Callie pushed the metal plate away from her and sighed, “These meat square things aren’t half bad. The weird pink root vegetables taste like ass, though. I’m full for the first time in over a month. So I guess I can’t complain.”
Patty was sitting next to her and popped a pink veggie slice into her mouth. “Tastes like celery had a baby with a pumpkin. It’s not that bad. I bet if we cooked it up with some spices, it would be delicious.”
There had been no spices. Just square red meat cubes and the pink root we’d boiled in water on the electric stove that looked like a cross between a grill and a laptop. Took forever to figure out how to turn it on. At least their water faucets and toilets all work the same as ours, with actual water and not the gel crap.
“I’m just glad to have clothes on again. Never thought I’d be so thankful for pants,” Sam said.
The four of us were sitting at the table, going over various plans. We’d kinda morphed into the command group and the others looked to us for answers.
We’d come up with a lot of nada.
The ship’s flight deck, as Callie called it, was completely alien. The only truly alien thing we’d found aside from the ship itself. I was still salty about the green button and the lack of cleaning bots.
The engineer had said the ship was on an automated course to its original destination for cargo drop. Us and the Big Bad down in the hold. It had taken several translations to work out his alien time vs our earth time. We thought roughly three weeks until some alien overlord boarded this ship and tried to take us again.
“Everyone should get some rest. There are enough bunks in the bedrooms. I’m going to take some food to our creepy alien guest downstairs.”
Sam and Callie looked at each other, then at me.
“You sure that’s a good idea? What if it breaks out when you try to feed it?” Sam asked.
“I will not let it—him—starve. We aren’t the shark assholes. He’s a prisoner too,” I said, voice firm.
They looked troubled, but both just nodded and stood.
“We’re all bunking together in the first room when you’re done. I know you’re a big, scary monster, but be careful,” Callie said, and she went to herd the other women into rooms so they’d sleep.
I needed to go grab the engineer to open the doors and have him show me how to feed our scary guy.
“You said he talked? Want me to come with you to translate? Maybe he knows something about the ship,” Patty said.
I looked at her and nodded. “Yeah. That’s a good idea. I thought about that earlier, too. An enemy of my enemy, ya know?”
“We need all the friends we can get.”
I went and gathered some meat cubes into a metal container and followed Patty out of the mess hall.
We headed to the security room to relieve the girls of guard duty so they could eat and catch some sleep.
The shark had done a pretty solid job of cleaning up the place. Blood still spattered the ceiling and walls, but the floors were clean of blood and pieces of alien. The table and chairs righted.
He whistled at us and bowed.
“He said he’s ready to be of service and grateful for his life,” Patty translated.
I didn’t give a shit. I sneered at him and pushed him to walk in front of me.
When we got to the cargo hold door containing the Terror, the engineer balked again.
“If you don’t move your ass, I’m going to eat you,” I snarled.
He moved.
The door opened. The orange light of the glass tube really added an extra ominous feeling to an already fucked room.
Patty gasped when she caught sight of him. “Jesus. What is that thing?” She whispered, stepping into me.
Her hand found mine, and I gave it a squeeze before letting go.
