13 Degrees of Separation

by Hechtl, Chris

  She made a brushing motion with a hand. “I want to see where they are hunting. And make a point about finding other hunting grounds,” she said.

  “Oh.”

  The Leopard escorted him out. He was a bit shaky, looking around as he pointed to the ambush site.

  “I'll see if I can get the matriarch to have a couple Toms come around off and on. Maybe even Jethro again, he'd scare the shit out of anyone lurking about. I think they're gone.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I don't think they are bothering our regulars. They aren't stupid enough to go after a Neo. Just your luck you met their ideal lunch.”

  “I'm hardly worth it ma'am,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders. He was still a bit spooked, looking around.

  “Got to you didn't it?” she asked. He nodded.

  “Good. It'll keep you on your toes. Try to relax, but keep that sharp edge of watchfulness.”

  “I'll... try.”

  She was sympathetic. “I'm guessing you're new here kid?” she asked, eying him.

  He nodded ruefully. “Is it that obvious?” he asked.

  “It's not written all over your face, but it's in how you walk, talk, and act. Adapt kid. Do it quick.”

  “I'll try.”

  “You do that. Or get into the military,” she said, flicking her ears again and smiling ever so slightly. “They'll at least teach you how to fight.”

  “I'm... I'm not sure how ma'am. To be honest I'm not sure I'm cut out for it,” he said, shrugging. “Killing on the farm is one thing, killing a person...” he shook his head.

  She looked him over and then shrugged. “It takes all kinds.”

  “Yes ma'am,” he said miserably, hanging his head.

  “I didn't mean that as a bad thing. Lad you are too touchy,” she said shaking her head and flicking her ears. M'Wvekki insisted on escorting out of the area. She told him next time to call security and to stay in the clearly lit well traveled corridors. He nodded and thanked her as they parted.

  “And if you're up to it, come by sometime. I'll give you a discount,” she said, smirking. He flushed. She chuffed, slashing her tail and then wrapping it around him briefly. Sensuously the tail caressed his body. “I'll match you with someone who will make sure you have a pppuuurrfect time,” she said, eyes gleaming with mischief.

  He suddenly chuckled, smiling tight lipped. “Thanks ma'am, I'll keep that in mind,” he said diplomatically.

  “You do that,” she said, bump walking off, but not before that devilish tail got in one more dig, caressing the inside of his thigh and making him flush. She smiled over her shoulder and made a growl purr as she rounded the corner.

  He chuckled, leaning against the wall and then laughed softly.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  “Bank all set up?” Penny asked on a break.

  “Yes,” he admitted. He'd done that before getting paid. His pay was direct deposit into his account. “Going for the permit next?”

  “Yup.”

  Penny warned him about the permit. “It's not as simple as you think. It's all on paper, so you have to think. And there is a lot more to bartending then just pouring a drink. Right Ricky baby?” she asked, voice rising to a lilt as she twittered her husband.

  “Yup,” he said.

  “I think I've got it covered,” Jerald replied with a smile.

  “Suit yourself. But if you're half way smart you'll take the pretest. It might save you some headache,” Penny said and left to go wait on tables.

  Apparently he had just missed the Navy exercises. It had been a big thing, something he sorely regretted missing. He checked the archive footage on the net, he was getting better and better at finding things now. It had been an impressive thing, though he had been confused by the media cynicism.

  Another ship had arrived a few days after his did, the Old Nelly from Horathian space. Apparently news of their arrival had made the rounds and now everyone treated talk about the ship and the odd passengers that had offloaded as a over beaten horse.

  He picked up chatter about the Navy, some grumbling and something about Firefly, the ship that had saved the system from the Horathian pirates over two years ago. There was an undercurrent of resentment and fear. Apparently the Navy had decided to set up a Marine base in Agnosta. He was a little excited by that. But they planned to do it by sending Firefly and a few of their ships there. That would leave Pyrax dangerously exposed to the pirates if they should come calling.

