"It ain't that great." But soon enough, McCoy went on about how little boys read about men like him -- if only they knew! "Yeah, shore, I sleep under the stars, but mostly we sleep in a tent." Jack slipped up by saying 'we', but that didn't mean anythin', not really. If Leonard was gonna take offense, he'd know it soon 'nough. "You should see the stars at night out on Brokeback. There's about a million of 'em. Prolly more than you'll ever see on a starship."

As he listens to the man talk about his friend, Jack senses the smoke of a lonely fire. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad gettin' in trouble with your friend if only he was here."