Prologue: Part 2

“Alright ladies, get ready,” The Terran show coordinator said as she walked down the line of backup singers for Miss Revi Fiere. As she went over the half dozen dancers that were about to take the stage, she stopped at the last two, eyeing them over. “Um...”

Jack felt a figurative knife in his belly as he realized their attempt to cross behind the stage to escape out the other side of the building had just fallen apart. He had donned a pink and yellow dress, cut above the knees, revealing his hairy legs. His dress had frills over the shoulders, and he had a big pink and yellow bow attached to a long blonde wig. Toby had a blue and green dress on, longer than the one Jack wore, with lace across the chest. He had a short haired wig with two pig tails and tiny bowties.

‘Oh Fuck, what do we do now?’ He thought as he saw the coordinator looking over her datapad with a frown.

“There’s only supposed to be...” The dancers were directed to go out on a musical queue. “ ... four dancers ... was that ... a man? The dancers were all supposed to be female...”

Jack looked at Toby wide eyed who just shrugged. “Fuck bro, go with it?”

“Are you out of your mind?” Jack spat. “We have no idea what to do...”

“Look bro, stage or them...” He pointed at the Kakrins who were approaching.

“Fuck...” Jack inhaled sharply and saw Toby heading to join the other dancers. “Toby, what the fuck...” He said quietly.

Jack followed Toby out onto the stage and immediately regretted his decision.

‘Stars fucking moons, It’s the grand Odeon. Holy fuck, it’s Revi Fiere’s show... ‘Jack thought as he eyed the Zakkastan singing at the fore of the stage.

Zakkastans were of avian ancestry, about the height of a Terran with bright plumage off their heads. Their bodies were shades of reds and oranges, avian three toed feet and leathery hands with short claws. Revi had a bright gold eye and deep green eye and a red, almost equine tail. Bright red feathers jutted off her elbows with hocks of orange fur on her wrists and ankles. She wore a long two layered modest blue and white dress with a light pink ribboned headband. She was singing her heart out to an audience that Jack estimated to be in the tens of thousands. With that realization, he couldn’t believe he was here, trying to pretend he had some sort of dance capability in front of all of these people.

All he could think was ‘Fuuuucccckkkkk mmmmmmeeeee... ‘

Jack tried to get close to Toby but one of the other dancers, a Terran, took him in what was supposed to be a two-person spin. She realized something was wrong when his clunky movements put her off balance and he practically scooped her off her feet to save her from hitting the floor.

“What?” She looked at him, shocked. “Are uh? There’s too many for this. There was only supposed to be four of us, I thought?”

“Last minute changes?” Jack shrugged.

“Are you really a dancer?” She asked in confusion.

“Uh,” Jack looked at Toby bumbling around. “Would you believe me if I said I was an idiot?”

“I uh, not sure what’s going on...” She bit her lip and stepped back.

“Jack, look by the stage,” Toby pointed to where they had come on the stage and saw the Kakrin twins, arms folded with looks of amusement as well as the two Terrans that had pursued them.

“Fuck,” Jack realized how messed up this all was. “We gotta go.”

By now the show had stopped and the occasional gasp or murmur from an otherwise silent audience was all that broke the stillness.

“Jack?” Toby said as he began backing away from the advancing Kakrins.

“Don’t fuckin say my name,” Jack spat. “We’re in heaps of shit here.”

“Apologies, treasured audience,” Revi said. “This conduct is not part of our show.” She then walked over to Jack, not looking angry, just expecting an explanation. “Why have you interrupted the show?”

“Sorry Miss Fiere.” Jack said apologetically. “Bad decisions bred bad decisions, now these goons are lookin to do some beating.” He pointed to the approaching Kakrins.

Jack apologized again, then ran forward to grab the mic stand she had been standing beside, and held it like a spear. He used the flat end to hit the male Kakrin in the stomach, who let out a yelp that echoed across the Odeon. Toby was fending off one of the Terrans through a pushing match and got the upper hand, shoving the guy into the technology rack. The weight of the rack kept itself in place and stopped the guy from toppling over, allowing him to recover and go after Toby again. The next one Jack struck was the other Terran, in the groin.

