after getting drunk. All that gray is just depressing. And speaking of getting drunk and cures for our woes, we’re here,” he said with a sudden cheerfulness.
There was nothing about the building’s facade that designated its purpose except for three letters emblazoned above the door. ADC. She gave it a puzzled look as they entered the cool, low-lit interior. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darker space, lit only with the soft glow of anchored light pieces on each table. A tall gray droid nodded from behind the bar. Charlie could make out Doug’s hulking back on a stool at the far end.
“Welcome to the Alcohol Distribution Center,” the droid intoned. “Please make your order when ready.”
“Whiskey, neat, all around,” Ben ordered. He raised an eyebrow to Charlie. “Is that all right with you?”
“Make one on the rocks,” she clarified. The droid nodded as Jace and Ben ambled up to Doug with her in tow.
As they got closer, Charlie caught sight of Doug’s companion. His frame was large enough that he practically blocked off any view of the petite woman at his side. He tensed only slightly at their arrival, though he turned fully on his stool to glare at the twins.
“Wondered how long it would take you to show up,” Doug grunted. At their curious stares, he gestured to his companion. The woman was beautiful. Her dark complexion glowed against the washed-out interior of the room, and her hair fell in several tight braids down her back where they were gathered into one thick braid from the nape. She was quite striking next to Doug. The only thing that gave Charlie pause was the fact that her fitted uniform was military issue. “This is Mia. She’s stationed as one of the gate guards. We ran into each other while I was getting a feel for the perimeter of the colony.”
“Do I want to know what you were doing roaming around the perimeter?” Jace asked before flashing a welcoming smile toward Mia.
“No harm done,” Doug muttered. “I like being prepared. And none of your shenanigans if you don’t want to end up flat on your back,” he barked at them without missing a beat.
Jace—bless his deviant heart—smirked. “I get up to my best shenanigans on my back.” Despite his taunt and Doug’s irritated growl, he smiled politely at the woman at their friend’s side. “Hello. I’m Jace, probably the one he warned you about. That’s my brother Ben, who probably deserves the larger warning. And this is our girl, Charlie.”
“Not their girl, but the girl who puts up with being with them long-term,” Charlie amended as she extended a hand.
Mia smiled and gripped it tightly in greeting. She nodded to a table as she slipped off her stool. “Let’s move this to a table, I think.”
As everyone claimed their seats, Jace smiled at Doug. Charlie really hoped that he didn’t poke Doug too much. There was only so much teasing the big man would take, and it would only embarrass him if he were truly interested in Mia. Thankfully, the words out Jace’s mouth weren’t anything likely to get him clobbered right away.
“So, what is a guard—a citizen of the military unit—doing slumming with a grunt?” Jace inquired as he leaned forward, his eyes glittering with interest.
“Subtle, Jace.” Charlie snorted. She leaned back as a serving droid set their drinks on the table. She glanced over at Mia with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry for my idiot friend.”
Mia laughed and waved it away. “No, it’s perfectly fine. Actually, I spotted Doug as I was checking in at my new post. He looked familiar, and we started chatting.”
“Mia knew my brother,” Doug said, his lips twisting as his attention was pulled right back to the guard. “She was stationed at the facility where he worked when she first recruited.”
“He was a friendly ear, something I desperately needed my first time away from home,” she said with an answering smile. “We started talking about him and then moved onto to other things, and before we knew it, here we are. The last three years have been… hard. I’m really happy to meet some new faces.”
Charlie felt a pang of sympathy. There weren’t many women in the military who took initiation-phase colony assignments. She wondered what made Mia leave the relative comfort and safety of a post on Earth or one of the established colonies. Had she been after a taste of adventure? Charlie smiled and raised her