Aurelius had already hit several bars in the night, Benny somewhat wobbly, following in his wake, but even when they showed their leave notice to to the duty officer and started out they knew what their final destination would be.

Even on weekends, Gina’s Bar was busy. It was the closest place to unwind near the hangars, which meant it was popular with recruits and enlisted men. The drinks were weak, the place was loud, and if you didn’t get there early, there wasn’t a place to sit. People came for the atmosphere—it was fun, and everyone knew the staff, For Aurelius it was the only place he could have his last drink before the Service-Corp kicked him out.

“Hey everyone!” Aurelius called as he finally managed to kick the door open. It taken him three attempts but he was fairly sure no one inside noticed those, “Your favorite grease tech is here and the party can finally start!” No one turned Aurelius’s way at this declaration but he was sure it was only to avoid being blinded by his awesomeness.

“You go get the drinks. I think I need to stay here a moment. Otherwise I think I might fall off the floor.” Benny said trying to keep his gaze steady on the boards that threatened to betray him.  

“Got it. But if I  come back and you’re floating or something I’m keeping your drink.” Aurelius said to his friend before making his way past a few tables that kept jumping in front of him and to the bar.

Gina, the owner, smiled as Aurelius finally reached her, “Didn’t think I’d see you in here tonight. Mostly it’s the folks getting ready to ship out throwing one back one last time.” She said.

“And that… and that I am Ena. Shipping out tomorrow. NO idea where I’ll be going but i’m going. Not being held back in the hangers any more.” Aurelius said before leaning in to whisper to Gina; “Benny though… poor guy. They said he was too stupid to leave the dirt. Trying not to make him feel bad though. We’ve been telling everyone all night I’m the one staying back and he’s the one jettin off into the stars.”

“Is that really how it is?” Gina asked knowingly.

Aurelius hesitated a moment trying to figure out if his game was up already. He didn’t remember Gina being all that sharp and he wondered how she saw through his cunning story. “You got me, Gina. They’re never letting a kid like me into space, so I came here to see if you could get me there instead.”

“Are you asking for directions?” Gina flirted back.

“That depends” Aurelius replied, “You coming with me?”

Gina hesitated for a second,“I think the drinks have gotten to your head.”

“Oh yeah? Well I heard alcohol kills brain cells slowly, but that never bothered me because I’m not in a hurry.”

Gina couldn’t help but laugh as she poured him a shot of something light blue and fuming. “You stay here and have your drink. Gunna go get Benny before he purges all over that big guy.”

Aurelius turned to see what Gina was talking about and sure enough Benny was looking green and trying to lean against one of the largest guys Aurelius had ever seen. The big man was looking down at Benny with a look of irritation that was slowly turning into horror as what was about to happen dawned on everyone.

“No, I got this. Benny’s my ground poundin buddy after all. Gotta look out for em.”

Aurelius pulled himself to his feet and ran over to where his friend was about to lose his lunch and life in quick succession. He was aiming for Benny with his tackling lerch but that damned treturous floor decided that Benny wasn’t the only one it didn’t like that night and hurled him into the large man who shoved Benny away just in time to catch the soon to be washout before impact.  

The order of the events that followed was a bit jumbled but as best Aurelius could figure the beer in the giant’s hand went flying. Most of it went splashing down too the floor but enough went down Aurelius’s back as to briefly make him consider if he’d need to do the rest of the night’s drinking in his underpants. At the same time he heard a crashing sound as Benny attempted to catch himself and took a table, several drinks and at least one woman with him to the ground.

The giant pushed Aurelius off of him and towered over him, “This yours?” He said turning to Benny with a disgusted look on his face.

“He might be.” Aurelius said standing himself and checking to see how much beer was really dripping into his pants.

“Well keep a better eye on him. LIttle guy comes up to me like he’s gonna puke and when I push him the fuse away he starts getting all cuddly like I was his sweetheart or something.”

“I think that means he likes you.” Aurelius said.

“Fuse that. Guy was going to vent all over me and no one’s ever gotten laid with recruit chunks down their shirt.” The giant said.

“They say it’s not what’s on the outside that counts.” Aurelius replied.

“Are you a complete idiot?” The man asked.

“Not a complete idiot. Lost some parts a while back.” Aurelius answered.

“Bout to lose a few more I’m thinkin.” The man said advancing.

“Hold on, no need for all that. There was no real harm done.” Aurelius watched the man getting ready to hit him, and was suddenly stone sober.

“I think there is. First you two come bothering me. Getting ready to sick up then you start coming up all smart ass. I’m thinking you need a little lesson in manners.” The Giant said with a sickening grin that showed far too many bright white teeth.

“Not being a smart ass, I’m a dumb ass trust me. A smart ass wouldn’t be in this situation would he?” Aurelius said.

  The giant paused at that, clearly a war going on behind his eyes. He looked to be torn between using Aurelius to clean the bathroom and something else. After what seemed like a short eternity, the man cracked a smile. Not the evil I’m going to kill you one he had been sporting earlier. This smile seemed to carry genuine amusement.

“Either you’re the dumbest man I’ve ever met or you’ve got a set larger than moons.” The giant said.

“Well they do have a few craters.” Aurelius said with a grin that matched the giant, though his was as much relief as anything else.

“Yeah. It’s dumb. Still get me another drink and we’ll call it balanced.”

“A drink?” Aurelius asked.