“Aw, you crushed my nuts...”

“CRUSHED MY NUTS, CRUSHED MY NUTS, crushed my nuts, crushed my nuts, crushed my nuts,” echoed through the Odeon.

“FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.” Jack heard his voice echoing across the Odeon next, realizing the sound was screwed up.

“YOU ASSHOLE, YOU ASSHOLE, you asshole, you asshole you asshole.” The Terran said as he went to a seated position, holding his groin uncomfortably.

“Give us the money,” The female Kakrin demanded. “THE MONEY, THE MONEY, The money, The money, the money.”

“I don’t owe anyone money so tell your fat cat boss to fuck off,” Jack snapped. “FAT CAT BOSS TO FUCK OFF, FAT CAT BOSS to fuck off, fat cat boss to fuck off.”

“He’s just plump, don’t make fun of his weight.” She spat back. “FUN OF HIS WEIGHT, FUN OF his weight. Fun of his weight. Fun of his...”

Jack backed up to the edge of the stage holding the mic stand defensively. Toby moved up beside him.

“Jack, what are we gonna do, bro?”

“GONNA DO BRO? GONNA DO BRO? Gonna do bro? Gonna do bro? gonna do bro?”

“Stop using my name.” Jack spat. “We got serious echo going on.”

“SERIOUS ECHO GOING ON, SERIOUS ECHO GOING ON, serious echo going on, serious echo going on, serious echo going on.”

“HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo.” Toby said into the mic, actually eliciting laughter from the audience now.

“Fuckin, stop that,” Jack said as he covered the mic with his hand.

“Oh fuck,” Toby looked at the distance to the ground.

“Fats wants his money,” The Kakrin female said as she approached. “Running off with a five thousand luc debt just won’t do.”

“Come and get it,” Toby said as he backed up into Jack, sending him toppling off the stage.

Jack was able to get the mic stand to the ground and tried using it to get some leverage in stopping his fall, but it all went horribly wrong. The microphone caught him in the gut, causing him to make a loud, echoing ‘oof’ As gravity continued to pull him down, his dress caught on the mic and bunched up in front of him, hiding his front section. His back end, however, was fully exposed and he was slowly turning to have his rear end brandished to the audience with nothing he could do. He tried to reach anything to stop himself but there was nothing he could do but wait for the slightly wobbling mic stand to come to a stop. As soon as it did, he saw an immense number of flashes and knew exactly what was going on. Thousands of guests were taking photos of him with their commpads. As he spun back to where he could see the audience, he caught sight of the two Yisinthi he had met earlier, right in front of him. They were in absolute shock, but their mouths were in a deep grin. Toby jumped down and helped Jack off the stand, tearing half his dress away in the process.

“Jack, your nip slipped.” He pointed.

“NIP SLIPPED, NIP SLIPPED, nip slipped, nip slipped, nip slipped.”

“Fuckin run.” Toby shouted when security moved in from the side to detain them.

Toby pointed to a set of stairs leading up that had no approaching security and Jack followed in haste. As they headed for the back of the Odeon, several security guards tried to make their way through the guests, scrambling and falling or brushing some of the guests in the face with their rears. Jack tripped and fell beside a row of seats, cracking his knee hard.

“Ah! Fuckin hell,” He snapped.

“Pretty lookin dress there mister. Not sure yer at the right show though, given yer lil ballet stunt with the mic stand.” One of the guests said to him. “Cutesy bow by the way, but I don’t think this was a show with pole dancers. Not sure what ya were playin at?”

“I would be quite displeased,” said another, seated beside the first. “But that damned echo has me in tears.”

He looked up, through the hair of his wig and managed a grin. “Mix up in tonight’s itinerary. Sorry ladies, but no encores though.” He stood up and ran, feeling a sharp jolt in his knee every time he stepped.

As they neared the exit, they could hear Revi speak to the audience, holding another microphone.

