Et Tu, Broot? (Part 1)

Posted on Mon 12th Sep, 2022 @ 6:47am by Carlo Rienzi & Qaraq
Edited on on Mon 12th Sep, 2022 @ 6:51am

1,565 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Hunted
Location: Qaraq's Casino, Brown Sector
Timeline: MD-6, 2100

For the umpteenth time that day, Carlo checked his commwatch to see if Reon had responded to either of the two messages he'd left earlier in the day. Not a single reply. Carlo sighed and took the hint: Reon did not want to be disturbed; no sense blowing up his comm. He hoped his friend wasn't sick, but if he was, he clearly preferred solitude.

Guess I'll have to explore this new bar on my own, then, Carlo thought. He'd been looking forward to it all day, and it was a lame excuse for a man who stayed home just because he couldn't find someone to party with.

It really was too bad that Reon was not into guys--What a waste!--But, hey, that was the way the drinks were poured. "Computer!" Carlo said. "Where's Qaraq's Bar?"

His home computer, which had a voice like Antonio Banderas after a couple of bourbons, gave Carlo a deck number and directions. The bar was way down-station, and Carlo wondered how Reon had ever found it. Reon spent his working hours manning the door at Orchids & Jazz and had rarely seemed to leave the Promenade decks for as long as Carlo had known him, except to go watch tetraball games.

Carlo couldn't swear to be all that adventurous, either. He spent most of his off-hours decorating his container home that was located in one of the less pricey sections of Tivoli Gardens. Tonight, it was time to leave home and go have some fun. Carlo pulled on a blue t-shirt that featured a sketched image of a little blond boy seated on the floor, playing a toy grand piano. Carlo hummed a jazzy piano piece under his breath as he strolled to the tram and rode down to the decks called Brown Sector.

Brown Sector was a weird place, Carlo thought when he arrived. First of all, why would it be called that? Then he figured out why; most of the people down there seemed to wear varying shades of brown or beige. Hadn't anyone ever heard of purple? Or blue? Maybe those colors were too expensive because you had to kill lots of snails to get them? Yeah, but that wasn't the case anymore, so.... Carlo shrugged and finally found the casino--not bar-- he was looking for, which looked a lot nicer than some of the places he'd seen near it. Carlo poked his head in.

As he walked in, he saw three rows of slot machines to the left and one row against the wall to the right. Beyond the three left rows was the main gambling floor, with a very wide assortment of games on various tables. He wandered past there and approached the bar in the back, where an enormous horned, blue-skinned creature stood serving drinks.

Upon Carlo's approach, the giant blue man rumbled, "May I help you?"

Carlo didn't meet many people who were significantly taller than he was. This dude's face was surrounded by a kind of frame of tiny horn-like things, and he also had horns growing out of his head and chin. He was built like a prize-fighter. Carlo barely restrained himself from asking the question that immediately popped into his head: C-section, right?

"What's the best cocktail you make?" Carlo asked instead, deciding to get down to business. "I don't mean the one with the most expensive ingredients; I mean the one that you enjoy making the most and are really good at."

Qaraq thought for a moment. "That would be 'The Dragon's Colon.' It is quite good, however it can be very difficult for inexperienced drinkers to digest."

"With a name like that, I'm surprised anyone drinks it," Carlo said. "What's in it, ghost pepper sauce?"

"Tequila, vanilla extract, and Arakian worm bile," Qaraq thundered. "There's a virgin version, though..."

"I'm not worried about the tequila," Carlo said. "Worm bile sounds pretty gnarly, though. I'll try a Dragon's Colon. You only live once."

Qaraq laughed. "It's not actual worm bile. It's an interesting pale ale I created with five shots of espresso and two ounces of Carolina Reaper extract. Arakian worms don't exist. I've never actually made a concoction called the Dragon's Colon, but I can try to make it anyway... if you're still interested."

