We hoofed our way to our marker without meeting any more stray boarders. I focused on keeping bile from spewing out of my mouth. The vision of a bloody flying limb dropping with a squishy thud on the deck was seared in my brain. If I didn’t have a helmet on, I would have heaved on the bulkhead.

At least my hands stopped shaking.

That was a weird. I would have thought that all the excitement would have turned me useless again. I hope I was not getting used to death. That would be sad.

We just passed an intersection and found ourselves near one of the smaller hangars. It was normally used as a receiving port for personal shuttles or space yachts. D-14 and some other teams are generally responsible for areas near the fighter launchers and the hangars. It’s a huge place so there are certain overlaps in response locations. The other teams were already doing something else from what I gather so we were alone when we got there.

It was some nasty work we had in front us.

A large, uneven tear almost bisected the entire bulkhead from the hatch towards the adjoining section. There were some small fires as some of the electronics were fried and sparking. The entire interior hangar doors were jammed and bent and the outer force emitters were fluctuating, threatening to lose its containment shield.

The reason for all this mess was the boarding sled lying embedded on the deck. It plowed through the deck for a short distance before its nose hit something and got stuck. The boarding sled looked like an oversized missile. It worked with the same principle. The boarding sled would be launched from a gunship like an ordinary missile. The difference is that it would contain a twelve man boarding crew, complete with all their equipment. The sharp nose is shaped from extremely hard duraplate sheeting and is tipped with an explosive charge that blows outward once the sled reaches a certain proximity to its target, softening or completely penetrating the hull of a ship. The passengers are cocooned inside a shock gel-filled carriage to avoid being turned into paste by inertia and g-forces. Once the sled had made penetration, the gel is quickly drained from the compartment, spraying the vicinity of the sled to act as a fire suppression agent. The carriages release their hold on the passengers as the top section of the sled pops open from small charges strategically placed along the edges of the lid. From penetration to combat ready only takes less than ten seconds with a trained boarding team.

“Shhhiiieeettt! They wrecked our ride, man! Look at all this! The captain is gonna be scalping some heads later.” T exclaimed as he made a slow turn in the small hangar, examining the damage.

“I concur. I find myself feeling… disagreeable. I’m fighting the urge to locate and battle our uninvited guests.” Musaka has already dropped his pack and was pulling equipment with both hands.

“We can kill them later. We have work to do. T, get those emitters stable. I think there are some spare focusing lenses in one of the boxes scattered around here that you can use as replacement. Musaka, put out the fires and restart the main console. I don’t think it’s too damaged. You could probably get it to boot on auxiliary power. Albert… Albert!”

I had my hands on my knees, sucking oxygen in deep breaths, trying to fill my lungs with as much air as I can. I was concentrating on breathing so I mentally toggled my silent signal to flash a green dot under my name on Franny’s visor UI. I also gave her a weak thumbs up when she looked over at me, leaning on the damaged bulkhead.

“Take a minute then break out the cutter. Start by replacing the broken pipes and plug those leaks. Leave the wiring to Musaka then help me patch it up. I’ll start on the far side on the room.” Instructions done, Franny jogged to her end of the tear and started bending and cutting the jagged pieces sticking out with her cutter.

I felt bad that I was slowing them down yet also grateful that they didn’t make me feel unwanted. Not only am I bad in a fight, my stamina is nowhere near what is needed for an extended operation. I resolved that starting tomorrow, I will start doing some cardio.

When I felt that I was no longer in danger of passing out, I unhooked my cutter and got to cutting. The blinding green light from my tool made easy work of the broken pipe segments. There weren’t a lot to be cut but they were some awkward pieces that would require Franny and me to work in tandem. Franny kept us updated on how the battle is going and it was no surprise that we were chewing them up good. Retribution was quick and vicious. The other two system frigates that we were attached to had already disabled the modified slaver carrier. The other transport was a floating scrap heap after it got overwhelmed by missiles. The Ceresian navy was done trying to take captives.

