It’s been about a week since the alley attack and life has gotten back to normal. There was a small write up about my brush with the slavers on the SecNet but it was mostly an article about being vigilant in public places even if it seems safe. The episode still gave me nightmares once in a while but nothing traumatic.

One aspect why Inugorians make such good doctors is their ability to treat psychic shock. It is an innate ability of the species that is, naturally, kept secret. It requires skin to skin contact between the Inugorian and the patient. About 120 years ago the Stavin Republic tried to ferret out the secret by capturing a few of them and performing ‘experiments’ after being frustrated by repeated denials by the Inugorians to share research about it. This is where the axiom ‘never mess with the doctor’ comes from. The Inugorian commune was swift in retribution. They dropped a biochemical bomb on Stavin IV, a heavily-industrialized human separatist world, where the investigation about the kidnappings led them. They threatened to wipe out the planet if the captured Inugorians were not released. The Stavin government was on their hands and knees and begged for forgiveness after quickly delivering back the battered captives. The commune was not amused by the state of their recently-returned people so they detonated the bomb after reconfiguring the contents. Stavin IV now is experiencing an unprecedented mortality rate among new births. About 1 in 600 survives birth; most have untreatable or serious health complications. The Treaty of Massan hasn’t been signed yet so the only way to stop aggressive action is through force. Good luck with that because other than the Mercurians, the Inugorians have the biggest and most advanced fleet among the space-faring species. They’re also not afraid to brutalize an opponent with extreme prejudice to dissuade repeat offense. They learned pretty early on that space is not for the weak. They paid for that lesson in blood.

It's the afternoon of the first day of the GFRL Finals and my eatery is hopping. The entire city is flooded with off-world visitors here for the finals and the locals are out in force to watch with them. There is hardly any restaurant, hotel, and bar that has any space left. Everybody is determined to have a good time. With the weather being sunny for the next couple of days, every establishment is trying to take advantage of the foot traffic.

I opened early so I could catch the daybreak crowd and was not disappointed. It's almost three in the afternoon and I've already made enough credits during the morning rush to cover my bills for the month and then some. I've been slaving away at my small kitchen nonstop since I opened. I had to rent a couple more servidrone just so I could keep up with the orders. I have an hour or so before I would have to close my doors to walk-in customers so I could free up the place for the ticket holders. Some of my regulars from Allied Security and Gauntlet Protection Services are already flowing in and jockeying for the best table in front of the dining room screen. Orders kept coming in and I had to work fast to get them out in a reasonable time. I took a glance at the kitchen window while I was rubbing some spices on some ribs destined for the accelerated pressure oven and could see Gallant street full of people. An enterprising young man was selling digital prints of the tourney finalists. He even has a portable cloth printer so he could cater to any species that would want a shirt.

I was pouring beer on some mugs on a tray when I heard loud greetings coming from the noisy dining room. I looked up and saw Flower shaking hands with some of the patrons and waving at those raising their mugs at him. Baby was also getting some scratches from her adoring fans. Flower threaded his way towards the kitchen while Baby took her regular spot on her 'Pride Rock.' I had somebody come over to build her a lazing platform at the back corner of the dining room. The guy that made her platform got creative and made it look like a boulder in a savanna. He also installed a heater underneath the platform to keep Baby warm. Her sleeping on it became a feature of my Eatery. She's a real draw when she's here.

Flower entered the kitchen and started washing his hands.

"Am I ever happy to see your villainous face. I haven't had the chance to sit in hours! You know I love having a full dining room but this is ridiculous!" I complained while rushing to the stove to work on the fried spicy potatoes in the skillet.

"You're the one who wanted to cash in on the GFRL finals. Just be happy you got some help today, you freakin' cheapskate. How many times do I have to tell you that you need another hand in this place. I can't keep coming here to help you whenever you get swamped. What if I'm busy?" Flower scolded as he took out a slab of pork from the chiller after scanning through the order screen. He has worked with me often enough to know how to do the preparation for the majority of my menu. He's a pretty good cook himself when he bothers to actually cook. He'd rather eat out if he can help it. He doesn't like the clean up cooking entails.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll get one when I can afford one. You helping me is way cheaper than getting a regular to work here."

