“I’m glad you didn’t write the speech,” Julie said. “That was great!”
John smiled as he looked around the table. “Where’s Andre and Sally?”
“He was feeling tired and decided to turn in,” Mitchell explained. “Sally’s walking back with him.”
“Wish I could turn in,” John admitted. He wasn’t sure if he was up to an entire night of celebrating.
Julie laughed. “I think you can expect to be stuck here until morning. This is a rare chance for people to meet you.”
John realized she was right. He looked at his champagne glass and decided to switch to coffee if he had any hope of lasting late into the night.
********
Andre and Sally managed to make their way through the packed crowds and reach the outer parts of Central. The celebration was an enjoyable experience for Andre, but he was worn out and wanted to turn in. He wanted to say goodnight to Captain Roberts, but he was finding himself nodding off at the table during the speech.
“It was a nice party,” Sally remarked as they approached the lift station. There was a line of people waiting to board one of the lifts to take them out of Central.
“I still can’t believe we’re on a spaceship,” Andre replied. “I’ll have to send my thanks to Captain Roberts for inviting me to sit at his table.”
“He’s a good boy…man,” Sally corrected. “I could tell you all sorts of stories about him when he was at the Academy.”
Andre chuckled. “He doesn’t come across as someone who misbehaved.”
“He’s changed a lot,” Sally admitted. “Commanding a ship forces one to grow up quickly. Putting aside the captain’s hospitality, I did enjoy my time with you tonight.”
Andre blushed at the compliment. “I enjoyed getting to know you, too.”
“Maybe you and I can do dinner sometimes.” As Sally spoke, she took Andre’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I’d like to get to know more about you.”
The affection brought some unexpected feelings to Andre. There was a warmth and generosity from Sally he hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since…as Andre’s thoughts reminisced about his late wife, his warm feelings were replaced with guilt. How could he entertain the company of another woman, even if it was only social? It felt like a betrayal to Adriana’s memory, of their lives together. As hard as it was losing her and as lonely as he was, Andre couldn’t bring himself to having any sort of relationship with another woman. For him, that part of his life was gone.
Andre slowly unlocked his hand. “You’re a very nice person. I think I’ll head up to my place on my own.”
Sally could see the pain in Andre’s face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“No, no,” Andre insisted. “It’s not you. I appreciate your company. I’m just very tired, that’s all. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Sally realized he was hurting and said nothing more as he limped away towards another lift. They had gotten along so well that night. She couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed someone’s company so much. It had been years since her husband died. She didn’t date anyone either, having felt a loyalty to him. She understood where Andre was coming from. He just needed some time.
With Andre heading up on his own, Sally realized she wasn’t ready to leave the party just yet. She turned and headed back into the crowd.
********
Bret and Shelly hit the dance floor as soon as they finished eating. After both were exhausted from dancing from one song after another, they decided to walk around Central for a bit. They met up with Korifluxinina, and the three of them meandered around the city.
“It would seem this celebration has properly honored the achievements of the protectorate,” the Quix remarked as they moved along the street.
“I hope we can have parties like this more often,” Shelly added.
“How're your feet holding up?” Bret asked as he looked at Shelly’s high heels.
“I could probably take a little break from walking.”
“Let’s stop someplace for a drink,” Bret suggested.
Shelly’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go there.”
Bret and Korifluxinina looked over to see she was referring to Selection.
Bret was surprised by the suggestion. “You want to go to an agency?”
“Sure, they serve champagne there,” Shelly replied. “We can relax in their lounge area.”
“Champagne has an adverse effect on Quix physiology,” Korifluxinina said. “Max has asked me to meet up with him later at The Lounge. I will go there and wait for him.”
“Maybe we’ll catch up with you later,” Bret said as the Quix slithered off down the street.
“Come on,” Shelly said as she pulled on Bret’s arm. “I’ve heard a lot about this place. Let’s check it out.”
Bret relented as they headed towards Selection. “You don’t seem like the type to go to an agency.”
Shelly chuckled. “For my eighteenth birthday, my friends took me to one in Miami. It was the best night of my life. I still remember my companion’s name. Jake.” She could see the look of apprehension on Bret’s face. “You’ve never been to one?”
“Never had a chance,” Bret admitted. “I’m kind of shy when it comes to stuff like that.”
“You don’t have to use any of their services,” Shelly explained. “We can just hang out and have a drink.”
It made Bret feel better hearing that he wouldn’t be coerced into being put into an uncomfortable situation. In truth, he was a little curious what the inside of an agency looked like. Because of the tight regulations imposed on the industry, it was hard to find a place considered low end or sleazy. The government regulated almost every aspect of such a business to ensure the safety of both clients and workers.
The senior officers reached the nondescript gray doors. Bret wanted a moment to prepare himself, but Shelly was too eager to wait. She pushed the door open and entered, forcing Bret to follow right behind her. Both were amazed at how opulently the interior was decorated. Shelly expected such a grand presentation but was still surprised. Bret was simply impressed. This was certainly a first-class operation.