  Rumors flew all over the place, ranging from the Navy abandoning the system, to a coup, to Governor Walker finding a way to make them heel. He wasn't sure who to believe so he kept his mouth shut and just listened and nodded at appropriate intervals.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  He got his permit, passing the test barely. He had been dismayed by the questions, Penny had been right, he should have taken the pretest beforehand. He learned more about his chosen trade and further enrolled into the Anvil college once he was sure his budget and his time could cover it. Rick got him a small scholarship from the tavern guild. “You know you have to pay guild fees once you become a bartender too?” Rick had asked. That had dismayed but not dissuaded the lad. He was stubbornly looking forward to becoming a bartender now. He had explored a lot of the other professions, they just weren't for him. He liked working with people, being there, talking with them. Many of the jobs on the station were far outside his comfort zone. Mom and dad had been right, bartending was in his blood.

  A month after his arrival he had settled down into his new life. It wasn't perfect, but it was getting there. Even better, he had met a nice pretty girl in a class but he was shy about approaching her. He had heard her name was Mary.

  A few days after the new schedule of classes had started they bumped into each other in passing, she knocked his papers and tablet out of his hands. She apologized but then whispered that she'd done it on purpose to get him to talk to her. That admission had made him blush and laugh. She was a delicate thing, tiny hands, small thin body, but with a set of freckles across the bridge of her snub nose and a lively sparkle in her grass green eyes and manner. She had a way of brushing her brown and blond hair over her ear that made his heart flutter for some reason. Her hand lingered on his as they picked the papers up. He felt a jolt, an electric spark running through his system.

  Nearby teenage girls tittered at their clumsy antics as they talked and picked the papers up. There were jokes about farm bred and big hands from her cliché which all went over his head but apparently Mary heard and didn't like. She made an excuse to leave and dashed away.

  He found her number in his things. He frowned. One thing he hadn't quite figured out yet was the communications systems on the station. Since he didn't have an account he was torn, he wanted to call her, but didn't want the hassle of setting up the account, nor the charges that would no doubt come with it. Finally he bit the bullet and set it up. He trembled a little, nervous as he called her.

  She smiled on the video phone. “Um, hi,” he said.

  “Hi,” she said, smiling. “You found my number. I was worried you would have missed it.”

  “I almost did,” he admitted.

  “Ah,” she said. “I'm glad you didn't.”

  “So um... why me?” he finally asked.

  She threw her head back and laughed. He realized it was a nice laugh. Finally she came down to his level, but her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Well, if you must know, I heard you came from an agro world. I've been into farming since I was little. And well, you're cute,” she said.

  He blushed and mumbled something along the lines of her being pretty. That got her blushing. They talked small talk for a brief moment before he realized the time. “I've got to go, I've got to go to work,” he admitted reluctantly.

  “Where?” she asked, fluttering her eyes and smiling.

  He flushed. “The Double Fisted Mary,” he admitted.

  “Oh!” her eyes flew wide. “You k
now Rick and Penny?” she asked. He nodded. She smiled. “I do too. Maybe I'll see you there sometime,” she said coyly.

  “Gee, I hope so,” he said.

  She smiled and waved. “Well, bye,” she said softly, reluctantly.

  “Bye,” he said. “It was nice talking with you,” he said. That got another smile from her. She closed the connection. He tapped the off button on the wall screen and then turned and hurriedly got ready for work.

  She ran into him again in the bar later that evening. She was hauntingly beautiful in a simple red dress. They chatted on his break and smiled to each other in passing at every opportunity. Rick had given him the evil eye over the distraction, but Penny had told Rick to butt out.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  When his shift ended Mary was still there. She tucked her hands behind her. “You are busy,” she said.

  He shrugged, taking his apron off. “It's a living,” he said. “I'm used to it,” he admitted.

  “I see that. So, tired?” she teased wickedly. He shook his head, eyes dancing.

  “Want to go dancing?” she asked, twirling her dress. Penny ducked her head away, Jerald turned since he caught the motion out of the corner of his eye. The older woman was laughing.

