Just before opening time at Firefly's the place is usually empty and even peaceful in a way. The music hasn't started up yet, there is no hubbub of voices and laughter in the old converted factory building; just a sort of anticipation of the festivities of the night upcoming.
Nack enjoyed sitting around the bar for a bit in that time just before cranking up the monster sound system at the bar. A little peace and quiet time is a valuable thing for the DJ of a bar 'cause once the bass started rattling the bones in your skull, well, there wasn't a lot of room left for thinking carefully, just yelling and laughing at whatever came around.
The bartender for Friday nights, AlisonLynn, showed up just before opening time, ready for the nights business as usual. A wave and a smile across the dance floor to the DJ booth where Nack was already lining up old vinyl albums as well as more modern memory disks of music for the evening. General Parkin came in a few minutes later, his flat was right next door to the bar and there wasn't much point in trying to sleep or get anything productive done that close to the sound of the music that leaked out of the old building on a Friday night. Besides, it was fun just to hang around the place and watch the people of Hale's Moon have fun to start the weekend. Not to mention you never knew who might walk in from some other world out here on the rim, or sometimes from the borderworlds.
Once the music started playing and the patrons started arriving Nack stayed up at the DJ booth, greeting people with a wave and a smile as they descended to the dance floor of the club from the entryway. Making sure the music was set right, that the quirky mixing boards were doing their jobs without needing more tweaking, as well as just having a good vantage point over the dance floor to watch people have fun. Looks like the start of another great Friday night party.
The woman who stood at the top of the entrance ramp caught Nack's eye immediately. Not her good looks or titian red hair. Those were common enough around these parts, especially on a Friday night. But the clothing she wore marked her right out as from Coreward and likely an Alliance official of some sort as well. Nack didn't react to her looking around the bar with anything more than a casual check to see if his pistols were in position and a glance at the DJ booth shelving to make sure the blast rifle he kept there in case of emergencies was still in easy reach. Just in case.
The woman spotted Nack up at the DJ booth and walked over with some deliberateness, a professional smile on her lips. Nack groaned inwardly, "Oh, just great. She's here looking for me."
"Hello, Mr. Barnes isn't it?"
Nack smiled pleasantly at the lady, "Yes, sure is. Nice to meet you, Miss..." letting the sentence trail off in a query.
"Bethany Lionheart, Diplomatic Corps assigned to this moon during the current difficulties. I was looking to meet you, you can be a hard man to find, did you know that?"
The woman's smile never quavered into anything like a threat which meant she must be pretty damn good at her job. Which put Nack's hand closer to the pistol in his leg holster. Alliance operatives are best shot immediately and in the head without questions and without hesitation.
Nack fiddled with the mixer board slides with one hand to draw attention away from his other hand moving to his pistol holster, "What difficulties would that be ma'am? Ain't seen any difficulties here in my bar."
"The martial law situation, Mr. Barnes. I'm sure you have heard. The local Elders refer to you as one of the community leaders and as such I'm sure you are well connected with information sources in the local government as well. I wished to make myself known to you and to give you my contact information in case there were any problems you wished to discuss with me arrising from the occupation."
The woman handed over a slip of plas, her ident and such engraved. Nack tucked it into a vest pocket and shook his head at the woman, "Well, I appreciate the thought and all, ma'am, but I ain't no kind of community leader. I'm just a simple barman, running a business. And Alliance or rebel, any are welcome to be here at my saloon, as long as they are drinking."
Nack gestured to AlisonLynn to mix up a martini for the Alliance Diplomat in spite of Bethany's shake of the head to decline the offer.
Nack smiled at the woman again, looking her straight in the face this time. "You don't understand, ma'am. It's either have a drink or get out. I don't trust anyone who won't drink and if you aren't here to drink, yer in the way of my business."
The redheaded woman kept her smile in place and seemed genuinely amused by the situation. "I'll go ahead and go, I'd not like to be in the way of your business, right now. But you keep my card Mr. Barnes and I will let you know if the occupation administration requires anything of you, later." The last yelled at the top of her voice since Nack had been sliding the house speaker volume slider upwards as she went on. With the bass thumping shaking concrete dust from the rafters to drift down across the dance floor the woman stopped her undignified yelling and grinned just a little at the juvenile maneuver as Nack held his hand cupped to his ear while looking at her.
Turning and strolling out as if she didn't have four or five ex-browncoats staring at her from various spots in the bar, hands near weapons Bethany Lionheart had certainly gotten the attention of the rabble of Hale's Moon.
"Well... just friggin' lovely this is going to be. Martial law, eh? This is going to just be real fun, you bet."
