Ace Mcmann: Space Hero
Copyright© 2026 by Phillip Marks
Episode 4
Science Fiction Sex Story: Episode 4 - A third-rate astronaut is frozen in space and time, only to wake up in a different reality. He and the crew of the Solar Temptress embark upon a series of adventures, all without violating any copyrights.
Caution: This Science Fiction Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Heterosexual Fiction Humor Science Fiction Aliens Space Anal Sex Facial
Prologue
Rain slanted out of the cloudy urban sky of Trivoth. Narlenda pulled the hood of her cloak up tight against the relentless rain and the cold, clammy atmosphere around her. A wet strand of ashen hair escaped from the hood, almost glittering in the darkness.
She was in one of the lowest levels of the megacity. Above her ‘skyraker’ buildings, office and residential towers almost a mile high, blotted out most of the dark sky. Around her, on the street level there was nothing but despair. Figures in rags huddled against crumbling ferro-concrete walls in the endless glow of neon lights that promised ‘Glory for the Imperium’ and ‘Prosperity for all.’
Narlenda had discovered long ago that these slogans where shabby lies. She had spoken about the fact – loudly – and this was her reward: she was an outcast from Imperium justice.
The heels of Narlenda’s boots clicked upon the pavement as she moved through the cityscape. The armored suit she wore hugged her curves and muscles as her cloak flashed behind her. She felt the weight of her light sword hanging at her waist. She stopped suddenly – a noise subtly cut through the air behind her.
Narlenda cut into the darkened shadows, using the humming neon lights to her advantage. Her gloved hand fell to the hilt of her sword; she would fight only if she had to. She crouched down.
A pair of Imperium combat robots rumbled up to her area in the street. These were patrol models, not the humanoid hunter-killer types that had been chasing her for the last several weeks. These armored units were jet black and bristled with particle beams and vibro-blades but they had treads, not legs. The patrol units could be avoided particularly in Trivoth, a multi-tiered urban landscape.
The patrol units stopped. One extended its scanner arm, a thin antenna loaded with sensors and detectors. A wide field of reddish light cut through the rainy dirty air of the undercity. If the robots detected Narlenda they would strike and might alert any nearby Imperium Network agents. As Narlenda watched the second robot added it’s scanning power to that of the first.
Narlenda was an experienced warrior and had been on the run for months, trading her combat prowess for passage on a variety of spacecraft until she had arrived here, at Trivoth, the last great city of the Imperium before the unexplored mass of the galaxy, a place that some called the City on the Edge of Space. This was where she had to make a stand before fading into the frontier or getting to a Temple. Hopefully she would not be alone but if that was to be her destiny so be it.
She struck suddenly, darting out from the shadows toward the robots with super human speed, feeling the power of the Desire course through her body. Narlenda’s light sword flashed in her hands, its red glow energizing the air around it. The power of the blade cut through the robot’s thick armor plates easily and the machine died in a shower of sparks and the crackle of fried circuits.
The second robot pulled back, trying to bracket Narlenda with its particle beam weapons. The Warrior of Desire was too fast for the dumb robotic brain. A burst of crimson particle beam fire cut through the darkness above Narlenda as she darted through the area, her cloak sweeping behind her.
Narlenda’s light sword cut trough the air. It’s first blow went through the security robot’s weapons array, destroying it with a burst of molten metal. The Warrior reversed her blade and dropped to one knee, finishing the robot off with a slow and deliberate slice through it’s midsection.
Narlenda rose and looked around quickly. Silence seemed to reign over the area, broken only by the slow splash of the rain. The Warrior of Desire hurried off into the darkness.
Desperation gnawed at her. Narlenda’s reserves were almost spent. She was tired and alone. She was hunted. Several weeks ago she had used her connection to the Desire to commune with Nuri, one of the last priestesses; a hero was coming the priestess had said. He would not be what Narlenda expected but he was coming.
The Warrior of Desire could only wait and hope.
Part 1: Customs
“I’m sorry ... ah ... frigate Callistin ... I’m not getting your message. Your transmission is breaking up,” I said into the transmitter on the Solar Temptress hopefully. Zayna was watching from the co-pilots chair. She angrily shook her head, her mane of blue-green hair moving slightly.
“This will work,” I said smiling. “I’ve totally got this.”
Zayna glanced back at PIPER and Oozmara.
