x
Chapter 1 part 4
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOqRlgHDMg
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3Y9GlkxBx
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuDG1g5wlo
The Gourmet Space Butcher (Still Needs Sauce)
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzHfCQoY6O
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94zcqxg7jU
The food in this part of the galaxy? It’s an affront to my senses. If I were to sum up the culinary offerings of this sector in one word, it would be *gross.* No exaggeration. It’s a universal truth that the dietary staples here are nutrient paste or synthetic protein blocks, both of which taste like they were made by malfunctioning replicators.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiHbUhriwQ
The protein blocks, more algae composite than meat, are chewy, like a mixture of multi-strain yeast and unrefined bio-mass. They don’t even come close to the juicy, fluffy synthesized meat I’m used to back home. Then there’s the nutrient paste, made from processed space kelp—everything about it screams ‘tacky survival food.’ The texture alone is jarring, like chewing through the hull of an old mining rig.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhS361c8Pq
The hydroponic broths? Barely worth the name. They lack the rich, complex flavors one expects from a proper meal. The savory umami is nowhere to be found. I suspect they’re trying to bring depth to the broth with vat-grown protein and fermented beans, but it’s all flat. I miss MSG crystals—*real* flavor. All they’re scraping by with are mineral salts.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTSTPUlmJx
The station-grown vegetables are no better—some are edible, sure, but since they’re not bothering with gene-modified varieties, they might as well be "space weeds" for all the flavor they bring.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvrM5urlh2
You could accuse me of having a refined palate, and I wouldn’t argue. I’m from a civilization that knows how to indulge the senses. So yes, my tongue protests. Even though I’ve gotten somewhat accustomed to the blandness of this place, I can still taste the difference, and I haven’t forgotten the old, richer flavors of home.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinZoGM0BFp
But there *is* good food in this sector. Xenofauna meat.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AWMkxRVgl
Adjusting the oxygen regulator on my helmet, I shouted,
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtj99yN6Xk
"Gimme the meat!"
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dITqAT7n9
“SCREEEEE!”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDfwZeEnCx
Donning my spacesuit, I braced for the space boar’s charge, its tusks glinting like dark iron through my visor. The unnamed planet’s weak gravity made my movements sluggish, but with a powerful thrust of my suit’s leg boosters, I sidestepped the charging beast, my half-spec blaster already in hand, and with one swift blast, its throat bursts open in a spray of purple ichor.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzm9rVieoH
The space boar—known for its maddened charge that has taken down countless naïve rookies—fell, the thud a dull vibration through my suit’s boots. The moment I hear of a request for this beast, I can’t help but fist-pump in silent victory. Because this mutant boar? Its meat is *delicious.*
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jNNtYaeaj
“Got to drain the ichor. Gotta remove the organs!”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqWiRfcebw
The nearby space outpost has recycling tanks installed in several sections. With ease, I haul the space boar’s nearly 100-kilo carcass over to a decontamination chamber. As I cut open its belly with my blaster’s vibro-blade, the smell of raw meat fills the air. Some of its organs will be my meal, while others I discard. The liver analogue and the heart are the best parts. The rest? Too much of a hassle to sterilize and honestly, they don’t taste as good.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTF2RjdaQQ
I’ve become accustomed to this life, one that would make a *civilized* person hesitate. But when hunger strikes, people find strength they didn’t know they had. For food like this? I’ll carve through every inch of meat with determination.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTyrxQCawl
“There we go, that’ll do, that’ll do…”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCp5msxJlAD
I carve out the flank, the back, and the neural tissue. That plump, brain-like organ is too irresistible to pass up. Sure, I’ve heard rumors about tentacle meat and other exotic xenofauna cuts, but I’m not quite sure how to prepare those, so I haven’t dared. Plus, there’s something unsettling about eating actual brains.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBn1VomISDp
But when it comes to grilled xenofauna meat, well, if it tastes good vacuum-sealed and plasma-grilled, I consider it a success. With nothing more than mineral salts and a quick grilling, the meat becomes incredible—far better than any synthetic protein block or bland nutrient paste.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡundNAxF3Sx
That’s why I always take on requests for xenofauna elimination. The battles are straightforward, like missions designed specifically for feasting.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSGY5Dv0O9
“Mmm, yum.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMDNHb3LZA
