[snip]

After Miranda’s visit Joe had gone about with all the final touches to make the place presentable. One of which beside the drink bar was actual food. Joe had brought a nice supply with him. Along with this he had had three non-flame cookers. He was finally ready to t open the place up formally in the next few hours. After he had everything plugged in, polished and ready to go Joe placed the open sign up.

 Now Open the Fantail Dragon   mixed drinks cocktails, and beers. 
 Fresh food: Tonight's offering, Beer battered fish, home fried potatoes and salad.

Joe being all set up sat and waited lest someone should notice the place on his first opening and decide to stop in. He sat at the bar sipping a cranapple juice and reading the latest news.

Ade had heard about the changes at the Fantail Lounge… er, Fantail Dragon. He hadn’t made it to the Green Dragon on Deep Space - K5 as he had been too involved in a big Poker game with the Auditors Department down on the lower levels of the station. he regretted that now, as from what he had heard, it sounded like a good night. So, he was very interested in what Joe had made of the old Lounge on the limited budget the Captain would have given him.

When he arrived he initially couldn’t see anyone else there yet, then he saw Joe at the bar with a drink. Ah! Well! If Joe has a drink then it must be open, he thought.

“I wouldn’t want to see you have to drink alone!” Ade told Joe.

Joe looked up from what he had been reading, a photo, err article of questionable taste and smiled at Ade as he approached. He put the magazine away and said to Ade , with a broad smile on his face, “Well sir welcome to the Dragon! And you’d be right we are open. So what would your poison be this evening or would you care for a small bite to eat?”

“Well, I am hungry…” Ade replied, “and those plates of fish over there look appetising. I’ll have that please. And to drink, I’ll have… do you still make that potcheen in your bath?”

Joe turned to go get the fish dinner when he heard Ade ask for something quite different. ” Pochin you say? ” Joe chuckled. “Well technically it’s distilled. and nothing to do with a bathtub as I am aware. Just pots and some copper tubing and such. And technically I don’t have any but if you’re really a sporting sort I can scare you up a sip.”

With both Cross and Hunter busy with the physical evaluation of the new recruits she left sickbay and made her way to Fantail dragon ‘’Hi guys ‘’ she greeted both the dentist and Joe ‘’Have you settled in?’’ she asked sitting at the bar.

The nursing officer was feeling quiet relaxed and in an - easy going mood ‘’ Ah’’ she sighed ‘’ Those two are as toxins as the suppose gases in the nebula.’’ Taking hold of the dentist’s hand in hers Kate smiled and asked how he was , while politely telling Joe for a glass of lemon juice.

“I’m in good health,” Ade replied, “but I just lost a ton of credits in a card game. It’s my only vice… well it’s one of them anyhow!”

‘’What!’’ Kate exclaimed ‘’ Are you addicting to gambling..oh dear me ‘’ she shook her head in disapproval.

“No, I’m not addicted to anything… well, probably to Nicotine… but not to gambling, anyway!” Ade replied. “It’s only that for all that I like it, I’m clearly not very good at it!”

‘’Well then I suggest you stick to your profession’’ Kate teased.

Ade didn’t take put downs disguised as jokes very well. If he did have any faults, then that was certainly one he would subscribe to.

“Kate,” he replied, “I’m sure that the Universe will never run out of patients that require bandaging by nurses, but dentists like me have been replaced by specialist robots with transporter-based devices, which remove complete teeth and their roots with minimal pain. This new technology and ways of working mean that my profession is practically finished. I’m just another employee thrown upon on the scrapheap of Progress!“

“Mind you,” Ade added, “there’ll be a big queue at my office when the machines go offline!”

Joe having already greeted the dentist just minutes before waved to Kate as she entered. “Good evening to you all! Joe spoke asked Kate . “And what will it be for you Kate? Lemon Juice? Something to make life better? A bit of a fish dinner perhaps?”

‘’Yes please a cold glass of lemon juice ‘’ she twitched her nose at the sight of the fish and shook her head’‘No thanks Joe ,I could never bring myself to eat fish, I’m a vegan..em but I won’t say no to some chips ‘’ Kate smiled while at the same wondered if she could bring up the subject about Cross .

‘’I don’t mean to pry Joe but don’t you find Cross’ s company a bit particularly hard to handle …with all intents and purposes ?’‘.

Joe was in the middle of delivering Kate’s chips to her when he heard the end of the question about Cross. He laughed loudly and almost dropped the chips. He handed Kate her chips and said, “To answer you ma’am she fits me. You see I’m not a proper man and I need to be roughly handled at times.” Joe thought it over and chuckled. “If you’ve ever heard the story of the wild American mustangs and how they evolved from all the fancy European horses into the short sturdy and and mostly cantankerous and evil horses that they became then you’d understand why I sometimes need a spur or a harsh word.”

Kate took the chips and started munching while attentively listening to Joe .She had no idea about the mustang and even less so the word cantankerous
‘’I understand Cross is a nice person to have around most of the time but..but ‘’ the nursing officer wreaked her brains for the right words ‘’ Can you handle her when she gets out of control and you’ll get more then a harsh word from her ‘’.

She knew Cross all too well ‘’ A few weeks ago I made the mistake of asking if Hunter was alright among the inhabitants and for some reason she flipped,guess it was the wrong time to ask, since she had just found out you where leaving but how was I suppose to know!’’ she exclaimed raising both hands in the air.

• Ade, Ship’s dentist