Chapter 2 part 1
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oNy3KHtgo
Kebab to the Stars: A Boar-ing Victory
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUL1MRJtF3
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfoQLhdVgZ
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZcgjWm9D4
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJ90kUBmWt
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."**
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8w8QDP9Gt
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHe6udxjM0
"Venusian boar kebabs, fresh off the grill!" The call rings out from the kitchen, and I don’t waste a second.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1f5i01tSL
"Mm, mmff mmm!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKsoxUjsRx
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9yrPrRbU2
**Half price today.** What kind of cosmic alignment is this?
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDheRbMca6
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?
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9BhwjuhKb
"Galaxia Narwhal, huh? You’re really going at it."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoq21CB32e
"Mmga?" I pause mid-bite, turning to see who’s addressed me.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfDH0v5Y5l
"Swallow first!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WImf5bYZA
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!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1GdkB9aF4
"Yeah, I know," she replies with a raised brow, sliding into the seat beside me.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwaU1M3fnV
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2GYZv6TOR
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwpvClib8L
"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."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuFdSn6jWH
"You’re telling me this meat’s from Diana?"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XlVHZODf1
"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."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGO7bUdzPg
"Aioi... you’ve really grown up. Makes me proud."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFpAQJNdTS
Her expression deadpans. "Galaxia Narwhal, that was the flattest praise I’ve ever heard. You don’t even sound remotely happy."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDuMUXiVPS
"C’mon, I’m being sincere!" I protest. "Look a little happier, will you?"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOUMNwYKMp
"No way. Oh, excuse me! One Martian ale, please!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW83odbCer
"Mm. Make that two!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHJJyKPy0x
"Coming right up!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbdCWHffZB
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."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5XojeYNYM
"...But Mister," Aioi interrupts, "I heard about your little scuffle at the guild yesterday. What’s that about?"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQaG8WPZ1F
"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."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHy4tyBtjz
"That is *not* what I heard," she retorts, smirking. "The story is that it was a chaotic brawl."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOpoFmgBMU
"You heard, huh? Tch."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ohBtjeRoW
"But still, taking on four opponents in suits? That’s impressive."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiBfmX2YDj
"Right? Well, they were half-competent small fry. Got lucky with the match-up."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2Bn9A9Wwe
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPp7P6cuD67
**A boring win, but a win nonetheless.**
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3omhJHoVMC
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUky6FIhtgh
...No, really. I’ve got plenty of tricks I haven’t shown anyone! Really!
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFEuMYHk5P
"You should join a crew, mister," Aioi says suddenly. "mister Burger’s invited you more than once, hasn’t he?"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpEStGrLct
"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."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFttUFPaLYf
"Not like you’re some Starborn elite..."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBganf4P8a
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSWPoGNdID
"What about you, Aioi? Diana treating you well?"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObhcw7eLzs
"Yup! They’re great—no hazing or anything. They’ve taught me a ton about targeting techniques, and they split credits fairly too."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlTYKPqQzr
"Good. Glad you found a decent crew."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMlJqzVpgJ
"Yes!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0jswHdPMj
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nbBIxyHwL
Work environment matters. In space, it’s everything.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZn4u8swfqN
"Here you go!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80aE0OnS44
"Ooh, sho delishush!" Aioi mumbles through a mouthful of kebab.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8PmHc9xO2
"Hm? What’s that seasoning?"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1i5p8EYKj2
"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."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQumg56r7Q
"Oh, right. That stuff."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAMGr3Cbxy
"...Whassat face for?"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11ZK309ZZ6
"I’ve got no idea what that is. Salt’s the foundation of flavor, Aioi. Let the ingredients speak for themselves."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9oWFHKiLZ
"Mr Narwhal, you’re such a rim dweller. No wonder you’ll never blend in with the Starborn."
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciwGW6iRsD
"Shaddup! I’ve got the most refined palate in the entire Lunatran Empire!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65MwNvyRzz
"Pfft! Pfft!"
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQQeXk53t8
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.
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOzKKEh4a1
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcodJW8xvFZ
89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACrJoWXh6g
Author's note : wanna read future chapters earlier? visit :89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMfHd7MGC1
galaxianarwhal.blogspot.com89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcTzaeqjEe
