War Dragons by L. A. Graf

Author:L. A. Graf [Graf, L. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780613152785
Publisher: San Val
Published: 1998-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

SULU

“A MOST SATISFYING tale.” The red-haired pirate captain thumped her mug of Martian ale on the bar to emphasize her approval of Captain Kirk’s story. They had repaired to the long polished counter while a twitchy young boy and the unruffled bartender replaced the smashed remains of their previous table. The arrangement would have suited Sulu fine, except that his skittish little lizard had disappeared at some point during the fracas. He’d have worried that the massive Gorn had stepped on it, but the entire fight had happened in such drunken slow-motion that even a gecko could have kept out of its way. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be one of these fierce lizard-women, who can tether their men with just a flash of their claws!”

“I wish you were one, too,” Sulu said, eyeing the potted Andorian palm whose delicate fronds draped one end of the bar. He saw a gauzy spider perched on one inner leaf, but no sign of the gold-and-brown reptile that had ridden into the bar in his sleeve. “Then maybe you could get my little lizard-friend to come out from wherever he’s hiding.”

That brought the Gorn’s heavily scaled muzzle up from his bucket of Gondwana Pale Ale. “I am not hiding,” he said with ominous slowness. “Any skittering mammal who says otherwise insults my honor!”

“No, no!” The last thing Sulu wanted was to start another barroom brawl with their new drinking companion. It wouldn’t be as easy to replace the mahogany bar as it was to replace the table, and for all its sturdiness, he wasn’t confident it could stand up any better under a direct impact from the Gorn. He leaned forward, trying to phrase his response in the same slow syllables the big sauroid used. “I said ‘little’ lizard-friend, Captain. No one could ever think that referred to you.”

The murmur of agreement that rippled down the bar seemed to soothe the alien captain’s vanity. “In that case, I no longer say you skitter,” he said magnanimously. “Even though you do.”

“Thank you,” Sulu said wryly. The Gorn grunted and dipped his muzzle back into his drink, throat muscles bulging and compressing like a snake’s with each swallow. Across the broad expanse of glittering greenish scales that was his massive neck, Sulu saw a tiny patch of gold-dusted brown stir and then settle back happily among the warm folds of skin. He thought about reaching out to pluck the little gecko from his new perch, but decided that had too high a probability of being interpreted as another attack on the Gorn. Instead, he finished the last of his own ale and glanced at the time display built into his wrist communicator. It seemed as if far too much had occurred in the brief span of time the chronometer said had passed since they’d entered the Captain’s Table. Sulu consulted with his own internal clock and reluctantly decided against a second drink.

“If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen …”

Kirk lifted an eyebrow at him. “What’s your hurry? I thought you had two hours before your new executive officer was due in port.

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