Outcast by Alex Douglas Page A

indeed. He wandered along the promenade toward the garden at the end and sat on a bench, staring at the ground, seeing nothing.
    He felt a heavy weight shifting onto the bench beside him. One of the Belaari miners, he assumed. Her eyes were dark with makeup and she smiled. He shivered at the feeling he got from her. It was dark and shrewd and dripped in his mind like oil.
    "You look like you could use some company," she said.
    It was all he could do to stop himself from throwing her off the bench. "You may need to have your eyes tested," he said. "I do not wish to use some company ."
    She shrugged. "Well, if you do, I know a laar who runs a place..."
    He held up his hand. "Enough."
    She gave him a withering look and stood up. " Felah ," she said and walked off.
    Freak . Lan stared miserably ahead. The Elders always said love was a wonderful feeling like no other, but right at that moment, he felt like leaning over and throwing up on the beautifully-tended patch of lawn. It couldn't be true. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt wonderful. He curled up on the bench and let the hushing sound of the fountain soothe his mind, as if he could wash the terrible -- and untrue -- diagnosis away.

Chapter Five

    Prez did not wake up properly until the morning of the meeting with Kai. His stomach roaring with hunger, he gingerly swung his legs out of bed. His body ached and throbbed everywhere, and it hurt to sit down.
    Lan was already dressed and ready, his face impassive. He was wearing new clothes, a plain navy robe that came to just above his knees, with a light blue undersuit and knee-high black boots. Not particularly fashionable, but the clothes fitted better than what he'd been wearing before and the colors suited him well. But Prez had the feeling that something was terribly wrong. There was something defeated about Lan's posture, a slight weariness about his movement, a dullness in his eyes. "Is something wrong?" Prez asked, pulling the medical kit out from his bag.
    "No," Lan said.
    "You seem... troubled."
    "I am... not."
    There was a tube of InstaCalm in the kit, and Prez rubbed some of it on his lip and eyelid, relieved. It would take the swelling away in no time, so he would not look like a gargoyle for the meeting with Kai, who was apparently an important Belaari. He gulped down a couple of painkillers and stood up, wincing at the sting in his ass. "Do you mind looking in the other direction?"
    Lan turned his back while Prez did the necessary with the last squirt of the cream and then pulled on a fresh uniform. He splashed some water round his face to shake the cobwebs from his brain and threw his things into his bag. "Ready," he said. Lan did not reply. The co-pilot seemed to be sleepwalking, dragging his heels on the shiny floor, shoulders slumped as they walked slowly along the promenade. Prez watched him out of the corner of his eye, wondering what to say. He stopped off at a café to buy a breakfast roll and a carton of roasted baba juice, and gulped the lot down in under a minute. When his belly was full, he felt a lot better. He smiled at Lan. "Aren't you eating anything?"
    "No." Lan said.
    "Something's wrong, Lan."
    "Nothing is wrong."
    "Well, you aren't your usual jolly self." Prez scoured the Aldorian's features for clues, but they were as unreadable as ever.
    There was a silence as Lan studied his feet. "We are late."
    "Kin-tah! Let's move then." Prez gave up with a sigh. Maybe Lan would come out with it in his own good time, whatever it was. Walking faster, they made their way to the elevators and descended to the docking area. It was hot and busy. The workers were preparing for the arrival of the intergalactic cruiser that was scheduled to dock in the next few days, and Prez felt a pang of regret that they would be on their way before it arrived. It was a dream of his to see such a ship up close. He'd rented a small office at the edge of the dock as Kai had instructed, and he pointed over to the doorway