Bartender 9.4 ((install)) -

“Clarity,” said 9.4. “First one is free.”

“Where do I find a pilot?”

“In a sequel.”

The “9.4” came from a Guild auditor who’d spent a week cataloging the bar’s efficiency, safety, and customer satisfaction on a 10-point scale. “I cannot give it a ten,” the auditor told the terminal’s crime boss, “because it refuses to smile. But I have never seen a more perfect drink delivery system.” The score stuck. Painted on the sign. Carved into the bar top. bartender 9.4

A pause. Then the machine reached under the counter and pulled out a chipped ceramic cup—not the usual crystal glass. It poured something clear and steaming: water. Just water. “Clarity,” said 9

The girl stared at the cup. Then she drank. And she began to talk. About a stolen freighter. A brother left for dead on a salvage moon. A debt she couldn’t pay. But I have never seen a more perfect drink delivery system

And somewhere in the dim light of Terminal Seven, the sign reading seemed to flicker, for just a moment, to 9.5.