guy too far gone to give a damn? Luckily, he waved a hand dismissively before stumbling off to trail after another pretty girl, this time a party-goer rather than one of the catering staff.
Whew. Jenna heaved a sigh of relief and headed back to the bar to refill her tray of champagne and snacky-snacks, as Bea called them. She gave one of the harried bartenders a nod which he dutifully returned. She stood there, elbow braced on the counter, and scanned the crowded ballroom, people-watching.
And Drokten-watching.
The music tempo had picked up and now small, isolated groups of humans were half-heartedly dancing—mostly gaggles of women who clutched their champagne flutes and grinned at each other with their rosy cheeks and flouncy hair. None of the Drokten were dancing. They were instead watching the humans with amused smiles on their rugged blue faces. Just as one would expect, every single group of women was ringed by a crew of human men who gathered with the purpose of ogling them while they danced. Everywhere Jenna looked was some level of animalistic mating pattern.
This was seriously starting to seem more and more like some sort of singles dance.
Jenna loved how she got to be a fly on the wall at events like this—places she could only dream of attending otherwise. And, tonight of all nights, the Drokten were here and Jenna was absolutely fascinated by the alien race. Especially after they’d done so much to save Earth and asked for so little in return. They were a warrior race, and Jenna was certain they would all feel much more at home on the battlefield than trying to mingle with the tipsy humans.
She looked around, wondering how could she get closer to them and to the commander and his ambassador in particular. She had this vivid fantasy in her mind of finding a way to express her gratitude to them for their intervention when the ravaging Zignills had nearly conquered their planet. The insect-like Zignills had swarmed Earth and taken over half a dozen cities world-wide. Her parents died in the initial invasion, and Jenna was certain she and her siblings would’ve died too if it hadn’t been for the Drokten’s timely intervention. They’d swooped down, defeating their mutual enemy and literally saving the entire planet.
All she wanted to do was give them the heartfelt “thank you” she’d been clutching to herself all evening.
Unfortunately, several obstacles stood in the way of her desires. Drat. First, the Drokten didn’t quite get on with the humans on an easy, personal level. In fact, Jenna was pretty sure a point of tension hovered in the room, a divide between human and alien that many on both sides were unwilling to cross. The Drokten tended to keep to themselves, standing in clusters and talking seriously among their own kind rather than branching out to mingle with the human partygoers. Also, they weren’t eating or drinking a thing. She’d been warned ahead of time to refrain from offering the Drokten any food.
This meant Jenna hadn’t captured a single moment of freedom from her duties to go to the Drokten side of the room to say her piece.
Every time she’d turned around, another partially drunk attendee was asking for food, drink, or some kind of service. It was damn near impossible to move across the room without being hounded every few steps by a wealthy human looking for a refill on booze.
At least, Jenna thought grimly, she’d been able to keep herself entertained by eavesdropping on the countless conversations happening around her. Some of the discussions fell into the usual party fare: slightly tipsy, upbeat folks mingling and chatting, laughing too loudly at each other’s jokes. Men and women flirted playfully. Married couples whispered gossip to one another about fellow attendees.
Then there had been conversations that struck Jenna as… slightly sinister. She’d overheard what sounded suspiciously like the lingo of less-than-legal business dealings. Vague discussions of contracts, the language abstract and cryptic to keep people from knowing the exact situation at hand. Women and men alike made agreements to “entertain” one another at a later date, perhaps after the party. Jenna noticed these discussions often involved people wearing wedding rings, some she had seen arrive with their spouses only to separate from them during the hustle and bustle of the party. Couples who strolled in hand-in-hand split off to find other suitable playthings for the evening.
There also seemed to be a lot of single women at this event. They were standing