Head to the nearest bar

"I could sure use a drink," you think to yourself. Indeed, the events of the past few days have been weighing on you, and there's nothing like some synthahol to help you unwind. And on a world like this, they might even have real ****.

Making sure to pack two sidearms, you call Vel and Kalis on the comm to let them know you're heading out. They both acknowledge, although you can detect a trace of disappointment in Vel's voice. You think to yourself how human she seems; sometimes, you forget that she's a clone.

You walk off the exit ramp of the ship and begin to walk through the starport, looking for anything that might resemble a bar. After wandering around a bit and checking the directory, you find Shady's, a place that certainly seems to live up to its name. The front door is just that - a rusted steel door embedded into a solid, featureless plasteel wall, with a blue neon sign saying "Shady's" above it. As you walk up to the door, it gives a hiss as it starts to slide into the wall, and stops halfway. After a loud, clunking noise, it slowly slides all the way open.

The inside is dimly lit, and it looks just the way you would have expected it to. The place is small and pretty beat up, with low-hanging bulbs filled with some kind of glowing liquid as lamps. There's not much of a crowd in here, which suits you just fine.

You take a seat at the bar and order a glass of whiskey from the clone bartender. "Comin' right up, chum!" he says with a lopsided grin. It would be annoying if he were human. Glancing around the bar, you take in your surroundings. Most of the people in the bar seem like pretty typical space travelers and merchants, but a few of them do catch your eye.

Towards the back is what appears to be a restroom. Sitting at a table next to it are three human women - one redhead and two brunettes. They're quite pretty, for outlanders. Actually, they don't seem like outlanders at all; while they're certainly dressed like outlander travelers, their mannerisms seem more like those of the Commonwealth. They don't have the hunched posture or suspicious eyes that real outlanders do, and their clothes are too clean. What are people from the Terran Commonwealth doing this deep in the Outlands? Then again, you're Commonwealth, and here you are. Still, it would take a well-trained eye to tell you apart from the locals. The three women appear to be engrossed in a rather heated discussion, although you are too far to hear what they're saying.

At the far end of the bar is a Ranthian woman. Apart from the blue skin, Ranthians look a lot like humans, only with less variation in features. That's probably the reason why the two species get along so well. It's a bit strange how you've seen many Ranthians over the years, but you've never seen a Ranthian male. And you've never seen an ugly one, either. This one is no exception. Her long, silver hair hangs loose around her shoulders, and you notice her abundant breasts straining against her black jumpsuit. She appears to be lost in thought as she nurses a tall, neon drink in her hands.

Over in the corner is a rather plump and nervous-looking human male. He's dressed in expensive clothing and jewelry. You figure he must be a merchant of some sort. Probably not a very good one, judging by his fidgeting and nervous glances. You saw him look up at you when you first walked in, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes which turned to disappointment and resignation when he didn't recognize you. He's probably the richest man in this place, and he's obviously waiting for someone. You catch him casting a few furtive glances in your direction from time to time.

You focus your attention back on your drink, thinking about everything that's happened so far and what you're going to do next. You finish your drink and are about to order another when you hear a voice behind you say, "Excuse me, sir."

You turn around.