And while Disguised Serenity was a space station, it was its own world, too.
The space station was a beast of a place on the edge of the Terran Empire and the Rhimodian Cyborg territory.
It began as a junkyard where old, broken-down ships were abandoned and regularly scavenged before. The location, near the warp tunnels that spanned the galaxy, had no real potential.
Some genius scavengers started combining all the broken ships into one and, over the decades, had morphed into a mishmash of a massive space station. A refuge for travelers to stock up on supplies or generally get off their ships and stretch their legs. Businesses set up operations out of the station, and those without a home could typically find a residence there.
Supposedly, there wasn’t much one could not find on Disguised Serenity. It remained a source for basic resources as well as the occasional rare treasure. As a place that existed outside of any particular area’s claim, the neutral territory carried rules but didn’t belong to any one galactic empire.
Laws tended to be more recommendations than anything. Many mercenaries worked out of Disguised Serenity, simply because it was a safe territory for many factions.
Phares wasn’t as familiar with it as others would be, like Erzo, because his people, the Charro, were typically mercenaries for hire. He was the exception to that, and was one of the few Charro that Phares had met who wasn’t a merc looking for, well, something.
One thing, however, was not illegal on Disguised Serenity, or anywhere in the galaxy.
Mate-finding services.
Though Phares wondered about the process. How much say would he have, and how did other potential mates join up?
Would he be shoved into a room with a female and told that she was his? Or would he be given a room full and expected to pick from them? Or the other way? Was he one who would be selected by a female?
Whatever it was, with the way Phares’s Fever began burning, he hoped the Intergalactic Dating Agency would be able to find him a proper mate. He didn’t really care what she looked like. If she quenched his fever, then that was all that mattered.
He didn’t want to force anyone to be his mate, and if he didn’t find one, well, he’d just have to live with Fever.
If he could.
There was only so much that the doses could do for him.
* * *
“There,that should do it. You’re all vaccinated and approved,” the medic said.
Phares nodded and rubbed his arm where he’d been injected with several inoculations. “What now?”
Another tech was running a scanner over Olmed, and Erzo got his own dosing from a hypo sprayer. They had been brought straight from their transport to this medical office to check them in and start the process.
Phares turned back to the tech who had stepped away. What was the male’s name? He tried to remember. “Duke, is there anything we need to do now?”
The medic turned around. “I believe that Re-lee is on her way to explain the next phase of the process with you.” Duke looked past him to the door. “There she is, right on time.”
“Hello, gentlemen,” said the pink-skinned humanoid as she walked in. Warm, trusting smile and quiet confidence in her steps, she crossed the clinic and stopped right in front of them, a tablet in her hand, and she slid her fingers over the keys. She seemed tiny compared to them, but all the miners had their attention on her.
“How was the travel?” she asked.
“Fine,” Erzo said. “How are you today?”
“Lovely, thank you."
“I would say so,” Erzo said, his gaze running over her.
Phares glared at him. “Knock it off.”
“You flatter me,” she said. “I hope you are ready to begin this journey with me. I welcome you all formally to the Intergalactic Dating Agency.” Her tone shifted to a slightly more formal one, like she was ready to take care of her job now.
Friendly chatter was over.
She tapped on her tablet.
