Page 26 of Asmodel

Must be talking to his ship.

“Yeah, I get it. Okay, just one, Mom.” Raxx’s smile widened. “She bitches and nags better than my mom did on a bad day.”

Two dark-cobalt bottles appeared on the console between them. The tops were open and teal-green bubbles fizzed over the lip and rolled lazily down the side of the bottles.

“Ah, my favorite!” Raxx grabbed the one closest to him and raised it in Asmodel’s direction. “Glarthian Hopsar Ale.” He winked before taking a deep draw. When he pulled the bottle back, he closed his eyes and smacked his lips with a deep sigh, followed by a loud belch. “Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

Raxx opened his eyes and focused on Asmodel. “Well, go for it.” He tsked, waving the bottom of his bottle in Asmodel’s direction. “Trust me, you’ll want nothin’ else once you let this baby go down your gullet.” He took another swig. “Damn, that’s good.”

The guy had almost finished his bottle, and Asmodel hadn’t taken a taste yet. He took a cautious sip, and his senses were assaulted by a complex blend of flavors. Coating his mouth and tongue was a vivid fusion of sweet and bitter notes, reminiscent of dark cherries mixed with a tangy zest of an unknown alien grain. Underlying these were subtler hints of spice and something floral, creating a sensory experience unlike anything he’d encountered before. The aftertaste left a cooling, almost minty sensation, an underlying contrast to the initial robust flavors. He pulled the bottle back to examine it. Not sure if he liked it or not. He braved another taste. This time, the concoction went down smoothly with a bare hint of a bite. Its subtle bitterness lingered on his tongue. He wanted more. This time, he took a generous gulp before pulling the bottle away. He grinned, then belched. Loud enough to match Raxx’s.

“Dude.” Raxx put the end of his bottle out.

Not sure what the guy wanted, Asmodel glanced at him.

Raxx nodded and clicked the end of his now-empty bottle against Asmodel’s nearly empty one. “Yeah, freakin’ A.”

Asmodel relaxed, his body warm and his thoughts light with a bare hint of fuzziness. Not enough to incapacitate him, just enough to release the tense pain pinching the back of his neck. He slouched back. “So—” He took the last gulp of the ale and put the empty bottle on the console next to Raxx. “—finish your story.”

“Oh yeah. Where was I?” Raxx laced his hands over his flat stomach. “I guess I was in some type of stasis for what felt like centuries. Then, about twenty years ago, I was found on a shithole of a planet by some farmers plowing their field.” He shrugged. “I was lucky they took me in and raised me. There was no sign of anyone else on that crashed ship but me.”

Asmodel absorbed the tale, the pieces of the guy’s life falling into place. “You’ve had quite the journey, Raxx.”

Raxx looked at his hands. “Because Earth is in a protected status, I wasn’t allowed to go back.” He lifted his head, a mischievous smirk on his face. “But since you’re from Earth, maybe I can talk you into smuggling me there.”

Asmodel laughed. “I won’t have to sneak you in. I bet if we offer Earth your QLR technology, we’ll just waltz in like we own the place.”

“Yeah, that might work.” Raxx rubbed the side of his chin with his finger and thumb with a faraway look before shaking his head and glancing at Asmodel. “So, dude. What’s your story?”

“Like you, I’m a man ripped out of his own time.”

Asmodel told the other man about traveling seven thousand years into the future to help stop the Akurn aliens’ invasion. And how he and his brothers were now tasked with finding some missing human women.

He omitted telling Raxx the more intimate details about himself, especially how he was a mix of human and alien DNA that created a powerful man with psychic abilities. Raised by the cruel and maniacal Akurns, he and his brothers struggled to trust anyone.

When he finished his short tale, they both fell silent. Asmodel couldn’t help but think how two beings from vastly different worlds could be kindred lonely souls. While he had his brothers, the man next to him had no one except a bossy AI.

After a few comfortable moments, Raxx waved a hand over a light on the console in front of him. “Well, sit back and take a chill. It’ll take me a momento to get the QRL ready. Then we’ll book it to CeluriaVO and rescue the babe, eh?”

Asmodel nodded and studied the view through the cockpit window as theShadow Driftercoursed through the silent void. For the first time in a long time, a sense of renewal gave him purpose. With the tentative bonds between him and Raxx becoming stronger, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he and this man ended up more than just mistrusting strangers.

Maybe, for the first time in his life, he could call someone friend.

Asmodel settled in the seat beside Raxx aboard theShadow Drifter'scockpit, the weight of anticipation pressing down on him with each passing moment.

Raxx faced him with a mischievous grin. “You ready, dude?” He put his right hand over a blinking yellow light on the panel next to him. “Once I punch this, it’s all or nothin’.”

Asmodel’s eyebrows furrowed together. “What do you mean ‘all or nothing’?”

“Well, ya know, there’s no guarantee in life, my man. It’s just I haven’t had a chance to test this prototype yet.” Raxx tilted his head and tugged on his earlobe with a grin. “Too busy runnin’ from the Vargrux and all.” He chuckled. “Hell, for all I know, it’ll fold us into space and squish us into pancakes.”

“I believe the human is misleading you.” JR13’s tone was matter-of-fact. “He and Echo have run thousands of simulations, and each one was successful.”

Raxx wiggled his dark eyebrows up-and-down. “So, whaddya say, buddy? Ready to live dangerously?” He bobbed his hand over the yellow button, blinking in a lazy rhythm.

“I suppose…”

“Bitchin’! Let’s do it!” Raxx slapped his palm on the light.

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