Chapter 14 - The Food
952 Words
The corridor outside the medical bay was quiet as Seyrin led the way.
Mira walked beside him, her hands loosely folded in front of her, still thinking about the strange machines that had scanned her moments earlier. Her nerves had settled slightly after hearing the word stable, but everything still felt unfamiliar.
Every hallway.
Every door.
Every light glowing softly in the walls.
Even the air felt different.
“So…” she said quietly as they walked, “you do that every day?”
“The medical scan?” Seyrin asked.
“Yeah.”
“Yes.”
She glanced up at him.
“That seems like a lot of work for one human.”
“You are the only human aboard this vessel,” he replied calmly.
“…Right.”
They turned another corner and approached a wide doorway. As they neared, the door slid open with a smooth whisper.
Warm light spilled into the corridor.
“This is the food bay,” Seyrin explained.
Mira stepped inside cautiously.
The room was large, with curved tables built into the floor and smooth counters lining the walls. Several unfamiliar machines hummed quietly, their surfaces glowing with soft indicators.
It looked like a kitchen.
Just… a very alien one.
She glanced around.
“No one else eats here?”
“The others do,” Seyrin said, moving toward one of the preparation stations. “But their nutritional requirements differ from yours.”
That didn’t sound promising.
Mira sat slowly at the nearest table while Seyrin began activating the food preparation console. Panels of light appeared above the surface as he selected various options.
She watched curiously.
“What exactly are you making?”
“Your morning meal.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
Seyrin glanced briefly over his shoulder.
“It will provide the nutrients your body requires.”
“That still doesn’t answer the question.”
A small tray slid out from the console a moment later.
Seyrin brought it to the table and set it in front of her.
Mira looked down.
Then blinked.
The food was… strange.
There was a bowl of something smooth and pale with faint swirling colors through it. Next to it sat several small cube-shaped portions of something that looked almost like gelatin. A warm drink steamed gently in a tall glass container.
Mira leaned closer to examine it.
“…What is that?”
“This,” Seyrin said, pointing to the bowl, “is a nutrient blend.”
“That sounds suspicious.”
“It contains proteins, carbohydrates, essential minerals, and vitamins calibrated for human biology.”
Mira poked the edge of the bowl with the spoon beside it.
“…It looks like yogurt that lost a fight.”
Seyrin tilted his head slightly.
“I am unfamiliar with that comparison.”
She looked at the cube-shaped portions.
“And these?”
“Compressed nutrient gel.”
Her nose wrinkled.
“That doesn’t sound better.”
“It was engineered for efficient digestion.”
Mira leaned back slightly in the chair.
“…You engineered food for me?”
“Yes.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“Like specifically for me?”
“Yes.”
Seyrin folded his hands behind his back as he explained.
“Human dietary data was acquired through planetary research archives. The meal was formulated to replicate the nutritional balance your species typically consumes during a morning meal.”
Mira stared at the tray again.
“…This is your version of breakfast?”
“Yes.”
She picked up the spoon slowly and studied the swirling mixture in the bowl.
It smelled faintly sweet.
But it still looked strange.
She glanced up at Seyrin.
“…You’re sure this won’t poison me?”
“It was designed for your physiology.”
“That’s not the same as answering my question.”
“It will not poison you.”
“Good.”
She lifted the spoon.
Then paused halfway to her mouth.
“…You’ve eaten this before, right?”
“No.”
Her spoon stopped in midair.
“You made food for me that you’ve never eaten?”
“My biology differs from yours.”
“That’s not comforting.”
Seyrin’s expression remained calm.
“It contains all necessary nutritional elements for human health.”
Mira looked down at the bowl again.
Then at the cubes.
Then back at the bowl.
“…It still looks weird.”
“That is because you are unfamiliar with it.”
“That’s exactly my concern.”
Seyrin continued patiently.
“The texture is similar to several human foods including yogurt, pudding, and porridge.”
She squinted at him.
“You studied human food too?”
“Yes.”
“…That’s a little creepy.”
“It was necessary.”
Mira stared at the spoon again.
Then slowly sighed.
“Okay.”
She took a small bite.
The texture was smooth.
Sweet.
Actually… not bad.
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
“…Huh.”
Seyrin noticed immediately.
“Acceptable?”
She took another small bite.
“…Yeah.”
Then she pointed the spoon at him.
“But I’m not eating the weird cubes yet.”
“They contain additional minerals.”
“I’ll work up to it.”
Seyrin nodded.
“That is reasonable.”
Mira kept eating the strange nutrient mixture, still slightly suspicious but noticeably less hesitant now.
After a moment she glanced up at him again.
“You know,” she said, “for alien science food…”
He tilted his head.
“Yes?”
“…It’s not terrible.”
Seyrin considered that.
“I will record that feedback.”
- Writer
