Shane walked in from the docking bays access corridor, running his fingers through his short, dark hair to fix what the helmet had done to it, and inhaled the murky air of the bar. Lovely, he thought, glancing around at the patrons sitting at tables or leaning against the bar, lit by screens displaying a variety of entertainment streaming in from the net. The scent of tobacco, booze, and beer was always a welcome experience after a security department shift in the vacuum.
He recognized one of the newest recruits, a man named Tony... Tony Ristar, if he recalled correctly, and snuck up behind him to give him a slap on the back. "Good work out there, recruit; we didn't rid New York of piracy for good, or anything..." He grinned as Tony cocked an eyebrow at him and smirked, "But we gave 'em a run for their money, eh? Even took a couple of 'em down while we were at it." Tony nodded and looked away, nursing a beer. "Seriously, man," Shane pressed, "We tangled with some bad mother truckers out there, and we came back in one piece. So did the pres', and his barge- that's big stuff, man! I'm proud o' ya. Glad to have ya aboard. Lemme buy ya a beer." The bartender apparently heard at least this last remark, and walked over.
"What can I get for ya?" The tender asked, running a towel across the bar; the living epitome of bartender stereotypes.
Shane leaned against the bar as the bartender approached, strained in order to hear what he said, and replied, "Dublin stout for me, and whatever he's havin'. In fact, get everybody one of what they're havin', on me. I got a promotion." He grinned broadly, showing his large, straight teeth, and gestured to his fancy new name tag.
The bartender shrugged indifferently and said, "Cash or credit?"
Why don't they ever recognize me? Shane thought, somewhat dismayed, as he pulled out his credit card and I.D.. As the bartender pocketed the card and set about pouring all the drinks, Shane glanced to the table where Dexter, Araevin, and Danielle sat. They seemed content enough with their conversation at the moment; he figured he'd wait til the free drinks showed up to go have a seat.
He wondered what the other employees were up to. He'd heard Hoban was dealing with a big storm planet-side, but wasn't sure about the rest. I'd better start keeping closer tabs on everyone, he thought, thumbing the new name tag.
