Page 113 of Alien Haven

Chapter Five

Charity returned to the Amgar farm despite her earlier plans to not do so. Eager to look nice for her night on the town, she changed from the casual clothes she’d worn to shop in Sunrise. She selected a pretty blue dress she hoped wouldn’t be too upscale for Bar, Bowl, and Barrel. Once she was satisfied by her appearance, she stepped from her bedroom to find Sara and Groteg waiting for her in the hall.

She groaned inwardly. A flash of her usual stubbornness and angst eagerly rose to the occasion of questioning authority. She quashed it, determined to do the right thing for a change.

She beamed at her hosts. “Let me guess. I’m failing to play disgraced college student Jennifer Seng as I should be. No night out in the company of the cutie waiting for me downstairs.”

To her great relief, Sara waved off her concerns. “On the contrary. I think a rebel would be determined to escape her sentence, so it’ll look perfectly normal for you to go out.”

“Thank you.” Charity tried to contain the rush of exuberance, but she caught herself wiggling in anticipation.

Sara chuckled. “By all means, be young and foolish while you can. You and Ilid have fun tonight. Responsibility will come calling soon enough.”

“Don’t be too foolish,” Groteg countered. Despite the warning, his expression was as gentle as his fierce features allowed. “A resident member of the Kalquorian spy division here on Haven commed me earlier today.”

“Dramok Dolgra, right?” She’d heard his name mentioned by her warders on Alpha Space Station. She had yet to meet him.

Groteg’s features tightened, as if she wasn’t supposed to know the spy’s identity, but he made no mention of it. “There were a couple of transmissions to Mercy this afternoon from the area.”

“You think Earthtiques found me? Already?” An unpleasant jolt shot through her system.

“Probably not. Plenty of our residents have relatives on Mercy. They’re constantly trying to check on them since the issues that planet’s had. Damned few transmissions get through since the rebels against the government have seized so many com stations, but occasionally, they get lucky.”

“The coms could be something or nothing, in other words.” Charity managed to keep sarcasm from her tone.Don’t be a bitch. Let the man do his job.

“Keep an eye on your surroundings. Com me if anything looks odd. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

“Okay. I’ll have Ilid on hand until you come riding to the rescue. Maybe Detodev too. He told me he likes to go to Bar, Bowl, and Barrel on occasion.”

Groteg exchanged a glance with Sara, who crooked a brow. The Nobek sighed. “Sure. Keep close to your friends and you’ll be fine.”

She gave the pair her best smile. “Thanks for everything. You know, your kids are lucky to have you guys for parents.”

“Remind them of it every opportunity you get,” Sara chuckled. “Have a good time.”

As Charity bounced down the stairs, she thought even if Haven were Planet Farm Hell, it had its decent points. Clan Amgar was at the top of the list.

* * * *

An hour after arriving at Bar, Bowl, and Barrel, Charity was less enthused about her night out. In fact, she was thinking of heading back to the farm early.

It wasn’t because the place was awful. The club portion was little more than a shitkicker bar full of fieldhands taking the edge off a long day of farming, cleaning stalls, riding the range, and whatever else farm types did. It was far nicer than the Roadhouse. It had an actual floor, no sawdust, and a blessed lack of urine scent. It boasted a few pool tables, a vid-game room, and a few spaces between tables big enough to allow Earther couples to dance if they were able or rock in each other’s arms if they weren’t so light-footed.

The attached bowling alley was decent, but Charity’s dress was hardly the right outfit for playing a few frames. The lanes were crowded to capacity anyway, full of serious teams and fun-seeking families.

The fight pit at the back of the building, reserved strictly for Nobeks who wanted to spar, gave Charity a moment’s pause.Her nerves settled…a little…after she read the warning signs. One declared no Nobek who’d had more than ten bottles of kloq, five of bohut, or eight shots of whiskey would be allowed to participate. Another sign proclaimed intent to do serious bodily harm would result in offenders being arrested and permanently banned from the premises.

A civilized shitkicker bar, Charity surmised. Fair enough.

Bar, Bowl, and Barrel was fine. Her problem was Ilid. The young man had displayed uneasiness upon entering the bar, and it hadn’t diminished despite the laidback atmosphere. She couldn’t figure out what his problem was. There were plenty of his fellow Kalquorians present. The Earthers mixed easily among them. There was no sign of speciesism to be seen as the two races laughed and conversed together like the longtime friendly acquaintances they apparently were. Earther women and a couple human men, who were obviously in romantic relationships with Kalquorians in singles and multiples, weren’t looked at twice except when someone hailed them in affable recognition.

Despite the congenial atmosphere, Charity noted Ilid was damned near ill from discomfort. He tried to hide it behind a front of warm conversation. He paid plenty of attention to her. However, his gaze darted here and there, as if searching for trouble…or an enemy. He jumped at sudden bursts of laughter. When someone dropped a bottle and it shattered on the floor, he’d nearly flown from his tall stool at their small table. His eyes had locked on the exit as his hand reached for her arm. It was as if he’d been prompted to escape and take her with him. His embarrassed laughter and fumbling apology for being startled couldn’t hide how he refused to meet her gaze…or the flash of sickened shame in his expression.

Maybe he’s ill.He’d tried his first pizza at her suggestion. He’d declared it delicious. There’d been a few families, includingKalquorians, in the restaurant they’d gone to before the bar. The aliens had been having pizza for dinner too, tucking in as if they’d eaten it a gazillion times before. Still, Ilid wasn’t used to Earther food. Maybe it hadn’t agreed with him, though he’d said he was fine when she’d asked.

Charity had no idea why Ilid wasn’t having fun. The thought it might be her fault was unpleasant to consider. She cast about in her head what she might have said or done to upset him. Her desperate chatter died as she ran out of things to say.

“We have a couple of guys coming our way, looking right at us,” Ilid noted following a couple of seconds of silence, during which he’d continued to scan the dimly lit environs. “They appear to be a Nobek and an Imdiko.”

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