Quentin
Gambling. Perhaps one of the worst addictions there is besides hard drugs. The risk is what makes it so addictive. People always swear that the next bet is where they are going to win, but more often than not, they continue losing. For those addicted to it, they can’t stop until they lose everything. Many take out loans from criminal syndicates to continue gambling. Such is the fate of Malgorth. He lost a game and is now being hunted by criminals. If we’re to save him, we need to earn the money to repay his debts. And fortunately for him, I have a plan. I looked at Zalex and asked, “How do you feel about doing some sleight-of-hand?”
“Good. That’s one of the first lessons my father gave me,” he replied as he pulled a card out of his sleeve. It looked unlike any Earth cards, which made it difficult to discern how the games it was a part of played.
“Thank you. Now,” I said as I turned towards Malgorth, “I need you to remain low. In order to keep you hidden, you must remain behind three of us. Since Zalex is going to be ‘gambling,’ it’s going to be me, Harry, and Scarlett.” The devil-looking alien nodded as he walked between us while crouching. With everything set, we walked.
It was probably half an hour before we reached the gambling den. Unlike the other buildings, this one had flashing neon lights in the front with its name bright enough it seared into my eyes. Not that I could understand what it meant since it was in an alien language. I could see a line by the entrance, which I motioned for Zalex to enter. However, when I turned to look at him, he was already gone. Seeing no other option, I led us to the line.
After a long wait, we finally entered the den. When the bouncers tried to pry us apart, I just told them that our three species, referring to myself, Scarlett, and Harry, were required by culture to enter a building in a triangle formation. They probably dealt with enough strange cultures to buy it. Putting that thought aside, we walked over to the bathrooms and let Malgorth out to hide. Once he was hidden there, the rest of us walked over to the table where Zalex was starting a game with three Sorloks in elaborate robes.
“You know the rules of the game. The first player to match four kingpins wins. Should you pull the enforcer card, you instantly lose and your bets are put into the pool. You may snatch another player’s card should you gather three cards of a set. Those cards are then put into the stack. Each turn, a player will draw a card. Now without further ado, let’s play Sorlok Shuffle,” the lead Sorlok, who was evidently wearing several bejeweled necklaces, explained as he shuffled the cards out. Each player received seven cards. Each player had a pile of tokens next to them.
I noticed how all the players pushed all their tokens towards the center. The pile was large and almost concealed the deck of cards. I walked up to Zalex and decided to give him some help. I opened up my SAD and stood with my back towards the table. He looked at the screen before looking back at the game.
He pulled a card from the stack. “Matching trio!” he shouted as he laid down the matching cards on the table. He then grabbed a card from the person to his right. When I saw his hand, I could see that he did what I wanted him to do. Now he finally had a kingpin.
“Beginner’s luck,” the Sorlok who had his card taken complained. He drew a card from the stack and sighed. Considering he didn’t do anything else, I knew he had neither a matching trio nor an enforcer.
The next player to go was the lead Sorlok. He pulled a card from the top of the deck. Once he saw it, he screamed, “****! No! There’s no way I got that card so early! (Untranslatable Sorlok expletive)!” He slammed his cards on the table. Everyone could see that he pulled an enforcer. I must admit, that’s hilarious. I just hope he doesn’t resort to violence. His cards were returned to the stack and shuffled in them. I could see that he had two kingpins in his hand before they were returned.
The next player pulled a card from the stack and kept a stoic face. He placed three matching cards on the table before taking one of Zalex’s cards. Unfortunately for that player, he pulled a worthless card from him.
When it reached Zalex’s turn again, I could see him eyeing one of the cards in the stack. I figured he wanted that one instead of the one on the top. To aid him, I decided it was time for a distraction. I walked over to a slot machine on the wall directly across from my Sorlok friend and shouted, “C’mon you stupid machine! Stop stealing all my money!” I then punched the screen, causing everyone to stare at me. With everyone looking my way, I could see Zalex putting that card on the top of the stack. I turned and scratched the back of my head. “Um… I’m sorry that I got so angry. It was all I earned last month.”
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“You better calm it down or you’ll be tossed out the airlock!” the lead Sorlok shouted as he stared daggers at me. I quickly made my way to Scarlett and crossed my arms. The entire room quieted down and focused on the game again.
Zalex pulled the card off the top of the deck and smirked. That made two kingpins in his stack. However, I could tell from the mischievous grin he had that he pulled another trick.
The next player pulled the card off the top of the deck. He immediately slammed his cards on the table and screamed, “Impossible! What are the odds that I get an enforcer right after the boss?” He placed his cards in the stack before joining his boss.