Most of the couches were occupied by patrons. Most were human, but there were a few Onixins sitting with a couple of escorts. An older woman approached the pair as they marveled at the surroundings.
“Darlings,” Esther greeted. “Welcome to my establishment. I’m your hostess, Esther. Whatever I can do to make your visit pleasant, do not hesitate to ask.” The officers were impressed by the black dress that covered Esther from the neck down. It was elegant, yet modern.
“Thank you,” Shelly replied. “This is my friend’s first time to an agency.”
“I always enjoy introducing our offerings to someone unfamiliar.” Esther took her arm and interlocked it around Bret’s arm. “My dear, our goal is to make you comfortable and at ease. Feel free to indulge as little or as much as you like.”
“I…appreciate that.” Bret wasn’t used to getting such personal attention.
“As you are new, may I recommend relaxing here in the lounge and enjoying some champagne.” She snapped her fingers, and a blue, square bot rolled up. “A bottle of bubbly and two glasses for our guests here.” Esther smiled at Bret and Shelly. “The bottle is on the house. Enjoy and stay as long as you like.”
Wow, talk about first class service. Bret was impressed. “That’s kind of you.”
Esther turned to Shelly. “My dear, as I assume you’re familiar with what we offer, I’ll leave it up to you to explain things to your handsome friend. I’ll come by later to see how you’re doing.”
“I will, thank you,” Shelly replied.
Esther bowed slightly to them and headed off to greet some new patrons who’d just come in as Shelly and Bret headed to an empty couch.
“Okay, this is kind of neat,” Bret admitted. “It’s nothing like I expected.”
“I’m glad you’re good with this,” Shelly said as t
hey sat down. Seconds later, the service bot came up and set down two champagne glasses. As it opened the bottle and poured them their first round, Shelly was admiring some of the male companions walking around as Bret was checking out some of the female companions.
“So, are you going to get an escort?” Bret asked.
“I dunno,” Shelly replied. “Be kind of fun, but I don’t want to leave you alone if you’re not up for that. I’d rather hang out with you.”
“I think I’ll be okay,” Bret assured. “But if it’s okay, let’s just hang out for a little while.”
“Works for me,” Shelly smiled as they raised their glasses. “Thanks for coming in with me.”
Bret nodded as they clinked their glasses.
********
Korifluxinina was at The Lounge. The place was packed full of people, and the Quix had a hard time getting in. Once she found an empty table at the far wall, she sat and waited for Max. The bartender was out in the city celebrating. There was no way he was going to miss out on the festivities. His bots were handling running the bar while he was out. While waiting for him, Korifluxinina chatted with some of the patrons who stopped by her table. She was getting more accustomed to engaging with individuals, no matter their race. Her efforts in getting out of her quarters more was paying off.
Eventually, Max showed up at The Lounge. He saw Korifluxinina but checked on the bots first to make sure everything was going smoothly. Once that was done, he grabbed a bottle of rum and two glasses full of ice and brought it over to the table.
“Happy opening!” Max proclaimed as he set the glasses on the table and proceeded to fill them up.
“That is rum, indigenous to your world. You know that I do not consume human mind-altering drinks,” Korifluxinina reminded.
Max looked at the now filled glasses, seemingly unsure of what to do. He eventually just shrugged his shoulders and plopped down in his seat. “I’ll drink them both,” he said as he took one glass and promptly finished it in one gulp.
Korifluxinina studied his mannerisms. “You are inebriated.”
“Just a little,” Max smiled. “You’ve been enjoying the party?”
“It has been a pleasant experience. I was with Shelly and Bret earlier. They went to Selection.”
Max was surprised to hear that. “Didn’t think those two would be going to an agency. Good for them.”
One of the service bots came up to the stage as a colorful machine emerged from behind the curtains. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is now karaoke time.”
Max looked at Korifluxinina with wide eyes. “You should do it. Sing a song.”
Korifluxinina was familiar with this human activity of singing songs. “I used to partake in similar activity back home. I was always complimented with the consistency of my vibrational tones.”
“So, you’re a good singer. Get up there and show us,” Max prodded.
Korifluxinina wasted no time in heading up to the stage. The bot handed her a microphone, which the Quix knew was to focus her voice.
“What song would you like to sing?” the bot asked.
“You may select one for me. However, I would like to align my body’s vibration before I start.”
The bot selected a song and waited for Korifluxinina to indicate she was ready to begin. Several Senfo in the audience were chanting for the Quix to sing.
While Korifluxinina was preparing for her singing debut, Ben entered The Lounge with a couple of his legal staff. He met up with them while wandering around the celebration in Central and joined them going from event to event. They decided to make The Lounge their last stop for the night. Ben was still wide awake, having only one glass of champagne during dinner. Even spending an hour dancing did nothing to tire him out.
The group took a seat at a table and saw the Quix science officer getting up on stage. “Wonder what’s going on,” Bernadette, one of the attorneys in the group, asked.
An Onixin sitting by them overheard the question. “She is going to perform human karaoke.”
Ben was confused. “I thought Quix couldn’t sing.”
