Starfall

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A holo walks into a bar… Heard it before? But this is no joke. The bar is real, aboard an orbiting habitat, Belt City, in Orion 3645A, the G-type, A-half of a no-hope Outback double system. All one hundred percent real—even if the holo is not. Or rather, they were real. Bar, habitat, and double system all fell victim to a cosmic mishap. So don’t do a search for them in any updated Systems Guide.

But during the bar’s last months in business, a holo did come in. Not just any holo either, a virtual angel on a mercy mission off a ship named Nightingale. She had long silvery hair, a honey-sweet voice, caring eyes, and a cheerful absent smile. Being a holo, she did not drink, smoke, kiss, or pet. She had just come to Belt City a bit ahead of herself, to see and to be seen. Hoping to get picked up. Judge for yourself how she did.

Outside, people rioted. Belt City was already doomed, bringing civic functions to a halt. Somehow slidewalks ran and air got recycled, but little else got done. Anyone with a gram of sense—anyone who planned for their future—fought like hell to get aboard a ship headed outsystem.

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