The comm set crackled to life again a moment later. “Tramp freighter Solar Temptress this is the customs frigate Callistin. You are in violation of Galactic Customs order 7834/J7. Shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded. This is your final warning.”
“I’m sorry Callistin, I have ... sunspots. There is too much interference. Please repeat your message.”
“There ain’t no motherfucking sun!” hissed OG-91.
“It’s all good. This is like bullshitting the cops. I’ve totally done this before,” I said.
“Ace can do it!” exclaimed Oozmara.
“That’s right – lets have a little hope here guys.”
Suddenly, the Solar Temptress shook as particle beam fire exploded around her. “Solar Temptress shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded!” The voice on the comm set had gained strength and a steely undertone.
“This is standard Nellex Customs Enforcement procedure: first a verbal challenge and then a warning shot. They will target our engines next,” commented PIPER-69.
“We didn’t do anything wrong!” I exclaimed.
“Except smuggle illegal drugs into their main port, Ace,” said Zayna dryly.
“Those cases were clearly labeled ‘Paprika’ – I stenciled them myself!” I said.
“We all know that wasn’t paprika Ace,” said Zayna.
“The stenciling was very nice though,” commented PIPER.
“I held the extra paint cans!” added Oozmara.
The ship shook again. A series of alarms went off in the cockpit. A bright red indicator light flashed in the middle of the control panel. “Direct hit on main engines. We are down 14% power,” said PIPER.
“What the hell man!” I exclaimed.
“I’m too pretty to go to jail!” blurted OG-91.
“Damn right,” I began. I turned to the control panel and grabbed the yoke of the ship. “Zayna, full power to engines, shunt extra power in from the shields. OG, start making a calculation to jump into trans-luminal flight.”
“Roger that Ace!” said Zayna.
The Solar Temptress leaped ahead as a second volley of weapons fire fell short, exploding behind her. The freighter darted left and right at my command as more energy weapons fire flashed around her. The Callistin kept pace, maneuvering to bring more batteries to bear on us.
“They’re launching interceptor drones,” said Zayna.
“I can’t calculate a jump – there’s too much gravity interference,” added OG.
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked.
“Confirmed,” responded PIPER. “Scanners indicate an asteroid field dead ahead. Ace, bring us to course 278 mark 3 to get around the field.”
“Negative, we’re going straight ahead!” I said.
“Ace, you’re not seriously going into an asteroid field?!” asked Zayna incredulously.
“They would be crazy to follow us!” I responded.
“The chances of successfully navigating an asteroid field are ... really bad man! They’re really fucking bad!” said OG-91.
“It’s all good,” I responded. “I saw a guy do this in a movie once. I’ve got this!”
“What guy Ace? What are you talking about?” said Zayna.
“What’s a movie?” asked Oozmara.
“Yeah – a movie. It’s like a flat hologram on a big screen. People online bitch about them. The guy’s name was Ha – Bill, I mean Bill Solo. He was a really cool guy.”
“Bill Solo sounds like a freeloader who slept on his successful brother’s couch and was unemployed most of the time,” commented PIPER.
“Bill’s sister-in-law probably hated his guts too,” added Zayna.
“Oh no. Bill was the talented one. He was just a late bloomer,” I said. “Hold on! Here we go!”
I spun the ship around as it began to dart into the drifting rocks of the asteroid field. Though she wasn’t a space fighter the Solar Temptress proved surprisingly agile. I did another spin as we almost grazed a large rock and hurtled past another smaller piece of interstellar stone.
Four Nellex drones had closed on us by this point. They were fairly stupid robotic interceptors equipped with light particle beams and missiles. The missiles were useless here but the beams weren’t. The Solar Temptress shook as a volley of energy fire danced across her hull, the shields flashing as they absorbed most of the destructive energy. I swung the ship around another asteroid, feeling the yoke strain in my hands as gravity yanked us around the rock faster than we should have gone.
“The shields are down 25%!” said PIPER.
“Got it!” I responded. “OG, we gotta jump when we clear this field!”
“If we clear the field,” hissed Zayna.
“Wheee!” cried out Oozmara, throwing up her arms like she was on a roller coaster.
We all looked at the slimewisp and scowled.
“Ace! Ace! Ace!” yelled Zayna.
“I see it!”
I twisted the yoke hard, feeling the Solar Temptress groan as I spun her around another space rock. A drone hit the asteroid solidly and burst apart in a sharp ball of energy as the vacuum of space instantly extinguished the flame. The three remaining interceptors dutifully followed us, unleashing their energy weapons again.