“No, it’s the Senfo who don’t have music in their society,” Jeff clarified, a paralegal in the group. “And they can sing. I saw a couple of them singing earlier on the main stage. They were awful.”
Ben was glad he left before seeing that performance. A service bot came to the table and took the group’s drink order. With all the time he had been spending with the Cresorians, Ben didn’t have much time to learn about the cultures of the other aliens on board. “My next day off I’m going to stay home and read up on all the aliens who live here.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jeff said. “One time I confused an Onixin for a Senfo.”
Korifluxinina was ready to begin just as the legal group got their drinks. Max gave her a thumb’s up as a sign of encouragement.
“As is customary in my culture, I will demonstrate my vibrational range before performing the song,” Korifluxinina explained. She relaxed her body and concentrated as the crowd waited. She brought her arms tight to her sides and tensed her muscles as she closed her eyes. With one release, she projected a loud sound wave throughout The Lounge. Except for the group of Quix present, everyone pressed their hands over their ears in agony. Nearly every glass and bottle in The Lounge shattered from the sound. After five seconds of demonstrating her abilities, Korifluxinina stopped and opened her eyes.
The Quix in the crowd immediately stood up and waved their hands in the air in approval. Everyone else just looked around in disbelief. Liquor was dripping from the tables and counters, shattered glass was strewn everywhere.
“May I proceed with the song?” Korifluxinina asked.
“No!” everyone shouted in a collective unison. Only the Quix encouraged her to start the song.
Max was in shock as he looked at the devastation around him. This was going to cost him quite a bit. He eventually got up and approached Korifluxinina, who was still on the stage. “I probably should have asked what Quix singing consists of,” he said as he gently took the microphone from her.
Korifluxinina looked around and realized what she had done. “My apologies. I assumed your establishment was designed to handle Quix vibrational tones of any strength.”
For Ben, this brief display was enough for him. “I’m out of here. This is definitely the universe telling me it’s time to go home.”
********
It was 0450 hours. The first-floor of Selection was devoid of any patrons. Those who had elected to spend the night with a companion were nestled away in one of the rooms upstairs. Esther was at the bar slowly sipping on some champagne. The service bots had cleaned up and were in the back charging on their stations. Business was better than Esther had expected. She was hopeful it was a good sign that her agency could flourish on the ship.
Out of the corner of her eye, the hostess saw a Cresorian walk in. She didn’t immediately get up. Most of the aliens who came in briefly looked around before leaving. Only those few Onixins who were in earlier stuck around, and they only had drinks on the first floor.
“You are the operator of this establishment?” the Cresorian asked Esther.
“I am,” she said as she got up off the bar stool and approached him. “I’m afraid I don’t employ any of your kind here unless you’re interested in the company of a human. You could also relax and enjoy the atmosphere down here.”
Esther extended her hand out to the Cresorian. She wasn’t familiar with greeting customs of any of the alien races and didn’t feel it necessary to learn them for her line of work . Still, extending her hand in friendship had worked with all the aliens who had come in that night.
Without warning, the Cresorian raised his hand and struck Esther across the face. The blow knocked her to the ground. “I know what goes on in this place. Mating should be done only for the procreation of a species. It is an insult that you run a place that profits from mating.”
Although his assault caught her off-guar
d, Esther quickly recovered. This wasn’t the first time she had to deal with an unruly visitor. She pulled a gun from her blouse pocket, pointed it at the alien and fired. She wasn’t worried about alerting security. It was an old style mechanical gun and not an energy-based weapon. The ship’s sensors wouldn’t pick it up going off.
Orocix cried out as the bullet tore through his shoulder. The bullet was laced with tiny shards to maximize tissue damage. The Cresorian tried to fight the pain as he took a step towards Esther, but she was an expert marksman. She fired again, hitting the same shoulder. Brown blood spewed out from the exit wounds. Orocix fell to his knees, the pain overwhelming his senses. His breathing was labored as he clenched his wounds with his one arm.
With the gun still aimed at the Cresorian, Esther got back on her feet. She considered killing the alien. She was certainly within her right of self-defense. Then again, she wasn’t aware of anyone on this ship having killed another. She didn’t want to chance it and be the first to commit such an act.
“I don’t know if you have a personal issue with my business or it goes against your culture. I don’t care either way. Lucky for you I’m in a generous mood tonight. So why don’t you get yourself up and out of here before my gun decides to go off again.”
This had not gone the way Orocix envisioned. He wanted to put these indulgent humans in their place by making an example of this woman. Instead, he found himself at her mercy. It was humiliating.
“You will regret this,” Orocix sputtered as he got up.
“Don’t threaten me,” Esther replied. “If you, or any of your kind, even think of setting foot in here again, I’ll kill the whole lot of you. Now get out of here before I call security.”
If she wasn’t scared now, more words would do nothing to intimidate her. Orocix slowly backed away from Esther before turning and leaving. He made sure no one saw him leave. He needed to get back to his quarters without being seen. People would ask questions about his injuries.
Fractured Alliance Page 13
