In A Starship's Wake

Chapter 17: A Final Meal

Hickory Tower was home to many businesses besides the shooting range. Restaurants and retail stores dominated the commercial suites, attracting customers by locating themselves conveniently close to home. Joseph had taken note of a restaurant called Rothen Center he wanted to try, and the three now sat in a booth waiting for salads to arrive.

Allison liked his choice; the atmosphere was cozy. The dividers between booths had planters in the top, natural materials covered much of the metal of the station, and the slightly dimmed lighting gave a feeling of privacy. She took her time looking over the menu. There were a lot of options, and only about half were familiar to her from Temorran.

She was still wavering between experimentation and familiarity when the waitress arrived with their salads. Deciding on only partial experimentation, she ordered a burger with some unfamiliar toppings. Tyrone ordered a steak and Joseph a dish she'd never heard of called Goulash, causing Tyrone to roll his eyes and award his partner a disdainful look.

"What's wrong with goulash?" Allison asked as soon as the waitress had left and they had prayed.

"Nothing." Joseph smiled slightly and picked up his fork.

Tyrone sighed. "Except that we make it all the time on Garden Variety Animal, so there's no reason to order it when we're eating out. It's boring."

"You didn't make it this week. What is it? I've never heard of it before now." Allison took her first bite of salad as Joseph cleared his mouth to answer.

"A ground beef dish with a few spices and other things added. Chopped onions, pasta and beans are almost always included. It can also be a soup with a lot of the same ingredients."

Throughout the day Allison had been catching herself staring at the armored Tetonites as they went about their business on the station. An armored man and his young family who were eating at a table near theirs. His helmet was off, strapped to one shoulder of his armor. She'd observed today that many walked around with the helmets off, keeping them attached to their waist or shoulder. The uncovered shoulder of this man's armor had a symbol on it, a bundle of sticks with an axe head protruding from it.

At the same time that she noticed the symbol, she realized she was staring again. Allison wrenched her gaze away from the young family and back to her food. Fortunately none of them had noticed her scrutiny. No matter how forgiving a people Tetonites were, inappropriate behavior wasn't going to win her any friends.

If she wanted to get a better look at Tetonite armor, she should visit somewhere that sold it. Certainly they would answer her questions about it, once she figured out what they were. Based on her experience at the range today perhaps she should try learning to wear it. Joseph had provided most of her handgun instruction, but the other Tetonites near them had been happy to offer pointers as well. Two young women had even provided helpful advice on carrying a handgun while wearing a dress.

"How many of the armored people have to be for their jobs and how many just wear it?" Allison carefully kept her gaze from straying back to the young family as she asked.

Tyrone tilted his head as he considered. "I'd guess about a quarter have jobs that require it, including people with jobs that involve working in space. Most armor doubles as a space suit. The number that are actually security of some kind would be much lower."

"Most of them don't have to wear it outside of work either," Joseph said. "They just keep it on. It gets to be a habit." Another bite of salad disappeared into his mouth.

"What about the others?" Allison asked. "Did they have those jobs once?

"Some," Joseph nodded. Somehow he managed to clear his mouth to answer. "Others just think it looks cool. Some like the sense of security that comes with knowing their clothes can stop bullets." He gave his partner a dark look. "We'll be in that category."