Calming A Racing Heart

Chapter Three

          The stranger bolted from the ballroom and out the front door of the hotel. His mind was racing, thoughts jumbled. Somehow, he managed to signal a transport. Throwing himself into the vehicle, he programmed in the address of the Joong enclave at the spaceport and curled into a ball on the seat as the transport took him home.

          "This can't be right," he murmured to himself over and over. Physical pain wracked his body. Shocked disbelief pushed any rational thoughts from his brain. Only one coherent image remained.

          That face.

          That strange man's face.

          Blue eyes the color of the sky at dusk on his home world. They drew him in as much as they repelled him. Hair the color of summer sunlight. The warmth of that man's hand in his, filling the emptiness in his soul. It was just the way he had been taught it would be.  He placed his hand over his heart. Until he met that man his heart beat had raced at an incredible pace, just as it should have. Just as it had for the last ten years. Now it had calmed to a slower, normal beat. Everything was just as it should be.  Only....................

            How?

           How could this be happening to me?

           The transport dropped the man off at the front entrance to the Joong enclave. The enclave was a domed city within the confines of the spaceport, set aside for the exclusive use by the Joong people. The dome was an impenetrable force shield. From the outside it was opaque, blocking even casual viewing of what went on inside. From the inside, the dome was transparent. The residents were afforded an unobstructed view of everything that went on outside. Absolutely no one outside of the Joong race was allowed entry.

          After going the through the standard security check, the man was allowed to enter. It didn't take long. He was well known by all but the newest of the guard staff. His runs brought him here regularly and he was one of the few residents who frequented the shops and entertainment facilities outside the enclave. After a stop at the security building, he headed to the closest cafeteria building that served the community and to the bar that operated inside it.

          "Hey Larcin,"  Ban Rush, the owner of the bar, called to him.    "What can I get for you?The usual?" Larcin hung out a lot at this particular bar when he was on Casentell. It was one of the few bars that employed live servers over automated systems.  Ban like to tend bar.  It gave him a chance to get to know his customers. 

          "The strongest thing you have back there, Ban," Larcin replied.   Ban was surprised.  Larcin wasn't much of a heavy drinker.  He grabbed a bottle off the shelf behind him and started to set a glass in front of Larcin.

          "Forget the glass. Just give me the bottle." Larcin snatched it out of the man's hand and headed out the door.

          Ban wasn't worried about Larcin leaving like that. He knew Larcin was good for it. He would just add the cost to Larcin's tab. What did concern him was the look on Larcin's face. He'd known Larcin a long time and never seen him look that devastated. Ban activated the communicator at his wrist and make a quick call.

          "I think you better go check on Larcin," Ban told the person on the other end of the call. "He just left here and he's not looking so good."

          The enclave was huge, and this cafeteria was a good distance from the apartment complex where Larcin stayed. Foregoing public transport, Larcin decided to walk home. He needed the time to think/drink. By the time he reached his residence he was already two thirds of the way through his bottle and unsteady on his feet. His apartment was on the ground floor so he made it inside without too much trouble.