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.When they were out of the dock the tugs released them ,and then signaled they were clear.“Bring the wedge up helm.Sitrep?” Renee asked.“Power plants nominal,” Saul, her new chief engineer reported.“All systems green, Captain.We're ready to go walk about,” he said.“Good.We'll do our shake down on the way to the Janus jump point then.Navigation, set course for the Janus jump point beacons.”“Aye aye, ma’am,” Lieutenant House replied.Renee nodded.She was surrounded by men now, or so she thought.Purple Thorn, her JTO Ensign Drum, and two of her midshipmen were the only female officers.“Captain, we're receiving a signal; it's a media broadcast.We're the subject.Do you want to hear it?” PO Sharif her communication's rating said.“Hell no, I'm done with this system.They're probably bitching about our departure anyway,” she said.Sharif frowned and then looked at Ensign Darion, her junior navigational officer.“How'd she know?” he stage whispered.Renee caught that and then snorted, settling herself in her chair.No, her future wasn't here in Pyrax; it was there, she thought, looking at the stars on the plot.Out there, among the other stars.---( | ) --- ( | )---Jethro and some of the other Neos on leave met up and went to one of the new casinos on Anvil.They met up with Hrriss at the door.“Swanky place,” Sergei rumbled, looking around.He nodded politely to the Leo by the door.“It even comes with its own doorman?” He joked.Hrriss thrashed his tail and his ears flattened before he chuffed a laugh.The two bumped forearms.Jethro looked around, feeling like a tourist as the others chatted.The place was quite elegant, with the columns, brass, lights, and mirrors.Some of the noise was annoying though, he thought, ears fattening as bells and klaxons went off.“Another winner!” A voice called out as blinding lights flared to life.He turned away.“We've never been here before, though we've seen something similar,” Jethro said.“We have?” Harley said, blinking in confusion.“Well, some of us.I have.Ox, the Captain, and I have I should say.On the prison liner,” Jethro replied, sending them images of the ship and its casino deck.“Ah,” the Neo hyena said thoughtfully as she accessed the images.She whistled softly.“Sorry I missed it.”“It was pretty messed up though,” Jethro admitted.“And not.this,” he said, indicating the tables and people around.He noted the sidelong looks and bristled.The others felt his attitude change and turned.“Something I missed?” Sergei asked.He cocked his head and flicked his ears, but seemed oblivious to the dirty looks.“Come on, let's go win a million creds and get wasted,” he said.“Well, one is more likely than the other,” Harley laughed, shaking her head.“Come one, come all,” she said waving a hand.Jethro noted the gold rings on her fingers.There was one on each finger, even her thumb.They would probably act like a knuckle duster if she had to fight.He nodded.They tried to stick together, but Sergei bounced around, trying the various slot machines.Jethro shook his head and ordered a drink from a human bar maid.She was dressed in a rather short black miniskirt, white top, and bow tie.She took his order, jotted it down on a tablet, and then took off to get it.“Well, this different,” Hrriss said taking the stool next to him.He set down a couple chips and let the dealer deal him in.Jethro looked over to Sergei and Harley, both were having fun at some sort of game with dice.“I thought you've been here,” Jethro asked.“Before I mean?” he said, looking over to the Leo.“No, I've always meant to, but well, I've been busy,” the Leo admitted.“Really?”“Yeah, it's.well, work and everything,” the lion said with a diffident shrug.Jethro eyed him, knowing there was more to the story than that.“Going well? Career up, up, and away?” Jethro teased.He realized that their kind was not welcome from the occasional guilty or dirty looks.It made him itch.Bast snarled silently, ears back.She didn't seem to like the ambiance either.“Not exactly upward.More.in a spiral,” Hrriss admitted.Jethro's beer arrived before he could reply or ask why.He paused to pay the girl.He took a sip and then put the mug down.It was strong, far stronger than he'd planned on.He didn't plan on getting smashed so early in the evening.“Go easy man, I heard they've got some good liquor,” Hrriss warned, taking his own drink and putting it on the coaster.“It is the best on the station,” the dealer said with a sniff.“It's not our fault you can't handle it.”Hrriss turned a look on the young man.The man was in his thirties, blond and blue eyed, wearing black slacks, a white long sleeved dress shirt and a bow tie.“Mind your manners,” he growled, eyes slitting as he growled softly.The dealer blushed but then pulled the lion's cards and brushed his credits back to him.“Problem?” Jethro asked.“Perhaps you gentlemen should find another table.Or another place to spend your credits,” the dealer said with his nose in the air.He waved to a boss.“Why, my credit is as good as anyone else's,” Hrriss said, now indignant.“I've never seen anyone turn down credits,” Jethro said loudly enough for the boss and a few other patrons to hear.“Something amiss?” The pit boss asked, smiling politely.He was dressed in a business suit.“Yes, we're being snubbed.That's odd.We just came in to see the sights and have a good time.This gentlemen was rather rude,” Hrriss said, indicating the dealer.The blonde frowned but didn't reply.The pit boss looked at him as the young man shuffled his cards.“Okay then, we'll find another place for you boys to set up,” he said, indicating another table with a brown-haired girl behind it.She blinked but then nodded politely to them.A half hour later Harley and a rather put out Liger came over to them.Both sported a half-filled beer mug, but they were also looking annoyed.“Lose so fast?” Hrriss asked.“He tried the big ones.I tried to get him to stop but,” Harley tisked tisked mockingly shaking her head.The Liger chuffed.“I don't get it.It says a winner every hour,” the Liger grumped.The girl indicated to them to ante in but the two Neos waved her off for the moment.“A sucker born every minute you mean,” Harley said.“I tried to tell you Sergei you big lug, the house always wins.”“Hey, we're here to have fun, see the girls and lose money,” Jethro said spreading his hands and trying to behave.“Not necessarily in that order.”“Still not fair,” the Liger grumped.“Ah come on, ante in.It's like the games on the ship just with real creds not time or jerky,” Jethro said.He'd had two beers and felt a bit loose.He'd kept his head though, while Hrriss had thrown credits down the drain chasing twenty-one.He'd come close a few times to winning back his losses but seemed to go ever deeper in the hole.“There are no Neo girls.No Neos at all or aliens either.Only humans,” Harley observed, taking a sip of her beer.“The place is half dead.Is it normally like this on a Friday?” she asked, turning to their dealer.The dealer shrugged.“It's a slow night.We get them in the middle of the week,” she said
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