Chapter 2 part 1
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9aWdBYb29
Kebab to the Stars: A Boar-ing Victory
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YvZEoonpc
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMWLPnDwzL
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVKAryYUIL
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jNA5bLK9k
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."**
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkc4iXUnBu
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bCRURsCai
"Venusian boar kebabs, fresh off the grill!" The call rings out from the kitchen, and I don’t waste a second.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhmSBCBgxN
"Mm, mmff mmm!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0hpsHen1t
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIrSgxftAW
**Half price today.** What kind of cosmic alignment is this?
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvxGWZMSYW
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?
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxHy9OpHrY
"Galaxia Narwhal, huh? You’re really going at it."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeym2iuddzf
"Mmga?" I pause mid-bite, turning to see who’s addressed me.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnFaK0r6Mj
"Swallow first!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0QQSq4Xv4
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!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnzAbuLzTT
"Yeah, I know," she replies with a raised brow, sliding into the seat beside me.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3h2PHhViDH
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8K9PfbLAG
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WPuH2sJhA
"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."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3qtwZviXL
"You’re telling me this meat’s from Diana?"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJfxQ1HkAW
"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."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDfihhoCve
"Aioi... you’ve really grown up. Makes me proud."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMsXftr1mT
Her expression deadpans. "Galaxia Narwhal, that was the flattest praise I’ve ever heard. You don’t even sound remotely happy."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoq4UY5ayX
"C’mon, I’m being sincere!" I protest. "Look a little happier, will you?"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIS6Towvrq
"No way. Oh, excuse me! One Martian ale, please!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMP46AziYh
"Mm. Make that two!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡveqezhrwbJ
"Coming right up!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhf4UabiLI
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."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDMwnbO32C
"...But Mister," Aioi interrupts, "I heard about your little scuffle at the guild yesterday. What’s that about?"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiZu40jqOE
"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."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4ouUF3nEc
"That is *not* what I heard," she retorts, smirking. "The story is that it was a chaotic brawl."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIbfoVZZCz
"You heard, huh? Tch."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9xkORSacb
"But still, taking on four opponents in suits? That’s impressive."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9vihlX1ot
"Right? Well, they were half-competent small fry. Got lucky with the match-up."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbr03VUWjS
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVG7VfZnumq
**A boring win, but a win nonetheless.**
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGqoAOVoSp
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KT0IxyVsA
...No, really. I’ve got plenty of tricks I haven’t shown anyone! Really!
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNF6UQaS3XV
"You should join a crew, mister," Aioi says suddenly. "mister Burger’s invited you more than once, hasn’t he?"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpPY9NDUyN
"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."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1SvKdIXmz
"Not like you’re some Starborn elite..."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukSFJv802a
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLTuAI9AH4
"What about you, Aioi? Diana treating you well?"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4NeyGb8ad
"Yup! They’re great—no hazing or anything. They’ve taught me a ton about targeting techniques, and they split credits fairly too."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9fE8Og8y7
"Good. Glad you found a decent crew."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusWGFZl2QS
"Yes!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNZ5Y8Sjgp
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgtzP4qSew
Work environment matters. In space, it’s everything.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1GHy4nEBf
"Here you go!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGek1IV38iI
"Ooh, sho delishush!" Aioi mumbles through a mouthful of kebab.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXR1YX3uTs
"Hm? What’s that seasoning?"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmGHf3iKgN
"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."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwyewdMW7t
"Oh, right. That stuff."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlG3cX5AKUn
"...Whassat face for?"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmskGQUwTN
"I’ve got no idea what that is. Salt’s the foundation of flavor, Aioi. Let the ingredients speak for themselves."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaIgl1dZia
"Mr Narwhal, you’re such a rim dweller. No wonder you’ll never blend in with the Starborn."
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8svrVOYje
"Shaddup! I’ve got the most refined palate in the entire Lunatran Empire!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXDeZi0IrU
"Pfft! Pfft!"
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnExqZM2Lrx
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.
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYwUW9dekh
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB63gLSMahN
496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCuymOmbjL
Author's note : wanna read future chapters earlier? visit :496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfJx4PKQZy
galaxianarwhal.blogspot.com496Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MP2BQsxlN
and then Add to home screen.