  “Um, I'm a little foot sore now, but I'd like to do it some other evening, if you don't mind the rain check,” Jerald said.

  Mary pouted a little but her eyes twinkled still. He gulped. She had him thinking things he'd never thought he'd be thinking so early.

  “I do miss seeing the stars though. I loved looking at them when I finished a shift. Being cooped up is a pain,” he admitted.

  Mary nodded. Somehow, the mischief in her eyes seemed to double. “I like seeing the stars. In space, it's spectacular,” she said.

  “On a clear night, out in the field, you could just see on and on forever and ever. Beautiful,” Jerald said wistfully.

  “Come on,” she said, taking his hand. He chuckled as she jerked him into motion and out the door. He heard Penny's gurgle of laughter as Mary picked up her pace. “Come on!” she said, urging him on faster. He smiled and ignored the pain in his feet as he quickened his pace. She led him on a merry chase, occasionally looking back with a coy smile. Eventually she led him to a view port to see the stars and outside activities.

  It was a breathtaking view, not just the stars beyond, but the foreground was abuzz with activity, even this late in the station's day cycle. Tugs moved goods around, robots buzzed about, and suited people seemed to be either getting in the way, or tying things down. Most of the time it seemed like they just got in the way.

  “It's... wow.”

  “I know huh?” she said. “Most people on the station can't handle this. They're agoraphobic. They were born in a can.”

  “And they say grounders have limited vision,” Jerald commented.

  She snorted softly, moving closer until he stood behind her. She was a head shorter than him. Her hair was pulled back in a clasp behind her. She looked up, smiled shyly and then back to the view.

  “Most spacers are terrified of large spaces because they haven't experienced them. not like this,” she whispered, looking out into the stars, leaning against him. “So, we'll have the place to ourselves.”

  “Yeah, the view is nice,” he murmured as he got closer to her. She glanced his way and then blushed when she realized what he'd really meant. She smiled as she brushed her hair over her ear and then leaned into his arms.

  “Jerald, there is something I have to tell you,” she finally said ever so softly.

  “Oh?” he felt his heart skip a beat. There was something wrong, he could tell from her tone alone. She turned, looking up into his eyes. For once the green eyes were troubled.

  “I'm set to do an internship on an agro colony soon. I'm in the botany program, I set it up since Anvil is swamped. The gardens and parks are nice but I want to expand my horizons.”

  “Oh,” he said, face falling. He didn't know what to make of that. “I see,” he finally said. “I hope it works out for you,” he said.

  She looked up to him, mouth quirking in a smile. “Silly, it's not for another semester!” she teased, poking him.

  “Oh, well if that's the case,” he said, kissing her.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  He dated the girl, walking her to classes sometimes. She was on a scholarship, apparently she had impressed a few people in the hydroponics department and the Valdez clan had backed her schooling for the first two years. They held hands on occasion, ignoring the jibes and crowd. “They're just jealous,” Mary teased him. He smiled in return.

  Mary introduced him to some life on the station. They saw the sights, then went out on a date. The movie was okay. He was dismayed by going to dance club and paying a cover fee plus drinks. He blew half a week's wages on one night of partying, he realized later. Penny had scolded him, but Rick had told her to back off and let the kid live a little. “Listen to your own advice woman!” she'd glared at both men then stalked off.

  Rick had snorted. “Well, it's true!”

  “Oh shut up!” Penny had called from the back room.

  “I think the girl's worth it kid. Just don't make a habit of it or you'll burn out.”

  “Yeah. And I can't do that during our busy time. Gotcha boss,” Jerald said, glad his sober up was finally kicking in.

  “Right. Now, get the lead out, we've got customers kid,” Rick said, nodding to the door as people entered. “Shift's ending.”

  “Right,” Jerald sighed, looking at the patrons.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  “Jerald, can you handle table four?” Br'n asked, clacking her mandibles in annoyance.

  “Sure. Problem?” Jerald asked, looking at the Veraxin and then to the indicated table.

