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Harold's - On Tap & Whiskey Sour
Posted By: A Halo Fan...natic<mikeandrewp@gmail.com>
Date: 9 October 2007, 11:51 pm


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On Tap

"Hey Harold."
"Hey James. What'll it be for today?"
"Oh, whatever's on tap. I'm not feeling picky."
"Alright, then."
"Thanks."
"So, you hear the news?
"No, what?"
"You remember that fleet they sent out to Harvest a while back?"
"Yeah? The one they tried to cover up?"
"Yeah. Well, a ship came back this morning."
"A ship?"
"Yeah. The rest of the fleet is missing."
"Huh. I wonder what happened?"
"That's what they're speculating about on the news. General consensus is, something bad happened."
"What? Bullshit. Maybe the rest just layed over in the system to keep things orderly, or to pick up more fuel."
"Then why is the government covering it up?"
"Eh… Good point. But what could ground a whole fleet?"
"They're not just saying it was grounded. Most people think it was destroyed."
"Destroyed? How?"
"Nobody knows."
"That's bullshit. Nothing can destroy a whole fleet. It's impossible."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Nothing's that powerful. Some of those ships could survive a direct hit from a nuke."
"There are things more powerful than nukes."
"I don't care. Ain't nothin' in Heaven or Hell or even in God's own butt-crack that can wipe out a whole fleet."
"Ain't no such animal."
"Huh?"
"There's a story about a hillbilly who was raised miles from any city, ass end of nowhere, see? And he goes to Chicago and visits the zoo, and when he sees the rhinoceros, he points and yells, 'There ain't no such animal!'"
"Hah. But I think we're more sophisticated than that."
"Are we?"
"Sure. Fusion, Slipspace, cars, rockets… I think we're pretty high up on the ladder of sophistication."
"But we don't know all that's out there."
"Sure we do. How could we not? We cross interstellar space all the time."
"But most of that time is spent in Slipspace. We don't really know what's out there. We just have guesses. And how many star systems have we explored? Forty or thereabouts? Out of millions, billions in our galaxy alone. I think there's a pretty decent chance that there's stuff out there we don't know about."
"Oh, quit pulling my leg. You don't seriously believe that something dozens of light-years away can affect us, do you?"
"Well… Maybe not, I guess."
"Damn straight."
"But I'm still worried."
"Why?"
"I dunno… It just doesn't seem right, a whole fleet disappearing like that. Something went wrong. If it's as serious as I think it might be…"
"You're not thinking of leavin', are you? This is the best joint in town!"
"Oh, don't worry, it'd have to get pretty bad before I abandoned 'Harold's House'. Don't worry, you won't have to buy your drinks from Don."
"Hah, speaking of which, I could use a refill."
"Sure thing. Comin' right up."




Whiskey Sour

"Hey Harold."
"Hey James. What do you want today?"
"I think a whiskey sour would hit the spot nicely."
"Sure thing. Ice?"
"Please."
"Alright."
"Ah… I guess I should apologize for not taking you seriously."
"Eh?"
"Haven't you heard the news?"
"No, I haven't had time. Just got a new shipment in."
"Well, the government's released a report on the situation. It doesn't say much, but the general gist is, there were aliens at Harvest, and they wiped out our fleet."
"What!?"
"That's what I said. Look out, you're gonna spill the whiskey!"
"Ah, thanks. What do you mean aliens?"
"I dunno, that's what the government said."
"That's ridiculous!"
"Says Mr. 'There ain't no such animal'."
"Hah, got me there. But aliens? Come on!"
"Look, it's just what I heard on the news stations, and it ain't April first, either."
"But… Jesus, James, do you realize the implications of this?"
"Huh? What do you mean 'implications'?"
"This changes everything! We're not alone in the universe! This affects philosophy, religion, science-"
"Hey, woah, slow down. You do realize that they blew up a fleet? I don't think they'd be willing to share scientific theories with us."
"But we could study things we've captured."
"Eh, I guess. But I don't think that it's right to be so happy after they blew up some two dozen warships. Sounds pretty damn scary to me."
"I agree, but still, the implications…"
"Ah, I guess. Anyways, I doubt they'd be able to do us much harm. We're the top of the ladder. Nothing's higher up than us."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that."
"What? Now you're switching positions on me?"
"I never said the aliens weren't a threat."
"Yeah, you-"
"No, I did not. I said that their discovery has huge implications for our race. In fact, I may leave."
"What!? But you said you wouldn't!"
"No, not right now, but in five years…"
"Bullshit. Where 'you gonna go? You've told me your heart can't take freefall. Are they gonna bring down a special ship, just for you?"
"No, but…"
"But nothin'. Gimme another whiskey."





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