They discovered the building indeed housed a bar, dreary and rank smelling. Hazy lighting and narcotic-ridden smoke created a nightmare ambiance.

“Try not to breathe in too deeply,” Celie said as they entered. It was eerily similar to Giza's the bar on Calt, in the old quadrant. It appeared lowlifes were the same everywhere in the universe.

The bartender, however, was a different story. Celie's memories of Giza's had her halfway expecting another Thorne, a small gnome-like man with an oversized head. Instead, she saw a bulky, furry beast, with a snout and two tusks jutting up on either side. Its bulging eyes settled on her, its snout tipped upward as if scenting out first her, then Raven. Although it bore a slight similarity to Anteks, Controller henchmen in the old quadrant, Celie had never seen a creature exactly like it. She couldn’t help but stare.

It snarled out a string of sounds, definitely not the universal language spoken by virtually all inhabitants of the quadrant. Fortunately, the neural translator implanted in her ear was up to the task of deciphering the guttural language.

“What’s it saying?” Raven whispered, sidling closer to Celie.

“Either buy a drink or get out,” Celie whispered back. She made direct eye contact, raised her voice. “I’m looking for Max. Is he here?”

More growling. “State your business.”

“My business is with Max, not you.”

“All here is my business.”

A standard power play for a hell hole like this. Celie gritted her teeth. “All right, then. I have a delivery for Max. Where is he?”

The creature drew back its lips, giving her a show of teeth. “I don’t know a Max.”

She drew a gold coin from the pouch on her belt and slapped it on the counter. “Does that help your memory?”

A low growl was the reply. Raven turned her face close to Celie’s ear. “Want me to threaten it with my laser?” she asked hopefully.

“Absolutely not. Let me handle this.” Celie pulled another coin from her pouch and added it to the first.

Several coins and a lot of frustration later, she and Raven followed the bartender down a dingy narrow hallway that opened off the rear of the bar, both of them coughing from the smoke in the bar. Celie drew her weapon, trying to watch both behind and ahead of them. The bartender stopped before a panel, which slid open. She tried unsuccessfully to peer around the creature's massive, hairy form, determined to know what she and Raven were walking into.

“What is it, Yarsef?” came a man’s voice from inside the chamber.

"The person is here to deliver the shipment."

"It's about time. Show him in."

Yarsef stepped to the side, snuffling both Celie and Raven as they squeezed past, trying their best not to come in contact with the beast. Celie kept Raven behind her as she turned into the chamber. A man sat behind a scarred table, his booted feet crossed and resting on the table. He lowered the scanner he held, his impassive gaze moving to Celie.

His eyes widened, fixing on her face. The blazing intensity and unusual color of those eyes stole her breath away. She'd never seen anything quite like them. They were golden, but a far different hue than the deep bronze gold of her sister Moriah's eyes. These eyes were paler, the color of a muted sun, of the sands of Calt. They were striking, powerful, like the unblinking eyes of the huge birds of prey which were common in wilderness areas.

His boots thudded to the floor, and he rose in a single, graceful movement. "You're a woman." He glanced at Raven. “Both of you.”

He strode around the table and halted before Celie. He was tall, almost a head taller than her own impressive height, and solidly built, with broad shoulders and a muscular body. She noted the luxurious mane of hair which flowed over his shoulders. It was dark brown, streaked with lighter shades, as if bleached by the sun. Some of the strands were golden, like his eyes.

"You're female," he repeated, his tone implying he found that fact incredulous.

She shook off her odd reaction to this man. His own reaction sparked her ire. Would she be forever proving herself in a male-dominated occupation? "Very astute of you to notice," she retorted. "I'm Captain Celie Cameron and you must be--"

She froze, surprise spearing through her as he held out his hand. Silver triton banded his arm, from his wrist to about ten centimeters along his forearm. A small control panel was inset in the band, with blinking indicators.

"You're an--" she stammered, then drew a deep breath. What in Hades was wrong with her?

"An android," he finished for her. Amusement flashed in his golden eyes. “Am I your first?”

The android is the pilot for a man named Max, who is Celie’s actual client. Unforeseen events force Celie and Raven (who has stowed away on Celie’s ship) to flee with Max and his android, Rurick. Celie finds herself oddly attracted to Rurick, which she tries to ignore, with no help from Raven:

"Max told me a lot about androids, Rurick in particular." Raven's voice broke into Celie's musings.

"What?" she blinked and looked at Raven, noting the girl's mischievous expression.

Raven scooted closer, grinning like a lanrax that had stolen a choice piece of food off the table. "Max explained about androids and how they're created. They can be programmed to provide any service. Even sexual functions."

"Max talked to you about that?" Celie demanded, appalled. "That's not appropriate subject matter for a mature man to discuss with a young girl."

