Chapter 5

"What did you just do?" asked Mr. Merc.

"How do i put this..." Wondered Tess. "You are a robot."

Jed Read Tess' Lips on the camera. Merc? A robot? Made sense, and it also explained why he won a fight with an enemy stronger than him, but...

There was a knocking on the door.

Jed opened the door and saw senka. "You okay after that fight?"

"I'm fine. But I do have some concerns."

Senka walked in and stood in the middle of the room before continuing, "No human could have possibly won a fight against myself, nor any other fully grown Minashtan. I know this probably sounds like the humiliating excuse for losing a fight, but I am not lying. There is absolutely no possible way Merc is a human. If he were, there is no way someone like myself, known as the greatest warrior for light years around, could lose. I have battled many of the strongest humans, none, even half the strength of him."

"Tess just figured that out too." He gestured to the Screen with tess and Merc. "I Don't think he's taking being told hes a robot too well though."

Merc looked baffled. For once his face had an expression plastered to it. "But my memories... I remember... I can't be..."

Tess shook her head. "They fill you with fake memories. If i can Find Where they put the screws, mind if i open your head?"

Merc slowly nodded. "Its probably the only thing that will get me to believe your crazy theory."

Jed turned to Senka. "By the way, thanks for defending Geranno."

Her gaze immediately hardened.

"If I hadn't tried to stop Merc he might've gone after something of mine, I wanted to prevent that from happenening."

She was obviously trying to seem selfish to disguise her new interest in the crew.

"By the way, you should go see sierra. I'd rather not have you bleed all over the ship." Said Jed.

"I'm fine sir. Besides, Sierra's a doctor, not a veterinarian," she joked. "But I suppose I can go anyways."

Jed nodded as Senka left. He turned back to the screen. Merc was staring out the window again. Tess had left. He turned back to piloting the ship.

Tess Helped fix up the broken table while the others went about doing other things.

"Hey, Sierra," Dewblade said as he saw her helping them pick up. "I was going to try to work with chaos iron."

"And you want an antidote for the poisonous gas it releases when in contact with fire and water, I heard you and Merc talking about it."

"Just so you guys know, Merc is a robot. He'd Probably be immune to the gas." Said Tess, Welding together the two broken pieces of table.

After coming over the shock and eagerly wanting to reply he said, "I no longer trust him, although I guess I didn't really ever anyways. But after he crushed Gerrano's holopad...let's just say I don't want him messing with poisonous gases in my workspace. Besides, this is what I was hired to do."

Tes nodded in agreement. "There. Table's Fixed."

"Just in time for dinner I hope," Senka said as she came into the cafeteria.

"Whatcha cooking, Gluss?" Asked Geranno, typing away on the laptop.

"Its a surprise." Said Gluss.

"I bet it's food!" Sierra said excitedly, sitting down beside Gerrano and Dewblade.

"Senka, Dewblade, I'd like you guys to try something." said gluss. He had 2 spoonfuls of something.

Dewblade and senka took a bite, and both struggled to swallow it.

"Definitely not very enjoyable, but I can eat it," Dewblade said as his tongue flicked in and out of his mouth.

"I found it absolutely dreadful, but I will agree that, if need be, I could swallow a few more bites of that. But

I would prefer to go a week without eating."

"Its a certain type of berry. Its supposed to taste like meat, though i honestly Don't think it does. I wanted to see what you guys though, cause unless were going to make stops every couple of weeks, we can't have too much meat on the ship, or it all goes bad." said gluss.

"I once spent four months on an alien planet for a war with nothing but the meat we'd brought along. I can survive a little bad meat, and all fully-grown Minashtans, even furrball over there, can survive several weeks without food. I think we'll be alright without meat-berries," Senka growled.

Gluss nodded. "In which case, i'm gonna start cooking."

"Now, do you mind if we ask what you're making?" Eclipse said impatiently.

"An old family recipe." Was all Gluss said.

Eclipse sighed and started to bang his head against the table with growing impatience. At some point

DewBlade held down his head, so that when he tried to lift it up again, he failed.

"You know you're bored when a tiger tries to stop you from hurting yourself," Came the muffled voice of Eclipse.

Gluss Soon came out with some food.

"Hot Chili." Was all he said as he passed bowls around.