The volley of fire went wide, tearing apart a rock near the Temptress. I had to punch the freighter through the debris. “Blow through! Blow through!” I yelled. The ship shuddered as the debris hammered her. The shields flashed as they absorbed the kinetic energy. Fortunately the drones followed and were unable to take the impact of the shredding debris. The small robotic ships didn’t really explode – they just broke apart.
“Shields are down,” reported PIPER dutifully.
“OG, my man, I need that trans-luminal engine!” I said.
“Interference is clearing but we’re not there yet,” responded OG.
“Engines are down 23%,” said PIPER. “I am getting feedback. You are pushing them too hard Ace.”
“Understood,” I said flatly.
“There. Right there. Swing us in close to that planetoid-sized asteroid. The frigate won’t be able to track us if we’re close. Then cut velocity and get us out of the field,” said Zayna.
“Right,” I said. I moved the Solar Temptress around another space rock and sprinted toward the cratered surface of the massive asteroid, slowing down as I skimmed the surface.
“Maybe there’s a place to hide like a big rock tube,” commented Oozmara.
“Oh no!” I said. “I’ve seen this before. If there is a rock tube there will be a big space worm in it ... or Meg ... either way it’s bad.”
“Who’s Meg?” asked Zayna.
“Don’t worry about it,” I responded.
“Like I reported we have engine damage of roughly 23% and our shields are inoperative. We need to repair the ship,” said PIPER.
“Roger PIPER,” I began. “Talk to me OG.”
“I can fire up the trans-luminal drive when we clear this asteroid.”
“Cool,” I said. “Where’s the frigate?”
“Outside the field. It looks like they are scanning with a tri-beam detector but they are facing the wrong direction,” said PIPER.
I took a deep breath. “Good job guys. Good job.”
“That was fun!” exclaimed Oozmara. We all scowled at her again.
Zayna bent over he co-pilot screen a moment later. “The nearest port is the city of Trivoth. It’s a pretty big place. We should be able to find repairs there.”
“Is not Trivoth called the City on the Edge of Space?” asked PIPER.
“It is,” began Zayna.
“Whoa guys, that sounds damn foreboding,” I interjected.
Zayna continued: “Oh no Ace – it’s called that because Trivoth is the last civilized settlement before the Outer Ri-”
“Zayna!” I interrupted. “Copyright!”
The warrior woman rolled her eyes and sighed. “We still have to worry about that after the whole asteroid field thing? God! Trivoth is the last civilized settlement before the Outward Edge of the galaxy, a barely explored region of mystery and lawlessness.”
“Okay, that sounds better Zayna,” I said.
Oozmara suddenly got up. “I better check on Blobby! All this action might have stressed him out!” She scampered back into the ship.
All of our eyes followed Oozmara as she left the cockpit. “That girl is cute, very sweet, but-” began Zayna.
“Chick ain’t right in the head!” interrupted OG-91.
“Oozmara said she is fun to have around – she was accurate,” said PIPER.
“OG, set course for Trivoth!” I ordered.
“I’m on it!” responded OG.
The Solar Temptress shook slightly as her trans-luminal engines kicked in and she entered the strange space between reality and nothingness, rocketing toward Trivoth. Zayna and PIPER grabbed my arms after smiling at each other. “You will come with us Ace,” said PIPER.
“Shit,” said OG-91. “Crazy girl is looking at her damn amoeba, the other three are fucking; who has to always make things work? Me, that’s who! Shit!”
A few moments later I was in the crew quarters with my pants around my ankles. Zayna and PIPER were on their knees, each working their tongues and lips along the length of my dick. I moaned slightly, massaging the hair of my two lovers.
“I think he is actually getting bigger each time,” commented PIPER between slurps.
“Mmmm ... I don’t care. I’m all stressed out with that asteroid run. I need to relax,” responded Zayna.
“Relaxing is good,” I said.
“Shut up Ace,” said the two girls in unison.
“Just serve your purpose and enjoy,” said PIPER.
I moaned again, muscling off my jacket and shirt. Zayna and PIPER continued to work on my dick, coating it’s fleshy hardened surface with a sheen of saliva. Zayna rose as PIPER engulfed my rod, letting it slide down her throat easily, taking her time before letting her face and chin reach my balls. There was no sign of her gag reflex at all.
