Chapter 2 part 1
231Please respect copyright.PENANA7FYT8PX2Qn
Kebab to the Stars: A Boar-ing Victory
231Please respect copyright.PENANAvWoqzp7ka7
231Please respect copyright.PENANARirlC4JsdQ
231Please respect copyright.PENANAYdssUkvBB7
There’s a cantina I frequent—a place I’d almost call my sanctuary. Sure, the Mercenary Guild mess hall on the station is convenient, but it’s overpriced, the synthesized menu is uninspired, and the atmosphere is too sterile, too professional. It’s designed for brief encounters, mission discussions, and occasional deals over sub-par ration packs. They probably keep the credit rates high to prevent the hall from becoming a hangout spot for freeloaders.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAE7FqcFe64L
So, when I need something real—something with flavor—I head to a smaller establishment nearby. A modest restaurant pod with private booths, no grandiose bar or holo-luxury nonsense. Its name? **"Gift of the Nebula."**
231Please respect copyright.PENANAOmoUuDZqWM
Today, the pod is busier than I’ve ever seen it. The usual hum of conversation has grown into a symphony of voices, clinking utensils, and sizzling grills.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAVOcWbua0Jr
"Venusian boar kebabs, fresh off the grill!" The call rings out from the kitchen, and I don’t waste a second.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAQH5DIz8ijH
"Mm, mmff mmm!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAxKgCzX1BCE
Ten kebabs are set in front of me, their aroma wafting through the air, and I dive in without hesitation. The meat—juicy, tender, and seasoned with just the right balance of spices—melts in my mouth, the natural oils dripping onto the plate beneath.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAZdiJmkmnxO
**Half price today.** What kind of cosmic alignment is this?
231Please respect copyright.PENANAQxMMU0FShk
The holoboard outside the pod had caught my eye before the station even switched to its artificial night cycle. I’d read the words “Venusian boar—half-off” and practically slid through the doors. Turns out, a guild crew returning from the satellites of gas giants had brought back a haul of the beasts, enough to overflow their cargo holds. The owner of this place, unable to let such a bounty go to waste, had doubled the portions for the same price. **A deal worthy of the stars themselves.** Could I live here?
231Please respect copyright.PENANAtpNINyvkzS
"Galaxia Narwhal, huh? You’re really going at it."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAUx6IQ7A9Pk
"Mmga?" I pause mid-bite, turning to see who’s addressed me.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAy6Dv5sSzSP
"Swallow first!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANATILXkEVH8G
I gulp down the mouthful of boar and blink. "Aioi? Oh, hey. Good work out there. These kebabs are half-price today! What a glorious age we live in!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAjtbq5KSIsM
"Yeah, I know," she replies with a raised brow, sliding into the seat beside me.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAi0inIhlYNZ
Aioi: a junior guild member, plasma bow specialist, and a rising star among our ranks. She’s part of the Diana crew now, working alongside a tech wizard and gaining a reputation for her prodigious long-range combat skills.
231Please respect copyright.PENANASuAh8UmKQv
Her suit, though? Utterly plain. No custom decals, no flair—nothing that matches her growing reputation. Still, she’s a decent kid. Polite enough to treat me as a mister, even if she occasionally sasses me.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAiQv9uOHr1q
"That boar meat you’re scarfing down? My crew brought it in," she says, a hint of pride in her voice. "The satellite clusters were crawling with those things. Took forever to hunt them all. My stabilizer joints are practically creaking."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAWEYWA7en67
"You’re telling me this meat’s from Diana?"
231Please respect copyright.PENANATfI4ZIXBuI
"Yup! Heheh. We had so much extra, we wholesaled it to half the station. I’m planning to drink until the next cycle to celebrate."
231Please respect copyright.PENANA2vpvk1enfJ
"Aioi... you’ve really grown up. Makes me proud."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAsEW9qgs4cg
Her expression deadpans. "Galaxia Narwhal, that was the flattest praise I’ve ever heard. You don’t even sound remotely happy."
231Please respect copyright.PENANASsbLFUvU0c
"C’mon, I’m being sincere!" I protest. "Look a little happier, will you?"