This was my first time working on some extensive damages and had my helmet sensor feed the vid to Franny. She kept an eye on what I was doing and gave me some corrections or tips on how to apply fixes. I am somewhat handy since being an eatery owner, most of the time I would have to effect repairs on my appliances when then conk out. I was satisfied that there wasn’t anything really beyond my skill to repair. It just takes me longer to do it compared to a veteran spacer.

Franny and I were manhandling a large, warped piece of the bulkhead that she just cut off when an announcement went off informing the crew that we're now off general quarters. We were still at condition two, or modified general quarters, until command is confident that nearby space is clear. CSP was flying and a combat shuttle was sent to investigate the destroyed ships.

It allowed us to relax some, now that we were not on the lookout for new boarding sleds digging themselves through the hull like a parasite. There were still some lost boarders roaming around the ship but they were rapidly being put down by ShipSec.

That was something we had been discussing while we worked. The boarders didn’t seem to have a goal in mind. Most boardings normally follow the same procedure. Secure engineering and the bridge, lock out the ship’s personnel from access, then make a slow sweep when reinforcement arrives. The boarders we have had the pleasure of meeting were going the other way from the small armory. The armories are all manned by a small security team of six. They could have made a serious fight if they wanted to.

Another thing was while the boarders have shown some competency in using their weapons, they gave Musaka the impression that they had minimal training. Without his battle staff, Musaka said that he would have been killed by the two that tried to corner him if they had been properly trained. He was able to take them on unarmed.

Lastly, there was that big dude that made Franny sweat with just a knife. He was exceptionally well-trained. Compared to the others, he was out of place in their group. T speculated that the knifeman was a New World fanatic. A paramilitary religious sect that believes that true happiness could only be found through faith and obedience. They also believe that only an ‘enlightened one’ could lead the different galactic races to universal peace. They handily do not mention that the enlightened one happened to be their own leader and he is a despotic megalomaniac. They made it their divine duty to spread happiness to the galaxy by any means possible. It was not unheard of for the two most despised groups in space to work together, no matter how rarely they do. The New World men have no compunction about using slaves as meat shields while the Krait Slavers love the credits the fanatics pay them.

We debated about it for a while but came to no conclusion. The entire situation was insane, now that we were talking about it. The slavers attacked a core world and it was not just a small raid to capture a high profile target like what the Red Tigers initially thought, they brought an assault team down to Illustratum, made a play for the admiral in the middle of the food district, then continued to threaten the populace by digging in, forcing the police to scour the city for hidden slave soldiers. That is all before a total of three, yes three, transports carrying probably hundreds of slave soldiers lurking about Ceresian system space. That was enough hardware and personnel for the galactic council to declare it as a major incursion, forcing the core worlds to mobilize a large task force to bring the slavers to heel.

The slavers do not have the capacity to make war with five core worlds in this arm of the spire. Even if they were working with new world fanatics, those religious zealots would not sacrifice their people in a match against the council’s best. All of us tried to come up with a reason as to why they are making themselves a target while working but came up with far-fetched ideas or totally stupid ones. Most of the stupid ones coming from me.

I finished replacing the broken pipes with extender tubes then hurried to help Franny with the patch job. The repair crew is going to have a lot of work ahead of them when this is all over.

It took us more than two hours to finish everything we need to do. The damage was extensive even if they were not critical. Normal operations had been declared earlier so we packed up everything and tromped back to our fire room. Franny was busy communicating with control and Musaka and T were discussing the fight earlier. I almost forgot about it. I listened in as they critiqued how the fight went and how they could do better next time. It was refreshingly very objective. They pulled out the captured vids on their helmet sensors and watched how each other dealt with their foes.

We reached our fire room and started getting out of our equipment. T removed his helmet and I could see he was covered in sweat. It looked like he just took a bath.

“Finally! Man, my balls were sweating in there.” He took out a small towel from his locker to mop his face up. He sniffed and made a waving motion.

“I stink! This suit is going to the cleaners before it put it on again.” His face was all scrunched up as his own body odor was making him gag.

“Just be thankful your environmentals was the only thing that got fried. We’ve never pushed the heat plating on these things before.” Franny interjected, thumping her chest armor. Their armor was showing streaks and splotches of stressed plating. Burned paint and other cosmetic additions to the suit melted from the intense heat.