“Oh my god,” I stammered. Zayna let a piece of her power armor fall away and we kissed. I worked my hand up behind her, finding the base of her neck behind her long mane of blue hair. Her gold skin was hot against my chest and I could feel the ample circles of her tits. Our kiss continued for a long time.
PIPER held my dick in her mouth for a long time as well, finally pulling away. She gasped for breath and a trio of thick stringers of spit laced between her lips and the end of my cock. Zayna released me and looked down at her counterpart, running her fingers through PIPER’s pinkish hair.
“Oh boy,” I said. “You ladies had better slow down.”
“Don’t worry Ace, we got this,” said Zayna with a smile, parroting my words.
The two women switched places easily, PIPER joining me in a delicious kiss and Zayna focusing her attention on my swollen member. Zayna dribbled a long string of spit along the top of my cock, using her tongue and lips to smear it around. She smiled, and inhaled my cock, allowing it to slide down her throat. Above this action, PIPER and I explored each other with a slow and deliberate kiss.
I shuddered and grunted. Zayna released me, wisely giving my anatomy a break. She turned her attention to PIPER, who spread her legs slightly. Still kneeling Zayna sent her mouth upward, exploring PIPER’s pussy and grabbing the cyborg’s hips. PIPER and I kept kissing gently as I felt her body quiver with sexual energy.
PIPER moaned as Zayna doubled her efforts. She took a break and flicked her tongue along the tip of my spit-slathered cock. PIPER and I grabbed each other, our heads starting to spin with sexual energy, my vision locking onto her glowing red eyes. Zayna switched easily between me and the cyborg, raising our level of excitement.
“That’s it,” I muttered, pulling away a bit. “It’s time for PIPER to get fucked.” I picked up the cyborg. She assisted with a hop into my arms and wrapped her legs around my waist, locking her platform heels together behind me. We kissed as Zayna positioned herself behind PIPER and in front of me. The rich scent of love-making filled the crew quarters.
PIPER shuddered as I pushed my dick into past her soaked panties. Zayna was smiling evilly nearby and managed to position herself perfectly, occasionally reaching up with her tongue to embrace the rich juices that immediately started flowing from my coupling with PIPER. I managed to vary my pace with PIPER, allowing plenty of opportunity for Zayna to get her tongue involved.
PIPER shuddered as I continued to pump her. She squeezed me as I felt her body start to ramp up toward an orgasm. I paused and we kissed. I felt the intense, comfortable warmth of her skin against mine, even her cybernetic pieces seemed heated, consumed by her rising passion. I felt Zayna doing her job as well; her tongue played across the enmeshed parts of PIPER and myself. I started to speed up and suddenly I felt PIPER’s orgasm rock her body. She buried her head in my shoulder and her hair seemed to dance around my face.
PIPER pulled away and I was panting, almost ready to cum myself. The cyborg plopped herself down on a bed as Zayna rose and bent over the same bed, raising her ass and spreading her legs wide. She took a look back at me, swinging her bluish turquoise hair around. I grabbed Zayna’s hips with no hesitation and rammed my well lubricated dick into her glistening womanhood. She squealed in response.
I grunted and moaned as I started to pump Zayna. Our senses were aflame, surrounded by passion that seemed to float through the air like heavy smoke. PIPER got involved a moment later, hanging her head over Zayna’s ass, mere inches from our coitus. The cyborg let loose a thin drizzle of spit onto my dick and Zayna’s pussy, before using her tongue to lightly play across Zayna’s asshole, finally delving into the tight orifice as I lessened my speed. Zayna moaned.
“Oh my God! Oh my God!” I panted. “Zayna! I’m gonna cum!”
The warrior woman responded with a scream as she buried her face in the bed and dug her exquisite nails into the sheets. I realized she had just experienced an orgasm. I pulled away as I felt strength pulsing through my cock, almost toppling over before PIPER hooked my hips and steadied me. She pulled herself to her knees and opened her mouth. Zayna recovered from the bed and did the same. I unloaded in PIPER’s direction a second later.
A massive blast of semen splattered across PIPER’s nose and cheek before she latched her mouth onto the end of my dick. I kept coming and she lapped it up, allowing my seed to fill her mouth. Zayna arrived on-scene a second later, taking a broad lick of the cum on PIPER’s face, allowing a long stringer of the sticky sweet substance to trail between the two women. They both looked up at me and smiled before kissing and trading my cum between them.
