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I laugh and pat him on his massive shoulder.
“Take it easy, big man, I’m just teasing you. I think it’s wonderful.”
“Yeah, well, I just need to pick a good spot to put up the brewery itself. I was going to scout some locations tomorrow, and I thought maybe you could come with me.”
“You want me to come with you?” I blink in confusion. “To look at locations for your brewery? I’m not a surveyor and I know nothing about breweries.”
“Ah, um, I would still like you to come along,” he says, clearing his throat.
He just wants my company, is what he’s saying. So I guess this is a for real date. I’ve never been sure if our morning coffee is just a platonic thing or not.
Yarvok has a lot of things going for him. It starts with being seven feet of twisted steel and sex appeal, but he’s also one of the best listeners I’ve ever met. He responds with insightful comments or questions that make it clear not only was he listening, he was paying close attention.
He seldom talks about the war, but I can tell he thinks about it sometimes. He gets this look in his eyes like he’s staring at something far away.
Yarvok squirms on the inside. I’m flattered that he’s asking me along, to be honest, but I can’t resist the urge to drag it on for a few more seconds before I answer.
“Yeah, okay, I’ll come with you. It sounds like it could be fun.”
His eyes light up like a Christmas tree and he smiles.
“That’s great. You want to do it after coffee tomorrow morning?”
“Yes, that’s perfect.”
I’m really starting to like this place.
And Yarvok? He’s the star attraction.
Twelve
Yarvok
I’ve never felt so energetic in my entire life. Oliva heads off to be with her friends Elena and Bron on the Bey ranch. Which leaves me with a mission.
Getting my liquor manufacturing and distribution license.
That means heading into downtown Touchdown. Not my favorite place to be because of the crowds. Even an hour-long wait in the line to use a clerking kiosk doesn’t get me down. Indeed, the long wait gives me time to savor my victory.
I asked her to come with me, and she said yes. The prospect of spending more time with the lovely Olivia had me more excited even than getting my license.
As the line slowly inched forward, I kept wondering where we should check first. There were several sights I had in mind that mike work for a Brewery, but I hoped to get her opinion on it as well.
She may not have been a surveyor, but she’d been on many different worlds and seen many different types of buildings. Surely her insight would be valuable.
Oh, who am I kidding? I just want to be with her, and the survey was a convenient excuse.
I sit down at the kiosk when it’s my turn, grimacing because a flatulent Kilgari was occupying it a moment before. I suffer through it and log onto the terminal.
As it turns out, I not only qualify for a subsidy, as a war veteran I qualify for an additional grant. The stipend is deposited into my account in about thirty seconds. The EC really wants to get this off the ground, and fast.
I leave the admin building feeling like a god. Now I’ll be sticking around to see Olivia and pursuing a new dream. Maybe it’s not as dangerous as mining asteroids, but running a brewery must be…
I stop dead in my tracks. A cold realization grips me.
I know jack and shit about how to make alcohol and other libations. And Jack just fell into a black hole.
“I need to do some research,” I mumble.