"Again, you're missing the point. I can't always be here, you know."

"Sure, I got that but you like me too much to leave me hanging."

Flower stopped chopping to give me a dead eye stare. I just gave him a wink while flipping some omelets.

The busy dining room ramped up in energy when the pre-game program started. The place was packed to almost bursting. They could barely fit in. I may have underestimated the size of some of the species. I had to check to make sure that all of the people inside actually had tickets. I may have oversold some. Good thing I had some extra chairs at the back.

I was closing the doors when a hand stopped the door from closing. I looked up and saw a muscular beauty smiling down at me. An augument wearing a red flannel shirt and black jeans is beside her.

"Hello handsome. Did we make it on time?"

"Barely. Hello Nabila, C'mon in. It's about to start. Hello Mr. Solomon, got your bets in?" I asked as I close the doors behind us.

"Yes, I have. I hope this year's tournament would offer a better competition than the last. The current champion doesn't deserve his crown." Ronald's scathing remark is full of venom. Somebody is not a fan of The Pummeler.

Nabila chuckled at Ronald's vexation. She told me about her partner's disagreement with the sitting champion of the league. She dropped off my ArmCom a day after I was released and stayed for lunch. We got into talking about the upcoming competition and she inquired if she could get some tickets for her and Ronald. Apparently, all the other viewing spots are too expensive or full. She confided in me that Ronald is a huge GFRL geek when not on duty. It was a shocker for me how normal that is. It was slowly revealed to me during the course of our conversation that CPM officers are people too. Nabila likes watching the League too but not as much as her partner. She is more of a Pankration fan herself.

As part of her homeworld's cultural reintroduction initiative, a lot of cultural practices were brought back. Her name is a good example of that. Name reassignment took some doing but the people of Heimisgarðr were all for it. Historical human athletics were also studied and put back into practice and one of those was Pankration. Nabila is an expert practioner from what I gather though she argues that she is nowhere near as good as the professionals from her planet. It is interesting to know that, according to her, a lot of the current unarmed martial skills we now know stems from Pankration.

The two CPM officers had to squeeze in at the back since all the seats near the screen is already occupied. I retrieved a small folding table from my stock room and positioned it in front of Baby's perch. I waved them over and had them drag their chairs to the table. Ronald promptly positioned himself to get the best view of the screen. He took out a small holo tab and stuck it on the table. The tab started projecting statistics and betting numbers in front of Ronald who was alternately staring at the figures and watching the pre-game analysis on the big screen. Nabila was playing with Baby to the delight of the Sabre. I hustled back to the kitchen after getting their orders to keep from getting swamped.

A half hour later the first match started. Flower and I were so busy we didn't notice it until an excited roar from the dining room made me check how the customers were doing. Everybody was hooting and hollering, or whatever the species equivalent of being excited is, at the screen. I could see Jack giving the finger to one of the pilots being introduced on screen. Jack was accompanied by Pearl, one of his squad mates, who was chewing on some nuts and commenting to Jack about the interviewee. The rest of his squad were on assignment so it was only the two of them but still, half of the people in the dining room are from his company.

Orders for main courses petered off while alcohol started flowing like a river. Finger foods are on everybody's table so they could concentrate on the screen. The pace in the kitchen got manageable enough that Flower was able to take a seat in the dining room with beer in hand to watch. The dining room crowd is having a good time with the matches. I took out a huge bone and gave it to Baby to chew on.

The afternoon gave way to evening and with the first day matches over, the Albert's Kitchen crowd emptied out. A few people were still hanging around, most were just finishing their drinks. Flower and Baby have already left earlier, citing a busy morning tomorrow. The zoo will be hosting a school trip so Baby will be on Ambassadorial duties tomorrow. The CPM officers are still at their table, Ronald cursing and drinking and Nabila stuffing fries while laughing at her partner. Jack is face down on his table, dead drunk with Pearl barely sitting on her chair. I called their friends to pick them up.

All in all, it was a very successful day for my eatery. I earned a pretty penny and everybody had a good time.

I was mopping the floor when I heard the door open. I looked up and was about the say that we're closed but my visitors brought me up short.