“I’m not complaining! I’m black enough, thank you very much. I don’t need no toasting.” T replied. He was finally able to shrug his suit off and he was totally soaked. His shirt was plastered on his skin, outlining his impressive physique. It made me feel puny.

“Yeah, sure you’re not. The same guy that bellyache every time he gets nicked by a kitchen knife says he not complaining. Sure. One moment…” Franny froze as she took the ear imbed from her ArmComm and stuck it in her ear. She listened for a moment then gave an affirmative back to whoever she was listening to.

“Okay, guys. the last of the boarders have been taken care of. We’re now hosting three new prisoners in the brig. ShipSec was able to disable to implanted charges on the slave soldiers brain before it could detonate. No fanatic though. We’ve been cleared to resume normal duties. I’ve got to report to a meeting so Musaka, you’re in charge. Get some food going. Doesn’t have to be something complicated. Make some sandwiches and take out some hard fruits and nutrient drinks. That would do for the moment until breakfast. There’s gonna be a lot of hungry people. Control says the flight deck got hit hard. Not a lot of casualties but it would need some major repairs. Spathas could still dock, no problem but the launchers are all messed up. Keep me informed on how things are going. This meeting is going to be a long one.

Albert, once you got some food on the trays, take one of food carts up on to the flight deck. The maintenance guys probably won’t have time to come down for a quick bite. They’ll appreciate it. Don’t forget to ask permission from the flight boss before you go mucking around in there.

T, get your stinky ass to a shower then give Musaka a hand in the galley. He’s short-handed as it is. Wait, drop off that suit for repairs first then get that shower. Lord knows, you might need it later. Get a replacement, soonest. Any questions?” We all shook our heads.

“Alright, I’m off.” Franny was the fastest to get out of her DC gear. Her clothes were crumpled a bit but she still looked presentable. It was like she didn’t have a medieval face off with a knife-wielding new world fanatic earlier. I even got a whiff of a perfume when she left. When did she have time to put that on?! No wonder she was the darling of our part of the ship.

“Come, it is time for us to do our other job.” Musaka’s tail flicked at us, urging us to move faster. I hurriedly attached the power jack on the back of my suit and also inserted a small hose to refill my small oxygen tanks. The suits have scrubbers/recyclers that provide breathable air for the user but it cannot work indefinitely. Some activities that require strenuous exercises would mean that the user would be breathing heavily for extended periods of time. The scrubbers would be hard-pressed to keep up. The small oxygen tanks would help alleviate the pressure on the module and also prolong operational time. During nominal usage, the tanks would be on standby as reserves. The scrubbers would do just fine.

The walk back to the galley was like going to the market. The corridors were jam-packed with people in a hurry to be somewhere. Almost everybody had that disheveled look. We did just got attacked very late, shipboard time.

The galley made it out unscathed. Nothing was damaged or out of place. We quickly started working on some quick meals. I pulled out some cold cuts and some cheese for some classic clubhouse sandwiches while Musaka was measuring some nutrients for the Barral drinks. I also laid out some flat bread to make some Inugorian burritos. One of the few dishes that humans and Inugorians could agree on as a culinary treasure. We didn’t have some fresh tomatoes left so I had to get creative with it. I used some tomato sauce that we use for chili con carne and mixed it with a hardening agent. Using the food creator series 2, a very well-made appliance that I consider as a necessity in any kitchen, I had myself a small loaf of jellied tomato. I tweaked it a bit so it would have the same consistency of the cold cuts.

It didn’t take us too long to fill our work table full of finger foods. I took out the long serving cart and started loading food on it. I also grabbed some small fudge bars for the humans that want some dessert and a bag of dried sweet Inugorian fruits for our tailed friends.

By the time the cart was fully loaded, I had to ramp up the grav repulsers due to the weight. Thankfully, it didn’t affect how it could be moved. I slid some organic cleansing spray and a box of wet towels in a compartment so the crew wouldn’t have to eat with grimy fingers.

