Gomer rubbed his eyes in the dusty air. It always got dusty on heavy days. So many ships and not enough port space. They land, unload, take off, return to their cruiser, and leave system. As fast as possible. That is why he was out here. He needed more dock workers. He was looking for one specifically. He was strong, a good worker, and competent. Fortunately, for Gomer, he was also easy to find.
He was called Raul. He was leaning against the frame of a large window watching the ships land and leave. For a human he was big. He wore a tight black leather vest that showed off his large arms and made him look even larger than he was. He also wore tight leather pants, with black boots, and, like everyone else that could afford it, a firearm on his hip.
"Ola, Raul," called Gomer. When Raul turned to face him, Gomer always thought he looked like those barbarians that lived on Earth That Was. What were they called? Hikings? Vichengs? Or something like that. He also joked with himself that it must take all of Raul's strength to get his get his red/blond hair into such a perfectly tight tail. Not that he would tell Raul that...
"I need you. Willing to pay double the chit."
"I'm working the door at Wuher's," replied Raul.
"That pit!" exclaimed Gomer, "The pay can't be THAT good. That place eats bouncers. Sometimes literally."
Raul shrugged his shoulders.
"One of these days a fight will break out and not even you will be able to control it," Gomer played with one of his six antennae, "Triple the chit, as long as you don't tell nobody."
"You hired Chupas."
"So. You ain't no xeno-freak, you work with anybody."
"Not Chupas, they smell. Besides, after tonight, I am gone."
"Finally, got enough treasure together to take you out of the world, eh?" asked Gomer slyly. Raul said nothing.
"Well, whatever," he continued, "I'm not saying I like you but, for a human, you do ok."
Gomer trudged off as Raul continued to look out the window. Sometimes, when the universe got complicated, it was good to just do simple work. But you do have to return to the universe eventually. That night there was a huge brawl at Wurher's Toxic Concoctions. It spilled into the street and the local copos had to block of three sub-levels and call in the Protectorate Guard to restore order. Stories of that fight are still circulating that system and, if rumors are to be believed, in the middle of it there was a crazy human with an ax.