Carlo raised an eyebrow. "I have eight books says they do exist! But anyway, how is the ale pale with five shots of espresso? And two ounces of Carolina Reaper extract? Holy Mary! No, I'm not that brave, man. I'll have to give that a pass. What do you serve here that a person can actually drink and enjoy?"

"There's another, much more popular ale created by my late wife called Korfmager. It's a smooth stout, similar to an Earth brand called Guinness." Qaraq smiled. "It's caffeine and pepper free, and is my personal favorite. I also have a wide assortment of Earth brands if you prefer."

"I can drink Earth brands at my own bar," Carlo said, waving off the suggestion as he seated himself on a barstool. "I'll try the Korfmager."

Qaraq grinned, exposing pearly white, sharp teeth. "Excellent choice!" He proceeded to fill a giant glass mug of a dark-complected drink. In Qaraq's hand, the glass looked to be of average size, but when he set it down Carlo realized it was much bigger.

"Now that is what I call a mug of beer! Too bad I left my swim trunks at home," Carlo said. He toasted Qaraq with it and sniffed the beer before taking a sip. Carlo nodded. "Goes down smooth and has kind of a caramel, nutty aroma. I hope your wife taught you how to brew this, because it's excellent. Are you keeping it proprietary or looking for a market?" He suspected he knew what Qaraq's answer would be, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"The Korfmager is brewed on my home planet Delavi, and is only available there and here," Qaraq replied.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. I'm just glad there's more where this came from," Carlo said with a nod as he took a deeper drink of his Korfmager. "Maybe in a smaller mug next visit, though," he added.

Qaraq chuckled, the sound of a gravel avalanche. "You aren't the first person to say that. I order my glasses from one of my son's business. I've already ordered a full supply of smaller glasses for your feeble human hands."

"It's my feeble human bladder I'm worried about, not my hands," Carlo retorted. "So what brings you to 109?"

"I'm expanding my business," Qaraq said. "There are no Federation members in my part of space. I'm owner and proprietor of a large network of businesses in the Iconn Expanse. I have petitioned my home planet, Delavi, to join the Federation but have been turned down many times. I decided if I can't bring the Federation to Delavi, I would bring Delavi to them. This casino may be an insignificant start, but it is merely a small part of a first step."

"I like a man with a vision," Carlo said and sipped more Korfmager. "Sounds like you'd have to get mixed up in Delavian politics to get it to join the Federation--which I agree is not worth it. I prefer to keep my hands clean," he said with a wry look. "For now, I'm happy with my one bar that I can keep a personal watch over and keep it the sort of place I want it to be. I don't think I'd want to run a pub chain."

Qaraq laughed. "'Delavian politics!'" he exclaimed. "There are no Delavian politics! It is Federation politics that is obstructing our membership!"

"There's always politics," Carlo said. "What's the Federation's problem with Delavi--or vice-versa?"

"The Federation has many problems with accepting Delavi as a member," Qaraq said. "They see Delavi as a barbaric, unorganized planet with no government and no strategic value. I've heard a few humans here describe my planet as some ancient location from a long time ago. I don't remember the name, but from what I gather, it was a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Perhaps that is an accurate description of my planet. But it is my home, and it may very soon face invasion. That is why we would like membership, or at the very least aid. But they have denied us both."

Carlo mulled over that and he drank more of the Korfmager. "Yeah, the Federation does tend to like things all neat, orderly, and tied up with a bow," he said. "They like a planet to have a centralized government, no trafficking in sapients, a clear system of laws, that sort of thing. If Delavi's a freewheeling place that plays fast and loose with laws, I can see the Feds being cautious about it." He leaned his head to one side and looked back at Qaraq. "You seem like a decent sort, though. If most people on Delavi are like you, I'm surprised there's a problem."

Qaraq only smiled, not wanting to elaborate further than he already had. "So what do you do here, Mister...? I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name."

"You didn't, because I haven't thrown it. Carlo Rienzi. I run Pub 10-42 up on deck 610. Glad to meet you. Are you Qaraq?"

To be continued...

 

RSS Feed