I left Musaka who still working on something then pushed the cart towards the central lift. The smell of food was also making me feel peckish but I ignored it. I work in a galley. I could grab a bite later.

The people in the lift generously made space for me and the cart, smart move to be nice to the guy that serves you your meals. Flight deck was one deck above so I was pushing the cart out almost as soon as I got in.

The flight deck got hit hard. I though the auxiliary hangar looked messed up but the expansive fighter deck looked like somebody made it a battleground. Pockmarks and scorches were everywhere. The launcher rails were all bent and warped, requiring a full replacement. Something must have exploded near the flight boss office because the windows had shattered. It would have taken more than small arms to destroy the specially-treated glass. I could also see some of the flight deck personnel sporting some bandages.

I made way through the busy hangar. Repair crews were swarming over damaged areas, either repairing or replacing parts. A muti-crew operation was ongoing, trying to remove mangled launch rails.

I made sure to not get in the way of the working people. I had no plans on getting screamed at by the miniboss, who was giving quick and precise instructions to the different crew leads. I approached the man during a lull and cleared my throat. The Inugorian turned to look at me.

“Yes?” The miniboss was a black and white striped Inugorian. I guessed that he was a member of the Forest Sentinels based on the red streaks on his cheeks. Only members of the Inugorian elite fighting force are allowed to have those.

“Assistant Cook Mayon, sir. I’ve brought some refreshments from the galley. Finger foods and drinks are available for those who want it, sir.” I gestured at the loaded cart just behind me. I instinctually knew that the causal way we address each other in the galley would not fly with this officer so I tried to be more… professional.

The officer was busy perusing his pad so he didn’t notice the cart. He looked at it and a wide smile appeared on his face. He had some very sharp teeth.

“Excellent! Our people would appreciate it. My compliments to your crew. If you could move over there, I would have those coming out of rotation to get something from you.” The miniboss touched a sensor on his throat and announced the arrival of food. There were some cheering from the haggard crew and people started drifting my way, just below the flight boss office overlooking the flight deck.

I pulled out the cart’s extenders, making it to a small table. I arranged the food to separate it by species. You don’t want to have somebody getting sick because they were too tired to notice they were munching on something incompatible to their species. I handed out towels to those you preferred to use it and sprayed some cleansers on the hands of the others. The cleansers worked very well, the dirt and grime practically slid off their hands and dripped on the hangar deck. I asked a guy from a crew coming off rotation if he could check up on the flight boss office and ask if they want anything. I bribed him with a fudge bar. Chocolate worked wonders on the reluctant man.

I assembled a plate of food for the air control crew then made for a quick delivery. I handed the Barral that greeted me by the door a two-liter bottle of nutrient drink and arranged the plate on a small side table beside the door. The flight boss thanked me and I made a hasty exit, back to my cart.

The flight deck crews almost emptied out the cart. I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough for everybody so I was happy everyone got something to eat. I returned to the galley but not before I got some appreciative shipmates thanking me for the snack.

After I stowed the cart away, I entered the galley to find Musaka and T already working on breakfast. I checked the chronometer and could see that it was almost five in the morning, shipboard time. I grabbed my apron and manned my station.

***

I was serving the people in line for breakfast when Franny made her appearance. From the looks of her, she had a less than ideal meeting. We greeted her but kept at it. We would probably get our briefing after the morning food rush was over.

“Hey, Albert! What’s this thing?” A sweaty mechanic with the name ‘O’Connell’ was eyeing the newest addition to our menu.

“That, my friend, is called Chow Mien. It’s a popular dish in the Lóng Sector. Think of it as spaghetti just made out of egg noodles. It’s good stuff.” I replied. Proud that my recommendation was added to the current menu cycle.

“…but I’ve never had it before. Is this shit good?” The man was looking at me askance.

“It’s good. In fact, I would say it’s great. Think of it as an adventure for your taste buds. There are still two other dishes in your plate if don’t like it.” I pointed with my ladle at the small loaf of garlic toasted bread and the sausages on his plate.

“Okay… I don’t think I’ll like it, though.”

