Chapter 2 part 1
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIofub0Evj
Kebab to the Stars: A Boar-ing Victory
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7jeiWfaeJ
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFw7rBj6yZ0
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDW2KD44Tn
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHp3zs5gXA3
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."**
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZYt7pofz7
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Y2EpcTMm9
"Venusian boar kebabs, fresh off the grill!" The call rings out from the kitchen, and I don’t waste a second.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzW8V10hTef
"Mm, mmff mmm!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1hIxRqkaP
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39t6xKsriR
**Half price today.** What kind of cosmic alignment is this?
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0cgVM1XtQ
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?
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDShakY6xZr
"Galaxia Narwhal, huh? You’re really going at it."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvgSkcrGsf
"Mmga?" I pause mid-bite, turning to see who’s addressed me.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5cCyMMFBd
"Swallow first!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldRmZGNb9n
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!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbsFtC9rdB
"Yeah, I know," she replies with a raised brow, sliding into the seat beside me.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyMhICZ4Fw
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ328wyLFhrC
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8Zay2kfcM
"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."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLcyEFbD4q
"You’re telling me this meat’s from Diana?"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVFNlbNLah
"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."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLbH1sjHwg
"Aioi... you’ve really grown up. Makes me proud."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4W3duNxuvK
Her expression deadpans. "Galaxia Narwhal, that was the flattest praise I’ve ever heard. You don’t even sound remotely happy."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFmWDtPF15
"C’mon, I’m being sincere!" I protest. "Look a little happier, will you?"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kWRiUy1Bg
"No way. Oh, excuse me! One Martian ale, please!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZWpt5Bl8s
"Mm. Make that two!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8jFi5mlvg
"Coming right up!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKNPHzBlus
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."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiglJAtS9XQ
"...But Mister," Aioi interrupts, "I heard about your little scuffle at the guild yesterday. What’s that about?"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsqUuPG7K7
"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."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2g3wah4KZ
"That is *not* what I heard," she retorts, smirking. "The story is that it was a chaotic brawl."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cNiFt3LLZ
"You heard, huh? Tch."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfddCe1ovD7
"But still, taking on four opponents in suits? That’s impressive."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiUs7fedwf
"Right? Well, they were half-competent small fry. Got lucky with the match-up."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6j7FsdaDOf
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6GqwoTUFp
**A boring win, but a win nonetheless.**
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGemnX9wNL
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZgTBgllpP
...No, really. I’ve got plenty of tricks I haven’t shown anyone! Really!
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx7zWljJoh
"You should join a crew, mister," Aioi says suddenly. "mister Burger’s invited you more than once, hasn’t he?"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBWyo5SfP3
"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."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNQnybKERf
"Not like you’re some Starborn elite..."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHoKQ0Drv4
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI56x2bD1Zn
"What about you, Aioi? Diana treating you well?"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihPDmCxrRi
"Yup! They’re great—no hazing or anything. They’ve taught me a ton about targeting techniques, and they split credits fairly too."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSAmDVOiPZ
"Good. Glad you found a decent crew."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrywV6N15rZ
"Yes!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5ke9aC208
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlnoEXRvW5
Work environment matters. In space, it’s everything.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkN7KjAbkGC
"Here you go!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxatKa9WIj
"Ooh, sho delishush!" Aioi mumbles through a mouthful of kebab.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgnY4ZkDtD
"Hm? What’s that seasoning?"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vvaMj3o3S
"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."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnmJPsukUC
"Oh, right. That stuff."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tZ0Diqb8Z
"...Whassat face for?"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YQ7HirS5w
"I’ve got no idea what that is. Salt’s the foundation of flavor, Aioi. Let the ingredients speak for themselves."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqExfB7P2v6
"Mr Narwhal, you’re such a rim dweller. No wonder you’ll never blend in with the Starborn."
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fwMLaFhYY
"Shaddup! I’ve got the most refined palate in the entire Lunatran Empire!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RQc7kI3IE
"Pfft! Pfft!"
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMyM0ePJdM
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.
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZsp9QU2dz
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcF076I22tP
308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPrZeUTPie
Author's note : wanna read future chapters earlier? visit :308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsHkeSpopf
galaxianarwhal.blogspot.com308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHGxiX3DpI
然後按「加至主畫面」