Chapter Forty-Nine: Soup, Secrets, and Sweetness
Chapter Forty-Nine: Soup, Secrets, and Sweetness
Nerissa returned with a soft knock just as Freya finished organizing her newly folded clothes. She smiled warmly as Freya opened the door.
“Hungry, Lady Freya?” Nerissa asked.
"Freya"- Please drop the lady. Just call me Freya and "Yes!"
“I could eat a whole spaceship,” Freya grinned. “Lead the way.”
"As you wish, M-...Freya" Nerissa softly said.
The two made their way through the sleek corridors, the gentle hum of the ship surrounding them like a lullaby. As they turned a corner and entered the mess hall, Freya blinked in surprise.
The space was larger than she expected—more like a cozy cafeteria crossed with a modern bistro. Long tables stretched across the center, but one side was clearly more private, sectioned off by glass partitions and ambient lighting. The far wall housed several food counters, each one glowing with soft panels and steam vents.
Nerissa gestured to the first station. “This is the soup bar. Popular with most of the crew—and probably the easiest introduction to Zytherion cuisine.”
Freya’s eyes roamed over the bowls and containers. “Okay, what… is that?”
She pointed at a crystal-clear broth, filled with delicate green and pink-purple leaves floating lazily at the surface.
“That,” Nerissa said, grabbing a small ladle, “is Isari Elen. The leaves are from the Elen blossom tree. It’s known for aiding digestion and calming the nerves.”
Freya leaned closer, inhaling the gentle herbal scent. “That actually smells… amazing.”
“The next one is Bravok Stew,” Nerissa continued, nodding to a thicker, darker soup filled with shredded meat and gelatinous chunks. “High in protein, but not the most beginner-friendly.”
Freya gave it a cautious glance. “Yeah, that meat looks like it’s staring back at me.”
Nerissa chuckled. “You’re not wrong.”
“And this orange one?”
“Oh, that’s Nehra Rootsoup. A bit like mashed pumpkin, slightly sweet, and very popular during the colder moon cycles.”
Freya nodded, selecting a bowl of Isari Elen. “This one’s calling my name.”
She moved to the next station where slabs of soft, crusty bread were stacked beside a glowing warmer.
Nerissa tapped one with the tongs. “These are Kothari loaves. Light, but dense enough to soak up stew.”
Next to them were sizzling strips of meat, similar to bacon but marbled with deep blue veins.
“That’s Grellin strip. A cured meat—salty, a bit chewy. You’ll like it. It’s Zytherion breakfast staple.”
Freya added a couple strips to her tray, eyebrows raised. “So, this is all safe for humans?”
“For the most part,” Nerissa assured her. “Everything here has passed scans. Wild meats and forest plants are off-limits, but this? Totally safe.”
“Good. I’d like to survive dessert.”
Speaking of dessert, the final counter had only one option—but it glowed faintly under a temperature dome. Little translucent cubes sat on round dishes, drizzled with something thick and golden.
“This is Zhella Kae,” Nerissa said. “It’s made from powdered Sari root. We boil it, chill it, and top it with Dren sap—a syrup extracted from branch bark. Cleanses the palate.”
Freya grinned. “You had me at ‘sap drizzle’.”
Trays full, the two women made their way to a small booth tucked in the far corner of the mess hall’s private section. It was quiet there, away from the hum of crew activity. The table surface shimmered slightly, changing color when dishes were placed on top.
Freya took her first sip of Isari Elen and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Oh, wow. That’s… perfect. I feel like I’m drinking a garden.”
Nerissa smiled, spooning up some Nehra Rootsoup. “Glad you like it. It’s one of my favorites, too.”
They ate quietly for a few moments, the mood relaxed and warm.
Freya picked at her bread before glancing up. “So… do you have any family back on Zytherion?”
The question seemed to freeze Nerissa for a second.
Freya instantly backpedaled. “Oh no—sorry. You don’t have to answer. That was—ugh, I wasn’t thinking.”
Nerissa placed her spoon down gently. “No, it’s alright. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
She paused, staring at her bowl.
“I haven’t talked about them in a long time,” she said softly. “They were… lost. During the first wave of the Vorkesh raids.”
Freya’s lips parted slightly. “Oh… Nerissa, I’m so sorry.”
“I was still young,” Nerissa continued, her voice steady but low. “Barely out of my juvenile cycle. Prince Axirlon found me hiding in the remains of a fallen outpost. He carried me back himself.”
Freya’s heart tightened. “That’s why you’re so loyal to him.”
Nerissa nodded. “When I came of age, I enlisted. I trained. Hard. The kind of hard that breaks people. But I owed him that. A life for a life.”
They were quiet again for a beat.
Then Nerissa straightened, her posture shifting.
“But enough of that,” she said, mustering a smile. “Would you like to see the entertainment hall tomorrow?”
Freya blinked, the abrupt change catching her off guard. “Entertainment hall?”
“It’s one of the few luxuries we’ve managed to maintain on the ship. Projection walls, immersive holo-novels, light chamber dancing, music pads…”
“That sounds… incredible,” Freya said, delighted. “I haven’t seen anything remotely fun since I left Earth.”
“I’ll come get you before breakfast,” Nerissa said. “We’ll sneak in before the crew starts hogging the good stuff.”
Freya laughed. “It’s a date.”
As they finished their meal, Freya couldn’t stop commenting on how surprisingly good everything was. Even the Grellin strip had a smoky flavor she hadn’t expected.
“I stand corrected,” she said as she finished her last bite of Zhella Kae. “Alien food is definitely edible.”
They left the mess hall with full bellies and lighter spirits. Back in her chamber, Freya helped place the extra clothes in the closet while Nerissa folded a throw blanket at the edge of her bed.
“Thank you for tonight,” Freya said. “Really. It felt… normal. Almost human.”
Nerissa looked at her, an unreadable expression flickering briefly across her face before softening again.
“You’re welcome. Sleep well, Freya. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Freya nodded, already curling into the soft sheets, her thoughts lingering on quiet stories, glowing desserts, and a new friend with a hidden past.
As the door slid shut behind Nerissa, she felt just a little less alone in the stars.