“You uncultured swine! Not everybody likes to eat potatoes and sheep all the time. That’s probably why you can never keep a girlfriend. You keep on feeding her lamb stew. I’m surprised you haven’t grown wool yet.” A lady at the back of the line was shouting at my doubtful conversation partner, making him turn red. The other people in the line guffawed at the remark. The embarrassed man spun back and raised his fist, shouting back in turn.

“I’m not uncultured! I just like my food familiar. I’m sorry if I don’t like shoving unfamiliar things in my mouth, ‘Becky’”

“You bastard! I told you not to call me that!”

“Well, if you stop being a bitch then I wouldn’t have to.”

“Why you pale little shit…”

“HEY! Knock it off! If both of you can’t act like adults, then both of you can step the hell out of my galley. Don’t make me go over there.” I didn’t realize Franny was standing behind me before she made herself heard over the argument. She stared hard at both of the offending personnel and showed them her menacing axe. Like abashed children, both of the replied with an ‘Yes, Franny.’ O'Connell took his tray and left the line while the lady at the back tried to make herself inconspicuous. The crew generally was ecstatic about trying something new. I guess traditional Western European dishes had been the norm for quite a while.

The line was moving quickly, now that Franny opened a new one. I glanced at the axe she leaned on a counter.

“What’s with the axe?” I asked. Boarders are all gone so I can’t think of anything else needing hacking. Aside from the chunks of meat in the freezer but we have tools for that.

“The knife that fanatic was wielding was using some kind of new alloy. The shaft of my axe has nicks on it. I had some people on production look at it and they’re gonna craft me a new durasteel shaft. I can’t imagine what can cut through hardened durasteel but the guy’s knife did. Intelligence took hold of it and is running some test on the knife.” Franny explained. She splashed some soup on the shirt of the guy she was serving when she dropped a bowl on his tray extra hard.

“Hey!” the outraged man exclaimed.

“You’re fine, sweetie. Here, have some brownies.” She gave him a small square then stroked his chiseled chin with her left hand. She even winked at the blushing dude. All the anger drained out of him and was now looking both pleased and embarrassed. He stammered a thank you and took a seat with his friends who were all relaying their envy.

“How come he gets some lovin’? What about me?” One of him friends loudly asked Franny.

“ Oh shut up, Brent. He’s nice to me and doesn’t look like he had been stomped on by a Sauropod. Maybe if you get a better hair cut than that sorry excuse you have on the top of your head, then maybe I would consider so sit down and eat your brownie.” The room exploded into laughter. The mood of the room suddenly got a lot lighter. I don’t know if that was a calculated move from Franny but it worked wonders. There were a lot of pissed off people after the attack and the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

“It’s like that, huh. You’ll see. When we get to our next port, I’ll show you what a real man looks like. I’ll warn you now, I clean up good.” The man shot back. He angled his face to give Franny a good look of his ‘good’ side but it just made her laugh, hard.

“Thank heavens. I don’t think you can get any uglier.” Came Franny’s witty remark. The room laughed even harder, some egging Franny on and the others detailing the confident man’s less impressive features.

The galley became a more hospitable place after the injection of the much-needed levity. People were speaking to each other and cracking jokes. That was an impressive move and I said so to Franny. She just winked at me.

***

Breakfast was finished and we finally had some down time for ourselves. I grabbed a mug of coffee, trying to stimulate my brain and to stave sleepiness away. My interrupted rest was giving me a hard time. I normally need six hours of good sleep for me to be functional. There is no chance for that today.

“Team meeting! Gather around people!” Franny clapped her hand and waved us to the preparation tables. We collected some chairs and took a seat around the head cook. She took her own seat and waited for us to get settled in.

“So, the meeting earlier, it was not pleasant. A lot of swearing and teeth gnashing. The admiral was not happy that we were surprised by a bunch of slavers and was asking for solutions for those stealth mines. Anyway, halfway through our meeting, we got a priority communication from Tyr, We’re to make for home immediately. They didn’t elaborate why, just that we don’t dally. After we’re done with emergency repairs, we’ll be transiting out of this system.

