D'Mok Revival 1: Awakening Read Online Free Page B

at the doors to the lift, nervously shifting from side-to-side. The doors opened, the alien entered, closing the doors before he could get there.
    While he waited for the next lift, he looked over the crowd. He’d never seen so many species in one place. Makes the Coalition’s Plutonian colony seem homogenous in comparison, he thought. Yet even with all this diversity, everyone seemed to get along. He wondered if this was just a good area of the station, or if it was this way throughout.
    Sudden yells drew his attention to a group quarrelling by an Add-Ur-Skills station. Something about the exchange was reassuring somehow; that everything wasn’t perfect here made him feel more comfortable.
    A uniformed attendant emerged from the crowd and engaged the aliens. In moments, the fighting pair were escorted away.
    “Sorry for the delay.”
    Hearing Bob’s voice, Mencari looked around expecting to see the bug-bot, but realized the voice was used for more than just the bot; the lift had returned. He entered and pressed the Antar Deck button, then squinted at the odd halo around the lettering. Curious, he rubbed the button’s surface, revealing an inscription different from what he first saw.
    Bob said things would be translated for him. In the same instant of awe, he recalled what his drill instructor used to say: “Always be aware and on guard.”
    His stomach fluttered as the lift sped upward, this time from speed and the anxiety welling inside him.
    The roar of the crowds flooded in as the doors opened. Hordes moved busily about, scouring for bargains. In contrast to the openness of the other deck, this one’s ceiling was much lower. Shops, booths and kiosks created a series of bottlenecks along the narrow corridor. He stepped out of the lift and looked for the location of the gemologist’s booth that had advertised on the jobs board. He groaned. He didn’t think it would be so different here. He should’ve asked Bob for more detailed directions.
    “Welcome to the Antar Deck,” the voice suddenly said. “Here you can find a host of shops and markets. Don’t forget to check the cultural repository for information on worlds in our sector, and the communication gallery for the latest language updates!”
    Mencari’s nose wrinkled. Hope it’s not gonna do that every time I stop on a deck.
    A strange feeling began to gnaw at him. He tried to dismiss it, but it persisted. Across the corridor, he saw the cloaked alien again, and recognized its form as female—or at least, similar to a human female’s. The stream of traffic broke around her like a boulder in a shallow stream, but this time, piercing violet eyes fixed on him with stunning intensity.
    Maybe she worked for the Pleasure Deck, or Pleasure District, or whatever Bob had called it. For an alien, she was beautiful, even with the thumbnail-sized lavender scales that outlined her face. The colored scales bent slightly as she smiled—was that at him? Mencari began heading toward her, but she was gone in that instant, swallowed into the flowing crowd.
    He looked about confused. Too many foreign shapes to pick her out. But those eyes! She wanted something.
    People on this deck were rude and pushy. Concerned about pickpockets, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets to protect his few valuables. Finally, after wandering aimlessly for nearly a half hour, in the distance across many aisles of the bazaar, he saw a large sign on a pole, flashing as it rotated with sparkling gems of brilliant hues.
    “That’s gotta be it,” he muttered. “Finally. This place is crazy.”

    * * * * *
    “Thanks for waiting,” the attendant said. “Can I help you?”
    A smile crossed his face when he saw the teddy bear of a figure struggling to provide attentive service. The one alien cheerfully juggled numerous customers. Finally it was his turn.
    “Yes,” he said. “Do you know where I can find Andus Wedor?”
    This brought a smile and, “That’s me.”
    “I’m here about