Chapter 2 part 1
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbs6gUvRy4l
Kebab to the Stars: A Boar-ing Victory
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXb1tDGN7Tg
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwi2RoFfkP
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0SLJfwXVW
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCjNohBLfq
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."**
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ggqnRIRt4
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PyJkCKexA
"Venusian boar kebabs, fresh off the grill!" The call rings out from the kitchen, and I don’t waste a second.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDuLAL01Ne
"Mm, mmff mmm!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanq7m8uvNL
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQydBBGvWi7
**Half price today.** What kind of cosmic alignment is this?
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWSkwTZSA0
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?
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJMh0lnhR2
"Galaxia Narwhal, huh? You’re really going at it."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFdzckUJCT
"Mmga?" I pause mid-bite, turning to see who’s addressed me.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUg6pbxStIF
"Swallow first!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjVevWhbEQ
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!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RuBOlzNyS
"Yeah, I know," she replies with a raised brow, sliding into the seat beside me.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9frZKI0PB
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBdd2CjHpY
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡju7gxrkFxZ
"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."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDhkeeLrUS
"You’re telling me this meat’s from Diana?"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDqvFfpVaA
"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."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdv5Nr1PIlz
"Aioi... you’ve really grown up. Makes me proud."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxHzbB3nBU
Her expression deadpans. "Galaxia Narwhal, that was the flattest praise I’ve ever heard. You don’t even sound remotely happy."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3peXLX54a
"C’mon, I’m being sincere!" I protest. "Look a little happier, will you?"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1HoBzudrc
"No way. Oh, excuse me! One Martian ale, please!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgq88V4GvB
"Mm. Make that two!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtphpXOmcWZ
"Coming right up!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LdQ80UJqo
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."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7cWocGLtr
"...But Mister," Aioi interrupts, "I heard about your little scuffle at the guild yesterday. What’s that about?"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBQ1ReRV48
"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."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIn1mgiNUGD
"That is *not* what I heard," she retorts, smirking. "The story is that it was a chaotic brawl."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmfj6jDB2F
"You heard, huh? Tch."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjlUhD9trV
"But still, taking on four opponents in suits? That’s impressive."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTJzrYbL46
"Right? Well, they were half-competent small fry. Got lucky with the match-up."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbp62foWEd
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOPzsW8VSo
**A boring win, but a win nonetheless.**
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkXpvIJV9B
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cnRc9JxYr
...No, really. I’ve got plenty of tricks I haven’t shown anyone! Really!
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayXQFDkjoc
"You should join a crew, mister," Aioi says suddenly. "mister Burger’s invited you more than once, hasn’t he?"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkodstt9DJ
"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."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqLLsPv2u8
"Not like you’re some Starborn elite..."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4U4AEhPIL
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ip7N9R5V3
"What about you, Aioi? Diana treating you well?"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcE5kAbBOQ
"Yup! They’re great—no hazing or anything. They’ve taught me a ton about targeting techniques, and they split credits fairly too."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIxzLxrfyX
"Good. Glad you found a decent crew."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iY0MVVvOb
"Yes!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbr9ZDCsZY
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡib4YtGSnnJ
Work environment matters. In space, it’s everything.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6DPX5GjQB
"Here you go!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpZwH6JZNb
"Ooh, sho delishush!" Aioi mumbles through a mouthful of kebab.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyxk06p99e
"Hm? What’s that seasoning?"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDffLiYLKZ
"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."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9b5vpKuWSc
"Oh, right. That stuff."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91UpwyqMzs
"...Whassat face for?"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCn4a49hZp
"I’ve got no idea what that is. Salt’s the foundation of flavor, Aioi. Let the ingredients speak for themselves."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEVSjjEmnL
"Mr Narwhal, you’re such a rim dweller. No wonder you’ll never blend in with the Starborn."
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzxed9jdJH
"Shaddup! I’ve got the most refined palate in the entire Lunatran Empire!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXikkemu4y
"Pfft! Pfft!"
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tj2DSAVFL
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.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYipMI4NWoz
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILqqjjShQO
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2MtFTxF9C
Author's note : wanna read future chapters earlier? visit :236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqru06CxMv
galaxianarwhal.blogspot.com236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmq6iYvGWO
