Rhade's first stop was Harper's bar. He needed to get information about Doyle and Trance. In particular, just how similar they were to humans physically. Getting the information about Doyle was easy. He just made some off colored jokes with Harper and included Doyle in the subject matter. It seemed that Harper really was a genius. Not only was Doyle physically complete, but she could actually have children as well. When working for Marika, Harper had convinced a number of the local women to donate some of their egg cells for a research project—that project being Doyle. Trance was going to be a different matter. He was going to have to ask her personally. Fortunately, she was currently in the bar.
The avatar of Tarn Vedra's sun was sitting at one of the barroom tables idly playing with a pack of cards. Rhade walked up to the table and sat down across from her. Trance gave him a welcoming smile. She couldn't remember much about her past, but she did remember that Rhade was a friend. After a few minutes of hi and how-are-yous, Rhade started asking the questions he was really interested in.
"Tell me, Trance, before you joined the Maru, did you have any boyfriends?"
A look of concentration passed over Trance's face as she tried to remember. "I don't remember, Rhade. Do you think I did?"
"Well, you're quite attractive. If your species is like mine, I'm sure you did." Realizing that her memory loss would cause him problems, he tried a different tack. "When the young men come into the bar, do you think you would like to get to know some of them better?"
"Dylan and Harper don't let me talk much to the men in here, but some of them seem nice. I think it might be nice to know some of them better."
That's a start, thought Rhade. The next question was going to be awkward though. "How about your parts? Are they compatible with a human male's?"
Trance's eyes went wide with confusion. "Parts?" she asked. "I don't have any parts. Maybe Doyle does. Why don't you ask her about her parts?"
"I meant your sexual organs, Trance. Are they compatible with a human male's? You should know about human anatomy since you were our medical officer on the Andromeda."
"But I don't remember any of that, Rhade," said Trance. Her voice trembled, and she looked as if she was about to break into tears. "I've forgotten everything. You know that!" However, within seconds a look of relief crossed her face as an idea came to her. "I know—why don't I show you mine and then you can decide if they are compatible with your species'?" She stood up from her chair, reached down, and began to pull the hem of her dress up to show Rhade her nether regions.
"What the hell is going on here! What are you doing, Trance?" It was Beka; she had just walked into the bar, and the first thing she had seen was Trance pulling up her dress.
"Oh, hi Beka," said Trance, her dress still up around her waist. "Rhade was wondering if my parts were compatible with his. I didn't know, so I thought I should show him."
"He was asking the same thing about Doyle earlier," said Harper, who had walked back into the main room at the same time Beka had entered. There was a mixture of confusion and anger in his voice. He had never felt any reason to be concerned about leaving Rhade alone with Trance before. Apparently, he'd been wrong.
Beka drew her gauss pistol. "I think you had best explain, Rhade. Talk fast and maybe I'll let you finish before I shoot you."
Harper had retrieved the flechette gun he kept under the bar. Rhade wasn't concerned about Harper, but Beka was another matter entirely. "I think it's time they found husbands," he explained hurriedly, holding his hands up in front of his torso like a makeshift shield. "They should be married and raising families, not working in a bar."
"And you think you're qualified to find husbands for them?" asked Beka, still pointing her pistol in his general direction. "I've seen the floozies you hang out with. If they're your idea of suitable mates, Trance and Doyle will be better off single."
"Hey, the one he was with last night was no floozie," said Harper.
Rhades feeling of gratitude for Harper's support vanished when he saw the gotcha look on Harper's face and he waited for the other shoe to drop. Which it did.
"She's not old enough to flooze, continued Harper The grin on his face got bigger at the look of consternation coming over Rhade's face. "I've seen her working the area. I hear she just turned seventeen a few weeks ago."
I'm dead, thought Rhade. He hoped Beka would shoot him in the head and not in a lower part of his anatomy.