Gaz turned and saw the girl standing behind him with an expression he could only describe as halfway between anger and curiosity.

“Hello,” he said cautiously.

“Can you stop checking out my friends all the time, it’s super creepy.”

That felt a bit unfair, but he happily demurred. “Sorry If I made you uncomfortable,” he said. “I’ll be sure to keep my eyes on the bar.”

He turned away, then felt an insistent tapping on his shoulder.

“Hey again,” she said.

“Hi.”

“So, are you just down here from Rackeye, or what’s your story?”

Gaz took a moment to study the young woman. She was staring at him in a way that put him in mind of an inexperienced noncom—awkwardly insistent, though not unfriendly, and completely socially oblivious.

“I’m from off-world,” he said. “Just down here on business.”

She crossed her arms. “What kind of business do off-worlders have in Zula?”

“I’m a private investigator, but I guess I’m not very good if I don’t blend in.” He sniffed his clothes. “Do you know where I can get some of that farm smell you were talking about earlier?”

She stared at him in silence for a moment, then burst out laughing. Too loudly, Gaz decided, which meant she was uncomfortable.

“You have to hang out with the locals more,” she said cheerfully.

“Hey, Kayla,” a stern voice said.

Two of the woman’s friends arrived, one of whom grabbed her arm.

“We’re having this really serious disagreement, and we need you to step in,” the friend said.

Next to her, an oriental looking woman fixed Gaz with an annoyed scowl.

“What? Really?” Kayla said, and glanced back at Gaz. “But I was—”

“Now. You need to come back to the table,” her friend insisted.

Gaz read the unspoken message and downed his drink. “Excuse me,” he said. “I was just leaving.”

He didn’t look back as he stepped out into the night, his mind buzzing with questions about VennZech, and what Kite’s information might have meant. The only thing he knew for sure was that they were a long way from reaching the kids that desperately needed their help.

“Are you out of your mind?” Lyna hissed as she steered Kayla back to their table.

“What the hell?” Kayla complained as she was forced back into her seat. “I was just breaking the ice before you interrupted.”

“That was a Frontier Marine,” Bao said. “Didn’t you see the tattoos on his neck?”

Kayla stared at her impatiently. “So?”

“You can’t go and chat up military,” Tian explained. “That’s just asking for trouble.”

“Oh come on, they’re not all evil. Besides, we probably have things in common.”

Lyna’s eyes widened with intent. “That you are forbidden from talking about.”

“That’s only half the problem,” Tian added. “You do not want to try and date military guys. Your personalities are basically identical.”

Kayla’s brow creased. She was already getting confused. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Oh my god, yes,” Tian said. “You’ll be trying to kill each other by the end of the week. Trust me on this, it goes so badly.”

“Okay but… I dunno, that sounds kind of fun.”

“You poor misguided soul,” Lyna said sympathetically. “You need a quiet intellectual type with a thing for tomboys. Please, let us share our accumulated wisdom, so we can save you from painful mistakes.”

Kayla rolled her eyes, but signaled her acceptance. It was nice to have friends watching out for her. Over in the corner, she caught sight of Christie and Thandi, with a woman she didn’t recognize.

“Christie’s here, I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” she said.

Kayla sank into a seat next to Thandi, who flashed her a questioning look. Kayla shrugged and tilted her head—they would talk later.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Hi Christie,” she said politely. “Who’s this?”

“Ah, my good friend Kayla Barnes,” Christie said in introduction. “Allow me to present Moiray Gallan.”

“You with Forest?” Kayla demanded, before catching Thandi’s slowly shaking head and wide eyes.

“I met Moiray in Rackeye,” Christie said smoothly. “I thought I’d tempt her out into the wider world.”

“Wait, who are you with?” Kayla said again.

She’d had a bit to drink already and after the terror of approaching a guy for the first time in her life, was having trouble focusing. A swift tap on the shin from Thandi’s foot woke her up a little. She was missing something very important.

“Moiray is Christie’s date,” Thandi said.

A couple of insistent thoughts tried to push their way into Kayla’s mind, and one got there leaps and bounds ahead of the others.

“Oh,” Kayla said, “so, you’re a Helvet?”

“Gosh, do you think anyone will notice?” Moiray said nervously. “I hope I don’t get in trouble. They make such a fuss about the danger out here, but I always thought it was a bit um… hyperbolic.”

Kayla narrowed her eyes at Christie, who narrowed them back in return.

“It’s true there is some tension with the colonists,” Christie said, “but we are in no danger around my friends.”

She said this with another threatening look at Kayla, whose remaining flash of introspection finally managed to catch up.

“Christie!” she declared in surprise. “You didn’t tell me you were gay!”

An awkward silence covered the group, while Thandi slowly put her head in her hands. Christie returned Kayla’s insistent expression with a polite smile.

“First of all,” Christie said, “I’d like to thank you for wrapping up my personality and shoving it into your neatly labelled little box. I date people I am attracted to. I am attracted to Moiray.”

