A Quiet Drink (Short Story)
Here's one written from the perspective of someone in a backwater bar on Kah-Vita, this planet has been kind of neglected from the stories, but it's a place I'd like to spend a bit more time to build it and its inhabitants up a bit more. Also, with this one, I decided to try something a little different with the writing. Usually, I try to write dialogue plainly, but with this one, I decided to write each of them with a bit of an accent.
"I heard that the Kah-Vitan government is lookin' to throw in with the Confederation." A man at the bar said before he coughed up a hocker and spat a thick glob of green and brown phlegm on the floor. After the spit, he snorted the remainder back into his throat and Ugbur Tarke was sure that the man proceeded to swallow it. Sick bastard.
93-V, the rundown old bartender rolled over to the men as fast as his rusted-up wheels would carry him. "I, I, I'm sorry t, t, to disturb the peace. Gen, gentlemen. B, but, there is no spitting a, a, at the -" The spitter waved a hand that silenced the laughing of his companions, and which also stopped the droid in its tracks.
"Yeah, yeah, no spitting indoors, got it. Why don't you fix us up another round o' drinks, rust bucket." The droid silently obeyed and clanked its way back to the drinks cabinet, rattling glasses and spilling only a little liquid. Ugbur watched as it carried out its work. Its head swiveled around to clock eyes with him. "Wan, wan, Want another?" Ugbur stared at the large red eye of the machine and nodded. "Yup, one more, thanks."
The men sitting to the left of him started to laugh and hoot as he finished speaking, which prompted him to glance in their direction. "The droid don't care if'n ya say thanks of nay." One of them commented. "Yeah? Well, manners cost nothin' regardless of whether you wear steel or flesh." Ugbur replied, as he swirled the last of his drink and tossed it back. It went down harshly like a good spirit should; kicking and screaming as it ran down his throat, but the only thing he was sorry about was seeing another empty glass in front of him.
One of the men stood up, a crusty grime-covered man in his late twenties. He wore a hat that peaked up in the front and had just enough teeth to make a one-row smile. "Mind if I prop the bar up here beside ya?" The man asked, referring to the empty stool to his left.
I'd rather you stay back with your friends. "Sure," Ugbur said instead, not wanting to make any trouble.
"The name is Elies Cross. I'm a local miner, but I do all sorts with that sorry lot back there. What's your story? We don't see many o' your kind around here." The man asked, scratching at his forehead with the back of his thumbnail. "My kind?" Ugbur asked. The man instantly raised his hands lightly. "I don't mean to offend ya. But, ya know, Aroks. We get all kinds of people, Triskens, Rotchi, and sometimes even a Doshan. But, I ain't seen an Arok in town before. Ya look a lot cleaner than most too, what's your business?" The man spoke quickly, but softly, glancing around occasionally almost afraid to maintain eye contact.
"Just passing through." Elies started to nod and let out a light chuckle. "Well, it is one of those towns I guess. "A passing through town." Only, we don't get a whole lot of passers."
"You got one right here. I stopped by on my way from Albach to Lavarone." As he spoke the droid set another drink down in front of him. Neglecting to place Elies's drink down and then moving on with the tray. "Hey, where's mine?" The droid's head swiveled to where it placed the drink. "I, I, I put it with your companions." The droid jittered and managed to say. "Well I'm not there no more, I'm here!" Elies shouted and with that, the droid started to move, while a slight eruption of laughs could be heard from the others down the bar. "Stupid droids. I thought they were gonna take over at one stage, but here we are."
The droid then placed his drink down, and within a moment's notice Elies had snatched it, but before drinking it he stared at Ugbur. "Oh, you like manners and such. Thank you, droid." The man let out a sarcastic voice at the end, parading the airs and graces typical of someone with low moral fiber.
"I don't care how someone treats droids or anybody else for that matter. I just prefer to do things my own way." Elies stayed silent and took a long swig of his drink, placing the glass back down on the bar. "I suppose growing up in a city does that, suppose it's hard being down in the muck with the rest of us." He said, barely hiding the spiteful tone in his voice.
"I didn't grow up in a city, I grew up in a town like this." Elies started to nod. "Right, and what you say your business was again?" "I didn't." Elies had a smile on his face for a moment, but it washed away quickly as Ugbur replied. "I don't like not knowing who I drink with, and I don't like strangers who wander into places they don't belong." "You're the law?" Elies shook his head. "No, I ain't the law. But, we got our own ways o' defending ourselves." As he finished speaking he stared at Ugbur for a long moment.
Out of nowhere, he smashed his glass on the bar. Shards went flying, some landing in Ugbur's face. The man jumped back from his seat. Within a moment he was standing. Still holding the remains of his glass, aiming it toward him. "You tell me what your business is!" He shouted, which was barely audible above the confusion of chairs slamming and glass breaking as the others in the mans party seemed to be doing the same.
Ugbur quickly un-holstered his pistol with his right hand, raising his left toward the man. Elies lunged forward and Ugbur caught him by the wrist. With that, he spun him around until he was neck locked by his own arm and Ugbur was standing behind him with a pistol resting on the others. "Drop the glass." He told them, and some complied. But, the man who had been spitting didn't, refusing to drop his glass he just stared with a worried look on his face. "You let go of my boy!" He shouted. "I will when you drop the glass." As this was going on Ugbur could see the droid out of the corner of his eye. "Sto, sto, stop this, at once, I am calling the town guard!" Ugbur calmly switched his fire mode on his weapon and blindly shot at the droid. Hit it dead on, and instantly that commotion was gone. The men in front of him jumped with that, all except the spitter who just stared. "It's an EMP blast, the droid will be fine soon," Ugbur said. "Now drop the glass." After another shot at the ceiling, the man complied and the glass shattered on the ground.
"My business, because you're so interested, Elies. Is with Kadar Research and armament corporation. They sent me to meet with land barons between Albach and Lavarone, because they are looking to set up a large facility outside of the major cities of Kah-Vita; in the hopes of getting some peace. After a long meeting with Armand Errol, I decided to come and get a drink, where I was greeted by a mostly empty bar, apart from you degenerates. I soon realised that being by myself was too much to ask for, because, Elies, you decided to come and probe me with all kinds of questions. Now, if I let you go, will you behave yourselves long enough for me to make my exit?" During his speech, Elies struggled and gurgled occasionally from almost being throttled by his own arm. "Yes!" He said, which was barely audible.
"Really? Are you sure that would be okay with you and your companions?" "Yes! I just said, yes!" Ugbur released his grip and Elies fell to his knees gasping for air. "Great. That is so kind of you. The droid will wake up soon and start pouring drinks, and in the meantime, I'm going to take my leave." Elies scrambled away from Ugbur, back over to the others.
Giving them a wide birth, Ugbur made his way around the group of men, who tracked his every step. Now at the door, he stopped and looked back at them. "Oh, and since you were all talking about it earlier. Kah-Vita will not be joining The Confederation; that's just a rumor which has been given validity by people like you who won't stop going on about it. This planet is a lot of things, one of which being valuable; especially to the F.S.A." Ugbur complained, before moving forward and through the old creaky door and outside to the dim evening sun.