posted on Aug, 7 2004 @ 07:22 AM
...
He woke up three hours later, feeling hungry and eager to get familiarized with the city. He took a long, hot shower and let his body dry while he
unpacked his suitcase. Then he dressed himself in a fashionable, jetblack cape of Deneb-silk before leaving the room and heading for the elevator.
A tall and very beautiful woman made him company in the elevator. She reminded him of Adrania, and the mere thought of her made the days ahead
seem endless. He wondered how he would get the days to pass.
The light from the huge sun reflectors had dimmed since his arrival, and he realized that it was local evening at the gate station. The main lane
was full of people, but also many other kinds of lifeforms, though they were not as richly represented here as in the sectors closer to the galactic
core and on stations bordering the perimeter of human controlled space.
While Loque considered which way to take a beautiful pleasure-droid approached him, and her perfect breasts touched his arm as she leaned forward
to whisper proposals in his ear. But he discarded her by shaking his head as he started to make his way through the crowd.
�Drugs,� said a hovering holo-sign in pulsating neon-green letters a little bit ahead. He had heard quite a deal about some new and hot drugs
lately, particulary one called E-scape.
He moved in the direction of the sign and was soon standing in front of a sales stand, behind which a Cherova-cat sat in silent contemplation on
a high, three-legged stool. The stand was cluttered with jars, tubes, hypos, herbs, inhalators, powders, fluids and software.
�E-scape?� ha said to the Cherova-cat.
He heard a loud click in his left ear as the Babel-module was activated.
�No, not anymore E-scape,� the module translated while the Cherova-cat exhaled strange, rasping words in its own alien language, staring at him
with bottomless black eyes that never blinked.
�Why not?�
�E-scape popular, much many wants.�
�So, you�re out?�
�Out, yes.�
Loque shrugged. Now he had to think of something else, some other way to spend the evening � some other means to survive the long days ahead.
(to be continued...)