Origins of an Icer

Chapter 9

Chow Hall, Iron Maiden

"All right, so your therapist didn't really have food listed for you during your lunch hours, so instead, I got us a simple burger and fries with a thick chocolate protein shake to help build you up, and the best part: all your multivitamins to help build your muscles," Akifa announced, setting down a tray with two thick burgers wrapped in palm leaves with a hemp cup of soda and fresh fries piled onto the tray.

(It smells amazing...!) He cooed, flicking his tail excitedly as Akifa unwrapped his burger, licking his lips.

"Hell yes...! Best meal of the day... I'm so glad I'm not vegetarian." He took a bite of his burger, moaning loudly as Wren purred happily, taking a bite of his burger, sighing softly.

(Mmm....beef?)

"Actually, it's technically beans and some plant matter. It is essentially the flavor and look of beef burger, but yeah it's all printed substitute matter. The soda is as real as it gets too, being out in space with limited food sources. It's safe though, hell I've been living on this for as long as I've been here. Eat up," he added, eating his burger happily as Wren took another bite, growling softly. He nibbled the fries, licking the tips of his claws before taking a sip of the soda, wrinkling his nose.

(How does it tickle my nose..?)

"It's the carbonation bubbles. It's kind of fun." Akifa finished his food, sighing as he slapped his belly.

"Did you get full?" Wren asked, trying to push his voice out as Akifa smiled, sitting up.

"That was really good. Yes, I'm very full now, but not completely. I still want ice cream, but I'll wait for you to finish. I know Doc said you were going to have a serious metabolism," he added, sipping the drink as Wren picked and ate his way through the fries and burger, licking his hands clean before taking a sip of the chocolate shake.

"Mmm... it's really thick, I can't get it through the...the..."

"Straw, that's what it's called. It connects the drink to your mouth essentially, and it'll be a little tricky. It's a vacuum, so you can keep trying to inhale or give it a couple short sips with air in between to help break it up." Akifa smiled, watching Wren try the shake again as he chirped, finally getting some shake before starting to suck it down. Akifa nearly dropped his drink as he watched the Icer slowly finish the shake before crushing the container in his hands.

"Feel better?"

"Mmm... much better. I like chocolate!" Wren chirped, smiling brightly as he leaned forward to watch Akifa.

"What's ice cream?" Akifa smiled as he got up, taking Wren's hand as he led Wren over to a small shop along the aisle of restaurants, this one manned by a two-headed creature: one face of an elderly man, the other of an elderly woman.

"Well, hello there, little Aki. How can we help you today?" the man asked, turning to face Akifa as the woman faced Wren, gasping softly.

"Who are you?"

"Ah... I'm Wren. I'm a Spatien Iscerian... ah... new." Wren flushed lightly, folding his ears as the grandma offered a kind smile.

"How about some good ice cream to help you smile? You seem like a nice lad," she offered, the alien working quickly to fix up a sundae for both. Wren watched in amazement as his cup was filled with dark blue ice cream with speckled bright sprinkles, resembling a night sky as Akifa's held a chocolate ice cream swirled with dark red.

"Ohh... my favorite! Ahhh!!" Akifa smiled bright as a strange golden liquid was poured over, Wren tilting his head as he picked up a spoon, trying a small bite.

"Mm...! I-it's really good, thank you!" Wren smiled, holding his sundae as the elder couple bowed politely.

"It's on the house! Eat up!" Akifa smiled, taking his cup as he led Wren down the hall, looking at the other cafes and restaurants while eating his ice cream, sighing softly.

"Have you tried this? It's honey! It's my favorite food!"

"Honey?" Wren leaned over, trying the golden syrup as he tilted his head.

"Mmm...? Honey, I like it." Akifa grinned, offering some as they shared ice cream between each other before stopping up at the elevator, ditching their sundae cups.

"Where to? We can keep up our explorations on the Maiden for the day."

"Mm... can I practice more flying?" Wren asked, smiling brightly as they headed down to the hangar, Akifa pulling up his craft.

"Well, we can use my craft, or we can use a simulator, but I always believe it's better to get real practice in on a real vessel, not a box that jiggles and dances to hide the real thing. Shall we?" Akifa asked, going up to the Aaru as he opened the cockpit. Wren took a deep breath before he crawled into the chair.

"Let's try this again. Ah! But, here we go." Akifa punched on the dashboard pulling up a series of holographic rings.

"Easy exercise, fly through the rings at a set speed. I'll tell you when to slow down or speed up. Ready?" Akifa asked, sitting beside Wren who started up the engines, watching the claws carry them to the flyway before releasing them. Wren punched the thrusters as they shot through the hangar doors. Akifa whistled softly, clicking a button on the side of the left joystick as it stuck to a certain speed.

"What's that?"

"Think of it as a speed set. You won't go any slower or higher, and it's easier on the fuel tank. Just remember to go through the rings, it'll take you around the ship so you get a look at the whole Maiden too. Take it slow, first ring's coming up!" Wren took a deep breath, punching the joystick as they moved through the first ring, a counter appearing in the corner of the window.

"Nice job, now only 99 rings to go!" Akifa smiled, leaning back as he opened a cabinet in his craft to pull out a bag of trail mix. He watched out the window as Wren took them through the rings circling outside the Maiden before turning back towards the carrier. The ship was mammoth, but simply glowing and stabilized in the middle of the space they flew in, its color a simple bright silver with a brilliant gold cross on the front. Wren tilted his head, watching the carrier slowly pass around him as he went through the rings of light.

"T...the ship moves funny..."

"Hm? What do you mean?" Akifa finished his bag of trail mix as he tossed it aside, sitting up as Wren shook his head.

"She's not on... I don't hear any engine sounds, no vibration or movement indicating there's an engine. Do you know what pilots this thing?"

"That would be the captain, but hell I've only heard her voice, seen holograms of her face, but that's nothing. Here, finish up the rings, and don't try to think about it," Akifa replied, gently patting Wren's thigh as he moved the Aaru safely through each of the rings. Once clearing the 100 rings, he moved to go inside the hangar doors, letting the claws take hold.

"So, do you want to see who the helmsman is on this ship? You think something's wrong with it?" Akifa asked, opening the cockpit to let them out as Wren crawled out first.

(It's not moving, nor is it making any noise to indicate it really is online. It rumbles, it beeps, it moves, but the Maiden doesn't. It's the weirdest sensation... And since I figured that: just feel the wall or floor.) Wren knelt, pressing his hands to the floor as Akifa copied him, whistling low.

"I never noticed that... weird..."

(So... where is the engine room? Or where the helmsman room is? There has to be a navigation room, right?) Wren asked, tilting his head as Akifa shrugged.

"Never thought about it before. Let's go see..."