A Barral just entered, his enormous size filling the doorway. The Barral took a moment to scan the dining area. Satisfied, he stepped deeper inside and posted himself beside the door. I was staring at the 'turtle man' that I almost didn't notice that there were others behind him.

An older gentleman wearing some kind of white military uniform followed inside. He also paused briefly to check out his surroundings before he walked my way. Trailing behind the man in white is a bodyguard, I suspect. The bodyguard is fully armored with an exosuit so I couldn't make out any features other than he's human. Interestingly, I couldn't see any weapons on him. He's also wearing a great coat over his armor, making it look like he's wearing a costume. He looks rather festive, really.

I stood up and waited for the man to get to me. I took the time to really look him over and I could say that this was no ordinary man. Even walking slowly, the man was radiating confidence. He's the kind of person that demands attention, wherever he might be. It's not the cultivated kind too. His stems naturally. He has a well-built body from what I could observe. A light brown skin tone compliments his uniform. His aquiline nose and expressive eyes give him a noble look. A deep red turban wrapped around his head completes his ensemble.

"Mr. Mayon, I presume?" The man asked as he stood in front of me. His bodyguard gave us some space to have a conversation privately, standing by the bar.

"Yes, I'm Albert Mayon. I guess you're not here for the food? because... well, we're closed." The man laughed at my assumption.

"No, we are not here for the food. I'm here to thank you, in fact."

"Um, really? Please forgive me but I can't seem to remember meeting you before." I apologized. It's really embarrassing when you forget about the person you are talking to.

"No, we haven't met before but you've met my daughter. You saved her, that night. I am Admiral Shyam Chander. I wanted to personally thank you for keeping my daughter from getting kidnapped. I would have done anything to get her back." He said sincerely while shaking my hand.

"I would also like to apologize for the pain you have endured during the attack. It should have not happened. I believed that this was a secure sector from those slaving vermin. I was wrong. She almost paid the price of my carelessness. Learn from my mistakes, Mr. Mayon. Assumption is never a good practice when safety is concerned." The Admiral shocked me with that confession.

I was already stunned by meeting the man himself but I've never heard of admirals making mistakes just like, you know, the rest of us. I suppose I've always assumed that they know what they're doing and they're always in command and control. Shows how much I know about the military.

"Well, I could safely assume that most of my customers like beer." That came out of my mouth before my brain could catch up. Humor is my automatic response and it just kicked in during a very serious moment. I was horrified with myself and started to apologize when the Admiral threw his head back for a good laugh.

"Yes, Mr. Mayon. Giving a thirsty man a beer is a safe assumption."

"May I offer you some beer? I brew my own beer for my eatery. It's not bad, if I may say so myself."

"Thank you, yes. A beer would do nicely." The admiral enthusiastically replied. He took a seat on the table near the bar. I went back behind the counter to fix admiral Chander and his companions some liquid gold. I had to rummage about a bit to find a bottle of Bhak'lu, a traditional Barral beverage, for the turtle man.

The Barral are an interesting race. They don't talk much but when they do, you better listen. They believe that words are better saved for something important. It makes them valuable as advisors because they take the time to cut through all the verbiage and get to the heart of the matter.

Physically, the Barral are intimidating. Standing at just short of 3 meters, they are massive. They are commonly compared to the snapping turtle with their wide torso and shelled back. They walk upright with trunk-like legs and interact with their environment with their muscular arms. They have three, thick fingers gracing each gigantic hand. They're not the most dexterous but they don't have to be. Overwhelming power is what they are about. Their thick, epidermal scales are tough enough to protect them from anything short of a molecular blade. The shell on their back is a different matter. Their shells could be compared to duraplate armoring. They could take laser fire and majority of plasma weaponry on their backs without any harm. Crew served weapons such as plasma cannons are the only man-portable weapons that could penetrate their shells. The main drawback and the reason why they are not the premier force in space is that their shells, however strong it is, is on their backs. You cannot fight facing away from your enemies. That's why they are so popular and expensive as bodyguards. 'Going turtle' is a completely valid technique for them. That, and the Barral just have no appetite for expansion. They are happy with their homeworld and their two outer colonies. If they need more space, they'll petition the galactic council for acquisition. Most of what is out there in space is hostile to most of the space faring species but the Barral thrive in difficult environments.