“Very deep apologies for this disruption. The security and police will have these shenanigans dealt with shortly. I do assure you, this was not a part of our intended show tonight.” As she finished speaking, the audience applauded but as Jack was tackled to the ground, he could hear a lot of laughter echoing through the great hall.

“Bailing on unpaid debt, projectile vomiting across several walkways, tipping over a Lakkasians cart...” The Terran Star Guard Sergeant barely managed to keep it together while her partner, a Quanolan Corporal, did everything he could to hide his own laughter, leaning forward enough to hide his head below the table. “ ... sneaking into a restricted premise, ‘acquiring’ a new fashion sense, attempting to ad lib dance in Miss Fiere’s performance...” Jack tried to keep a serious face but their lack of composure broke him. Toby was lucky enough to be passed out in an undignified position given his dress attire. “ ... Bearing a full moon to thirty-eight thousand guests at the Grand Odeon, using a mic stand as a spear and ‘crushing nuts, crushing nuts, crushing nuts...” She imitated the echo and Jack buried his hands in his face. “ ... Is there anything else we missed?”

“That about covers it.” Jack replied through a bit of stifled laughter.

“I assume you didn’t mean to interrupt the show. How did you get in?”

“Back door was open, unlocked rather.” Jack answered.

“And your current attire?”

“A disguise attempt to escape our pursuers,” Jack shrugged. “We meant to avoid the stage and dip into the crowd outside the building. We intended to return the dresses at a later time in some low-key manner.”

“Well, as much as you broke the law, caused a serious disruption to Miss Fiere’s show, and went spartan on a couple of people with a mic stand, no-one wishes to press charges, pending a few conditions.”

“What’s that?” Jack asked.

“First, you have a few debts to handle. Your card game debt, damages to an electric rickshaw minus what you already paid the owner, two ruined dresses and cleanup of the vomitous mess you made.”

“How much is all of that?” Jack asked, letting out a frustrated sigh as he looked at the still passed out Toby.

“About seven thousand lucs, all told.”

“Alright, who do I see for that?”

“The station bailiff can accept payment once the forms are submitted. Should be able to pay tomorrow.”

“Other conditions?” Jack asked.

“Miss Fiere is here and wishes to speak with you two. Do you accept?”

“Yes,” Jack’s eyes widened like saucers, but he did not hesitate.

He was uncomfortable with what might come in the area of reprimands, but he knew they were deserved, and he accepted that.

“Alright,” The Star Guard sergeant and corporal stepped out, allowing Revi to enter on her own.

“Uh,” Jack bit his lower lip as she sat down in one of the chairs. “Sorry about all that, uh, mess on your stage.”

She held up a four fingered hand and he saw her beak open slightly, then she covered her mouth as she laughed, and he began laughing too.

“Ah, Jack, is it?”

“Yes,” He nodded.

“Oh my, well, first, the stage was not mine. I was just singing there. Second, I know you were not trying to ruin my show. Things got out of hand for you.” She saw him nod. “Though I would ask you to check with me in the future if you wish to join me on the stage, I must admit, your antics made this past show one that looks to be my most talked about.”

“Really?” Jack raised a brow. “Nah, it’ll fade. Your music and charitability are what you’re known for. I hope this will pass fast.”

“Perhaps,” Revi said. “I wish everyone would stop with the thanks and gratitude. I just do what I feel is right, do I need to be applauded for it every time I step into the public?”

“You have great renown; it may come with the territory.” Jack said carefully. “But I can’t speak from experience. If you don’t want it, then no, you should be able to do what you do in silence if that’s your wish.”

“I see it in the faces of those I help, that is sufficient.” Revi replied. “However, maybe you can speak from experience, more then you realize.”

“How so?” Jack asked.

Revi pulled out her commpad and tapped the screen a few times with a blunted claw.

“Just need a moment, apologies” she said. “Claws are not too responsive on some of these commpads. I may need to go with a different brand.”

“Adacom,” Jack said to her. “It’s a pretty good multi-race brand. Not a big name so not popular.”

“Oh?” Revi raised an orange brow. “Is that what you have?”

“Yeah, somewhere,” Jack replied. “I lost it in the big show.”

