The thump of glasses hitting the tables was beginning to give Jake a headache. From the corner of his eye, he could see Throg, the Minotaurs' current leader, raising a heavy mug to his thick lips. The Donag sitting across from him made a sweeping motion of its long sinewy arm that seemed more suited to a stage than a drinking contest. Onlookers surrounded the two, urging on their favorites with shouts and the steady hammer of their own cups.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Jake raised a hand to his temple and turned from the scene. His eyes landed on the picture of Lela he kept near one end of the bar. The photograph was his favorite, taken on their last trip to Antaxia's coastline. His chest tightened--a familiar sensation these days--and he had to look away. The pain of her death was still sharp, even after all these months. He lit a cigarette. The smoke filled his lungs, suffocating the sense of loss. After a moment, he picked up his rag and began rubbing down the bar.
The squeal of the front door opening cut through Jake's thoughts. He paused a moment, then resumed his wiping. The door closed. A few seconds later, a shadow fell across the smoky glass of the bar. Jake looked up at one of the oddest creatures he'd had ever seen in his forty-three years.
Two bulging eyes, red rimmed and watery with irises slit horizontally, sat slightly above a pockmarked, bulbous nose. Four huge ears, covered with thick strands of wiry hair, stuck out from its misshapen head. Its mouth was a red slash; its skin leathery and wrinkled, the color of mud. Two hands rested on the bar, each with three fingers that looked like dried up turnips. The creature was short, coming only to Jake's chest, and rest of its body was hidden behind the bar, but Jake doubted the sight below was any prettier.
Still, a customer was a customer.
"What can I do for you, buddy?" he asked.
"I am looking for a man," the creature whispered in a voice softer than Jake would have guessed.
Jake nodded his head toward the tavern's tables. "Lots of men around. Are you looking for someone in particular, or just company for the night?"
"No, you do not understand. I am not looking for?entertainment? The man I seek is named Jake, Jake Robertson."
A whiff of smoke grazed Jake's eye. He squinted, and removed the cigarette clamped between his teeth.
"Jake, huh? What's your business with him?"
The little creature chewed its lower lip. The creature glanced up and down the bar, then leaned closer. "I have a job for him."
Jake's eyes narrowed. "What kind of job?"
"I must speak with Mr. Robertson personally," the creature said, straightening.
"Well, Jake already has a job. He's not looking for another one."
The creature's face fell. The watery eyes became more watery, and the lower lip quivered.
Christ! Jake hoped it wasn't going to start crying. "Look buddy, there's others you can find for?jobs. Go look them up."
The creature shook his large head. "He is the only one. Please! I must speak with him!" He reached across the bar and laid a stubby hand over Jake's. "Please."
Jake stared at the creature and lifted the fingers off his own. He opened his mouth, then closed it abruptly. An aura of sadness surrounded the little guy, so strong Jake felt a momentary stab of pity. What would it hurt to listen to the guy's story?
"A job, eh?" he said at last, running a hand along the gray stubble covering his chin. "Well, I'm making no promises, but I'll let you talk to him."
"Thank you." The creature smiled, displaying a set of brown, pointed teeth.
"Uh-huh." Jake waved Chikota over from his station guarding the entrance to the back rooms. "I need you to watch the bar a few minutes. Keep an eye on those Minotaurs there. They're apt to cause trouble if their captain loses." He tipped his head toward the table of Minotaurs. "They've had a lot to drink. I don't want them becoming too rowdy." The Lirumani's ridged nose dipped in acknowledgment as it slipped its narrow, six-foot frame behind the bar.
"All right..." Jake said, looking at the creature.
"Coram."
"All right, Coram, you come with me."
He led the guy through a door behind the bar and down a long hallway to a second door. Inside, two men were sitting at a round table. A holographic picture of a ship hovered between them. One pressed a button on the table's console and the image dissolved. Both men stood.
"Check him over, Johnny," Jake said to the dark-haired one.
The man removed a pronged device from his pocket and ran it over Coram's body. "All clear."
Jake motioned Coram to follow him through another door that led to a second, larger room.
"What a lovely view!" the creature said.
Jake glanced at the picture window, which offered a view of Antaxia's skyline. He had to admit, the moon world was beautiful at night, though such things rarely held interest for him anymore. A mahogany desk and accompanying leather chair stood before the window and in the corner of the room was a small bar. Several paintings adorned the white walls, most of them capturing Antaxia's rugged landscape.
Jake pointed to the couch in the center of the room. "Have a seat," he said, before working his way around the desk to the leather chair.
"You are Jake Robertson." If the creature was surprised, he didn't show it.
"The one and only," Jake said as he leaned forward. "What's this job?"
"It is my mate. She has been captured by the Krogran."
Jake grunted. "That's too bad, but what do you want me to do about it?"
"You must help me rescue her!"
"Listen, buddy," Jake said, sitting back and fingering the glass paperweight sitting atop the desk. "I'm sorry about your mate, really, but if the Krogran nabbed her, she's likely dead. They don't keep captives long."
"No! She is alive! I would know if she were dead. We are?connected? They have her here, in their complex on Antaxia."
"Ya, and how do you know that?"
"I told you we are joined. She is here!" The creature's voice rose a notch.
"Relax," Jake warned.
The creature lowered his eyes and rubbed his knobby forehead. "Forgive me. You do not understand. She is all I have."
Mollified, Jake settled further into his seat. "All right, let's say she is alive. How can I help you?"
The creature's brow furrowed. "But, you are rumored to have once been the best bounty hunter in this section of the galaxy..."
"I'm no longer in the business."
"Until your wife died at the hands of the Krogran," the creature continued, as if Jake hadn't spoken.
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