Despite the late hour, the Zataras’ all ranks bar was doing a good trade. T’arq swiped his wrist against the panel next to the nondescript door. The only indicator that this room was different to any other on this lower level was the faded sign in black lettering that read ‘Bar’. The room was deep in the ship's belly, unlike the officer’s bar that was many levels higher up. That place had walls made of view screens, the large multi-function screens presenting any scene the patrons desired: a tropical paradise, a regal palace, or, more often, just the view outside the starship.
Despite being an officer, T’arq had been to the officer’s bar only once and had decided quickly he preferred the all ranks bar with its lack of pretense. Here the walls were the same nondescript gray of the ship, tables bolted to the floor and built to withstand years of service, and the food was hearty and the drinks strong. But, most importantly, it didn’t seem to matter who you were or where you were from. Everyone belonged here.
The Taureans were used to long missions that could run to months, so they needed to decompress. Yes, there were gyms and simulation suites on the Zataras, and T’arq made good use of those facilities, but a taste of home went a long way to keeping up morale. And this small bar, deep in the belly of the giant starship, was the one place that T’arq truly felt at home.
He paused in the entry as the door slid open, the sounds of people talking and laughing spilling into the corridor. “Come on, Zac.” He clapped the other warrior on the shoulder and smiled. “Let’s get a drink.”
Zac nodded and moved into the room, heading toward the bar. T’arq followed, but paused as a cheer rose from one corner of the room. There were no walls of viewscreens here, just a few small screens mounted to one wall showing various sporting events from Taurus and, now that there were humans on the ship, Earth. T’arq watched as a human man jumped to his feet and started shouting at a screen. They seemed very excited about what was happening. T’arq squinted at the screen, letting Zac move ahead to the bar as he tried to see what the fuss was about.
It looked like the players were slamming into each other for no reason. No, wait. There was a ball. One player passed the ball to another who threw it the length of the field to a third player who caught the ball and turned and ran away with it. It must have been the right thing to do, because the rest of the group of humans jumped from their seats and began screaming and yelling excitedly.
T’arq snorted and continued toward his usual spot at the bar where Zac was waiting. The bar was on the opposite side of the room to the entry, meaning T’arq had to make his way through the throng of people sitting in small groups at circular tables. It was busy tonight, but T’arq still took the time to greet those he knew with a pat on the shoulder, a hug, or a wink for the more flirtatious. By the time he reached the long bar, his face hurt from the smile that had felt more forced than natural.
The bartender was busy rushing backwards and forward, delivering drinks to the waiting patrons, when T’arq arrived and slid into the seat next to Zac, who already had a drink in hand. The harried-looking bartender moved with an enviable efficiency between his patrons. His hair, shaved at the sides and left long on top, was long enough to fall to his waist in a braid, the ends dyed a deep purple. T’arq lifted a hand and received a nod in reply.
“You be wanting Karthian ale?” The bartender’s accent placed him as from one of the outer planets, like T’arq. An accent that T’arq had taken great pains to lose.
Being an outsider at the Taurean military academy had been one thing, being an outsider with an accent that was associated with uncultured, uneducated farmers was entirely another. He knew it wasn’t right to judge someone based on how they sounded, but he’d desperately wanted to fit in as a child a long way from home, so he’d mimicked the accent of the boys from Taurus itself.
“Thanks, Jepp. And whatever you have going for food tonight, if there’s any left?” T’arq smiled apologetically, knowing the hour was past when meals stopped being served.
The bartender placed a drink in front of a customer, who waved their wrist over the scanner pad he offered. At the acknowledging beep, he returned his attention to T’arq. “I think there’ll be some of that pizza the humans like?”
T’arq’s stomach rumbled, and he met Jepp’s amused smile with one of his own. “I think anything would do right now. Thank you.”
He turned to Zac, sitting sideways on the stool to face his friend. “So, when did you get back from Taurus?”
Zac took a sip of his drink and, leaning his arms on the bar in front of him, sighed. “A few hours ago.”
“How is the Supreme Commander? Does he have another mission for us?” T’arq watched the other warrior intently. Maybe this time there would be another team mission to undertake, something other than boring solo flights to deliver messages and pick up packages.
Zac shot a sharp look at T’arq, jerking his head toward the crowded room. “Not here. Tomorrow.”
T’arq grimaced, realizing his mistake. He must be more tired than he thought. It was a rookie mistake to discuss secret missions in public. T’arq was a member of an elite, secret group of both Taureans and humans who completed missions that were a little… off the grid.
The bartender returned with a glass filled with foaming amber liquid, condensation running down the sides. T’arq nodded his thanks to the bartender and took a long pull from his drink.
“That’s what I needed.” T’arq sighed, rolling his neck from side to side.
“Squashed in that little ship again?” Zac chuckled.
“Yeah, twelve hours in one spot is enough to make my ass go numb,” T’arq grumbled. He leaned forward and propped his head on his hand, stifling a yawn as he rested his elbow on the bar and waited for his food. His thoughts drifted back to the mission he had just completed. Ostensibly, he had been on a standard patrol. And, as a stealth ship qualified pilot assigned to the Zataras, that was what he would do. But his true role was a little more complex than that.
“Word has got around that you were visiting Irith’s Moons.” Zac put his glass down and turned to look at T’arq, one brow raised in question.
“I had engine trouble. Irith’s Moons was the closest place to land while I was on patrol. That’s it.”
Zac’s lips quirked. “If you say so.”
T’arq shook his head in mock exasperation. Zac knew full well what T’arq was doing on Irith’s Moons. This little back and forth benefited anyone who might be listening.
In the months since the team’s formation, T’arq had flown into some strange places. But today really took the cake, and for once T’arq didn’t have the energy. He turned back to the bar in time for a plate of pizza to be slid in front of him.
“Thanks, Jepp. This looks great.”
The bartender paused for a long moment in front of T’arq. “If you want some company…” Jepp let the words trail off as his gaze slid over the big Taurean. A few months ago, T’arq wouldn’t have hesitated. Harmless fun with a consenting adult was just the thing to relieve some stress. But recently things had changed. No longer did he want to spend a few hot hours in the company of a man or woman or, as he had on a few memorable occasions, both a mananda woman. He’d wonder what was wrong with him, but he suspected he knew exactly what the problem was. Orwhothe problem was.
It was just his luck that the one person who captured his attention right now was the one person he could never have. His best friend’s sister, for all intents and purposes. A recipe for disaster, unless T’arq wanted a mate. And T’arq didn’t do relationships that lasted longer than one night. So that was that.
