~Why are you never real? Whenever you appear… You leave me with that grace… I am trembling with fear… But I know that you will disappear…~

Among the crowded streets between The Narrows and The Underbelly sits a watering hole known as The Last Stop. The bar hadn’t always carried the moniker; it had originally been a joke among the patrons. It was the last ‘safe’ place to get a drink before you got lost in The Underbelly, but somewhere along the way it stopped being a joke… no one remembered the original name anymore…

Inside The Last Stop, the ceilings hung low, built into an excavated asteroid chamber. Each bulkhead wore patches from the various repairs over countless decades. The tables were reclaimed cargo containers. There was a constant haze of recycled air carrying engine coolant, alcohol, ozone, machine oil, and whatever illicit substance was currently dominating the market. Violence wasn’t prohibited in The Last Stop… but it was bad for business… and so somewhere along the way, the owner had come to an understanding with all three syndicates that disputes were to be settled elsewhere or their people would be shown the door permanently.

The patrons of The Last Stop instinctively sized up every newcomer, but they were practiced enough at it to be subtle…

Two Orions and a Nausicaan walked into the bar, their clothing was worn and smelled heavily of The Underbelly but they wasted no time pulling out a wad of credits and starting a tab with the bartender before moving off to a corner booth. The bartender took one look at the length of frayed rope that each man wore around his right wrist and simply said “Your drinks will be right over.”

As the waitress approached the table with their first round she overheard part of the conversation.

“Did you see the frame on that little blonde Fed?” The first Orion said, opening his eyes wide and cocking his head slightly to one side for emphasis.

The second Orion responded quickly, “Yeah, it’s a shame the boss won’t let us near her… yet.” He burst out laughing at his own words.

The Nausicaan was the first to take his drink from the waitress. He looked her in the eyes, “Hey pet, want to see a magic trick?” He proceeded to down his drink before slamming the glass down on the table, which brought rolling laughter from both Orions. “Hell for what they’re paying us, we should get the first crack at the Fed doll!”

The first Orion tucked a credit in the waistband of the waitress’s pants and said “Thanks sweets! Keep them coming”. As she turned to leave the table, she felt a swat on her behind but refused to look back as the first Orion spoke again. “Keep dreaming boys! Boss said the blonde doll is worth more breathing.”

The Bard