For a few beers more

The bar was loud, obnoxious, and reeked of alcohol and bad decisions. It was apparently customary for the newbie to buy the senior drinks, or so Effy claimed before bolting out the door, urging Zen to follow quickly.

"Jeez, when was the last time I had a beer? Must've been when I was undercover a few years back—no, wait, I was in cryo, so it's been a decade give or take."

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a solid slap on the back.

"Zen! Stop being so antisocial. There are a few people you should meet!" Effy announced.

A circle of curious onlookers had formed around him. Among them was an older gentleman with gray hair, exuding an air of wisdom. He approached Zen.

"Ah, you must be the new guy. I'm Joseph Klein, one of the few doctors around these parts. Pleasure to meet you."

Before Zen could respond, Joseph grabbed his hands and shook them warmly.

"The pleasure's all mine, Mr. Klein. I'll be in your care."

Joseph laughed. "Please, just call me Joseph, or 'doc' if you like. That 'mister' stuff makes me feel ancient."

Zen was pleasantly surprised by the older man's warmth. He had expected something worse, given the reputation of Robert and Amelia, but Joseph was genuinely easygoing. 

Apparently, he rarely visited the office and wasn't even part of the military anymore, though he was an old war buddy of Robert's. Joseph explained that Robert had once been infamous—a real rebel—which was why he was dumped on this planet.

Zen couldn't help but draw parallels between Robert's situation and his own. They had both been sent here as punishment. But while Robert had been banished for insubordination, Zen was being punished for doing his job too well.

The other people Zen met that night were Mr. and Ms. Goodlock, who operated several mines with robot workers. Nearly 90% of the planet's workforce was artificial, with many sites running entirely autonomously. They were a pleasant, if somewhat rural, couple celebrating their anniversary. They eagerly asked Zen about life on the core worlds, marveling at even the most mundane details he shared.

The bartender, Carol, was curious about drinks from the core worlds and whether she could make any of them. Zen advised against it. Everything from the core was synthetic, and he much preferred the local beer. Thankfully, most of the beer on this planet was homegrown, as importing it came with the risk of refrigeration failures. 

They say beer doesn't spoil.. but yes… yes it does .That's how Zen had also learned about the "Beer Flu," which had swept over the colony a few years ago, leading to mass medical absences.

He also met Steve and John, a couple of spacefarers preparing to leave the next day. They weren't particularly interested in Zen himself but wanted updates on the core worlds: new wars, which celebrities had died, and whether their favorite adult actresses were still good-looking. Zen could only answer the first question, leaving the two men genuinely disheartened.

As the night went on, Zen bantered with Effy and made connections in his new home for the time being. The night was surprisingly enjoyable, and he might've gotten a bit carried away, drinking more than he intended. mainly because in Effy's words: There's nothing better than a nice cold beer, after a nice cold beer.

Eventually, Zen stepped outside into the cold night air. His breath looked like steam as he marveled at the starry sky, unspoiled by light pollution.

"Wow, it's really pretty! Effy, come look at the stars!" he called, his words slurring slightly.

Effy stumbled out of the bar behind him and draped her arms over his shoulders, gazing up at the sky.

"Pfft, Zen, it's the same as always. Nothing's changed since I was a kid," she said, just as drunk as he was.

Zen wobbled slightly under her weight but managed to steady himself. "Sue me, Effy. The core worlds are ugly at night. Light pollution screwed the pooch centuries before I was born."

"Yeah, yeah, keep complaining. You're here now, so enjoy it," Effy retorted, wandering into the street, probably relying on instinct at this point.

"As long as you're here, I'll enjoy it," Zen said, his voice smooth with drunken confidence.

Effy stared at him in silence for a moment before they both burst into laughter, filling the street with their joy.

"You're terrible at this!" Effy said, wiping away tears of laughter.

"Yeah, I need more practice. Maybe next time we can work on it," Zen shot back, grinning.

"But seriously," Zen asked, "how do I get back to base? I don't even know which way to go."