“Okay,” Kayla said. “My bad.” She didn’t really understand the difference but was happy to take Christie’s word. “I’m sorry—it’s nice to meet you.” She beamed at Moiray, hoping that sheer enthusiasm would make up for her bad impression.

“Secondly,” Christie went on, “I did not mention my dating preferences because they have not been relevant to any conversation we have had to date. I’m not even sure why it would concern you.”

Kayla felt annoyance escape her control like a slippery fish. “Oh, come on. We’ve been friends for a long time. I feel like I should know these things about you, but you’re so closed off.”

Moiray giggled. “I say that all the time.”

“Oh,” Christie turned to her with an evil smile. “Kayla isn’t really my friend. She’s more an experiment; my attempt to see if the savage natives can be educated and civilized.”

Kayla hissed between her teeth. “Mean girl confusing and complicated. Kayla want smash.”

“So, Moiray, you work for the art gallery?” Thandi said desperately.

“Just for info,” Kayla interrupted. “I’m not gay. That is, I don’t get attracted to women.”

“Gosh, really?” Christie said, “And why did you feel the need to share that information, exactly?”

“Because, you ass, as friends we should learn more about each other.”

Christie’s eyes gleamed. “Of course, I’m sure it isn’t because you expect me to instantly fall in love with you?”

“Well duh,” Kayla gestured to her herself. “I mean I’m super-hot, and you’re only human.”

“This is great,” Thandi said to no-one in particular. “So awesome. I’m so glad we could share this side of ourselves with innocent people.”

“But Kayla,” Christie purred in a voice that had become slightly more upper class than usual. “Don’t you think I’m rather out of your league?”

“Oh Lord have mercy,” Thandi said as she put her head in her hands.

The silence that followed seemed to extend forever.

Kayla’s glass hit the table with a small splash of liquid. “The hell did you just say to me?”

“Well,” Christie said, in a slightly less confident voice, “I’m interested in intellectual pursuits and culture, and you’re—”

“Smart and interested in lots of different things.”

“Mostly related to um… rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

Kayla’s nostrils flared. “Bullshit. Anyway, you should be more open minded.”

“So, I’m wrong about who I’m attracted to?”

Kayla narrowed her eyes. “Yes.” Her brain caught up with her a moment later, and she turned to the stunned Moiray with a manic smile. “I’m so sorry—you are obviously great together. I hope you both have the happiest relationship. The three of us are kind of like very contentious sisters.”

“Adopted sisters,” Christie said. “From different sides of the tracks.”

“That’s unfair. I had a first-class education, just like yours—I was the second smartest girl in my school, I—”

Kayla stopped and turned away, as a lump caught in her throat. She had been giddy with the carefree evening, and with four of them at the table she had fallen so naturally into an old dynamic. But Moiray was not their fourth, and the realization had hit her with a sickening jolt. The old wound tore itself open, and for a moment she couldn’t speak through the pain.

Even Thandi and Christie had been struck by the moment, as they stared in grim silence at their drinks. Between them, a completely confused Moiray glanced around helplessly.

“Um… what did you say that you do, again?” she asked Thandi in an obvious attempt to find some semblance of normalcy.

Thandi looked up and smiled weakly. “Security. I’m a consultant for um…” she waved a hand. “security planning for venues.”

“We work for the same company,” Christie explained. “You remember I explained that I do data analytics?”

Kayla took in a breath and clawed her mind back to the present. “Yes, and I um…” She swallowed and glanced at Christie, feeling the spirit of mischief returning. Reigniting the offensive would restore her spirits. “I provide onsite tactical support and defensive capability, enabling multi-dimensional uh… threat targeting and response from both a kinetic standpoint, and cyber… uh…” she stopped, her inspiration having suddenly run out of steam.

Christie leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands whilst gazing in mock adoration at Kayla. “Please go on. I could listen to you all night.”

Kayla, irritatingly at a loss, dropped her fingers into her drink and flicked a spray of liquid at her. Christie yelped and ducked away.

“She’s a bodyguard,” Thandi explained.

“Gosh how thrilling,” Moiray exclaimed. “That sounds so dangerous. But don’t you worry you might have to… kill someone?” She said the last partly quietly as though afraid to speak the words.

Kayla rolled her eyes at Christie, who had the decency to look contrite.

“I think I’d manage,” she said coolly.

Christie put a hand on her date’s shoulders. “How are you doing my dear? I did warn you that we were completely crazy.”

Moiray smiled uncertainly. “You have such lively conversations, it’s so fascinating.”

Kayla looked around as a crash disturbed the bar’s atmosphere. Two men had jumped up from their chairs and were squaring off, while Lyna was clutching the arm of one of them.

“Don’t waste your strength on him,” she said nastily, “He’s not worth it.”

Tian jumped between the two furious looking combatants, while Bibi dragged Lyna away. It seemed to take her some effort. When she caught Lyna’s eye, Kayla saw a spark of malicious joy through her drunken gaze.

Over on the other side of the bar, Jess was staring glassily into the eyes of a wary young man while she giggled at nothing. Nearby, Ray waved for Kayla’s attention, then twirled a small circle by her head with a finger.

It was time to leave.