Chapter 5The Southern Birds sat at the end of a wooded lane outside a small metropolis on the southern hemisphere of a swampish world orbiting Alpha Tuscana. Jack could never remember the names of the lane, the city, or the planet, but the name of the establishment was forever etched into his memory.
The brothel was where he'd grown up.
Abandoned as an infant, he'd been given succor if not much guidance throughout his childhood by a bevy of women (and a few men) whose constant chatter frequently veered toward the bawdy banter common to such environs, the boy often forgotten as simply a constant presence underfoot. As such, Jack's education was weighted toward the idiosyncrasies of s****l behavior, the fleeting nature of relationships, the inevitable anxieties of aging, and the occasional