I emerged from behind the counter with a tray of drinks for everybody. I could see that the CPM officers joined the Admiral on the table and were having a lively discussion. I placed the tray on the table and distributed the drinks around. I had to go back to the counter to grab the bottle of bhak'lu since a Barral bottle is three liters in size. I took a seat beside Nabila and listened in on the conversation.

"I don't think those slavers are here by accident or stupidity. We have been getting reports of similar attacks on prominent figures in Ceres. Thankfully, all of them were successfully repelled but it is disconcerting." Ronald was saying. The GFRL geek is gone and the competent officer is currently showing on his face.

"We have been monitoring the situation closely and have been quietly moving our people around. The slavers have timed their attacks well. We cannot move freely due to the number of visitors crowding Illustratum right now. We cannot take any overt actions or risk panicking the people. Even the security companies have been commissioned to work as crowd control to free up some of our officers." Nabila added.

It was a surprise for me. I didn't know it was that bad. I was a victim of circumstance.

"Well, they have chosen the wrong target. My carrier, the Woglinde, is currently in orbit and we are planning to stay until we find those jaanavaron and ensure that they are not going to try again." The admiral almost growled out that last part. If I was a slaver, I would be running now. The incensed warrior took a long pull from his beer while the officers digested his statement.

"Admiral, We understand that you are angry, no furious, about the attack on your daughter. I can assure you, we are doing our level best to apprehend those criminals. We would request that you and your men allow us to do our jobs and we promise you, those slavers will face a judge." Ronald reasoned.

"So what, I will just sit here and wait? I think not. They attacked my daughter. No one, and I absolutely mean, no one, attacks my family." The admiral said staring hard at both officers. His knuckles going white as he gripped the mug tightly.

"Sir, the Ceres Policing Ministry have already activated our best operatives. We are combing the city right at this very moment to find those criminals. We have enough people on the ground to do a physical search. We are not-"

Ronald's head snapped up while Nabila was impassionately trying to dissuade the Admiral from flooding the streets with mercenaries. I also noticed that the admiral's bodyguard jerking upright from his post beside the bar. A laser pistol suddenly appeared on Ronald's right hand and with his left he violently pushed Nabila off her chair. Since I was sitting just beside her, I got knocked off my seat when Nabila slammed into me.

"Get down!" Ronald shouted as he dropped on the ground and scrambled to the adjoining table. He grabbed one of the table's legs and flipped it over with the table facing the door. He ducked behind it as laser fire started peppering the dining room.

I was still trying to register what was going on when Nabila grabbed the collar of my shirt and started dragging me back towards the kitchen.

"Move!" She shouted at me as she fired back with her own laser pistol. I ran as quickly as I can while keeping my head down. My heart started pumping real fast and I could feel myself shaking.

I dove through the doorway and scrambled behind the counter. I dropped on my stomach and covered my head as laser fire raked the counter top. Pots and pans started dropping on the ground. Nabila crouched beside me behind the counter. She popped up and returned fire a couple of times before ducking back down again.

"You okay?" She asked as she replaced her gun's spent energy cell with a fresh one.

"Okay!? somebody's shooting at me. No! I'm not okay!" I shouted back. Suddenly, I could hear a loud spitting sound emanating from outside. Green energy started taking chunks out of my counter.

"SSSHHHIIIIITTTTTT!!!!!" I screamed as I tried to bury myself on the kitchen floor. I was getting buried by the pieces of the kitchen counter.

"We can't stay here! Crawl towards the backdoor! I'll be just behind you!" Nabila instructed. She couldn't fire back with the heavy weaponry trying to turn us into paste. We crawled towards the door as quickly as we can. We reached the safety of the back door and swiftly moved behind the strong walls of my eatery.

"Stay here! keep your head down!" Nabila ordered as she ran towards the corner to the front of the store. I could see her speaking on her ArmCom while she began shooting at somebody from the corner.

I squatted just beside the back door. I was scared and cannot understand why are people shooting up my eatery. I stayed low hoped that the police would arrive soon.

