole. He forced himself to close his eyes and enjoy this rare moment of leisure.
Five minutes later.
Allen sat up straight, his fingers tapping a crisp rhythm on the armrest.
Ten minutes later, he stood up and began pacing back and forth in the confined cabin.
"Something's wrong with me," Allen muttered.
