The next day, Jammie went to work tired and agitated. After everything that she witnessed happening at the Antiquities, she ended up too wired up to go back to sleep and had to spend hours meditating just to calm herself down. When sleep finally came to her, it was too short because the alarm sounded off not an hour later, sending her to the Maintenance shop.

She knew she would find a quiet time to rest there as Lucky was always telling her to do less, that if she continues to fix everything, the administration would not have any more use for them and most likely would fire them both.

But as she dozed off in the quietest place in the basement, her comm went off and she yawned when she answered it.

“Jammie, can you come to the shop now.”

She jumped up from the comfort of her chair and woke up instantly. It was the voice of the old man.

She said, “Yes,” before anything else could come out of her mouth and brain, the images of death from last night flashing red alarms all over inside her brain waves.

What the hell am I going to do now?

Going to that shop was like going to the execution. The execution that might or might not happen.

What if he knows? What if he found out that I spied on him?

How, how could he know? No, that is not possible…

Still, why ask me to the store right now, and in that tone?

What the hell do I do?

If I don’t go… If I just hop on the first transporter and head back to the Union? No! I will not run!

Be logical.

And just stay calm.

Suddenly, she wished so much to have Morthy, her old friend, now next to her. To hear her voice, her calming and supporting attitude. Her teasings. Someone to bounce her thoughts off, now so full of anxiety and fear. She missed her so much.

Maybe I’ll send her a ticket to come here. Find her a job here. Yes. That can be done. But now, you have to deal with this. So, stay focused.

Play it as if you know nothing. No fear. Can’t show any fear. And if you have to look at him, be pissed. Better than scared. That is what he might accept. Better pissed than scared. Actually no. That is not good. I was so polite yesterday. Just stay in the character. Smile, Smile, and smile till your lips cramp up and stay in that smile forever. Bloody murderer. Cheating, no good, son of a space leach.

Just calm down, need to calm down. And whatever you do, don’t piss him off.

And, and, and… You’re forgetting something. Oh, yeah. If you see that dark staff in his hands, run. Run for your life.

But all those thoughts, all the ideas had strange sour underlining to them.

For the first time, she felt utterly alone. Truly alone. A heart-sinking feeling that was completely foreign to her. She almost wished that Lucky was there next to her just to hear him snore if nothing else, or to smell whatever he had for breakfast that day.

She got up from the basement, looking at people, dreaming there was a face in there that would recognize her, someone who would know her.

Don’t look for something that is not there. You’re alone. Handle it.

All that euphoria she felt yesterday of making all that money, all that exuberating happiness when she felt like she was walking in clouds - all drained now, all gone as if it never existed at all.

All alone. Live with it!

“Hi, Jammie!”

She could not believe it! She turned around so happy to hear someone call her that a wide smile radiated from her face, infecting the person calling her instantly.

She knew who it was before she saw him.

“Hi, my savior!! I wonder where you were hiding!” she said, suddenly feeling as if the sun she did not see for years on end finally appeared in front of her. “How are you, Lion?”

His smile that extended to his eyes matched hers, but then suddenly, before he could say anything else, he twitched back as if a doubt passed over his face. “Nice to see you too,” he said in a courteous and controlled manner, but the hug that Jammie was going to give him, she decided to leave back in her hands.

“This is my mother,” he said and pointed at the woman walking next to him.

“Oh,” Jammie said, suddenly not feeling so bad. “Nice to meet you,” Jammie said and smiled, extending her hand.

The woman, a human, with the look of someone in the mid-forties, was extremely attractive, even for Union’s standard. She had short brown hair and a rounded face with full lips and brown eyes that seemed full of kindness and understanding. A certain sadness resided in them as well, like the one in a person who got to see and know more than his or her share of pain and suffering.

“Nice to meet you too, Jammie. I’m mom, well, Lizza actually,” she said, returning her smile. “I did not know my son kept such a good company. I mean, he tells me next to nothing.”

Jammie did not think much of cases when Mith and Humans got mixed. She knew it was possible in the rarest of cases and knew how much an awful lot of people were against it. But looking at Lizza and Lion, she just could not help but admire it, her parents included.

“You really have to tell me how is it that he became your… savior?”

“Yes, he…” Jammie started to explain their meeting but saw Lion suddenly stiffen with tension as he shook his head slightly at her, and she understood he did not want his mom to know the full extent of the circumstances of their meeting. Why? It did not matter. Jammie was not going to get him in trouble. “He helped me a few days before when I just came here when I sort of got lost. He’s a true savior. Helped me a lot on my first day of work.”

“I see.”

“Do you know, your uncle cannot stop talking nice things about you,” Jammie said as she bumped Lion on the shoulder..

“Funny. Lucky cannot stop talking nice things about you,” Lion answered, trying to control the grin on his face. “He stopped for a dinner yesterday, and I think we never heard him say so many nice things about... anything or anyone before. Wasn’t it like that mom? Jammie this and Jammie that...”

