Hotbloods 6: Allies

“Well, grumpy, nobody invited you to play—you don’t look like no lady to me,” Kirin fired back.

I turned to look at the rest of the casino and felt a wave of apprehension. The gambling here wasn’t the same as the gambling back on Earth; there were no dice, no roulette wheels, no cards. Here, the stakes were far higher, the games far more physical. In one section, they were throwing tiny, white-furred creatures at a target. In another, they were watching miniature creatures, which looked like a cross between birds and weasels, racing around a track. In a third, they were watching the same creatures fly around a course, the spectators whooping and screaming at their backed creature to move faster.

The game that really caught my eye, however, was a one-eyed man jabbing a laser blade between his fingers, with a crowd of burly aliens standing all around him, urging him on. It was more familiar to me than the other games, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch. It was like a car crash I couldn’t turn away from. Sure enough, the crackling blade sliced through one of the guy’s fingers with a sizzle of flesh. My stomach turned as the digit rolled off the dirty table and hit the floor. The other aliens erupted with amusement or annoyance, depending on how they’d bet.

“They’re not games like that, are they?” I asked dubiously.

“Stabscotch?” Kirin mused, following my gaze. “Nah, that’s a game for idiots.”

“Hey, that’s my favorite game!” one of the Reapers protested.

Kirin grinned, flashing her needled teeth. “Yeah, and that’s why you’ve only got three fingers on each hand.”

He held them up proudly. “Wouldn’t be called Pincers without these babies!”

“So, whaddya say we go through to the Ladies’ Lounge, and get a little more civilized?” Kirin said, turning her attention back to me.

I looked to Navan, who still didn’t seem convinced.

“I’m not sure,” I murmured.

“You gonna let a grayskin dictate what you can and can’t do?” she taunted, giving Navan a playful jab in the arm. “Come on, let your lady loose! I’ll treat her right, show her a good time, make sure she don’t get into no trouble.”

“Don’t let her too loose with your lady. You’ll never get her back!” the troll, Zippi, teased.

“Shut your mouth, Zippi, before I shut it for you,” Kirin snapped. “I’ll bring ‘em both back, safe and sound. I’m not the one who tries recruiting every person we come across.”

I smiled at the banter between Kirin and Zippi. It was clear the two of them were fond of each other. Their squabbles felt a little like those between brother and sister—I imagined this kind of conversation was just everyday chatter for the pirate group, each always vying for the last word.

“Sure, we’ll come along,” I said, grabbing Angie by the arm; she wasn’t getting out of this. “Have you got that pay device?” I looked to Navan hopefully, knowing we’d found a few of the devices Killick had left lying about.

He nodded reluctantly, plucking one out of his pocket and handing it to me. “Don’t go too wild.”

I grinned, leaning up to kiss him on the lips. “Have a drink. Enjoy yourself.”

“I think I’ll just wait for you, instead,” he said, with a shy smile. In a whisper, he added, “Find a way to casually ask her about Stone.”

I squeezed his hand.

“Well, I’m not sticking around. I’m going back to the ship,” Bashrik insisted, flashing a nervous glance at Kirin, who winked.

Angie chuckled at her boyfriend’s discomfort. “I promise to be on my best behavior, Bash.”

“Keep an eye on her, all right, Riley?” he said, kissing Angie on the cheek before disappearing out of the casino. Surprisingly, Navan didn’t seem too bothered, sitting down at the table with the rest of the pirate crew.

As we headed toward a door tucked away at the side of the bar, Kirin darted off to grab three drinks from the tiger-striped alien. She held the glasses in a skillful triangle. There was something infectious about her lust for life, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Come on in, chickadees!” Kirin enthused, ushering us into the so-called Ladies’ Lounge.

Several casino workers waved to her or shouted a hello as she passed by, and she greeted them all with the same unyielding level of enthusiasm, making Angie and me share a glance as we followed her through the lounge. It looked like the smoking room of a grand old mansion, with velvety seating areas and a circular bar in the center. Several gambling games were going on throughout the space. The barmen were dressed in nothing but aprons and collars of different colors, which weren’t exactly in keeping with the theme.

Angie’s mouth hung open as she walked by the bar. As much as she adored Bashrik, she was incapable of tearing her gaze away from the alien males. Their muscles were rippling through scales, fur, every kind of skin.

“If your jaw drops any farther, we might need to disinfect your chin!” Kirin teased. A pink flush rose to Angie’s cheeks.

“Sorry, I just… I wasn’t expecting to see that today.”

Kirin glanced at me curiously. “Don’t tell me you’re not interested.”

“Hey, I’m as appreciative as the next red-blooded woman,” I replied shyly.

“Whoa, you don’t have to be red-blooded to enjoy a half-naked man. My blood’s purple, and I love it!” Kirin grinned, leading us to a booth in the far corner, which overlooked a small racetrack at the back of the lounge. It was encased in floor-to-ceiling glass, with the racing creatures running around in a squashed loop.

I frowned. “What game is this?”

“It’s pollus racing,” Kirin replied.

“What’s a pollus?”

She chuckled. “You guys really don’t get out much, huh?”

“Not in this neck of the universe, no,” I admitted.

“A pollus is a small, winged reptile. They’re fast and aggressive, and make for an exciting race! They’re always trying to bite each other, and you get extra points if your pollus gets into a fight and wins!” she explained.

I leaned toward the glass, trying to get a better look, but the creatures were hidden behind starter gates. A board hung on either side of the glass casing, with symbols scrolling across, but I had no idea what they said. I presumed they were odds or something.

“How do you bet?” Angie asked.

Kirin pointed to a circular device in the middle of the table. “You select a racer and a quantity from the list, then scan your pay device over it. Simple!”

“What if we can’t read the words?” I asked.

“I’ll read ‘em out and you can pick a good ’un!”

“How about you do it, and we’ll watch?” I suggested, flashing an uneasy look at Angie. I could see from her frown that gambling really wasn’t her thing either.

“You sure? It’s fun!” Kirin chirped.

Angie nodded. “Yeah, we’ll just watch.”

Kirin didn’t hesitate, settling on a creature called Translunar Paradise. As soon as her bet was in, we waited for the race to start. An alien with a microphone sat to one side of the glass-cased track, a bored look on his face, evidently fed up with being a pollus race commentator.

“So, what brought you guys to the Junkyard?” Kirin asked, taking a gulp of her drink. “You figure this was the best place to hide from the law? ‘Cause you’d be right.”

I took a tentative sip of my own drink. The flavor was sweet and fruity, no hint of alcohol in the smell. “Not really. My run-in with the law is more of a byproduct.”

“Yeah, we’re trying to find a friend of ours who got snatched by a scavenger,” Angie added. “The trail went cold a while back, but Riley here stole a tracker thing, which led us here. The signal we followed ended up not being our friend, but… it was something. Plus, we think the scavenger might be coming back here soon, so all’s not lost yet.”

“What’s the friend called?” Kirin asked, her voice sympathetic. “I might know her, if she’s been here before.”

“Lauren,” we both chorused, sharing a sad smile with one another.