didn't realize the glass was fractured before I picked it up."
"It was?" Mae tried to look into the recycler, but the glass was already gone. "I thought I checked them all before the shift started."
"I brought some in from the back," Cali quickly lied. "This wasn't your fault, Mae. It was mine."
"You're sure you're not hurt?" she asked again.
"I am," Cali reassured her, then looked to the male sitting at the bar. "Do you need a refill?"
Over the next hour, Cali worked the bar. The shift wasn't busy, as they were getting closer to the next credit allotment's disbursement. Because of that, the smile pasted on her face became more and more natural as she calmed down. That was until three Coalition females walked up.
"What can I get you?" Cali asked.
"Three of those Galaian Wraths we've heard so much about," one of the females said before turning back to the other two. "I thought I had a chance with them this time, even though I'm in the Coalition. They haven't been together with anyone on base since that Councilor’s datter left six months ago."
"You did," the second female replied, "until that rukking Si female slithered in. I mean, really, when did she arrive on the Star Base?"
"It couldn't have been too long ago. Remember how fast the Commanders claimed that last Si female?" The third female nodded her thanks to Cali as she set a drink down in front of her.
"When was that, three-and-a-half standard-years ago?" the second one asked, picking up her drink.
"That's when she left," the first female turned to face the other two, tapping her glass against the others. "Well, to hell with the Commanders. I hope she gives them a case of groin rot tonight that they never recover from." Laughing, the other two agreed, and together they shot back their drinks.
Cali moved away from the females and felt something rising inside her, something she didn't understand. Feeling a tingle, she looked down and saw the veins in her hands were beginning to glow as her Zagreus power rose. She needed to leave before someone noticed.
"Mae, I'm done! Have Ujana take over for me." Without waiting for a response, Cali ducked under the walkthrough and quickly headed for the closest door to her quarters.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Taarig watched as the Si female, what was her name, Tecu - no - Tecumseh, that's right. Taarig watched her pour two glasses of skotsk without the ice. Cali would know better than to abuse it like that.
Cali.
Taarig forced his thoughts away from Cali. It was hard enough acting like he was attracted to the female in the room without thinking of Cali. As he watched, Tecumseh handed a glass to Jamis then moved toward him, seductively swinging her narrow hips. Passing the other glass to him, she ran her blue fingers over his. To cover his reaction to her touch, he took a healthy sip of the skotsk, grimacing at its warmth.
It seemed Jamis didn't have the same problem. He dropped his empty glass and pulled the female close. As Taarig watched, Jamis lowered his head to capture the female's blue lips when at the last moment, she turned her head, giving him access to her long, slender neck instead. The look of disgust that crossed her face confused Taarig.
'Why would she have so blatantly approached them if she wasn't truly interested?' he thought, then wondered why his mind seemed so sluggish. Absently he glanced down at the growing stain on Jamis’s carpet. When had his glass slipped through his fingers, and why hadn't he realized it.
It took more effort than it should to return his gaze to Jamis. He needed to warn him that something was wrong. But it was too late. Jamis was already on the floor with Tecumseh standing over him, a cruel smile on her face. When she looked back to him, it grew, and the last thing he saw before his vision went dark was her dragging Jamis into his resting chamber.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Pacing in her living area, Cali shook out her arms, hoping it would somehow calm her churning energy. She'd only ever seen this once when she'd been very young. It had happened to her mom, but Cali had never known what triggered it, and something told her if she called her mom and asked, it would stir up a solar storm with which she didn't want to deal.
This was all because of Jamis and Taarig. She'd never been