We have eight hours before we start our transition. The captain had approved of some channel time later if you have to say goodbye to anyone in Ceres. Keep in mind that you’ll only have a twenty minute vidcall time allocation. Use it wisely. Albert, I know you have some friends down there so plan your calls ahead. I’ve reserved you a slot at eleven hundred hours. Don’t waste it.”

T was about to say something when Franny raised her hand, stopping him with a gesture.

“I know you guys have some questions but I don’t have any answers. I don’t know why we were recalled and I’m not in the loop in terms of our current slaver situation. I’ll share more once I know more. For the moment, just keep at your jobs and make sure we have everything we could need. I’ve been approved for one more shipment for food stores. T, check our gasses. I know we need a recharge for some of them. Work on a requisition form for me to send to production. I’ll let them know what you need. Musaka, make a list of fresh consumables that we’re low on so we could compare it to market prices. Albert, work with Musaka. You know the markets in Ceres better than we do. We might get better prices. The more we save the more we have to spend elsewhere.”

I rubbed my chin in thought. That’s a good idea.

“I know some suppliers that could provide us some vegetables. Mostly root crops though. I’m friendly with some micro farmers. There’s this family-run fish farm just outside Illustratum that has some of the best crabs and shrimps you’ll ever taste. I get in touch with them.”

“Good. Now, I’m off to check on the other galleys and to get a nap. Wake me if anything happens. This interrupted sleep thing is ruining my skin.” Franny said while rubbing her forearms. She hefted her axe and strode out of the galley.

***

“So, this is it, huh? You’re really leaving?” Flower asked. His worried face looked back at me through holo projector of my table communication console.

“Yeah. I dunno when I’ll be back. Things have been real crazy lately. I’ve never been so busy my entire life like I’m now. Makes me wish I still had my eatery.”

“are you sure?”

The question caught me off guard. I was ruminating on how I lost my eatery when Flower’s question snapped me back to the present.

“What do you mean? Of course, I want my eatery back. I poured my life and soul on that small, cozy place.” I looked at him incredulously. How could he even ask that?

“Right. I know you. If you really wanted to, you would have fought, begged, and whined until you got your money back. You didn’t even have to work on that ship. You could have moved to the next system and waited the storm out, minimizing the chance of getting shot at by slavers. You like your new job.” His face became bigger as he slowly moved closer to his projector.

I spluttered, trying to push words out coherently but I might as well be speaking gibberish. Flower smiled and sat back, staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

“For all of your talk about how you love having an eatery, you’re an adventurer at heart.” His sing-song voice was irritating me.

“I’m not!” I shouted back.

“Right. You’re not. Whatever you say. Anyway, listen, I’ve some family living in Tyr. If you’re ever in a jam and your friends can’t bail you out, give this ID a call. My cousin will lend you a hand. Don’t bother him with the small stuff. Okay? Only if you’re in real dire straits. I’m not exactly in favor at the moment.” A standard comm. ID was sent to my ArmComm. I saved it and attached an emergency code to it.

“Your family? You’ve never really talked about them before. I don’t know any of them. You sure he’ll pick up a strange call?” I asked doubtfully.

“He’ll pick up alright. That ID comes with my personal signature. He’ll know that I endorsed you to him.”

“‘You personal signature’? What are you, some kind of rich kid? I thought those things only happen in vids?” I laughed at the thought. The guy that mucks around in the mud with his sabre having a personal ID tag. That’s hilarious!

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up space cook. Just don’t forget that ID. Anyway, I have to get back to the hunt, I don’t want some old rich guy getting mauled by the local wildlife. Shoot me a message when you have the time. I’ll be here. And baby too.” The sabre’s large head pushed Flower away and yawned at the holo. She tried pawing on my image, hoping for some contact. I smiled at the cat and made some soothing noises. Flower pushed aside the big cat to get the holo back.

“Keep safe man.” He said with sincerity.

“You too. Keep safe.” I replied. Flower cut the connection and I sat back on my chair. I swiveled it to face the hastily-patched bulkhead of my room and wondered what Tyr held for my future.