“I hear the Juireans attacked their homeworld first,” said Rutledge, even though he regretted the statement the moment he said it. He knew better than to get into a political discussion is a bar.
“I heard that the savages tricked the Juireans and destroyed a peace delegation,” the know-it-all responded. “The Humans are not to be trusted.” All the drunken aliens nodded and bobbed their heads again in unison; Tindal was feeling the effects of the alcohol by now himself and nearly busted out laughing at the goofy, bobble-head scene.
The dark-skinned alien leaned over closer to Tindal. “Inside, we are growing worried. The Juireans are retreating in the face of the Human invasion. This is not something we are comfortable with.”
“Riella’s excrement!” the loud, furry creature shouted, overhearing the comments of his companion. “The Juireans will prevail. They must!”
Tindal dismissed the outburst. “So there should be plenty of work for orbital ’chargers; is Travess hiring?” Tindal asked.
“I believe so,” boomed another alien at the table nearest to Tindal, a pale green creature, huge, with bulging muscles stretching his uniform. “I’m working on a transfer myself. Orbitals pay better. But the security checks are tough for warship crews.” He looked around at his fellow rechargers and raised his glass, “But that only means more credits — and more mates on our pads!”
There rose from the three tables of aliens such a discordant and offensive sound as all four of the different species exhibited their own form of laughter. Evidently, the third round of drinks was having the desired effect.
Rutledge sent another round to the tables.
“Like my friend said, we are new here. Where do the orbital crews for Travess assemble? We would like to speak with them about employment possibilities.”
The loud, furry creature spoke up again, “You need to go to the dispatch building for hiring. The crews can’t help you.”
“We just want to speak with them about the working conditions for Travess.”
The black-skinned creature leaned over again toward Tindal, this time almost losing his balance as he did so. “They meet at Gate 43-B at the start of their shifts, all except the security crews. They enter through 43-A. You will not get on the security crews initially, not without working for Travess for a while or having prior security-team experience.”
Gate 43-A. Good.
Even as they all spoke, Tindal couldn’t take his eyes off the light green creature with the muscles, a beast that looked like a smaller version of The Incredible Hulk. Even though the SEAL still only had limited experience with the vast variety of aliens available in the galaxy, he and Rutledge had yet to find any that challenged their skills, strength or coordination. However, this green creature was tempting. Tindal locked eyes with the creature.
“Your species is very strong, are you not?”
The alien was surprised by the question, but did manage to fashion a grin of sorts. “Yes, we are. We are of the warrior class, and ones not to be challenged.”
His companions at the tables all laughed again and nodded, sharing an inside joke. Tindal cocked his head, questioning.
It was Tindal’s friend with the black skin who spoke next. “A few weeks back, Lornius was challenged in this very tavern by a Hedanlese. It was not to the death, but Lornius played with the offensive creature for several minutes before throwing it out on the street rather unceremoniously. You should have seen it!”
“If wish I had. Where we come from, we have a test of strength called an arm-wrestle. Would you care to try it?” Tindal asked Lornius. Rutledge quickly leaned over to Tindal and whispered forcefully, “Knock it off, petty officer. This is not our mission.”
“It’s okay, Chief,” Tindal said, lifting from his chair. “I know what I’m doing.”
The aliens cleared a path for him. “First let us have this table,” the SEAL said, beginning to explain the rules of the game. “And then you and I sit across from one another, lock hands and then try to pull the other’s arm down to the table. First one to force the other’s arm down wins.”
Lornius appeared to beam at the simplicity, as well as the machismo of the game. He displayed an overabundance of confidence as he moved into position. Tindal sat opposite the alien — and then they grasped hands. Immediately Tindal noticed the mushiness of the flesh; he would have to be careful not to crush the creature’s hand.
Lornius had pulled back the sleeve of his uniform to display the mounds of ripping muscles. Tindal had never seen anything like it before, even on the arms of a world-class bodybuilder back on Earth. He was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole affair.
Petty Officer 1st Class John Tindal was no slouch himself when it came to muscular definition, but the alien’s arm was easily four times thicker than his. However, the SEAL had discovered that out here in the galaxy, size was not the only thing that mattered. In the four months that he’d been down-range with Adam and his team — killing aliens — it hadn’t taken him long to realize just how special Humans were in the whole scheme of things. But this could be different….
The alien eyed him good-naturedly, yet with a slight baring of his teeth through green lips. The other aliens were all whooping and hollering, enjoying every moment of the contest, and didn’t notice the slight implied challenge issued from the green alien. Rutledge stood near the back of the crowd, glowering at Tindal. There would be hell to pay once they got back to the ship-
“What now?” Lornius asked.
“Someone yells ‘Go’ and we start to push.”
“I will do it!” said the furry creature, forcing his way through the crowd until he stood next to the table. He looked expectantly at the two combatants…and then yelled “Go!”
Immediately, Tindal felt pressure on his right arm, as The Hulk jerked suddenly, the muscles in his arm swelling even larger. But Tindal’s arm did not move. Lornius looked him straight in the eye, a look of concern replacing the pervious toothy grin on his face. Realizing that Lornius was doing the best he could against him, Tindal began to let his arm go slack. Slowly, The Hulk was seen to be pressing Tindal’s arm closer and closer to the table. Tindal let the contest go on for about thirty seconds, doing his best Academy Award-winning performance to make it appear as if he was struggling mightily against the huge green creature. And when the back of his right hand finally touched the table, The Hulk released it and jumped to his feet, raising both his massive arms above his head.
“I have bested you!” he boomed, much to the joy and adulation of his companions.
Tindal rose dejectedly from his seat; Lornius halted his celebration momentarily. “You were a worthy opponent,” he said to Tindal. “At first I thought I would not be able to overcome. But then my superior strength won out — as usual!”
Tindal grinned and nodded. “Yes, you have bested me today. And now my companion and I must depart. The victory is yours to celebrate.”
“You do not have to leave,” Lornius proclaimed. “This was a game, not a challenge.”
“I understand that. But we must retire now to prepare ourselves for seeking work tomorrow. It has been very enjoyable interacting with all of you today.”
As the two SEALs walked toward the doorway, Rutledge whispered, “You let him win, didn’t you?”
“Had to Chief, I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his friends.” Tindal smiled at Rutledge. “It looks like even The Incredible Hulk isn’t much of a challenge for us.”
“Keep your big brass ones in your pants, Tindal. And next time I tell you to stand down, you had better follow orders.” The tone in his voice was unmistakable.