“It’s true. I do not know what you did to my brother, but he seems to have found a daughter he never had," his mother added while giggling.

“Ah, of course he says nice things. He makes me do all the dirty work while he puffs his cigars away,” jammie said and joined Lizza in a soft giggle.

“That sounds about right concerning my brother,” Lizza said.

“Are you going that way?” Lion asked pointing the way forward.

“Yes. I’m heading to promenade.”

They walked together for a few minutes, exchanging pleasantries, her mom talking how much she enjoyed traveling to the Capitol a few years back.

Jammie herself never visited the Capitol but enjoyed hearing it, enjoyed any kind of distraction she could find.

When they stopped next to the Office of Vessel Management, Lizza tapped her son on a hand and then touched Jammie's elbow, ever so gently. “Well, I’m going to go to the office by myself. Why don’t you keep Jammie the company wherever she’s going.”

“I can come with you, mom.”

“I know. But, it’s probably better I do this myself. You two kids go, and,” she said and took her money card out of the purse. “Get yourself something nice to eat or drink.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Jammie said as she tapped Lion’s extended hand away before he took his mom’s money card. “I owe him from the other day. So, the drink is going to be on me.”

Suddenly, left alone, there seemed to be a quiet moment.

“Your mom is extremely pretty,” Jammie said to break the stalemate.

“Thank you. You know you don’t have to buy me a drink… I…”

“Nonsense,” Jammie interrupted him and waved his worry away with her hand. “I made some extra cash the last few days, and have no friend to celebrate with.”

Who knows, maybe I should celebrate. Maybe this will be my last celebration. “And I do owe you.”

“You don’t owe me anything. Really. Please, please, you don’t need to bring that up again.”

They hit the promenade, joining the crowd of people walking there. The cafes, restaurants, and pubs lined both sides. But Jammie did not know which way to go.

“Since I’m still new here and do not know a decent place from a stinker here, you have to pick.”

“Are you hungry?”

“I could eat something…” Jammie said but then thought better off it. “But I have only a few minutes. We can get together later and eat.”

“That sounds… wonderful. And, I mean, if you are in a rush now, we don’t, we really don’t have to…”

“No, no, no. I do feel like having something cold to drink. And I do have a few minutes to spare.” Let the old man wait. A few minutes. What’s the harm? If he’s to kill me, he could wait a lot longer, like a few hundred years…

“Well, I have a place I like to go sometimes with my friends. It’s there around the corner.”

The place was called Rhino’s Bar, and it was just off the Promenade. The place was covered in wooden planks, fake ones of course. It reeked of stale beer, but Lion said that they really serve good drinks and do not try to rip people off.

Just a bit of alcohol, just a bit to calm my nerves before I go and face the old monster. But… no more than one drink. I need my mind sharp.

“I’ll take a half shot of vodka with orange juice, and fill the glass with ice, please,” Jammie ordered while Lion asked for their honey draft beer.

“So, you lived here your whole life?” Jammie asked him as they decided to take their drinks and sit outside in the far corner where an open table presented iteslf.

“Well, pretty much. I was not born here, but came here when I was like, one.”

“So, you went to school here and everything?”

“Yes. Bur, I’m actually thinking of going to the University in Erton. That's about two quadrants from here. Their school is sort of very good…”

Jammie realized they were only a block away from Starlight Antiquities, and the thought of that place made her heart jump up and start pumping like crazy.

She realized she did not want to be in silence. So, she sipped on her arrived drink and pressed Lion to talk, asking him questions and encouraging him on.

He politely answered. But after a while, she realized he seemed distracted, too distracted, his eyes often wandering around, his face even frowning at times.

He’s worried. Maybe even more so than I. Why? He does not want to be seen in the presence of a human girl? Afraid one of his Mith bodies is going to see him and disapprove?

“You look nervous,” Jammie said. “What’s up?”

Lion sighed and shook his head before lowering it. “It’s just… a bit worried. That’s all.”

“Why? What is going on?” Jammie had to know now.

“It’s about my father. He’s late. Three days late. That’s where we were going. We have a few friends in the Management office, hoping they could tell us anything about my father. They have these long-range scanners. Maybe they picked the scan of my father’s ship somewhere.”

“What kind of business is your father in?”

“He works in transport.”

“Are there many accidents in that job?”

“No, not normally. I mean, it’s pretty regional transport. Nothing too exotic. But, it’s just… this time…”

“Just what? Please tell me.”

“Okay. The last job was… transporting some goods for a client we don’t particularly like. My mom always gets nervous whenever he does a transport gig for the old goat.”

Jammie’s heart almost stopped. “You mean for Mr. Zarkeries?”

“You know him?”

“That’s where I’m going right now!"

"What?"

"Ah, he's got some old food duplicator I need to look over.”

The shadow passed over Lion’s face. “Oh, boy.” Was all he said.

“I know.”

“My father…” Lion started to say slowly, measuring every word out. “Always said that you can never trust that man.”

Jammie drank the last drop of screwdriver before she answered, “You know what? I think your father is a very smart man.”