Benna on the Job

Special of the Day: Meet Benna

"Hi, I'm Benna. What can I get you?" She smiles and nods. "Yeah, Benna from Banna, I get that a lot." She laughs and ticks off your order on her electropad. "Coming right up."

She busies herself collecting your drink and munch order. "Fax? Yeah, he's the new tender here. I haven't worked with him yet, but I hear he came over from The Nasty Net." She smirks. "Yeah, local nick for the place. Smart career move, if you ask me. That Net..." She purses her lips and shakes her head. "Lot of turnover there and I don't mean just in the employment department. Only place on Banna where the staff can get mugged."

"Oh, Fax mentioned the trouble there? Yes, the whole spaceport is talking. Forty of the Net's finest ganged up on some little female that wandered in during the blockade." She resets a cube keg and draws off the air. "Joke was on them, though. Rumor is she was some sort of trained mercenary. Most of them are missing teeth and nursing slashes for their trouble. I'll have to ask Fax for the lowdown when I meet him."

Benna fixes her attention on a tall man who enters the lounge and saunters to a booth in the corner. He's almost as tall as a Rathskian, but leaner and blond. One of Benna's coworkers goes to take his order.

"News?" she mumbles, her eyes still set on the mature man. "Yeah, I've heard a couple of interesting facts. There's a book giveaway in progress over at Writer's Musings. Stop by for a chat to get entered into their contest for a copy of BRALESS IN WONDERLAND by Debbie Reed Fischer or SHIFT by Jennifer Bradbury."

Noting your fingers are getting slick from the delicious Bannan fries, she deals a couple more napkins from the dispenser and slides them next to your plate.

"Then over on The Galaxy Express there's a very interesting retrospective on the Star Wars series. If you're a fan of that particular universe, you really should check it out."

"In case you haven't heard, Lisa Shearin has posted another snippet from her upcoming April release, THE TROUBLE WITH DEMONS, book three in her Raine Benares series. It's a real teaser." She winks. "Maybe you should look in."

"A couple of our favorite patrons...patronesses?...Barbara Elsborg and Dawn Jackson both have news. If you like your reading on the spicier side, Barbara's next erotica romance ANNA IN THE MIDDLE , an intriguing menage featuring Jax from her previous novel, SOMETHING ABOUT POLLY, is now available at Ellora's Cave and Dawn Jackson's next short, SPEAKEASY, a fabulous, sexy romp through the roaring 20s, is up on Ravenous Romance. Barbara was also interviewed this past week by author Margaret West on her blog."

"Also, be sure to check out Ghost Planet, the website of recent visitor and RWA Golden Heart nominee for paranormal romance, Sharon Lynn Fisher." Benna glances down the bar and curls her forefinger, motioning you closer. "The GH Award is for unpublished manuscripts, and you might want to keep an eye out for GHOST PLANET in the future. I know I'm going to."

"Oh, leaving us so soon?" She motions to the cash-bot to hover over and collect your payment, and you note how her gaze moves back to the mystery man in the corner booth.

"Sure, always glad to share." She sends a scrubber-bot down the counter to vacuum up a few stray crumbs after you rise to your feet. "Well, be sure to stop back and see us next trip."

You head toward the exit, glancing back to see she's got her eyes fixed on Mr. X, once again.