231Please respect copyright.PENANACCHtLNmBKx
"No way. Oh, excuse me! One Martian ale, please!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAfipdphCaa9
"Mm. Make that two!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAiZtOAmk4rk
"Coming right up!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAiYcQ3NSLJa
The drinks arrive quickly, and I raise my glass, alternating between swigs of ale and bites of boar. The spices and the smooth, bitter tang of the drink are a match made in the void. "This," I declare, "is living."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAvfib7tbk9D
"...But Mister," Aioi interrupts, "I heard about your little scuffle at the guild yesterday. What’s that about?"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAHX8SGeWTBl
"Huh? Oh, that? Just some punk newcomers. They tried to rush me with thrust-packs like amateurs. I coolly evaded and took them down with unmatched elegance."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAswq68odE5r
"That is *not* what I heard," she retorts, smirking. "The story is that it was a chaotic brawl."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAghR9VGrHdf
"You heard, huh? Tch."
231Please respect copyright.PENANA8qQ5v1HqLl
"But still, taking on four opponents in suits? That’s impressive."
231Please respect copyright.PENANA0gyabA1u2U
"Right? Well, they were half-competent small fry. Got lucky with the match-up."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAbcOQkrPdVC
Fights like that aren’t uncommon. Stations like this attract all sorts—ex-military types, drifters from the outer systems—most trying to establish themselves by picking fights with the wrong people. Yesterday, I was the unlucky target. They must’ve thought I was easy prey, sitting alone with a protein shake. Too bad for them—I’m a special ability enhanced mercenary.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAc8FIkjnSzD
**A boring win, but a win nonetheless.**
231Please respect copyright.PENANASUYjTQn8Dy
If I’d fought seriously, I could’ve wiped the floor with them faster. Not that I’d ever openly reveal just how many abilities I’m packing.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAL1LxPg916M
...No, really. I’ve got plenty of tricks I haven’t shown anyone! Really!
231Please respect copyright.PENANA8VbEu50VGq
"You should join a crew, mister," Aioi says suddenly. "mister Burger’s invited you more than once, hasn’t he?"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAZuevBMTf0P
"Nah," I reply, shaking my head. "Not my style. I can’t stand the sound of other people’s suit fans or life support systems. Too distracting."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAoiXQqbmABF
"Not like you’re some Starborn elite..."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAv3vYQMGDXr
There’s more to it than that. I don’t like relying on others in an emergency. If some unexpected threat appeared, allies would only slow me down. For now, soloing suits me just fine.
231Please respect copyright.PENANARkNE2ufsLn
"What about you, Aioi? Diana treating you well?"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAImwUxKZHgw
"Yup! They’re great—no hazing or anything. They’ve taught me a ton about targeting techniques, and they split credits fairly too."
231Please respect copyright.PENANA8i17WIo1Gd
"Good. Glad you found a decent crew."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAby5pVagAF7
"Yes!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAolGqvgVsqV
When Aioi first left her colony, she’d stuck with childhood friends from her habitat. That crew fell apart after a few months, and her next attempts at finding a team didn’t go much better. But now, with Diana, she seems to have found her place.
231Please respect copyright.PENANAnyzPhIpx9O
Work environment matters. In space, it’s everything.
231Please respect copyright.PENANASdaNZz1XCH
"Here you go!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAcNSpS9QIbN
"Ooh, sho delishush!" Aioi mumbles through a mouthful of kebab.
231Please respect copyright.PENANA9QDsFKRocS
"Hm? What’s that seasoning?"
231Please respect copyright.PENANADhqsHT9xuP
"You don’t know?" she asks, swallowing. "They’re using Europan crystal enzyme on the seared surface. Fancy stuff. Sheena from my crew says it’s all the rage with Starborn Elites."
231Please respect copyright.PENANA9q5uGE7jEs
"Oh, right. That stuff."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAbhvJZVTBe2
"...Whassat face for?"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAuht2cbsVdc
"I’ve got no idea what that is. Salt’s the foundation of flavor, Aioi. Let the ingredients speak for themselves."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAg3XhHpEncG
"Mr Narwhal, you’re such a rim dweller. No wonder you’ll never blend in with the Starborn."
231Please respect copyright.PENANAc1E6QGNpnJ
"Shaddup! I’ve got the most refined palate in the entire Lunatran Empire!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAxQviJRF3wg
"Pfft! Pfft!"
231Please respect copyright.PENANAfXpLxPruWE
And so, while celebrating my junior’s growth (even if she’s getting sassier by the year), I spent the rest of the cycle gorging on kebabs, drinking Martian ale, and basking in the simple pleasures of station life.
231Please respect copyright.PENANA7rdP0floNd
231Please respect copyright.PENANAMaMW3WUMao
231Please respect copyright.PENANA6bejdS6tHH
Author's note : wanna read future chapters earlier? visit :231Please respect copyright.PENANA42hVhwMmRo
galaxianarwhal.blogspot.com231Please respect copyright.PENANAazYiTYEMvP