Ah, that's more like it. Kolya inhaled deeply and smiled at the mixture of aromas from various food carts and shacks drifting around the corridor. She'd chosen a motel in one of the less affluent areas of the station, which was not only more interesting than the higher-income sections, but she also got stared at a hell of a lot less in places like this.

She spotted a few aliens here and there, mingling around the open space filled with vendors packed in wherever they managed to fit their shops. Most of the population was made up of humans, synthetics, and bioengineered species.

Most of the aliens were the zorai, who looked a lot like orcs -- dark green, leathery skin, neanderthal foreheads, and a pair of long fangs jutting up from their lower jaws. They'd been brought to Earth decades ago from their homeworld, where everything in the environment was constantly trying to kill them. Conditions there were so harsh that the zorai had been on the brink of extinction throughout their history, and were eager to leave the planet when the option became available. They'd gladly let several Terran corporations strip-mine the whole world in exchange for a ticket to Earth. They hadn't even bothered to give the planet a name until long after they'd left it behind, then one of them had finally summed up their hatred of their former homeworld in two words -- Hell's Heart.

Life on that planet had shaped their culture, making them quite hedonistic. Carpe diem, and all that. Kolya hadn't fully understood the mindset until after she'd almost died. After relocating to Earth, many of them had become sex workers -- if not as a career, then as a hobby -- even though they were ugly as hell by human standards. Back when she was in junior high, Kolya had lost count of the number of her classmates who'd slipped out of their homes late at night and lost their virginity to a zorai hooker simply because the newcomers to Earth were the only people willing to let them get past first base.

Kolya hadn't tried it, herself. She'd figured there would be plenty of time to get around to it. Then, after the accident, she'd been too busy recovering from her injuries. After that, she had started her long journey to wherever the next ship took her, which hadn't left much room for a social life.

A specific aroma from the background -- a mixture of hotdog, vegetables, a variety of mustards, and seasonings -- caught her attention and she made her way through the locals shuffling back and forth. Most of the Terrans were roughly her size. A few of the bioengineered "chimeras" were walls of muscle, having been produced by one of the corporations that had kept the "bigger is better" approach from the early days of the genetic experiments a century ago.

Kolya dodged out of the path of an eight-foot reptile dude in tight-fitting shorts and a muscle shirt. She paused to admire his physique as he passed and then resumed her course to one of the food shacks on the right. She stepped up to the short counter, peered at the foods cooking inside, closed her eyes, and inhaled again.

"What can I do for you?"

Kolya opened her eyes and found the shack's owner, a middle-aged human in a stained white apron, smiling at her. She pointed at one of the items on the menu glowing softly on the rear wall.

"Sonoran hotdog, please."

"Comin' right up." He hurried over to the counter on the right, grabbed a bun, and began packing it with the requisite ingredients. He finished, brought it over to her, and she paid for it.

"Thanks."

"Any time, young lady." The guy grinned and shifted his attention to the young man who'd lined up behind her.

She took a bite as she walked on down the corridor. Not bad at all. It wasn't the best hotdog she'd ever had, but was far from the worst. She chewed another bite and glanced around, taking in the scenery as she headed for the elevator that would deliver her to the hangar where the Mae Jemison waited.

She spotted a trio of shonari up ahead, chatting with a group of humans near the elevator doors. Around seven feet tall with dark red skin, short muzzles, glowing yellow eyes, horns, and digitigrade legs ending in hooves, they resembled many depictions of demons or devils she'd seen in various mythologies. Despite their appearance, the ones she'd met were quite friendly and easygoing. Their society seemed to produce more scientists and engineers than anything else.

As Kolya approached, one of the shonari glanced at her and then instantly snapped his gaze toward something behind her. His smile faded out and he leaned over to mutter something to the rest of the group. They turned toward her and whatever they saw made them freeze in place and stare nervously.

Kolya flicked a quick glance to either side and realized the crowd around her had dispersed. She winced.

Great. I'm probably about to be mugged or raped. She turned around slowly and arched an eyebrow at the half-dozen humans and two chimeras behind her. One chimera was a tall, muscular panther type and the other was a hulking minotaur. Both of them, as well as the humans, were scruffy, dirty, and carried themselves like people who were used to just taking whatever they wanted.

"You look like you've got some money," one of the humans said, his voice low and growly.

"I wish." Kolya shrugged and glanced around as several of them maneuvered their way behind her, boxing her in. She pointed the hotdog toward her ruined eye and added, "If I had that much money, I would've had this fixed."

"Well, whatever you have," the panther snarled, "hand it over."

She raised her eyebrow again. "Can I at least finish my hotdog first?"

They pulled out a variety of clubs, chains, and knives from within their clothing and closed in on her. She sighed.

Guess not.