  “Just a bad vibe. I don't like the way those three humans look at me.”

  “Oh?”

  “Hostile. I can smell their hostility,” the Veraxin chittered.

  Jerald frowned and then nodded slowly. “Sure,” he said, taking the stub.

  “You're a treat,” the Veraxin replied. “Oh and table three needs to be bussed,” the Veraxin said.

  “Thanks,” Jerald sighed, shaking his head as the Veraxin left him.

  “Problem?” Penny asked, leaning over to him.

  He shrugged looking at the older woman. “No, just wondering if I fell for a trick or not,” he replied as he grabbed his cart. He went over to table three and started working on policing the dishes.

  “Hey waitress!” one of the patrons at table four said. He waved to Penny. Penny ignored him.

  “I'll help you gentlemen,” Jerald replied, straightening. “Your waitress went on break,” he said.

  The trio turned to look at him. He could feel their eyes, cool, cold and calculating. “We don't want her, we want the human.”

  “You have a problem with Veraxins?” Jerald asked, raising an eyebrow. He crossed his arms, seeing Rick out of the corner of his eye catch the message of a problem in the works. Rick slowed his cleaning and paid more attention to the lad. He'd come to trust Jerald's ability to spot and sometimes head off problem drunks. The trio hadn't been in the bar for long though, and each had only had one drink.

  “Yeah. Keep the bug away from us,” one of the men snarled. He was a weasel faced man with stringy blond hair pulled back in a tight pony tail that went down his back. He had a tattoo on his neck and kept his hands in his lap.

  “She is an efficient worker trying to support her family,” Jerald replied neutrally. But if you have a problem I'll handle your table for the evening,” he said.

  “Damn straight. I ain't putting up with no damn bugs. Creepy things,” the older male said, looking around. “Someone should squish her.

  Jerald listened with a practiced ear, there wasn't any slurring or any other sign of drunkenness in that surely statement. He frowned but didn't respond. “Can I take your order?” he asked politely, sticking to the script. He took a pad and pen out of his pock
et.

  “Yeah, give me a double. And a steak. A real one,” the smaller guy said. “About as big as your hand and not a damn synthesteak. They're rubber,” he grumbled.

  “I've tried them. They do leave a lot to be desired,” Jerald replied with a grimace.

  “Not from around here?” the leader asked.

  Jerald shook his head. “Fresh in from New Haven.”

  “Oh?” the leader asked, sitting back. He drummed one hand on the table. “What's it like?”

  “Agro world,” Jerald replied with a shrug. “One big city of a couple thousand, the capital. Everyone is dour and boring. I got bored and wanted to see the bigger picture.”

  “I see.”

  “Are there a lot of aliens there?” the second man said, grimacing as his hostile eyes tracked the Veraxin.

  “Some. Mostly Veraxin, a few Gashg. They're great farmers. They usually stick to the equator and jungles however. I didn't see many in my town,” Jerald replied. He took the leader's drink and then looked at the order he had written. “I'm not sure about the steak, I'll have to ask Rick if we have any available. That's usually a special order thing. Bake potato with it?”

  “Yes! With a big pad of butter this thick!” the guy said, holding his finger and thumb about two centimeters apart. “No, make it this big,” he said, doubling the width. “Real butter too!”

  “I'll look into it,” Jerald replied nodding. He turned to the weasel faced third man. “And for you sir?” he asked.

  “Sir,” the man snorted and then looked up. “Just a power bar and some napkins. Water,” he said. He shifted to one side and Jerald noted the handle of a blade tucked in the man's hand. That immediately set him on guard.

  “Very well,” Jerald said, nodding. “Will there be anything else?” he asked. The men looked at each other and then shook their heads. Jerald nodded. “Okay then, that's one steak, one baked potato, a double vodka, a power bar, and more napkins. I'll see what I can do,” he said and pushed his cart away.

  “Will you put that damn thing away?” the leader hissed. Jerald fought the urge to look back.

  “What? He didn't see it. I'm good,” the weasel man's voice replied.