I collapsed backward onto another bed and laid there, allowing my body to cool off and wind down from the sexual fun I had just experienced. I was joined a moment later by PIPER and Zayna, who both gently kissed my cheeks. The two women curled up on the bed as a light, happy sleep overcame us.
2: Cityside
The Solar Temptress shook slightly as she exited trans-luminal space near the orbit of the planet Trivoth. The world loomed large in our view ports, a multitude of lights flickering across it’s surface with only the occasional wisp of cloud covering them. Orbital space around the world was crowded with dozens of ships, platforms, and stations visible.
Zayna, PIPER, and OG-91 were quiet as we glided into orbit, having seen places like this before. Oozmara was mostly speechless, her glittering eyes simply wide. “Wow,” I murmured. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“It’s like Cors -” began Zayna.
“No. Not at all,” I interrupted quietly. “It’s like Trantor in the Foundation books. Issac Asimov did it first and better.”
“Either way it’s beautiful,” commented Oozmara.
Our amazement ended a moment later when the intercom crackled to life: “Unknown ship, this is Trivoth Control – identify immediately before entering our pattern.”
“Ah ... right,” I stammered. “Trivoth Control, this is the tramp freighter Solar Temptress inbound for repairs and cargo.”
“Roger Solar Temptress. Change your heading to 187 mark 52 and stay on that course. You are cleared for landing on pad 117D. Welcome to Trivoth.”
I glanced over at the co-pilot station. “Zayna, I -”
She smiled. “I got it Ace.” She took over the controls of the ship, guiding us along the path designated by control while Oozmara and I took in every detail we could.
To our left we passed a massive slow moving ore freighter as a pair of quick commuter spacecraft zipped by on the right, carrying passengers to Trivoth’s moon or perhaps a distant part of the globe. We went around a large station of some type a moment later, it’s extended solar panels glittering in the semi-darkness of orbital space. Below us the tops of massive buildings poked into view through a thin bank of clouds, a shimmering string of lights meandering between them as high level commuter traffic buzzed through the air.
“I’ve never seen a building that big,” I stammered.
“They are called ‘skyrakers’,” commented PIPER.
“I didn’t think there were this many people in the galaxy,” added Oozmara.
Zayna was smiling, thoroughly enjoying the awe that Oozmara and I were displaying. “This is nothing compared to the big worlds at the center of the Imperium. Those places are even more densely populated,” she said.
“Solar Temptress, Trivoth Control here. Stay on course. You are entering the landing area. Power down your engines and prepare for automated landing procedure.” The Control voice was different this time, more tinny and higher pitched. My guess was that we were dealing with a computer system now.
“Understood,” replied Zayna. Her fingers flew over the controls and the engines cut out a moment later. The Solar Temptress slowly drifted downward between the massive buildings toward a cluster of darkened landing pads. A moment later a pair of sparkling cerulean beams engulfed the ship and took over it’s movement, guiding our vessel further downward. Zayna took her hands off the controls.
“Auto-land?” I asked.
“Essentially,” said Zayna. “Piloting a ship this far down is incredibly difficult so they have automated systems for it. There are specific areas for the big ore and food freighters but the small ones like us have to do the best we can.”
“Dedicated passenger flights tend to land higher up in the skyrakers, except registered refugee flights. Those poor folks land groundside,” added PIPER.
I thought about that for a moment. “So everything is stratified here, rich up top in the clean area and poor down below in the dirt.”
“Welcome to Trivoth,” said Zayna, a bit bitterly.
Oozmara scowled, crossing her arms in front of her. “This place is pretty but icky at the same time. I don’t think Blobby will like it here.”
I glanced back at her. “I agree with Blobby,” I said quickly.
The Solar Temptress shuddered as she touched down a moment later. I looked around at the crew. “Okay guys lets be on our toes. Oozmara, go get some clothes on.”
“Ohhh!” The slimewisp made a pouty face.
“Oozmara, clothes!” I ordered. “We’ll split up. PIPER, you and I can sniff around for cargo or some work. Zayna, take Oozmara and get us some repairs. We have an okay amount of money -”
“For once,” interrupted Zayna.
I snorted. “Yeah, for once. Get the shields and the engines repaired. Check on coolant as well – we might as well top off if we have too. OG?”
“Yeah man,” responded the repair robot.
“Will you be able to access the spaceport computer?”
“Well yeah,” said OG. “But I ain’t stayin’ here. I got to get me a carton of menthols. I’m almost out!”