"Please, I once led a battle on a planet where the temperature neared 200 degrees at times," Senka said as she uncovered her left foot paw to show them it was a little more gray. "I had trouble healing this one."

"Not hot as in heat. Hot as in spicy." Said Gluss with a smile. Senka had already lapped up some of the Chili.

Senka roared and jumped from her seat, licking her paws. She raced into the kitchen and held her head under the faucet.

After a while she came back and explained, "Minashtans don't do spice. I'll go ahead and skip this meal."

Dewblade pushed his aside as well.

Gluss couldn't help but chuckle, which sounded like water repeatedly sloshing in a cup. "I tried to tone it down. Compared to my mom's, this stuff is mild."

"Well in that case, i'd love to try your mom's." said Geranno. He had already eaten some of the chili. "This stuff is really Bland."

Gluss smiled. "I didn't think you'd be the one who would Enjoy spicy."

Geranno Swallowed another bite of chili. "Frennans don't have as many... 'Taste buds' As humans do. Most food is really dull for us. Spicy, and sour are the only things we can really taste."

"Yet more differences between us and Germo," Senka said. "We have more taste buds than humans, it helps us smell."

Tess also enjoyed the chili. "Mind if i get a glass of water with this? Its good, but a bit hot for me."

Gluss jiggled in response. "Anyone else need some?"

Eclipse and Sierra nodded and the blob of goo raced into the kitchen.

Geranno absent-mindedly put his arm around sierra as Gluss was getting the water.

Gluss came out with a few glasses of water and another bowl of chili. He gave out the water, and then went to give the captain his food.

Sierra looked at him briefly, then smiled and took a sip from her glass of water.

Geranno finished his chili, and took out his laptop. "How far away do you think we are from the station?"

"Two feet." Senka said sarcastically. "For all i know, it could be in a different galaxy. Just don't ask me questions about space."

"Actually, You are not wrong" Said Tess, Looking out the porthole.

"I'm just that skillful," Senka said with a smile.

Geranno looked outside. "Thats bigger than i thought it would be."

"Yep. I'm to be assigned to something by an IPK official here." Said Tess. "Its like earning a promotion, except you don't get paid any higher."

"Then what's the point?" Senka asked.

"I Get to fly around on a ship." Came her reply. "And if i'm lucky, the captain is cute."

"If you're lucky, they won't assign you anywhere at all," Senka continued to reply to her words.

"If I'm lucky, i'm assigned to this ship." Said Tess.

"We can only hope that there will be a sane human around like you."

"I'm perfectly sane!" Said Eclipse.

"Then why are you so happy to be on this ship and hang out with a disgrace like Dewblade?" Senka said to him.

"Because your standards are higher than mine." Said Eclipse.

"Something that happens when you live among royalty your whole life, then are suddenly put to work on a garbage heap like this with peasants like Jed."

"I Like jed." Said Tess plainly, not really contributing to the conversation at all.

The gravity got switched off for a moment. "I think were here." Said Geranno.

"Now what?" Dewblade asked.

Tess almost ran through the door. She peeked her head back in and said. "Wait for me here. I'll get my bags once i'm done."

"Why?" Sierra squeaked shyly at her enthusiasm.

"I'm already late." Said tess. and with that, she left.

Dewblade and Eclipse also got out, just to get some more space for a bit before they had to leave.

"Also, senka. I never said this but... Thanks for protecting me." Said Geranno.

Senka drew her ears back in a threatening position, then left the ship as well, irritated.

"Was it something i said?" asked Geranno to himself.

"I dunno. I think theres something fishy about this space station though." said gluss, exiting the ship.

Sierra pulled Gerrano out of the ship and onto the station. Dewblade was wondering around aimlessly, just walking to walk, apparently.

"Where are we going?" Asked Geranno.

"Just thought you might like to get out in the open too," Sierra explained as they, too, wandered around.

Geranno sighed. "In that case i probably would have gotten off myself but..." 

"But?" Sierra started spinning for no reason whatsoever.

"Nothing." Said geranno, rather quickly.

The captain got off the ship. "She left her stuff here. i assume were waiting for her?"

"Or, perhaps we can leave, and she will be so sad and confused," Eclipse suggested.

The captain glared at him.

"What was that you were saying about your sanity?" Asked Gluss.

"For one, he has none," Senka joked.

Tess came back. "I've been assigned to A ship named the Starkipper. Anyone know what ship that is?"