It felt like just a couple of moments when a loud crash behind me made me jump. Taking a quick peek behind me, I could see the Admiral fighting off two augments with a sword. He was slowly backing off towards the exit where I was crouched. He was able to fend off both attackers but he could not go on any kind of offense. The augments were moving at astonishing speeds. They were bouncing off the walls and the crumbling kitchen counter trying to slash the retreating Admiral with their blade arms. The Admiral is an expert swordsman from what I could see but I can also see him straining. One of the augments used his partner as a screen to slide behind him and slice down on the Admiral's leg. The beleaguered man was able to block the strike but it gave the other augment a short opening. The augment drove his blade arm towards the admiral's face. The admiral has not recovered from the previous attack and I was fully expecting him to get skewered but he recognized his predicament and used the pommel of his sword to divert the attack while pulling his arm back. The augment's blade arm glanced off the pommel and sliced the admiral's shoulder instead. The man hissed as the wound opened up and started bleeding profusely. The admiral continued fighting back though now with a limp left arm.

I wanted to help but I don't know how to fight. I looked back at Nabila to see if she could help out but she was busy shooting at something. I looked around me and found my favorite cleaver on the floor. I grabbed it and... and then what?

"I can't wade in there! I'll be killed! but the admiral is going to die if I don't do something. After they're done with him, they'll be killing me next." I can't run away because there is only one exit from here and Nabila was trading laser fire from it. My brain was working at light speed as I watch the admiral continue his fight with the augments. They were getting closer now.

"Maybe I could distract one of them long enough for the admiral to finish them off. Yeah, I can do that, It's worth a shot." Before I could question the insanity of what I was going to do, I stepped in the doorway and quickly sighted the attackers. They were trying that blocking move again so I threw the cleaver as hard as I can over the admiral's left shoulder. I wanted to make the augment hesitate but the augment, not seeing my throw, jumped right, using the wall as a rebound. The other was again pushing his offense to keep the now flagging man from addressing the move. The airborne augment jumped straight into the flying cleaver, it embedding deeply in the augment's skull. The augment dropped dead on the floor hitting the other one on the way down. The other augment did not anticipate the sudden death of his companion and was shoved aside. The admiral quickly took the opening of the unbalanced opponent. His sword flashed, decapitating the remaining augment.

"What the hell is it with me and throwing!?" the thought briefly passing my mind.

"Thank you for the assist, Albert. That is twice you have helped me. I will not forget." The admiral said as his sword retracted back to fist length. He staggered towards me. I shook off my surprise from the throw and quickly got a shoulder under the admiral. We quickly walked towards Nabila. She was taking cover from heavy fire coming from around the corner. She noticed us approaching and held a palm towards us.

"We're pinned down! They have too much firepower! My gun is doing dick!" She had to shout because the loud plasma cannon was slowly disintegrating my eatery.

"Kal, drop ship incoming. Make an opening." the admiral was talking in his ArmCom. I heard a deep grunt as a reply.

Moments later, the frontage of my eatery exploded. The Barral came jogging out of the recently made hole and proceeded to firing his heavy blaster. Following behind him was the other bodyguard, now sans right arm. He has Ronald over his left shoulder and was running towards us. I started to hear a loud whine approaching our position.

"Go! Behind the truck!" The admiral instructed. We ran towards the truck on the other side of the street. The armored bodyguard carrying Ronald ran just in front of Kal. He was using the Barral as a mobile shield. I got a good look at my eatery now that we are on the main street and my heart sank. The entire front of the establishment was destroyed. The outer left wall was crumbling and I think I could see a fire starting inside. Before I could think more of my slowly collapsing eatery, the loud whine I was hearing earlier made an appearance. A drop ship went over a building and hovered beside us. A gun port slid open and a rotary laser cannon jutted out. It started shooting downrange towards the augments. An explosion marked the destruction of the plasma cannon.

"C'mon!" Nabila pushed us towards the drop ship. The bodyguard carrying Ronald suddenly put on some speed and they passed us is a blink. They were inside the ship before I could take a couple of steps. I was expecting the see an injured man but what passed us was not a man. Now that I can see him clearly, I could see sparks coming out of the missing appendage. It was a robot, not a man. It would explain how it was able to move at impossible speed.

The drop ship gave us covering fire as we piled in. Kal got in last and slapped the door control. My last view was of my now burning livelihood.