Cedar flagged over the barman, an attractive blond man with a confident smile.

“Haven’t seen you in here before,” the man grinned, flipping the liquor bottle with practised eased and sliding it down his forearm.

“A friend told me to come,” Cedar knew it was always best to stick as closely to the truth as possible.

“That girl with the braids?” the man asked, filling one of the glasses with a double despite Cedar only having paid for two singles. Cedar frowned as he noticed the way the man’s eyes raked down his body. He could use this to his advantage.

“Yeah,” Cedar nodded, taking a sip of his drink and smacking his lips slowly together, “she’s just a friend though.”

“So what’s a big boy like you looking for tonight?” the man arched over the bar, his chin resting in his hands. Cedar repressed an eye roll and instead plastered on his best smile.

“Guess that all depends on what’s available,” Cedar replied, making sure his teeth showed in his ensuing grin. At least the police had a good dental plan, not something that everyone on the colony ship could boast.

The man gave a scoff of amusement as he drew back and threw a dishcloth over his shoulder. He reached for a pot of bright green limes and a sharp serrated knife and board.

“Well, most of our clientele seem to enjoy synthetic products,” the man began breezily, slicing the citrus fruit with a practised ease. “But in my humble opinion, nothing beats the real thing.”

“Tell me more about the synthetics?” Cedar asked, realising his mistake a moment later as the man’s face darkened and a humiliated blush appeared on his cheeks.

“Fine,” the man replied, colder now, “well there’s a variety of services available with a full colour catalogue that you can choose from. Plus every android is modified for pleasure with a fully specced H.E.A.T. mod.”

“H.E.A.T.?” Cedar frowned.

Apparently he had made another mistake as the barman paused in his task and narrowed his eyes at him. “How do you not…what did you say you do again?”

“I didn’t,” Cedar replied, necking the second vodka and heading over to where he spotted Manya remerging from a side room.

“I think I may have aroused the barman's suspicions,” Cedar admitted as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Yeah, I think you probably aroused more than that,” Many scoffed, “but no matter, I’ve found Creon, he’s drinking at the back bar.”

“There’s another bar?” Cedar frowned as he followed her into what he had originally assumed were bathrooms. Instead, there was a small, circular ring bar with a bald android in the middle serving elaborate looking cocktails.

Sure enough, perched to one side was Creon, his large form nearly bursting out of his tightly buttoned shirt. He was wearing some sort of toupee over his normally shaved scalp and Cedar couldn’t help but smirk at the ridiculous gold cowboy boots the other man was sporting.

“Manya,” Creon announced with a confused look as they approached, his eyes flitted nervously across to Cedar. “What brings you here?”

“Do you remember me?” Cedar asked, already pulling his phone out of his pocket and readying the picture of the blue haired man.

“Of course,” Creon nodded, “and where is the delightful Vaki today?”

“Do you know this man?” Cedar asked, ignoring Creon’s question.

Creon studied the picture for a few moment before shrugging and pouting his thin lips, “No idea who he is I’m afraid. Why? Am I meant to?”

“He’s using one of your products,” Cedar continued, zooming in on the pulse gun.”

“Yes, well,” Creon sniffed in amusement, “him and half the colony. I can’t be expected to keep track of all my sales can I?”

“Vaki,” Manya stated, causing Cedar and Creon to look at her.

“Yes, the pretty little purple android,” Creon nodded, “I remember.”

“Yeah,” Manya reached out to pinch at Cedar’s arm as it suddenly dawned on him what she was trying to imply.

“We never told you his name,” Cedar snarled as Creon scrambled to his feet, sprinting towards a back door. Cedar swore angrily as he started off after the other man, slamming into a small corridor, his body thudding into a badly plastered wall and coming away a dusted chalky white.

Cedar finally caught up with Creon in the alleyway behind the club, it wasn’t hard, Cedar was athletic and a cop, whereas Creon was a panting, wheezing mess of a man.

“You piece of shit,” Cedar spat, hauling Creon up against the wall by his throat. “Who are you working for? Why’d they want Governor Park dead?”

“W-what the fuck are you talking about?” Creon coughed hoarsely, his pudgy fingers pawing at Cedar’s chest.

“Tanaka!” Manya shouted as she jogged out from the club and came up to join them. “If you kill him he can’t talk.”

“I wasn’t going to kill him,” Cedar hissed, affronted at the suggestion, he was a freaking cop after all.

“Who are they?” Cedar repeated, giving Creon a rough shake and causing the other man to whimper in pain. “Why did you try to wipe him with nanos?”

“Y-you’re crazy!” Creon stammered, his eyes flashing pleadingly at Manya.

“Tanaka shut up,” Manya snapped. “I don’t think he knows what you’re talking about.”

“But the blue haired man!” Cedar cried out angrily.

“He’s an android smuggler isn’t he?” Manya narrowed her eyes, taking a step towards Creon. “You said, back in your shop, that you could get a fortune for an unregistered droid as beautiful as Vaki. But Cedar didn’t want to sell him so you hooked up a smuggler with the info right?”

“What?” Cedar let go of Creon in shock, the other man slumping to the floor and hacking up phlegm.

“This is nothing to do with the Governor,” Manya whispered to Cedar, “it’s just smugglers caught wind of an unregistered droid they figured was easy pickings.”

“Christ,” Cedar groaned, scratching at his head before crouching down in front of Creon. “Okay listen to me you overgrown piss pool eel. You’re going to tell us where the hell they took my android or I’m going to give Manya here my gun and make myself scarce for five minutes.”

Creon’s eyes widened in fear as he noticed that Cedar was indeed armed. “Who are you?” Creon coughed.

“Manya?” Cedar stood back up and started to un-holster his weapon. He obviously had no intention of giving his nineteen year old neighbour a firearm but he hoped Creon wouldn’t know that.

“Wait,” Creon cried, raising up his hand with trembling fingers. “His name’s Zachariah, the blue haired man. I’ve done some deals with him before, he – he was in the shop that day you came in. He asked me afterwards about your android. I couldn’t say no, please.”

“Tell me,” Cedar growled, low and threateningly, “where they are.”