“Didn’t you just go through this from the other end? They fab it when the Square Deal drops into the system, and tear it down again when we leave. Oh, there’s Mina!”
We found the whole pack of foxgirls on the dance floor, showing off their moves in those slinky figure-hugging bodysuits they liked to wear. Mina was dancing with Chief Benson, who as usual wasn’t wearing a shirt. Jenna and Kara were dancing with each other, but they broke off to swoop down on us. Jenna threw herself into Lina’s arms and kissed her senseless. Kara grabbed my hands.
“You look great, Alice! How’d you like Lina’s hoverbike? Gets your blood pumping, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll say.”
The quick dance lesson Kara had given me on the ship had been kind of fun, but a dance floor was a whole different experience. I danced with Kara first, then Mina, then Jenna and Lina decided to double-team me for a couple of songs. By the time the band finished their set I was flushed and sweaty.
They dragged me back to their table afterwards, where they ordered another round of drinks.
“I think I’d like to skip the whole ‘teenage girl gets drunk and does something stupid the first time she tries alcohol’ thing,” I said hesitantly.
“A wise decision,” Chief Benson agreed. “Personally, I have never understood why people still use such a dangerous intoxicant.”
“If you want to experiment, try one of the bezos fruit drinks,” Mina suggested. “That stuff’s milder than alcohol, and you can’t really get drunk on it. It just gives you a little buzz, and there aren’t any side effects afterwards.”
“Assuming it even works on her,” Lina pointed out. “Fifty credits says she turns out to be immune to anything short of military nanotech.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Mina said. “A lot of high-end defensive packages will let the mild stuff affect you, and only kick in to handle serious drugs. People like to be able to enjoy things.”
“Like our emulators?” Lina said.
“Your what?” I asked.
“We’ve got this whole mod package that lets stuff like alcohol and aphrodisiacs work on us, even though these bodies aren’t organic,” Lina explained. “It was kind of expensive, but it’s worth it. We get all the party time, and none of the downsides. I guess Mina’s right, your mods might work like that too.”
“You should definitely test it with something mild,” Mina advised. “You don’t want to assume you’re going to be immune, and end up with a hangover or something. Trust me, stuff like that’s miserable.”
The fruit drinks turned out to be pretty good, so I was fine with sticking to that for the night. But by the time my second drink arrived I was starting to feel a little left out. The foxgirls all doted on Chief Benson, and they were such a close group it was hard not to feel like an outsider. Especially when I realized they were toning down their banter for my sake.
“Well, I think I’m going to go explore a little,” I said. “Maybe drop in on Naoko, and see what everyone else is up to.”
“Very well, Alice,” Chief Benson said. “The club should be safe enough. Just don’t let anyone talk you into leaving, and tell the concierge at the front desk if you end up needing a ride back to the ship. Our contract includes a free taxi service.”
Naoko was happy enough to see me, but she could only spare a few minutes to chat. Apparently the captain was having her play hostess for his meetings, and there were a lot of people in port that he wanted to talk to.
“Perhaps you might take in a show?” She suggested. “Faerie Fire is supposed to have an excellent act this season.”
“That’s the fire dancer thing, right? Maybe I will. It did look kind of interesting.”
I gave her a reassuring smile, and wandered back downstairs. There was Dusty in a dark corner, but he was deep in discussion with a couple of shady-looking guys. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what he was up to. Darn it, I didn’t want to watch a show. There was a new band coming onstage, and I wanted to dance some more. Could I go out on the dance floor by myself? Or would that just look pathetic?
“Alice Long?”
The voice was a warm, deep rumble. I turned, and found myself looking up at guy who only looked a couple of years older than I did.
“I’m Kavin Vall, of the Sleeping Dragon mercenary company. My dad’s upstairs meeting with your captain right now, so I thought maybe we could hang out awhile.”
“Hang out?” I squeaked. Gosh, he was gorgeous! That square jaw, and muscles, and those steely eyes, looking right into mine without a hint of nervousness.
The band started up, sending a heavy bass beat pounding through the room.
“Want to dance?” He asked.
Chapter 11
I knew I was in trouble before the first song was done.
Kavin had a strong lead, guiding me effortlessly around the dance floor with a firm touch and a preternatural sense of what the dancers around us were doing. He was a much better dancer than I was, but he used that skill to make me look good instead of showing me up. All I had to do was follow his lead, and that was so easy to do.
Something in the back of my head was rattling off his enhancements as I spotted them. Sensor baffling to confuse passive scans. Passive scanners of his own for perfect situational awareness. Enhanced kinesthetic sense, almost as good as mine. Subdermal armor. Enough strength enhancement to bench press a tank. Something about his scent made my head spin whenever he pulled me close, and my nanowarfare suite didn’t bother doing anything about it.
It’s just harmless fun, silly. Enjoy it.
Oh, I was. Darn it, I was really going to be upset if this turned out to be some kind of plot. But it had to be, didn’t it? There was no way a guy this perfect would just randomly walk up to me in a club and ask me to dance. He must be after something.
“Uh oh,” he said. “Your paranoia just woke up. Now I’m in trouble.”
He launched me into a spin like something those professional dancers in the vidshows would do, and I had to concentrate on where to put my feet for a few seconds. But I couldn’t help but smile at the envious looks I was getting.
“You have to admit, you’re too good to be true,” I observed after he reeled me back in.
“So are you,” he countered. “Cute, innocent little girl who’s never seen a spacer club before, and her crew leaves her wandering the dance floor all alone? Clearly, she must be bait.”
I giggled. “Yeah, and I’ve got you right where I want you now. You’ll be forced to dance with me all night long.”
“I guess that’s the price I pay for being a sucker.”
The next song was a fast one, with a driving bass beat that made my bones vibrate. I threw myself into it, and we didn’t talk again for a few minutes. But I was curious now, and just because my body was busy didn’t mean my mind couldn’t poke around the datanet.