Bars were the same the galaxy over. This particular example was a back-street bar complete with dirt on the floor and whatever the alien equivalent of cockroaches was. Eric shuddered as he heard the scrabbling in the shadows. Whatever that was, it sounded at least the size of a small dog and probably ate feet for breakfast.
He ignored it, telling himself he was just being fanciful, until the bartender over the other side of the room lifted a double-barreled laser gun. None of the other patrons so much as batted an eyelid as he fired into the shadows and then stopped and listened out. The scrabbling stopped, a charred smell wafting through the already fragrant room. The bartender nodded to himself in satisfaction and put the gun down, going back to wiping down the bar with a rag. Eric shud
