Drifting Dark

Chapter 7: Noodles

Cassie's tablet was sitting on the table in front of her. It showed that the dark generator was running normally. No alerts, no irregularities, no problems. So far. Even so, the device was set to stay on and keep refreshing.

Next to the tablet, there was a dehydrated soup pack that she'd just injected with hot water using the kitchen facilities. It was standing upright on her tray, valve sticking upwards, untouched. She was currently waiting for the contents to cook. Her stomach rumbled.

She wasn't looking at the glowing tablet. Nor was she looking at the food in front of her.

She was staring at the photos cycling on the wall screen.

She'd tried to ignore it earlier, but as she'd waited, her attention had been captured by the amazing landscapes. So many photos, of Earth, of Mars. Even a few of one of the lunar cities. But mostly Earth and Mars.

It reminded her how the planets had so much. So much water. So much air. So much food. So much life.

So many things that were so scarce in space.

Not that she would trade her life for every other. Space was beautiful in it's own way, in the way she liked. Even just getting to see the stars, without smoke, light pollution or clouds, was worth it. In her limited experience opinion, anyways.

As the pictures started their cycle again, she recognized more of the crew, even though they tended to look much younger. Mike. Geoff. Danny. Brendan. Shrey. Aqeel. Everyone except Helen.

Maybe their captain didn't like having her picture taken.

The red beach faded to black, replaced by a hillside of lush green grass, sheep scattered in the background. Wispy clouds were spread across a deep blue sky. Danny looked a lot younger in this one, and the man he was posing next to could have been his twin. Or a friend.

But Danny didn't strike her as the type of person who had friends.

"Feeling homesick already?" Brendan's voice came from the other end of the table.

The snapped Cassie's attention away from the display surface. She finally noticed the sharp, rich smell in the air. Brendan had just put down a tray with a steaming bowl of spiced green sauce coating a large number of unidentifiable meat chunks. He reached for the reddish bottle that had been sitting in the center of the table since before she'd sat down.

She had already been hungry, but her mouth started to water, even though it was clearly a meat dish. Maybe there was something similar with vegetables in the ship's storage. She swallowed unconsciously.

"Oh, no, that's not..." Cassie babbled, fiddling with the liquid input valve on the packaging of her soup. "...they're just nice to look at." She picked up the container, shaking it vigorously.

"Thanks." Brendan smiled slightly as he squirted red oil all over his meal. "I took most of them. I always try to take a photo or two every time I go back home.

Cassie put the soup down and glanced back at the display again. "Wow, you're a really good photographer."

Brendan shrugged slightly, as his smile widened. "It's just a hobby."

"You'll need to find one for yourself," Geoff chimed in, sitting down next to her. His tray had a brown, thick loaf that was covered in grey-brown sauce. It smelled like meat and looked even more unappetizing.

Brendan nodded agreeably, his mouth full of fragrant, still unidentified curry.

"Things can get real boring out here." Geoff grabbed the bottle of red oil that Brendan had used earlier. "So what's your thing?" The red colour really did nothing to improve the look of his meal.