Effy pointed down a long road. "It's about a 40-minute walk that way. But my place is just five minutes from here," she added with a mischievous smile.

Zen's heart raced at her flirtatious tone, though he was sure she didn't mean it seriously. Still, he decided to tease her back. "Something tells me I'd be more exhausted from the five-minute walk than the 40-minute one," he said with a smirk.

Effy's face flushed, and Zen felt a surge of triumph. He had actually made her blush!

"Effy, are you blushing? Oh my, how out of character for you," Zen teased.

Her response was immediate. She rushed at him and playfully hit him, which, given her strength as a mechanic, actually hurt.

"Zen! I was going to offer you my couch, but now, forget it! No couch for you!" she huffed, storming off in mock anger.

"Come on, Effy! At least let me walk you home," Zen called after her. He didn't want the night to end just yet.

Effy turned around, her hair catching the wind. "Oh, now you're a gentleman? Where was this guy when it was his turn to buy a round?"

Zen offered her his arm. "Don't flatter yourself. I just don't want to walk into a lamppost without support."

Effy laughed and took his arm. "Let's get going, my knight in shining armor, before your horse gets drunk too."

The walk to Effy's house passed in a blur. Zen mostly focused on avoiding lampposts. Before he knew it, they stood in front of her modest home, dominated by a large garage. Effy fumbled with the keys, finally opening the door after a few tries and turning to face him.

"This humble maiden thanks her knight for escorting her safely back home," she said with an exaggerated bow.

"Yeah, yeah. What's this about a couch I hear?" Zen asked, not keen on walking the now 45 minutes back to base.

Effy hesitated, scratching the back of her head. "Well… that was kind of a joke."

"What?!"

"See, the thing is…" She pushed the door open, revealing a living room that had been converted into an extended garage. The wall between the two spaces was completely gone, leaving no room for a couch.

Zen sighed. "Yeah, I can see how that'd be a problem. Guess I'll have to walk home after all."

"I'm not going to press the issue, but it's not like I can sleep in your bed or something," Zen added absentmindedly, immediately realizing his mistake. He forgot to consider the implications of his own words!

Both of them froze, the awkwardness thickening the air.

"Nooo…" they said in unison.

"Not what I meant"

"I mean if I had a couch you would've been more than welcome but…"

"I didn't mean it like that," Zen stammered.

"Goodnight, Zen. See you tomorrow," Effy said quickly, slamming the door shut.

Zen stood there, stunned. He wasn't sure if Effy had misunderstood his comment or if she was just messing with him.

She had said way more provocative things during the night, which Zen reacted to exactly how she had wanted. And who could blame him, he had been mostly single for his 25 years of life. No wait, add seven and a half for cryo. so 32 years of life? 

With the joints aching from the cryo he could at least, prepare being that age at least. so glass half full I'd guess. 

His thoughts derailed as he noticed a plaque next to the door: "Effie Lee." it read in an oddly DIY manner, no doubt homemade.

"So, her last name is Lee," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, the door swung open again, and Effy's head popped out, nearly knocking Zen over.

"Zen, you know I'm just screwing with you, right?"

"So… can I crash here tonight?" he asked sheepishly.

"Nope!" Effy replied, closing the door once more.

"Better start walking, knight Zen! It's quite the journey!" she called out from inside the safety of her home.

Zen sighed. "Guess I'd better start walking."

His personal device was dead, so he resigned himself to stumbling through town, relying on his "drunkard's compass" to find his way home. As he walked, he couldn't help but think about how much he had enjoyed the night. Maybe it wasn't the walk he dreaded—it was ending the night with Effy.

His thoughts were a mess, but in his infinite drunken wisdom he decided to leave the matter to sober Zen and focus on waddling back to base. Robert had given him one of the keys to the barracks, that he should still have on his person somewhere.

Zen took one last look at the stunning night wondering aloud.

"I wonder if I'll have a hangover tomorrow?"