“I’ll get you some smokes,” I said. “Stay with the ship and see if you can access their computer systems.”
“Okay man, I got a sub-routine I can use,” said OG.
“Are you thinking that we’re going to have trouble Ace?” asked Zayna.
“Absolutely not,” I said smiling. “That automated landing system makes me nervous though. It means that we’re pretty much locked in here unless we can override it.”
“So we’ll have to blast our way out of here?” said Zayna, sighing.
“It’s kind of what we do,” I responded smiling again.
I lead the crew down the ramp of the Solar Temptress. We each fitted a very light communications headset on so we could maintain short range contact, except PIPER who had this capability. The sights and sounds of the city buzzed around us. We were in the middle-level of the towering skyrakers by my best guess. The air around us was smoky and dank with the smell of sentient life rising from the crowded lower levels and it was mixing with the clean atmosphere from the upper skies. To call the mixture unique was an understatement; I had never smelled anything like it.
Three other landing pads were around the Temptress. One held another light freighter, a boxy ungainly beast that lacked the curves and shapes of our ship. Dark colored robots were unloading crates from this ship and stacking them on a large freight elevator. I noticed a wide ramp leading slightly upward into the depths of the center city. Nearby elevators offered a path downward into the depths of Trivoth as an alternative.
Zayna tugged on the back of my jacket. I turned and she handed me a sheathed knife. “Be careful with the particle pistol Ace – most of these urban planets restrict energy weapons. Blades are okay because they are considered tools but not energy weapons.”
“Got it.” I put the pistol away and strapped the knife to my belt. The crew was ready behind me. Oozmara had put on a black bikini top, boots and a pair of tight shorts. Despite her protestations, PIPER wrapped a cloak around her and clasped it around her neck. “Lets go guys,” I continued. We preceded up the ramp. PIPER and I went right. Zayna and Oozmara went left.
The medical cyborg and I followed the ramp up a gentle spiral rise, passing a few small shops and a large four armed alien who eyed up PIPER’s svelte form as her bottom twitched underneath her red cloak. We reached a meandering causeway full of moderate foot traffic. Occasional service robots both flew over the mostly humanoid aliens though some heavy robots were restricted to the ground with heavy loads.
“We should find a bar Ace,” commented PIPER. “There are plenty of landing pads around here so there should be a place serving spacers like us.”
“You mean scum and villainy? Cool!” I said.
“Sure, whatever you wish Ace,” answered PIPER dryly.
I noticed a figure off to one side, hooded and cloaked. He was humanoid but wore a heavy mask within the shadows of his hood. He seemed to be watching the crowd move by which seemed suspicious on the surface.
“What do you make of that guy PIPER?” I asked my companion quietly as we moved past.
“Hmmm. Probably an Imperium agent. These urban planets are riddled with them.”
“Not much of a disguise,” I commented.
“I agree. Imperium intelligence operatives are not known for their skill. He might even be part of the Imperium Network (for) Eliminating Political Thought. They are tasked with stopping dissent and rebellion.”
I stopped. “What did you say?”
“What? I was talking about the Imperium Network (for) Eliminating Political Thought. It is like the Imperium’s secret police force. They are not known for their competency,” said PIPER.
I looked down at my hands and counted letters on my fingers, understanding finally showing on my face. I shook my head. “Yeah I bet.”
“Look Ace, a spacer bar. We should go there,” proclaimed PIPER, pointing to a large storefront down the street. A flashing pink neon sign denoted the place as the Orbital Drop Bar and Lounge. A few rough looking characters were going in and out.
I glanced back at the Imperium agent. “Yeah, sounds good ... we wouldn’t want to be ... seen by the, by those guys.” PIPER took my arm and we headed toward the bar.
In the grimy semi-dark of the middle level of Trivoth we were unsure what time it actually was. Perhaps it didn’t matter that much here. The inside of the bar was smoky and lit by a variety of thin neon lights. It was populated by an eclectic mix of humans, humanoid aliens, and strange entities. A pair of human-like lizards, each with a long tail, were making out near a bright red sign. In another corner of the bar at a tall table a fuzzy gray alien in a black cloak was engaged in conversation with what seemed like a human shaped blob. Close to the stage a trio of humans in identical silver jumpsuits were engaged in a game of holographic cards with a pair of creatures that had the heads of flies and long proboscis-like snouts.