Vaelix's lips twitched. Was he... laughing at me?
"On behalf of the senior crew of the Starbreaker, I would like to welcome you formally," Torvyn said.
"I should be thanking you," I replied. "You saved me. Without you, I'd probably still be waiting for a corporate rescue."
Torvyn inclined his head. "We have done our best to replicate human cuisine. Our chef has not had many opportunities to prepare your delicacies. He offers a pre-emptive apology for anything he did not get right."
I looked at my plate. It resembled spaghetti… if spaghetti had blue meat sauce and pink noodles. I took a bite.
My mind exploded. Whatever this was, it tasted like comfort food and adventure had somehow merged—familiar enough to be nostalgic, alien enough to be thrilling.
"Compliments to the chef," I said. "The color palette is… creative, but the food is excellent."
They visibly relaxed. We ate in silence for a few moments. I was starting to think maybe this really was just a welcome dinner when Torvyn set down his fork.
"Tell me, Doctor. What were you researching?"
Here we go, I thought, sighing internally. I took another sip of the maybe-wine. "I was studying the archaeological ruins on the planet you found me on."
"For what purpose?"
I shrugged. "Ancient alien life fascinates me. Especially civilizations more advanced than humanity. That's why the corporation sent me."
"And what did they think you would find?" Torvyn's voice remained casual, but his eyes had sharpened.
"They hoped I would find something they could use." I took another bite of the not-spaghetti. "Corporate loves anything that might be monetizable."
"But you were searching for something else."
It wasn't a question.
I met his gaze. "I was searching for answers about who built the ruins. What they were like. Why they vanished."
"Noble pursuits." His tone suggested he didn't believe me.
Torvyn's eyes narrowed. "What did you find?"
"Honestly? Nothing too exciting. Probably why my director wasn't in a hurry to fix my habitat or send help."
"Is that the answer your company instructed you to give, if asked?" His voice darkened.
"No. Nobody tells me what to say." Heat rose up my neck. "And I don't appreciate the implication that I'm some corporate puppet reading from a script."
"Your reports suggest you found an alien artifact. An energy matrix of some kind. Is that correct?"
"I found several artifacts. That's what happens at archaeological sites."
"Don't be coy, Doctor Vale. You know which one I mean."
"You intercepted my private logs?" My voice sharpened. "Seriously?"
"I will go to any length necessary to protect this ship and crew." He leaned forward, the candlelight casting shadows across his angular features. "From what I have seen, you are brilliant, strong, and cunning. I think you found something important—something my people have sought for a very long time."
"I didn't know that. I'd never even heard of the Zorathi until I met you."
"So you say," he shot back.
"I believe her," Vaelix said quietly—but his voice carried through the room.
