As the trio walked down closer to the market area of the station, their noses were bombared by a heap of smells. meat, vegetables, fruits and everything in between made a for an atmosphere like a farmers market back on Terra.

Las'Tai tapped her pocket for what must have been the 15th time, making sure her credit chit was still there.

Eirik tapped her shoulder and mumbled "stop checing your pocket all the time, it might draw unwanted attention. This is a smuggler station, meaning, the only law is the law of the owner."

Las'Tai removed her hand from the pocket and protested "i have never had to worry about so many credits at once"

"If you stop drawing attention to that pocket all the time, you dont need to watch them. nobody is gonna mess with 2 humans and a Kloxna without being desperate and anyone that desperate is not going to be much of a challenge," Eirik retorted. "Now, i take it, judging from your diet, you want some exotic meat and i DO believe i smell real beef steaks. rare, even back on Terra. What do you say Knud?"

The doctor that had remained quiet up until this point smiled wide and agreed "It most certainly is beef captain, my mouth is watering at the smell alone."

"What is beef?" Asked Las'Tai.

"It is the processed meat made from dairy cattle back on Terra. they are domesticated and raised for their ability to produce milk, give meat when butchered and for their skin which we turn into leather, like the clothes you chose."

Looking down over the brown leather clothes she had chosen because the light green of her skin went well with the brown instead of black she said "It seems only fitting i try eating the meat of the creature whose skin i am currently wearing. Her people also had leather clothes, but it was expensive and rare, only found on large predators on her home planet.

As they got closer to the stall the humans seemed to have locked on to, a most wonderfull smell reached her. it smelled like fat meat, fried and seasoned to perfection. She looked Behind a stall and was surprised to see a N'amlei behind the counter, The think herbovires was the last species she would expect to be the cook of meat, or *flesh* as herbivores referred to it.

"Greetings Terran's and honored Kloxna. Might i interest you in some exotic meats?" the thin creature said. looking like a mix between a bird and a deer, the N'amlei were famous for their love for all things living, going so far as to apologise to the fruits they ate, So to see one not just be around the meat of other butchered creatures but actively preparing them for consumption was a shock to put it mildly.

"Is that Terran beef we can smell?" Eirik replied quickly, eyes fixated on the frying plate in front of the N'amlei.

"Indeed it is my most observant patron. Freshly delivered not a week ago and kept frozen to preserve it best possible.

"You need to freeze meat from Terra?" Las'Tai asked in suprise??

"All life on Terra lives in symbiosis with bacteria. we litterally could not live without the symbiosis. this unfortunately means that a rapid breakdown of cells takes places immediately upon the moment of death starting a process known as *rotting* causing such a huge rise in deadly bacteria that even Terrans can get sick and die just from inhaling the air around it." came the explanation from Knud, leaving Las'tai to ponder the implications while the humans chatted with the clerk and made their orders. Very soon, Eirik and Knud was sitting down with a large steak each, a small mountain of potatoes and greens on the side. Meanwhile, they had gotten Las'Tai a slighty different plate. hers had several cuts of meat, all looking different both in way of preparation and in general.

"I got you a mixed platter of meats, seeing as a full order of each would leave you with more food than you can eat in a day. this way, we can also figure out if there is anything that is more palatable to you." Said Eirik before digging into his own meal with enthusiasm.

Taking the piece of meat similar to that which the humans ate, she plopped it into her mouth and started chewing. It was fantastic, fat but energy rich and full of flavors she never even knew existed. the different spices blending into each other, weaving their way in and out of the taste of the juices from the meat. The other pieces of meat were equally great, but that first bite of Terran meat was something she would always enjoy, she knew this with the same certainty she knew her own name.

She didn't notice the subtle interaction between Eirik and Knud. Knud had noticed Kloxna circling the outer edges of the market and was drawing Eirik's attention to them with a small nudge of the leg and a quick nudge of the head. After Eirik had seen the first one, he started looking around nonchalantly, like a man enjoying a good meal and taking in the sights. He counted no less than 15 different Kloxna circling around them, like sharks in the water. Las'Tai was blissfully unaware and there was no reason to draw her attention to the potential trouble. Besides, she seemed to be completely lost in a world of food. Nodding to Knud, the doctor got up and proclaimed he was going to there restroom before leaving the 2 alone. Eirik noticed that the doctor had his communicator in his hand before he was out of sight. Resting his hand near his back, he turned the chair slightly to give him a better look of the surrounding area, in case anything should go off. It was obvious to the circling Kloxna that they had been spotted, but they could not move while they were in as public a place as they were. So it had become a silent standoff. Eirik watching over their movements and the Kloxna keeping Eirik and Las'Tai trapped. Noticing that she had nearly finished her plate he took half the steak from his own plate and placed it on hers. At her questioning look, he forced himself to look at her calmly and simply said, "my eyes were a lot hungrier than my stomach was. Enjoy."

Not needing any more encouragement she happily started chewing away at the steak, Eirik keeping up his overwatch. After some 10 minutes where Las'Tai had almost finished up his steak he finally heard the sounds that made his racing heart calm down. He heard music.