She spotted the small convoy of servo droids trundling across the floor. Two carried trays of food, and another had a pitcher of water and two glasses.
“That’s for us?”
“Do you see anyone else around?”
“Good point.” She frowned. “But if there’s no one else here, who made the food?”
“Bots. The club isn’t fully operational yet. There’s a bank of food dispensers beyond those doors, and everything is managed by bots and droids. I think there are plans for a fully staffed kitchen eventually, but for now, the focus is on bringing in customers who want to hear live music in a unique venue.”
She laughed. “That sounds like something a corporate executive would say. Not that I’ve met any.”
“I think Rain used to be one of them. She talks like it. Doesn’t act like one, though.”
They paused the conversation as the droids arrived and deposited their meal on the table. Tish noticed that, like the outfit Mace wore, the bot was a Vardarian design. She hadn’t seen many of that type, but she had read up on them out of curiosity.
Most of the meal turned out to be finger food. Easy to eat and tasty. After weeks living off of nutri-gruel, protein bars, and meal packs, her stomach was elated at the chance to eat real food twice in two days.
The time flew by. Mace kissed her again as he stood to leave. “I won’t be far away. Or’yn has door duty, so my job is to be seen walking the floor and keeping an eye out for trouble. I doubt there will be any.”
She glanced around. The place was still empty, though she’d seen several employees enter through the main doors. Some of them had disappeared into the back while others were now behind the bar, setting up for the evening crowd. “Where should I sit?”
He tapped the table with a thick finger. “Right here. This is your table for the night. I’ll come back here between circuits, and I’ll keep an eye on you no matter where I am.”
This was a date, but it was also a work night for Mace. When theLive Truecame back, she’d be on the other side of this situation. She’d be around them for a good chunk of every day,but she’d have work to do. That was going to be difficult because Mace and Xaber would no doubt be around. As distractions went, they’d be the hardest ones she’d ever had to resist.
She watched Mace walk toward the doors and had to tear her gaze away. Uh-huh. Distraction wasn’t the right word for what he was. Temptation. That was it. A walking, growly, hotter than an overclocked fusion drive, temptation.
She nibbled on a skewer of protein chunks marinated in some kind of spicy nut sauce and considered what would happen when Xaber got back. How would this work exactly? Would they take her out separately? Together? Both? She should probably make a list of questions to ask. If they didn’t have the answers, they could figure it out together.
She didn’t have her datapad, but she did have her comm with her. She drew it out of her pocket. Before she could activate it, the lights dimmed, and a crowd began to flow into the club.
They’d opened the doors.
She put the device back in her pocket. The crowd was mostly human, but she spotted several other races as well. Some went straight for the tables while others made for the bar.
It was all surprisingly civilized with none of the noise and jostling she’d expected. Soft, instrumental music came over the speakers, and the projections of the sunset changed to a night sky with two moons. She had no idea where in the galaxy the image came from, but it certainlyfeltreal. Safely seated with her feet planted on the floor, the vast expanse of space overhead didn’t make her head spin anymore, but she preferred not to look at it too long. Fortunately, she didn’t have to.
Mace walked back into view, and she happily observed as he moved around the club, a silent reminder to everyone to behave.
He completed his first round as the lights on stage came up. Rain stepped into view first. She smiled and waved to the crowd.
“Good evening and welcome to the Quantum Forge. We are proud to introduce a new band tonight. Please put your hands together for Becca and the Scorpions!”
The applause was moderately loud and died away just as the band stepped onto the stage. They were all in shadow except for a human woman with dark hair and a shimmering red dress. She moved to the front of the stage, opened her arms, and smiled out at the audience.
A guitar rang out, each note building on the one that came before. Drumbeats, light at first, gathered strength and speed with each bar. And then, the woman began to sing.
Tish closed her eyes, and for a moment the familiar sounds of the blues music carried her back to another time. Quiet nights at home with the music in the background as she told them about her day. She missed them so much. But that life was long gone, and she was taking her first steps toward something new. It felt right to hear that music again. This was a night to remember old memories and to make new ones.
CHAPTER TEN
He hadn’t plannedon returning to Defiance Station this fast, but it had been the obvious choice. TheTruehad made the trip faster than he’d expected, trimming nearly two hours off their arrival time. That was all thanks to Tix’s repairs. Whatever she’d done, it had the ship’s engines working better than ever.
That speed had worked in his favor in other ways, too. The clients had been eager to take custody of the target. So much so that they must have bribed someone to clear away the usual traffic control delays. He’d received a berth assignment and clearance to approach only a few minutes after contacting the station’s control center. The client had even given him an unexpected bonus for the quick delivery.
He could have stayed at the station longer, but Ashur wasn’t the kind of place you wanted to hang around unless you had a reason. It was one of the first stations to arrive in the Drift. Ashur was also the only platform that was not under corporate control. On paper, it belonged to a consortium of mining and labor unions. In reality, that group had long ago split into factions that were in constant conflict with each other.
Everyone involved in the business of mining asteroids knew it was the best place to go if you needed to find work. Captainsand crew chiefs from all over the Drift came to Ashur themselves or hired recruiters to find them the workers they needed. That wasn’t all Ashur was known for. It was also the distribution hub for the majority of all illegal pharma and black-market goods that made their way to the Drift. It was a dangerous place that offered distractions of every kind if you had the scrip to pay for it.
