Jim looked at Allison who led the way to the cafeteria, she seemed nice enough. She didn’t look at him in contempt or hunger like some of the other crew. Paige had only brought up Allison a few times, apparently she was closer to Trisha then she was to Paige. Jim had been told little about her, except for a strange habit she had.

“I’m going to drink you all under the table!” Allison cried out, walking faster towards the cafeteria where booze and Terrans waited to be eaten.

“Allison, how many times do I have to tell you, Paige is too young to drink and I don’t drink when I eat Terrans,” Trisha gripped. She got an oblivious stare from Allison, before the lush Ctarl-Ctarl continued her rush to the cafeteria. Sighing in aggravation at her oldest friends behavior, Trisha followed Allison with Paige and Jim close behind her.

Jim looked at Paige with a raised brow, looking for an explanation for Allison’s alcoholism. They young Ctarl-Ctarl shrugged her shoulders, having no clue why Allison liked drinking so much. She’d tried asking her once, but all Paige got was a blank stare, it seemed Allison didn’t know why she liked her beer either. Her drinking habit was a big one, but she’s never been reprimanded because she always sobered up before her shift started. In truth, several high-ranking crewmembers found Allison’s drinking to be entertaining. Any Ctarl-Ctarl that could stay conscious after downing enough beer to kill ten Terrans had to be tough, and nothing was valued more in Ctarl-Ctarl culture then toughness.

They reached the cafeteria just in time to see the first shipment of Terrans come in. they were being carried in on a hover lift, crammed inside little cages. Each cage was only five-by-five feet, but was holding somewhere between five and six Terrans each. Some were screaming, others crying, but a few remained silent, knowing that they could do nothing. The ones that cried the loudest were the children. Maybe thirty all together spread out in the cages. Their faces were stained with tears from many hours of crying. It was a disturbing sight, one that made even Jim have to turn away. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He reminded himself that this was not an unusual thing he was seeing. The Ctarl-Ctarl were doing this all through out space, with prisoners and live stalk they’ve raised on the home world. He couldn’t let himself be effected by what he was seeing or he’d never be able to get a good nights sleep again. A soft, tender hand came to rest on his shoulder. He turned and saw Paige, smiling softly at him.

“We can go somewhere else?” Paige suggested, seeing how bothered Jim was by what was happening. Jim shook his head, knowing that he couldn’t run from what Ctarl-Ctarl’s were. Avoiding the problem wasn’t a solution. Running away wasn’t something Jim did.

Paige led Jim to a table in the back where she ate dinner with Trisha and Allison. They took a seat across from each other, staring into the other’s eyes. Paige gave Jim a reassuring smile and Jim returned it, it was nice having someone to support him. Her hand came across the table and Jim reached for it. Their hands clasped and Paige’s heart fluttered. Jim and her were together, no evil commander to hurt him. He was a free man, living under her protection with her. Paige smiled faintly, realizing that this could be considered a date for them, their first. It was just Jim and her.

“Step aside, coming through!”

And Trisha and Allison.

“There were so many Terrans!” Trisha said, taking a seat beside Paige. Under each arm, she had a Terran, both about a few years older then Jim. One was silent, saying soft prayers under his breath, while the other loudly swore at anyone. His obscenities stopped when Trisha lifted him up and whispered something in his ear. Judging by how pale he became, whatever she told him couldn’t be nice.

Allison had a Terran under one arm too, but under the other, she had a wide assortment of different boozes. Jim saw vodka, wine, sake, barley, ale, whisky, and a few more bottles that looked like they could make a man go blind. Jim looked at Allison, impressed at the wide assortment of drinks.

“I got to introduce you to Gene sometime. He'd love you.” Allison smiled, not understanding what Jim meant, but thought it was a complement. She popped open a bottle of rum and chugged it like it was water and she’d been wandering through the desert for days. Trisha was enjoying her meal too, although hers was putting up more of a fight then Allison’s booze. The Terran that had been mouthing off earlier was being licked by Trisha, who delighted in hearing him scream every time her warm wet tongue touched his cheek. Paige and Jim got up to get some food, leaving the two predators to hopefully finish their terrified meals before they got back. As they walked, Paige took Jim’s hand.