Read Heaven Saga 2: Sands of Aquarius for Free Online

plan will work.”
    Mira
sighed. “I sure hope it does, we had to do a lot of research to get it right.”
     
    * * *
     
    Standing
outside the Kritkar; Brian smiled and shook his head. “I thought when you said
you were taking me somewhere special it would be…well, actually, I wasn’t
sure.”
    Kivi
slapped him on the back. “It’s not the locale that defines special. It’s the
drink and food.”
    “I
guess you’re right,” he said. He noticed the stares from alien in the bar.
    “Are
you coming or not?” Kivi asked while standing in the doorway, looking
impatient.
    “Sure.”
    She
led the way. At the far end of the bar they saw a pair of Minans grappling and
pounding on each other while a number of patrons cheered. The old Malcovin
bartender, Grig, saw the pair and immediately recognized both of them. He waved
to Kivi and pointed to a pair of open seats. When they went to sit down Grig
went to Brian.
    “You
were in here a few months ago, weren’t you Terran?” the old birdman asked. He
poured something into a tall glass and slid towards Kivi.
    Brian
nodded. “I apologize for any damages. But I want to apologize more for the fact
I didn’t order anything while I was in here.”
    Grig
pointed to Kivi’s glass. “So what’ll you have?”
    “I’ll
have the same thing she is.” Grig handed Brian a drink. He took a sip of ale
and savored it.
    “How
is it?” Kivi asked.
    He
drank some more. “It tastes a hell of lot better than the stuff I drank on
Earth.”
    “I
hope that means you like it,” Grig said.
    “It
tastes great,” Brian said after enjoying another gulp. “I haven’t had a beer in
a while.”
    “Well
then, I’ll leave you two to yourselves.” Grig turned to attend to other
patrons.
    “Well,
is this what you needed?” Kivi asked, drinking some of the dark ale.
    “Did
Valis tell you to do this?”
    “You’re
game to our plan,” she answered. “But truth be told I’d prefer companionship to
going it alone.”
    “I
know how it feels.” He watched the Minans pound each other more. He also noticed
a pair of Ick-Tckt staring him with their ant-like eyes.
    “You
don’t like them very much do you?” Kivi asked.
    He
turned back to the bar and sipped his drink. “They give me the creeps.”
    “If
you think drones like them give you the creeps, wait until you see a Duchess, a
Princess, or their Queen.”
    “Wait,
so those two are just drones?”
    “Yeah,
Ick-Tckt are ruled by their females.” She glanced back at them. “I wish they’d
blink. I’m sure that’s why most races don’t like them.”
    He
finished his drink and tapped the counter to call over Grig. “Alright Kivi, I’m
going to keep drinking until I forget about this conversation.” Grig poured him
another glass.
    “Agreed,”
Kivi chimed glasses with him.
     
    * * *
     
    A
while later Brian sat back from his meal and groaned, feeling content. Kivi
stared at him.
    “How
can you eat that?” she asked, pointing to his empty plate.
    “I
was doing something Seles suggested.”
    “She
told you to eat that kind of food?” Kivi took a sip from her drink.
    He
waved for the bartender. “Grig, what exactly was that?”
    The
old Malcovin bartender came over and took the plate. “We call it Raksha .
It’s a specially spiced dish that consists of fried vegetables and meat from a Rak .”
    “What
exactly is a Rak ?” he asked.
    Grig
flipped out a small tablet and called up an image. “This is what one looks
like.”
    Brian
stared at the picture. The animal shone looked similar to a flat nosed deer,
minus the antlers. He sighed in relief. “I’m glad it wasn’t something gross.”
    Kivi
stared at him. “Eating meat is gross.”
    “By
your standards,” Grig squawked. He looked at Brian. “So your species eats
meat?”
    “We’re
actually omnivores,” Brian answered. “But to be honest that’s the best food
I’ve had in over a year.”
    “Thank
you, I appreciate the compliment. Can I get you anything