The only other remaining player drew a card from the stack and smiled. I took it as proof that he had a kingpin.
Zalex next pulled a card from the deck. He looked over it before announcing, “Matching trio!” He placed the cards on the table before grabbing the card that the other player just got from the stack. Now he had three kingpins in his hand. Now all he needed was one more to win.
The other player took his turn and ended it immediately. Zalex looked at me before pointing at the door behind his opponent.
I walked over to the door behind his opponent and slammed it open. When I tried to come up with a way to extend the temporary distraction, I was interrupted by Zalex shouting, “I won!” I walked back over to him. Sure enough, he had four kingpins. With the display of his win, he grabbed all the tokens and dragged them over to himself. “I believe this adds up to thirty thousand credits. Am I right?” he inquired.
“Correct,” the lead Sorlok said with sorrow.
“I’ll contribute most of this victory to pay off Malgorth’s debt. How much would that leave me?” Zalex said as he smirked at the large pile.
“You would be left with five hundred credits. We’ll also pull the hit off on your friend,” the Sorlok crime boss said. Once that was said, Malgorth left the bathroom and reentered the room. The crime boss looked at him and said, “You can go. I already told my followers to stop chasing you.”
“Awesome!” Malgorth cheered as he ran up to my group. “Thank you for saving me! It’s totally righteous!”
Once the money was transferred, we walked out of the gambling den. Harry made sure to drag our troublesome newcomer out of there. We walked all the way to a bar. Before Harry could enter, a new alien walked towards us. This one looked similar to the alien assassin we freed on Daraxes. Dang! If they’re like the assassin, then this is going to be a hassle.
“Harry, I see you ditched us for these losers. Why don’t you join up with us again?” the alien asked. Unlike the assassin on Daraxes, he was a single individual. Also unlike the assassin, he was not deranged.
“Reshri, don’t you have something better to do? You know that I fly solo,” Harry replied as he crossed his arms.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m growing tired of bounty hunting. I’d rather become a merchant at this point in my life, but I just need to complete one more job to earn the required money. That’s why you need to help me,” Reshri pleaded. That was when the gears turned in my head.
“Wait!” I shouted, earning everyone’s attention. I cleared my throat before explaining, “I know someone with a high bounty nearby. They are conjoined assassins of your species,” I said, making him gasp.
“Aseshi and Sheshna! Where did you see those terrible twins?” Reshri shouted as he loomed over me.
“Daraxes,” I answered. I looked at Zalex and asked, “Would you like to join him? He would probably need a mechanic for his shipments.”
“Yes, I would,” the Sorlok replied before he looked at everyone. “Your crew was nice to hang around, but it’s time for me to part ways.” He sighed before saying, “It’s truly a shame. If you weren’t heading to a galactic backwater, I would’ve been willing to join you.”
“It’s fine. Sometimes, I feel like this place is better than home. Everything is so advanced, pristine, and rich. However, I feel alone. Believe me, Earth could be pretty lonely, but I feel like I belong there. I have friends and family back there. I swear, I will return home! If not for myself, then for them. They don’t deserve the heartbreak of losing a son forever. The same could be said for Scarlett and Harry,” I replied as I saluted him.
“Farewell, Zalex. I hope you enjoy the days ahead,” Scarlett said as she shook his hand.
“I guess this is goodbye. I’m sorry I blew up on you,” Harry said with some hesitation. He looked away as if he was ashamed he apologized. Harry, that’s called being an adult. You should know better than us considering you’re older.
Before we parted ways, we heard footsteps. I turned around and saw Gruma walking over with several spindles of fabric and sewing equipment. She looked at us and asked, “What happened?”
“I’m leaving. It’s time for you to say your goodbyes,” Zalex explained as he looked at her.
“Okay. Goodbye, Zalex. May your ancestors protect you,” Gruma said as she bowed to him.
“Thanks. I guess,” he replied. He looked at Reshri and asked, “Should we get going?”
“Absolutely,” he answered before walking off. Zalex followed after him before disappearing from our view.
Our crew has lost one member and gained another. Zalex went his way while Malgorth joined our team.
We walked back to our ship in near silence. Scarlett and Gruma took a brief detour to get some makeup, but they quickly rejoined us. As we boarded the ship, I said, “We’ll reach the wormhole fourteen days from now. I hope it brings us to Earth’s doorstep, but I understand the probability is low. However, it would bring us closer.”
Nobody replied as we strapped ourselves into the seats in the cockpit. The ship shot out of the station and towards the wormhole. Now all I can hope is that we don’t get too lost. I want to get home before people start thinking I’m dead. It’s too late for Scarlet and Harry, but that’s an issue to think about on the way there.