Kate''s crystal processor wasn''t anything standard. It looked like a custom juryrigged system with two co-processors. There were many strands connecting the two coprocessors and the main core. It just looked like a jumbled mess on her back.


    No one would be eager to go near our table. The armor and the massive warhammer had to be a strong statement as well.


    "I just got the Director''s email with all of the details. I''m going to run a full analysis to see if we can find any clues as to the theft, and where the thief might be hiding out," Kate said.


    "They''ve got to be storing the fuel somewhere on station, unless they''ve already escaped the station," I said.


    If I was going to steal arcana, what would I do, I pondered. On one hand, you could be trying to store it and sell it later, or you could be an addict who just wants to dose themself.


    There was a water planet in system, so Maxime Station was supposed to have good seafood.


    He ordered the shrimp appetizer and a water. Kate ordered tea.


    You just couldn''t get good coffee among the diaspora. He hadn''t found anyplace that served it, at least.


    "Well I''ve got a first place we can check," Kate said as I was halfway through the shrimp.


    "Where?"


    "There''s a comedy club on station. Improv, that kind of thing."


    I finished the appetizer, and we left.


    "I used to think eating seafood was blasphemy," she said as they left. "Still can''t eat it myself. Anyway, Let''s stop at my place so I can change."


    ~o~


    I wasn''t yet registered for a stateroom. Most stations had several tiers of quality and square feet. Kate''s seemed a bit spacious with two rooms. There were crystal processor components and wires on the table.


    I waited while she went into the bedroom to remove her armor and find something to wear that would attract less attention.


    I''d bought my first crystal processor a few months after leaving home. The galactinet was great for news and reference, and the amount of entertainment that was available was ridiculous. Most of it was not for me, but still I''d found a few gems to watch while traveling.


    Kate came back out wearing a gray sweater and white pants.


    ~o~


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    We entered the comedy club discretely, watching from the back of the room. There seemed to be an Open Mic night with a line of people waiting their turn. There were thirty or so seats in the audience area, about half full.


    "What happens when you try play poker with only jokers? I tried it but the Jokers didn''t know how to hold their cards. We''ve been playing 52 pickup since."


    "Comedians," Kate muttered.


    If there was a back room where they were storing stolen jester, they wouldn''t be able to reach it with so many eyes watching.


    "What''s the local station time?" I asked quietly.


    But someone else heard me, because from the entryway, someone answered, "1800. Happy hour. We got some newbies here!"


    "Shit"


    Several people in the audience stood up and looked their way. Why were Jester exiles almost all men? Was there some kind of gender imbalance on their worlds, or did the women just not leave.


    "Newbies, huh," said one of the audience members. Hooded sweatshirts and baggy jeans seemed to be the most common attire among the crew.


    The guy up on the stage was flustered by the commotion.


    "Name''s Nate," said the first guy who had spotted us. "You gotta go mic up. Those are the newbie rules."


    The club actually had a bar. Lack of inhibitation and elevated Jester levels would be a volatile combination.


    "I''m sure you''ve got some funnier stories than me," I said to Kate, as I nudged her to go up first.


    Nate went up on stage, bypassing that line, and stole the mic from the sputtering comic.


    The few comedy club''s I''d passed by on other stations were full of hillarious laughter. After the last comedian''s jokes fell flat, maybe the station finally depleted all of it''s Jester storage? As far as I knew, Comedy clubs had to pay the station extra for an additional allotment of Jester.


    Kate looked awkward up there, but at least she didn''t stutter.


    "My master used to have this saying, ''If you''re always trying to be the wisest person in the room, you''ll end up leading fools. The most foolish thing you can do is believe that you can avoid being foolish by just having a serious scowl on your face all the time.'' So I decided to be the wisest fool."


    Nate was disturbed by her poor attempt at joking, "Usually we get newbies with a bit of Jester they are making the whole group roar in laughter. Let me check the back room."


    I took that opportunity to follow Nate..


    "I''ve never known her to be funny, I want to see if she''s immune," I said to try to get a laugh and deflect attention.


    Turning on the light, Nate headed to the back corner of the room, following a line of white pipe that lead to a gauge. The gauge needle was on zero.


    "What the hell, I paid last month''s payment," Nate said.


    I discretely looked around to see any signs that the Jeser was being diverted into another container. I didn''t see anything, and I didn''t have much time before I had to follow Nate back out to the stage.


    Kate was looking at another comedian who had decided to join her on the stage.


    "I used to go to Holy worlds, just to go talk to the prophets. I''d say, ''Look, your holy Lion god is just an animal that drinks Holiness, just like you drink water. He''s not even immortal. And I would take this deer head I had preserved. I took that with me everywhere. ''This was a Deer God. Shot him at 50 yards.'', I would say. I had the army on me that time. So-called Holy knights just like you and your master."


    "I don''t worship the divine whale anymore, so I don''t care about your story," Kate said. "I''ve met you guys, dozens of times as the Exile fleet would stop at a station. Trying to sneak onto the fleet. We were ecumenical, we don''t hold anymore onto the specific form of belief we grew up with. One thing I found is, Jesters can''t give up trying to be funny or they''ll explode. Ever watch one of your friends trying to sit still?"


    "Come on Kate," I said, approaching her.


    "Enjoy your unfunny comedy club," she quipped and followed me out of the club.