Welcoming Drinks

"Beer?" the white-haired man said, looking crestfallen. "I'm afraid that we don't have any beer, Liberator. The last shipment was many years ago, and we can't grow hops or barley in this climate. But we do have rum that we make ourselves."

Astra brightened. "Rum will do nicely. Oh, and for goodness sake do get to your feet. The rest of you too."

Everyone stood, and the man - who appeared to be the settlement's leader - deferentially ushered Astra and Stacy towards one of the domes. Stacy was dying to ask him what all this was about Astra being the Great Liberator, but decided that it might be unwise to say anything that could lead him to doubt whether Astra really was this semi-divine figure that he apparently believed her to be. It could lead to their being imprisoned or worse. Also if Astra was supposed to be so important, then that seemed to imply that she - Stacy - was some sort of acolyte, and therefore perhaps ought not to be too forward in taking part in the conversation.

They entered the dome to find themselves in a hallway that was dimly lit by a flickering fluorescent tube. Stacy could hear what sounded like a diesel generator chugging away somewhere in the background, presumably supplying the electricity. The leader showed them into a room off the hallway. It contained a table surrounded by several plastic chairs. "Please make yourself comfortable, Liberator." As an afterthought, he turned to Stacy and said: "You too. I will go and get the drinks."

While he did so, Stacy had a chance to look around the room. It looked as though a few decades ago it might have been comfortable enough, but now it was faded and shabby. The paintwork on the chairs was peeling, and the metal legs of the table showed signs of rust. A piece of machinery standing in the corner, whose purpose she could not guess at, was presumably no longer operational, as it was covered in a thick layer of dust.

The man returned with a pitcher of rum in one hand and a pitcher of what appeared to be water in the other. A boy of fifteen or so followed him, carrying three small tumblers. Bowing low, he placed them on the table.

"Please help yourselves," the man said. Astra filled her glass to the brim with rum. Thinking that in this hot climate drinking neat rum might not be such a good idea, Stacy only half-filled her own glass with the spirit and topped it up with water. The man contented himself with a glass of water.

"Cheers!" Astra said. She took a sip of her drink. "This rum isn't at all bad. So what's your name?"

"Carl, Liberator."

1. "So, Carl," Astra said. "What do you need liberating from?"
2. "Now Carl," Astra said. "What's all this nonsense about me being the Great Liberator?" Apparently she did not share Stacy's worry about potentially bringing her status into doubt.
3. "Where's the nearest spaceport?" Astra asked, coming straight to the point. "And how can we get there?"
4. "So how does this settlement come to be out here in the jungle, in the middle of nowhere?" Astra said.
5. "Would you like something to eat?" Carl asked.

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