I divide the meat into portions: some to eat here, some to preserve in vacuum-sealed bags, and some to bring back to the station. The organs? A hunter’s bonus. The liver analogue, rich in nutrients, makes up for some of the vitamin deficiencies from station food.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaJTQnrLsK
The neural tissue, though, I keep to myself. There’s something special about that. The back meat is a perfect cut—tender, flavorful, and irresistible. The leg meat, however, is small and travel-friendly, ideal for trading or selling. A few credits in my pocket and a meal for later.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BlZ1KqHJ0
I’ll admit it: my butchering skills leave much to be desired. But that’s why I do this work out in the outer dwarf planets, where the space holds no judgment. Sure, there are xeno beast roaming the dark, but when there’s meat to be had, I’ll put my life on the line.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUDqi3Xdf3
…I just wish I had sauce. I crave sauce, something to complement this meat. But I don’t even know how to synthesize sauce, so I’m left with nothing but herb-infused mineral salts. It’ll do, but it’s not *perfect.* I miss demi-glace—the rich, velvety depth of flavor. I don’t care about synthetic carbs; just give me *sauce!*
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLmB8jbWto
“Oh, Narwhal? Took down something big again, huh?”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIJJrauFgW
Returning from my hunt, the airlock controller greets me with a bored tone. I roll my hover-sled toward the docking area, the meat containers piled high—proud of my haul.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2eqqupBOSf
“Deliveryyyy, want some meeeeat?” I shouted, my voice booming through my helmet's speakers.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4H0cFy06mw
“A space butcher! Gahaha!”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWE7au8ymIg
I chuckle, offering the usual routine. “We make deliveries like this, sir. Can I dock?”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRGykjyxTr
Back on the station, the airlock hissed open, and I stepped inside. As my suit cycled into standby mode, the airlock controller looked over my gear, glancing at my tag. “Narwhal the butcher, back from your hunt? Yeah, I see your credentials. But next time, dock through the cargo bay.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylAVXe9cqr
“No way. I’ll handle the butchering myself, rather than sending it to the processors.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBpblRJjFf
The cargo bay is convenient, sure, with a processing station that handles xenofauna corpses. Rather than do the messy work yourself, you can pay them to handle it. But I can’t stand the endless questioning about *what about the hide?* When I tell them I spaced it, they always give me those looks. So, unless I’m bringing in a mountain of bodies I can’t process myself, I don’t bother with that place.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HboTGUWiU
“I want the meat for myself,” I say firmly. “I’ll do my own processing, no objections allowed.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXdLmcYvRr
“You’re one odd spacer. Gonna switch to being a meat processor?”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qzzgMIbQK
“It’s crossed my mind.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIJotcLhJC
“Oh really?”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtMtT7BAtV
“Well, work using my brawn suits me more.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GXWMHcGAy
“You’re not wrong. If you can take down a space boar solo, being a merc is probably the best gig for you.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LWtMy6eyM
I could be a processor, sure, but I’ve got these powers—why not make moderate use of them for fun?
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFWaloe3HB
I unsealed the outer pouch on my leg, retrieving a vacuum-sealed packet of meat.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiKw9VRB2l
“Oh, I vacuum-preserved some meat in the field. Here’s a little something for you.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvcaL4K32w
“Nice! I’ll take it. Cheers as always!”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8u6eaKiZuD
“Make sure to share it with the others. Don’t want any fights breaking out over who gets what.”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9iNh4LVFz
It’s important to keep the airlock controllers on my side. Not that I’m bribing them for anything shady—it just pays to be friendly with the folks who control access. If they know me, I’ll slip through busy airlocks with ease, or even squeeze in right before they seal up for maintenance. It’s also convenient if I’m seen as just an average brawny mercenary.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8CaqamZRM
“Off to the station bar again, huh?”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1h6Z7ZZWea
“Yo! Let’s drink again sometime!”
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxLznWvNQ9
And with that, my job’s done. Time to turn this fresh xenofauna meat into a proper feast, because even the worst nutrient paste and synthetic protein blocks can be elevated with a little meat from the hunt.
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFgyBt9q78
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopvT0txuZK
Author's note : wanna read future chapters earlier? visit :178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53w2lU6Ajm
galaxianarwhal.blogspot.com178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpkCyLWGyH
178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgNZMOtFdG
