“I thought only my mother appreciated me,” Richard said jokingly.

“You knew your mother?” Meeta questioned. “How quaint.”

“Of course I knew my mother,” Richard said. “Don’t you know yours?”

“No,” Meeta said with a laugh. “No one in Interterra knows his mother. But let’s not get into that. Instead, why don’t you take me to your room?”

“Now there’s an idea,” Richard said. “But what about your friend Palenque? What will we say to her?”

“Anything you like,” Meeta said unconcernedly. “But it’s easiest to just ask her. I’m sure she’ll want to come. And Karena. I know she wants to come, too.”

Richard tried to act nonchalant, but he was afraid his surprise at this unexpected good fortune was all too apparent. At the same time with this auspicious turn of events, he wished he hadn’t drunk quite so much.

It was a boisterous group that set out from the pavilion to the dining hall. Suzanne, Perry, and the divers were singing old Beatles songs at the top of their lungs to the delight of their companions who, surprisingly, knew the words. Suzanne was walking with Garona, Perry with Luna, Richard with Meeta, Palenque, and Karena, and Michael with Mura and Sart.

Although Suzanne and Perry had resisted drinking very much, what they had drunk had gone to their heads. They were not nearly as drunk as Richard and Michael, but both recognized they were tipsy. They were also enjoying themselves immensely.

Arak had bid them farewell as the gala wound down and promised to meet with them in the morning. He had wished them a pleasant rest and had thanked them for coming to the celebration.

“Hey,” Richard called out when they’d finished a rendition of “Come Together.” “Don’t you guys know any songs of your own?”

“Of course,” Meeta said. Immediately the Interterrans burst into song, and although the words were in English, the beat was as irregular as the music at the gala had been.

“Cut!” Richard cried out. “That sounds too weird. Let’s go back to the Beatles.”

“Richard, let’s be fair,” Suzanne said.

“It’s all right,” Meeta said. “We’d rather sing your songs.”

“Michael? What the hell are you doing with the glasses?” Richard asked when he saw that his partner was carrying several empty goblets.

“I asked Arak,” Michael said. “He told me I could take them. They’re gold. I bet I have enough money here for a down payment on a new pickup truck.”

Richard leaned over and snatched one of the goblets.

“Hey, gimme that back,” Michael demanded.

Richard laughed. “Go out for a pass. I’ll hit you long!”

Michael handed the rest of the goblets to Mura. Then he staggered ahead for the pass. Richard tossed the goblet like a football, and it spiraled into Michael’s hands. Everyone clapped. Michael took a bow, lost his balance, and fell. Everyone giggled and clapped harder.

“We have pets that play that game,” Mura said.

“I saw some pets when we were flying in,” Suzanne said. “They looked like composite creatures.”

“They are,” Mura said.

“Do you have sports games down here?” Richard asked.

Michael came back and collected the rest of his goblets.

“No, we don’t have sports,” Meeta said. “Unless you mean mind games, things like that.”

“Hell, no!” Richard said. “I mean like hockey or football.”

“No,” Meeta said. “We don’t have physical competition.”

“Why not?” Richard asked.

“It’s not necessary,” Meeta said. “And it is unhealthy.”

Richard glanced at Michael. “No wonder the men are all such wimps,” he said. Michael nodded.

“How about ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,’ ” Suzanne suggested. “It seems so apropos.”

A few moments later, still singing the refrain, the group stumbled into the dining hall. It was dark, but the Interterrans somehow brought up the illumination. Perry was about to ask how it was done when he noticed Donald. The former naval officer had been sitting silently in the dark. His face was as grim as it had been when they’d left for the celebration.

“My gosh,” Richard said. “Mr. Straight Arrow is right where we left him.”

Michael proudly deposited his cache of golden goblets on the table with fanfare.

Richard lurched over to a position across the table from Donald. He dragged the three women with him like trophies. “Well, Admiral Fuller,” he said in a mocking tone while comically saluting. “I guess you can tell by our present company and booty that you really missed out.”

“I’m sure I did,” Donald said sarcastically.

“You can’t imagine how great it was, smart ass,” Richard said.

“You’re drunk, sailor,” Donald said scornfully. “Luckily, some of us have enough self-control to keep our wits about us.”

“Yeah, well, let me tell you what’s wrong with you,” Richard said, pointing a wavering finger at Donald’s face. “You still think you are in the goddamned Navy. Well, let me tell you something. You ain’t.”

“You’re not only stupid,” Donald hissed. “You’re disgusting.”

Something snapped in Richard’s brain. He shoved the women away and launched himself across the marble table, catching Donald by surprise. Despite his inebriation, he was able to straddle the man and land a few ineffectual punches on the side of his head.

Donald responded by enveloping Richard in a bear hug. Locked in a violent embrace, both men rolled off the chaise Donald had been sitting on. Neither man could do much damage to the other, but pummeled each other with short punches nonetheless. They did succeed in crashing into the table which caused Michael’s goblet collection to fall to the floor with a great clatter.

The Interterrans shrank back in dismay, while Suzanne and Perry intervened. It wasn’t easy, but they finally managed to separate the two men. This time it was Richard’s turn to have a bloody nose.

“You bastard,” Richard sputtered as he touched his nose and looked at the blood.

“You’re lucky your friends are here,” Donald told him. “I might have killed you.”

“That’s enough,” Perry said. “No more baiting and no more fighting. This is ridiculous. You’re both acting like children.”

“Idiot!” Donald added. He shook off Perry’s restraining arms and straightened his satin tunic.

“Jerk!” Richard retorted. He moved away from Suzanne and turned to his three women friends. “Come on, girls!” he said. “Let’s go to my room, where I won’t have to look at this guy’s ugly mug.”

Richard took a few unsteady steps toward the women, but they shrank back. Then, without another word, they fled out the open end of the room into the night. Richard hurried after them but stopped at the edge of the lawn. The women were already halfway back to the pavilion.

“Hey!” Richard yelled through cupped hands. “Come back! Meeta…”

“I think it’s time you went to bed,” Suzanne called after him. “You’ve caused enough trouble for one night.”

Richard turned back into the room, disappointed and angry. He slammed his open palm down on the tabletop hard enough to make everyone in the room jump. “Shit!” he shouted to no one in particular.

As Perry pushed open the door of his cottage with a trembling hand he did his best to hide and let Luna enter before him. It had been a long time since he’d been alone with a woman like this. He had no idea whether his anxiety was from marital guilt or from recognizing Luna’s inappropriate youth. On top of that he was tipsy with drink, but even more intoxicating than the crystal was the fact that an absolutely gorgeous young woman found him attractive.

As Perry struggled to conceal his nervousness he was sensitive enough to notice that Luna was agitated herself.

“Can I get you something?” Perry asked. “I’m supposed to have food and drink available.” He watched as the girl went over to the pool and bent down to test its temperature.