When Relena finally tracked Noumalia down she was sitting at a table with Unity. Both had empty coffee cups in front of them. Unity seemed to be talking about something. Noumalia was quite obviously not listening.

The Doctor looked up when the Captain reached their table.

“Kelda’s arranged passage on a transport leaving at dawn. The Captain of the ship has kindly given us permission to board early and spend the night in our berths for not much extra.”

“That is very kind of him” Unity nodded, “but I need to get back to the medical facility and wait for those genetic profiles. I’ll meet you there in plenty of time for departure though.”

“Fair enough.”

As he stood to leave he gave his Captain a plaintive look then glanced sideways at Noumalia. Relena nodded and waved him off, taking his previous seat.

“Hey there kitty-cat.”

Noumalia barely acknowledged her existence.

“Look, there is a time honoured Anthropos tradition for times like this that Kelda and I plan to observe. I’d imagine Kelda’s already started in point of fact. You’re welcome to join us. I doubt you’re going to manage much sleep anyway.”

Noumalia looked up now. Relena and Kelda never invited her to come with them and she really didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts right now.

“Um, ok, sure.” She stood and smoothed her skirt.

“That’s a girl. Ever tried Drakan fire-water?”

“Er, no.”

“Well, first time for everything.” The Captain’s grin was not comforting.

The bar Kelda had chosen was certainly on the seedier side of town. Noumalia looked distinctly uncomfortable as they made their way through the alleys and underground paths that labyrinthed the area. Even Relena was relieved when she finally saw the sign Kelda had described: a wooden plaque with a evil-looking rat in a dock-workers uniform. It didn’t appear to have a name; it didn’t need one. There wouldn’t be two dock-rat bars.

Once the women had pushed through the heavy wooden door, Relena quickly scouted for her friend. The Captain had spent a lot of time in bars, she’d lived and worked in Yasmin’s for more than three years, and felt slightly more relaxed when she saw that it was fairly standard as far as these things went: long wooden benches, about half-filled with customers, games area in the back and a barkeep that looked remarkably like the uniformed rodent on the sign. Relena immediately pegged him as the owner, he had that proprietary look that spoke volumes about what he would and wouldn’t put up with in his establishment. Yasmin had the same countenance and Relena suspected she may have adopted something similar on board the Shark. It was territorial thing.

She found Kelda in the usual way, by paying attention to where no one else was looking. It was the first thing she’d ever noticed about the sniper, back when they first met in Yasmin’s bar. She had a way of being present but not attracting notice, no mean feat for an attractive blonde woman in a workman’s hang-out.

Relena and Noumalia sidled up to her table in a round-about way, but by the time they’d reached her she was looking straight at them. It was a game they always played, and one Relena always lost. She sighed.

“Could you have found a bigger dive?”

The sniper grinned. “No suits. I thought that was the way you liked it?”

She shot an unfriendly glance at Noumalia.

“What’s she doing here?”

“Same as us.”

Kelda shrugged, a gesture that clearly expressed that the zin-shee was Relena’s responsibility, and stood and gestured at the vacant seats.

“What’ll it be ladies?”

Noumalia sat in silence staring at the table in front of her and allowing the steady rumble of voices to wash over her thoughts.

She sensed kelda's shrug of indifference as the sniper turned and headed towards the bar, and smoothed the skirt of her new red dress as she sat. Focussing on that was easier than focussing on anything else.

She felt hollow again. That empty, lonely feeling she had experience not long ago was back. But now it was mingled with something else. worthlessness. betrayal. He had gone without so much as a hint as to his plans.

Noumalia's thoughts flashed to the memory of reading Lance's message. Her first thought - "He's abandoned me" - leapt back into her mind.

She lowered her head further, wrapped in a cocoon of her own silence.

Kelda returned with a trio of shots in her hands and a cute bartender in tow with three more glasses. He smiled at Noumalia who seemed to be doing a studious job of ignoring everything. Kelda let over and whispered something in his ear that made him blush and scuttle back to the bar, all the while casting curious glances over his shoulder at the Zee-Shee.

Kelda pushed a shot towards the duchess. “Now don’t say I never buy you anything.”

“What is it?” Noumalia sniffed.

“Don’t ask. Just drink.” Kelda scolded, hefting a shot herself. “To getting our goddamn ship back.” She toasted.

Noumalia obediently raised her glass with the others, pausing to sniff again before sipping a small amount.

It was repulsive! A flavour that could only be likened to engine-grease followed by a burning sensation which made it difficult to breathe. Noumalia and other civilised Zin-Shee preferred their alcohol for its flavour and refinement. This was clearly not for civilised beings.

She sat gasping while Kelda and Relena exchanged amused glances.

'You're not supposed to sip it' Relena laughed.

'Its foul!' She looked dubiously at the glass 'Its ********** (She said something in her native Zinshee tongue)'

'huh?'

'Lirrit Piss'

Kelda sniggered some more. 'Just drink, kitten'

Noumalia scowled, but raised the glass again, draining it this time and slamming it back down to the table.