Raven waved a hand dismissively. "It was only in the interest of science. Besides, I'm the one who brought it up."

"You asked Max if androids can perform sexual acts?"

"I was curious about it." Raven leaned forward. "Don't you want to know all the things Rurick can do?"

"No. Absolutely not." Celie felt her face grow warm at the very thought, and at the sudden rush of recent memories of Rurick touching her in intimate--albeit innocent--ways.

"They call it 'pleasure training'," Raven continued blithely. "All the androids in Max's society are programmed to provide sexual pleasure to either males or females, as well as to a variety of other species. Max said the android on our ship has extensive pleasure training, and can do everything a humanoid can do, and more."

"I don't think we need to be discussing this," Celie said, although part of her--a part she'd never realized existed--was utterly fascinated. It was merely sordid curiosity--of which she was greatly ashamed--she tried to tell herself, and none of her concern.

"Well, then, if you don't want to hear any more . . . " Raven sat back and stretched her slender arms over her head. "I am pretty tired."

Darn her. Now she had Celie's interest piqued, and she knew it. "Tell me," Celie snapped, more annoyed with her own prurient interest than she was with Raven. "You've shared this much. You might as well tell me the rest."

"Well, if you're sure you want to know . . ."

The little brat. "Just tell me."

Raven leaned forward. "Max says the android is very well endowed, if you know what I mean. Any woman would be highly satisfied with his service."

Oh, my. Celie might be completely inexperienced in such matters, but she heard other women talking from time to time. She knew that some women put great stock in the size of a man's-- No! Why was she even thinking about such things? She would never be intimate with a man, would never give a man that sort of power of her. "I think that's enough for toni--"

"It isn't just his size, either," Raven interjected. "It's his skill. Max claims the android can make a woman scream from the pleasure."

"Listen," Celie said sternly, ignoring her rising body temperature, and the sudden erratic beat of her heart. "You don't need to concern yourself about such things. When you're old enough and the time is right, you'll meet the right young man. A man who will want to commit himself to you as much as you want to commit yourself to him. The two of you will be mated, and then you can worry about such things. Not before that!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "You sound just like my parents. You know what your problem is, Celie? You think like an old person. You're all serious and stuffy. But you're not old at all. You're young and beautiful. I'd give anything to be tall like you and have your figure. Your breasts are great. I see how men stare at them. Even Rurick--and he's an android. So think of the affect you have on real men. You need to live a little. Have some fun. Have some sex. It might loosen you up."

Celie felt as if she'd been knocked down by a blaster. "I'm not sure we should be having this conversation. In fact, I refuse to discuss this further."

"You know," Raven continued as if Celie hadn't spoken, "Rurick would be perfect for you. He's handsome and . . ." she paused, as if looking for the right word, "experienced. Plus he's not real. You wouldn't have to worry about emotional attachments. You could just have sex. Hot, uninhibited sex.”

As Celie’s attraction towards the handsome android increases, she begins to wonder if Raven might be right about Rurick being the perfect opportunity to do a little experimenting:

The next cycle, Rurick crouched by a circuit panel and ran a scanner over the blackened surface.

"Looks like this panel will have to be completely replaced. Would you hand me a laserdriver?" He reached behind him, and waited for Celie to press the tool into his palm. He wondered at her silence. She'd appeared subdued all morning. He hoped she wasn't getting an infection from her burns.

A moment later, she finally spoke. "Rurick, can I ask you something?"

He aimed the driver, pressed the activator, and a corner bolt spun out of its slot. "Ask away."

"Do you kiss many women?"

Startled, he dropped the driver, and it skittered a meter away, coming to rest beneath a dangling pipe. "What sort of question is that?" he demanded, leaning down and stretching to reach for the tool.

"Actually, that's not what I really intended to ask."

She was just teasing him. Good. He was glad to see some of her spark returning. He touched the driver, wrapped his fingers around it.

"Have you mated with many women?"

He shot straight up, ramming his head into the pipe above him. He fell back on the floor, clenching his teeth to keep from cursing as he rubbed his throbbing scalp. He was certainly capable of feeling pain. He scrabbled backwards until he was free of the pipe, and rolled up to stare at Celie.

She was kneeling by the tool cart, her hands clenched in her lap. Her eyes huge, dark orbs, she watched him steadily. Surely he hadn't heard her correctly.

"I’m not sure I understood you. Repeat the question."

She lifted her chin, took a deep breath. "Have you mated with many women?"

Where in the universe had she come up with such an idea? "Why would you ask an android something like that?" he gritted out, making a great effort to keep his voice level. Not to mention calming his unruly body, which had reacted immediately to her highly-suggestive query.

"Because I'm curious about your . . . sexual abilities.