“Beer. I was drinking it, you and your friend spilled it.” He said taking a small step forward.

“I don’t…” Aurelius started but then realized that he was still holding a miraculously un-spilled shot. “Actually here have this.” Aurelius finished handing the only slightly damp shot glass over.

“What is it?” The man said taking it from Aurelius’s hand.

“It’s... it’s… It’s blue.” Aurelius said

The man looked at the shot in his hand then down at Aurelius who was grinning up at him. There seemed to be some sort of battle going on behind his eyes. Eventually he seemed to come to some decision. He smiled down at Aurelius and threw back the blue liquid.

“Damn. Like antimatter.” the man said admiringly.

“All for you buddy.” Aurelius said sensing that the danger might have finally passed.

“You’re not bad, strifer. Let’s get pukie here some water.” The Giant said helping Aurelius bring Benny back to Vertical.

Together the two of them were able to get Benny into a seat at the bar where he seemed to start recovering slowly.

“Did I miss something? Who’s the big guy?” Benny groggily asked as he drank his water.

“Jerula.” the man said turning to take in Benny.

“Guess his name’s Jerula. He’s the guy who almost caught your lunch a few minutes ago.” Aurelius added.

“He mad?” Benny asked.

“He was for a little bit, but I sorted everything out.” Aurelius answered.

“Oh good. Drink?” Benny asked.

“Not for you, pukey.” Jerula said.

“But it is your turn to buy the next round.” Aurelius finished with a grin.

“Oh... Ok...” Benny said.

They didn’t think they’d get much out of Benny the rest of the night but that didn’t stop Aurelius and the giant Jerula from ordering another drink.
“So, what’s your story?” Aurelius asked.

“I’m a soft-tech. You know, a hacker.” Jerula boasted.

Aurelius was struck by the irony. A guy built like a Thunderball linebacker a software technician? He knew Soft Tech’s were the sort of counterpart to his hard tech training. Jerula was the guy that made everything do what it was supposed to, once someone like Aurelius got all the parts working. Still the image of this guy didn’t line up with the career choice.

“You any good?” Aurelius asked.

“I am like a god. No machine would ever disobey my programming.” Jerula answered.

“And you’re so humble about it.” Aurelius smirked.

“Strifer, Gods can’t be humble. If we were, who would ever know to worship us?” Jerula said turning to Aurelius with a look of complete sincerity plastered across his broad dark face.

“So you’re a god? How’d you get a gig like that?” Aurelius asked.

“You don’t get a gig like this. You have to be born with the greatness inside you, and if you don’t got it you don’t got it. Sorry man,  you might have good taste in drinks, but a god you ain’t.” Jerula answered.

“I might be. You don’t know, I might just like to keep it low key.” Aurelius shot back, before finishing a drink, and gesturing for Gina to bring them another round.

“Hey Gina. While we have you, take a good look at this pretty boy strifer, and then my ebony glory and tell me which of us looks like a god amongst men to you?” Jerula asked as she poured them each another couple shots.

Gina looked them both over for a moment seeming to consider the two drunks looking up at her from their stools.

“I don’t know. Jerula you got that strong statuesque magnificence thing going for you, but Aurelius here... Well if anyone has the luck of a supernatural being it’s him.”

“How do you figure?” Both Aurelius and Jerula said together.

“Anyone else with Aurelius’s attitude would have been booted out years ago, but damned if the little bastard hasn’t found himself a home in those hangers.” Gina said, pouring herself a drink and sitting down across from them.

“Nah, a god would have moved on from the hangers.” Aurelius said, trying to sound a bit more cheerful than the thought actually made him.

“Why do you say that? Gods don’t always get what they want. Gods just have a way of getting what they need.” Gina said.

“So I need to be in the hangers?” Aurelius said, taking a ship of his drink then eyeing it suspiciously as if it might leave on it’s own if he didn’t do something about it soon.

“I think you live for those hangers. Even if you got a posting tomorrow, those hangers are yours kid. Everyone says so.” Gina said.

“What this guy? He can hardly find his way to the can, there is no way he’s that good.” Jerula said taking a swig from his own drink.

“Kid knows tricks most of the other techs haven’t ever seen. Even Barber doesn’t know how he does it.”

“Barber? Sarge said that? Always thought the old jackass hated me.” Aurelius said.

“He’s just like that. He sort of hates everyone, but only while they are his responsibility. He just doesn’t want you going out there and embarrassing him or worse... the Corps.” Gina patted Aurelius on the back and stood up to see to another customer who was calling for a refill.   

“So Sarge actually likes us.” Aurelius said, trying to take in this planet shattering news.

“Don’t go that far. She just said he didn’t quite hate us. Like is another thing completely. There is no way Sarge likes you, I barely like you, and that’s mostly because you keep buying drinks.” Jerula said.

“Oh come on you love me, I can see it in your eyes.” Aurelius said.

“Strifer, that’s the Antimatter.”

The night got blurrier as time went on. Aurelius remembered waking Benny up at one point to drink a toast for getting posted to a ship. At another Aurelius found himself with Gina in his lap doing her best to feed him her tongue, while a pretty young recruit lead Jerula away to a booth for a game of tonsil hockey.

After that Aurelius didn’t remember much more than just trying to find his way back to his room sometime before sunrise and dropping onto his bunk, the night’s beer-stained clothes still clinging to his body.

Next Chapter: Chapter 11