[ONE DAY LATER]
"Fath! Ahahaha! Come on, Sherif! You've had years of practice at this, surely you can do better than that?" Ahmed was elated as he had beaten Sherif at a game the two of them had played for years. Sherif rarely faltered in his play style, but something was different for him today, and he lost. Grabbing the money on the table, he chuckled softly under the light of the fluorescent tube in the guard post.
"Bah. I thought I could try something new this time and trick you. Turn on the heater, would you?" replied Sherif, shivering in his jacket. "When I'm done with my tour, I'm moving to the desert. This climate just isn't for me." He looked over at his empty thermos and sighed.
"Scientists over in the main base are going to chew us out for using the stored power, but alright. What about the radio? We haven't gotten any news from the mainland in a while."
Sherif nodded for a minute or two and shivered a bit more in his bundled clothing. "Alright. Turn off the light, it'll save the energy," he told the younger guard. "See you at dawn."
Ahmed nodded and turned around to start turning off the light. Flipping a switch, the fluorescent light went out, and the buzz it provided was silenced as quickly. Sitting in the dark for only a minute, Sherif heard another switch as the heater came on, and filled the post with a different, lower buzz. The third flick of a switch filled it with a static, provided by the radio. Sherif leant over to turn the knob to the only channel they can pick up, and the crackling of a voice was heard after a little fiddling.
". . . in Fornoire today, as the government continues to struggle following the war with the Mafia. And now, for a recap," said the radio in the crackling static voice. "Sartorian First Councillor Marco Valerio has departed for Atariia after a meeting with Councillor Amal El-Ghazzawy. Noting the agreement to lower tariffs in Alssahra to promote business and reconstruction, Councillor El-Ghazzawy has noted an informal agreement to begin work on a joint space programme between Alssahra and Sartoria."