Page 64 of Salvation for the Alien Mercenary
"Honeys, we're home!" Covak's booming voice filled the space as he leaned against the doorframe, grinning. "We come bearing gifts of fresh steak and chocolate cake in the galley."
Her shoulders dropped as relief washed through her. "About time. You were supposed to be back hours ago."
"Blame Ryke," Covak said, rolling his eyes. "Diverted us for some special order. Something about specific spices for his 'culinary artistry.'" He made exaggerated air quotes. "But we have real food. Not protein packs. Actual meat."
Her stomach growled in response. "Davis is back, too?"
"Already in the galley setting things up." Covak's gaze shifted to the hologram. His eyebrows shot up. "Whoa. That's intimidating. What are you two doing?"
"Just research," she said, scooping Spot up. The robot seemed content in her arms, earlier distress fading. "Learning about Spot's origins."
"From terrifying death machine to cute helper. Quite the career change." Covak whistled, studying the hologram. "Remind me not to piss it off."
She laughed, worry melting away. "Spot's more interested in following me than conquering worlds."
"Lucky for us," the Vorrtan said cheerfully. "Coming to eat? Can't promise leftovers if you dawdle."
"We're coming." She nodded to Jex to shut down the display. As the hologram flickered out, Spot wrapped its legs around her wrist. "We can continue another time," she added quietly. "Only if you want to."
Spot made a rude noise, and she grinned.
"Okay... I hear the no. Now let's find cake for me and a power outlet for you."
* * *
The smellof steak hit Mira when she stepped into the galley. Not protein packs. Not those reconstituted nutrition cubes. Real meat, sizzling and dripping with fat.
Her stomach growled. Loudly.
"Someone's hungry," Covak called from his seat at the table. The massive Vorrtan already had half a steak shoved in his mouth, amber eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Davis glanced up, catching her gaze across the galley. A half-smile tugged at his mouth, there and gone in a heartbeat. He'd changed. Physically. Broader shoulders. Sharper jaw. Those weird gold rings expanding in his eyes.
Her heart leaped. Stupid heart.
"Sit," he said, nodding to the space beside him. It wasn't a request, but it wasn't quite a command either.
She sat, ignoring the flutter in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. Spot scuttled from behind her, making a beeline for the power outlet under the table. The little Drakeen core chirped once before plugging in with a contented electronic sigh.
"Feeding time for everyone," she murmured, smiling at the robot.
Davis set a plate in front of her. Steak. Actual vegetables. Something that might have been potatoes. The smell alone made her mouth water.
"Holy shit," she breathed, grabbing her fork.
"You should have seen the vendor's face when Davis haggled him down," Covak said around a mouthful of food. "Three tentacles up, waving like crazy, screaming about thieves and pirates."
Davis snorted. "It was two tentacles. And they weren't 'waving like crazy.' It's a culturally specific gesture of commercial displeasure."
"Same difference." Covak shrugged, shoving another massive bite into his mouth. "Point is, Tell's got bargaining skills for a human."
She glanced at Davis. He didn't respond to the praise, just cut into his steak with methodical precision.
The door hissed open, and Anson walked in, eyes glued to a dataflex. He barely acknowledged the others, sliding into an empty seat across from Mira.
"Look who decided to grace us with his presence," Jesh said, sliding a plate toward him. "The food's still hot. For now."
Anson grunted, setting his dataflex beside his plate. His fingers kept working the screen even as he stabbed a piece of steak with his fork.
