Hajmoul sat at the bar in the casino. All around were annoying beeping noises, with the occasional siren. Not annoying to the person winning, of course. Hajmoul was not a betting man. He thought that gambling was quite stupid. No, he came for drink, and to talk with the friendly bar tender. Haj passed his hand through the holographic bell on the counter, making it a ringing noise. In an instant, a man came out from a door. His name was Crougar, and he was the owner of the Angel’s Circle, the Halo’s casino and bar. It was the only place that alcohol was allowed, the only place with gravity. Haj always wondered why the casino was the only part of the station with gravity implemented. Perhaps it was because serving drinks in zero gravity was pretty tough. Still…

(( Listen to Paet ))

“Hey, Haj.”

“Hey, Croug.” Summing up Croug was easy. Jolly, kind, helpful, sharply dressed. He was type of guy who would serve you free drinks on your birthday and who would help you out of serious debt. In short, he was everyone’s friend.

“Croug, could you get me a drink?”

“Sure. What do you want? A Sizzler? Or a Blue Whale? What about your usual, a Long Mile?”

“Nah, just some water would be nice.”

“Water? That stuff is tasteless, but whatever you want.” Crougar lifted his hand to a glass, but instead of grasping it, hit its bottom sending it flying. He twirled around, grabbing the glass, while grabbing some ice in the other. Then, dropping the glass, he allowed the ice to go into the falling piece of glass as it plummeted to the floor. He promptly caught it with his foot, and then kicked it up in a spiral, the ice held in by centripicle force. It landed in Croug’s right hand which turned on the water tap, filled the glass with water, and sent it down the bar to Hajmoul. Hajmoul caught the glass in his right hand. He put the glass to his lips and swung his head back, allowing the cool liquid to slosh down his throat. He put the glass onto the bar and wiped his lip. “Thanks.” Hajmoul took his credit card. “How much was that?” Crougar lifted his hand as he spoke.

“I don’t consider water a drink. It’s on the house.”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, Haj,” Crougar said, tapping the table. He was about to disappear into the door behind him, when Hajmoul spoke.

“Wait, Crougar. How’d you get up here?” Crougar stopped in his tracks. He turned his head, a smile appearing.

“Y’mean, how did I end up on a terribly uneventful and torturous station?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that’s quite an interesting story. How about I tell you over a game of Blackjack?”

“Um, okay.”

“Good.” Crougar put his hand under the bar and took out a deck of playing cards. If a person from the 21st century looked at them, they would have looked almost the same, but with one distinction. The numbers were different. Swirls and such. A new written language. However, Blackjack still remained the same. Try to get to 21 or as close to it, without going over. This was one of the few card games that Hajmoul enjoyed. And, so, the played, and Crougar discussed his past.

Crougar passed out the cards, two to himself, two to Hajmoul, one of each pair flipped over. Hajmoul saw that one of Crougar’s cards was a face card, equal to ten points. Hajmoul, on the other hand had a five and four.

“So, Haj, as you know, I’ve been in the god forsaken place for eleven years, nine more than you. The Administration first saw me as a salesman, selling toilets, showers, and air generators and water purifiers.”

“You were a salesman?”

“Yeah,” Croug said with a smug look. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? So… hey, Haj, you standing?” Haj had forgotten that he was playing Blackjack. He shook his head and said, “Hit me.” Croug gave him another card, a face card. Hajmoul now had 19 points. Croug, seeing this, got himself another card, seemed satisfied, and continued.

“Well, anyway, about twenty years ago, the Halo Administration’s building on Earth had a huge problem. You know that the building is located in Asia, right? And with the nuclear pollution in the air because of WWIII, anything without outside of a plastic bubble or without a Safe Suit would die. Well, the air generator malfunctioned and started sucking poisonous air from outside the protective bubble and bringing it into the Halo Administration building. Everyone was evacuated, but when it came to fixing the problem, I was chosen to inspect and get them a new generator. They, of course, failed to pay me, even though I was forced to work in dangerous conditions. They did not supply me with a Safe Suit, so, even though I had an oxygen tank, I was blinded for a couple of days since my eyes weren’t protected. So, you’re standing?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Croug flipped his hidden card, revealing a three. Altogether, Crougar had 20 points, beating Hajmoul’s 19 points.

“Play again?”

“No, that’s alright, I’ll just listen.”

“Yeah, so I was in the hospital, recovering from my blindness, when the visited me and asked if I would work for them. Naturally, I turned them down.”

“But why would they ask you to be with them?”

Crougar shrugged. “Beats me. Something to do with my look, or style, or something. But anyway. I learned that day, not to turn the Halo Administration down. In less than an hour, all my personal finances and such were in their possession here, in the station. They told me that, if I wanted my money, I’d have to work for them.”

“They did that?”

“Yep.”

“That’s terrible, Croug.”

“Yep, this is why I destroyed their air generator later on.”

“What!?”

“Yeah, they got me so cheesed off that I tampered with the generator. This time someone died from the fumes. I didn’t intend for that, and, in fear of the police, I joined the Halo team. It would take another year for them to learn of my bartending talents.” “That’s quite a story.”

“Indeed.”

“One more question. Why is this place gravitized?”

“You didn’t know? This is a fallout shelter for problems like crashing or thrust problems. They figured that, gravity is better than just floating around smashing into walls.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Bring your friend here for a drink when he comes.”

“How’d you…”

“It’s my job to know.” And with that, he left.

(( End Music ))