A/n: We all know the people of the Akuda Bar, but do we really know them? What they think about Hillys, the DomZ, the Alpha Section and, of course, the war? The game gives only little insight in the other Hillyans. I decided to give them a voice, considering the world and circumstances they live in and bringing up a part of their character we haven't seen but maybe yet exists- especially the darker patches. This is just inevitable if your home is at war.

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the game

EDIT: As much as I'm happy that so much people have already read (or at least opened) this collection, it doesn't show me what you think about the stories. This can only reviews do, so please click at the page's end the "Submit Review" button and tell me what you think.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Mo: Party madness and War normality

(War does not determine who is right - only who is left. - Bertrand Russel)

From inside drummed "Propaganda" even louder than usually – and Mo putting up the volume of the Akuda Bar's feature song meant one thing: He threw a party right in the moment. With an unknown, but surely great band playing later (nobody knew how and where Mo always found them), and special cocktails he mixed for these very occasions. As a little surprise got every guest in addition one can of Nouri's famous K-Bups for free when they ordered something.

At the bar watched Mo shaking, mixing and smiling - his hands worked all the while by themselves without his conscious thinking, something you learn over years of doing this job - the bustle around him: Most people enjoyed themselves while sitting either at the counter or the tables and talking about today's race (Rufus had won against Seven only by mere inches).

Others played with Francis at the Air Hockey table or upstairs with Peepers a round of shell game. Considering the surprised exclamations of both the shark-man and the gambler he heard, they had worthy opponents this time – and by the tone of their voices they enjoyed this very much.

Not everyone was so carefree, though. Some people wore a depressed look or stared at the glass in their hand, as if it wasn't there. During the last DomZ attack not only people had again vanished but several had been killed; these guys here in the Akuda Bar were probably family members or friends who still couldn't believe what had happened.

Maybe they also tried to forget their pain by drowning it with alcohol.

Maybe all the other guests tried to forget by visiting this party, too. Not that Mo could blame them.

He sighed as he cleaned the shaker. This damn war had also taken his toll on him, by taking away some of his best friends he had known for years, and as he had seen others breaking because of all the madness around.

To learn the truth about the Alpha Section's real intentions hadn't and still didn't help with this either, because you couldn't hope next time nothing and no one would be harmed but know the shields would somewhere break and the DomZ attack successfully; because you knew there would be new victims to be abducted and lives of whole families be destroyed; because you knew that the Alpha Section would always come too late, letting the DomZ kidnap the Hillyans, and carrying off even more themselves with their so-called "evacuations" aka turning the citizens in to the DomZ.

And because - he almost crushed the shaker in his fist - you for flagnamit hell knew that most people thought about that cursed Alpha Sections as goddamn heroes!

Mo took a deep breath and shook his head. If he didn't stop now to think about it, he never would until he would have collapsed because his mind wasn't able anymore to bear this twisted crack between truth and reality.

He needn't another experience of that.

He grabbed now with conscious determination a glass, pushing aside any depressing thoughts, to make a "Cool Summer" ordered by a young woman who seemed to be very nervous, but also excited.

He knew this look and he couldn't do otherwise than to feel a great deal better, and even a bit cheerful.

With skilled ease poured the barman now several liquids to the ice-cubes in the shaker, never spilling anything. He put the lid on, and suddenly tossed the shaker into the air, making the girl gasp. So fast he had thrown, so fast he caught it again, shook it a little bit longer and poured then the cocktail into the glass.

After the usual decoration with a lemon slice and a few drops of red sirup, Mo handed the drink along with the K-Bups to the girl.

"On the house."

"But, but…", she stuttered, perplexed and blushing at this and looked helplessly behind her.

Her reaction made Mo smile. So he had been right: "Ah Miss, you're right, I forgot the most important thing." He roamed a bit under the bar, all the while smiling knowingly. As he put the two straws into the glass, he lowered his voice like to share a secret: "Don't let your boy wait for ya. I can see him over there near the Mdisc reader very eagerly waiting for to drink this cocktail together with you. Good luck for your first date."

If it was possible, the girl's face turned even redder, either because the barman knew about that she had a date or because he knew who her date was, she couldn't decide.

Before she took her order, she stuttered a quick "Thank you" and hurried away. Mo watched her go through the crowd in the main room to a table where a young man was waiting; his face brightened when he saw her approaching.

Later, Mo saw them again in a more secluded corner. They were very busy with each other, and didn't seem disturbed the slightest that everybody could see them kissing like in a marathon. The bull grinned: This youth had always so much energy.

But he was happy for them. It was good to know that despite the Alpha Section's dictation, the constant attacks of the DomZ and the abductions of all those victims, there was still enough room to lead a normal life, to go to parties and having time for something that life-essential like love.

If the left ones were still able to do so.

xxx

A/n: To my own surprise, the story about Mo went a completely different direction than from what I had planned, because his part was originally not so black and a lot shorter than now; then it developed a momentum of its own and the story changed, I just had to write on and on, until I felt there wasn't anything left.

Looks like there are more dark sides to discover in the Hillyans than I had imagined.

And the quote of Bertrand Russel gave me the last hint where the story would eventually lead, because it matched so good to what I've had already written.