“We have it then,” Revi replied. “One of my crew friends is holding on to it.”

“I’ll have to swing by to get it,” Jack said thankfully. “I’m hoping for a job interview, and I need it for that.”

“We shall get it back to you as soon as can be done,” Revi said. “But to my original point...” She showed Jack a picture of him and the Praeminian at the recruiting center.

“Oh...” Jack nodded.

“Small world. She is a friend of mine. Sent me this picture earlier today. Told me of you, of where you’re from, what you took part in...”

Jack let out a deep breath. “Stuff I’d far sooner forget.”

“Your actions have a deep resounding effect, a reach that goes deeper than you may expect.”

“How so? Did you have family there?”

“Not close,” Revi put her commpad away and reached over to look at the tattoo on Jack’s arm. “I have friends today though, that were there. Friends who told me of the Terrans and their allies who fought back against corruption and non-Terran deportation.

Those who also stood against the slaughter of Terrans and non-Terrans alike who were in mixed race relationships or stood against the worst near the end of the conflict. They hold any member of the Free Arteman Military to the highest regard. As such, those who served in that organization, along with many others, may attend any of our shows, free of charge, any time they wish.”

“Is that why I’m off the hook for all that?” Jack asked, a bit reluctantly.

“Comes with the territory,” Revi replied.

Jack thought to protest, strange as it might have been. He stilled his tongue though. “Look, I hope the person who left that door unlocked, doesn’t get fired. Could you maybe see to that?” She nodded. “Also, you’re the singer, yet you always say, ‘our shows’, how come?”

“I sing, others dance, others take care of the technical aspects, still others clean up, load up, organize and arrange. How could I imply it’s all me?”

Jack nodded, smiling. “You’re of a higher caliber, Miss Fiere.”

“Call me Revi, please.”

“I’ve seen a few of your shows. I’ve also noted those around you have stayed a part of your group for a while. There were times in the trenches, we could jimmy rig a signal and be so lucky as to listen to your singing through some peace time.”

“You, watched us in the middle of that nightmare?”

“We did,” Jack nodded, noting a bit of a sad, sympathetic look in her eyes. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get all emotional or personal here, it’s just-” He was cut off when he felt her arms round him.

“Apologies. Those thoughts bring a heavy weight.”

“You played a part in bringing light into a dark time,” Jack said, standing up slowly to embrace her back.

The large soft feathers of her head brushed against his ear, and he could hear her make almost a cooing sound before she pulled back and they parted.

“Thank you for sharing, Jack.” She spoke.

“Thank you for performing,” He smiled.

“Did he serve too?” She said as she looked at Toby.

“He did,” Jack answered. “He paid a heavy price. I suppose we all did, but his hit home pretty hard.”

“He lost someone close...” She said quietly.

“Again, we all did, but yes, not to break too many details, but his chosen life mate, was murdered simply for being non-Terran.”

“Oh...” Revi took in a deep breath and had the look of someone fighting back strong emotions.

“Don’t carry all that,” Jack set a hand on her shoulder. “For all the glory of the League, bad things still happen to good people daily. Some of it’s worse than others, but it happens and will continue to happen without fail.”

“Do not give up on the people in the League,” Revi looked at him. “Do not become cynical. There are bad, but there are good people too, not motivated by pure self.”

“I know,” Jack nodded. “I’m standing with one now.”

“A thought we both share.” Revi replied kindly. “We should get you out of here and get you and your commpad reunited.”

“Yeah, I’m down for that. Just need new attire.”

“We can stop by your hotel, you can change. What about him?”

Jack looked at Toby, sleeping so soundly. “Well, he’s drunk outta his mind. They’re going to keep him overnight to sober up, then I’ll see to it he makes it back to the hotel.” He caught her look, as if she wanted to ask him something. “What’s up?”

“Would you be willing to share more of your tale on Artema?”

“Uhh,” Jack hesitated. “I’m not looking to talk about the warfare or-” She held her hands up politely to make him stop.

“I mean the people. Those you were with. Those you have lost. As mentioned, some of my friends escaped Artema. I wish to understand it better.”