<< Continued from part 1

Author: Farscape Maniac (FarscapeManiac@hotmail.com)

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Part 2: Coin of Fate
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Many people walk into my bar. There are the gamblers, the trouble makers, and the broken hearted. But never anyone who has a goal in their life. Something to wake you up in the morning, something to live for, something they want to achieve. More importantly someone who has innocence still left in them.

Yet miracles do happen. A man, a Peacekeeper by look but something more inside walked into my bar. He looked lost yet knowing which way to go. He sat at the end of the bar in the dark.

I asked him what did he wanted. "Fellip nectar." He didn't even lift his head. His voice was calm, controlled and something else I couldn't quite pinpoint. But I nodded and got him his drink. Truthfully I was intrigued by this character. Unfortunately so were many others in the bar.

He sat with his shoulders slumped as if all the troubles in the universe were upon them. He was heartbroken. I'd seen that look on many people who have come and no doubt he was in that category. He had one hand on his drink and the other near his pulse rifle. Over protective? Scared? Or was it just out of plain habit? He sat defeated but never letting his guard down.

His eyes however told a different story. They were blue, rarely have I seen blue eyes. When he walked in it showed nothing. Dull, boring and every other word relating to that. But later as he settled in and drowned his worries into his drink like so many others before him, there was more in them. He was thinking, a thinker. Thinkers rarely come by, this was very interesting. I looked into his eyes. Every emotion thinkable could be seen in them. But hurt, regret and torture were the ones I recognized almost instantly. His eyes told a remarkable story. Without words you could see his whole life flash before him just with a look. Why was someone like this, someone who had a ‘life’ here in this part of the universe, more significantly why in this bar?

When he reached into his pocket to get out a silver round disk the other drinkers flinched and reflectively put their hands on their weapons. I saw his mouth twitch up, a knowing smile planted onto his lips. He knew they had been watching him and calculating his moves, he was smart. He didn't say or move to indicate he knew just that except for the smile on his face. He ignored them. He sat there flipping the disk thing and twirling it. That was indeed strange but I didn't say anything. The only sound that could be heard were the mumbles by drunken customers and him disk flicking. He looked at it and then laughed lightly. What a strange thing to do, laugh at something as insignificant as that ‘thing’ in his hand. He rolled it and before it fell onto the floor I stopped it. He looked at me.

"What is this?" I said indicating to the silver disk.

"That is the ‘Coin of Fate’." He moved over and now sat across me. I looked at him strangely. Coin of fate? He noticed my confusion. "That coin was the one I flipped to make a big decision."

"You couldn't make the decision yourself? It couldn't of been that hard, unless of course it was your life but then why flip a coin?"

"I left it up to Fate. No my life wasn’t on the line, my heart was." His features darken. So this mysterious man was heartbroken. The simple ‘coin’ in my hand broke his heart. I tossed it back to him. He caught it. Then he moved back to the end of the bar and drowned in sorrow. So that was how he sat for what seemed a very long time but he just sat looking at the coin.

One of the ladies at the back of the bar moved over to him. She was very eye catching, Sebaccean and Peacekeeper. She didn't go by the rules though, she was too drunk and off "duty". He saw her and looked over her. Then turned away. She didn't like the rejection and tried again. This time she was right next to him her hands gently stroking his arm. He flinched slightly at the touch. I noticed his eyes were defensive and overshadowed by darkness. He did not like it. She tried again whispering into his ear. His jaw tightened and his fist clenched on the table. She slid her hand to his thigh stroking it then moved slowly towards it's aim. He had enough, he grabbed her hand before it got too far. He was furious. He spoke through clenched teeth and told her to frell off. She looked at him and them walked out. With that scene I knew he was still in love. In love with someone so fully that he had objected to a Peacekeeper trelk who offered nothing but a one night thing. He couldn't even take that.

He thought that was the end of his troubles but there was more in store. Customers don't like new comers especially ones like him. They despised everything about him. Then again they could be bored. They walk up to him and he sighed, an indication to show he didn't really want to be disturbed. They stand next to him. A Luxan on one side and a Sheyang on the other. Nasty creatures. He didn't look at them and just said:

"I don't want trouble, I'm not a Peacekeeper, I'm here for a drink and can you please leave me alone." He said those words as if they were practiced, as if the same mistake had been made over and over again. The Luxan laughed. He is confused.

"Sheyang, you owe me a drink." The Sheyang groans and walks out. The Luxan looks at him. "I'm not here to disturb you. May I sit down?" John nods. "Buy you a drink?" Another nod.

"You're a Luxan. I thought all Luxan had no sense of humor."

The Luxan laughs. "No they do. But why do you think that?"

"I meet a Luxan once. A good allie, and a good friend. He didn't have much of a sense of humor at first but now, I hope he has changed." His voice was pained.

"I would like to meet this Luxan."

He snorts. "I don't know where he is, maybe I'd find him too. Fate can't be too cruel, I hope." He mumbles the last bit. He mentioned something about finding and he used the word Fate again. Was it so important to him?

He and the Luxan talked about this and that. I noticed he changed the topic ever so slightly when they talked about something he felt uncomfortable with. He would shift in his seat and ask a question totally unrelated. He had secrets and a past. From what I could tell they were happy yet sad. The Luxan got drunk and said a farewell and walked out. He was alone. I guess that was the way he liked it. Alone.

He was the last to leave. He had three bottles of fellip nectar and was still so sober. No one else bothered him. He had replaced the coin in his hand with something else. I saw a tear ran down his cheek. Finally an emotion I could plainly say as pain. Whatever was in his hand, he was holding onto it like there was no tomorrow. He recovered, wiped the tears away, paid for the drink, got off the chair and started to walk out.

I couldn't help myself. "Why are you here?"

He turns around. "Because my life sucks, because I'm the copy and because I listened to myself. Hurt, regret and torture is all I have felt these years and I'm going to change that." He eyes held determination, sadness and unmistakably the pain."

I nod. "Good luck." He turns around and walks out. That was the last I ever saw of him. I admire him, his strength even after he's life is turned backwards, even though he is broken hearted and even though he yet again felt the same pain, hurt and torture run through him again. He relived it with my simple question. It was true his life did flash in his eyes. I wish him all the luck, whatever he has to do. He is believe it or not, anything but a simple person, he was someone with a goal.

Part 3 >>

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