Shining Knight, Festive Nights
Neirdith walked from the cargo hold slowly, her horned head down and her long sinuous tail flicking in concentration as her attention focused on the manifest she was holding. She frowned slightly, it didn't make any sense. When they had left the station she had told Grendal and Seth to get the essentials, nothing more. So why was she looking at a manifest that listed a plethora of delicacies that were normally only eaten in times of celebration.
Deciding to get to the bottom of the list she almost walked straight into a huge wall of dark gunmetal grey armour. She stopped suddenly, jerking slightly as she realised that her route to the galley was now blocked by a huge figure, their squat form almost three and a half meters in height. On the front of the huge metal titan burned two molten mechanical eyes, the orange glow emanating from them illuminating her slightly as they turned to look at her. She couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of trepidation as those orbs met hers, they seemed to burn with a malice that came from untold eons of suffering and hatred.
Instead of imagined violence, the figure spoke cheerfully. Their voice synthetic and heavy, like the grinding of continents and the collapse of mountain ranges. “Hello Neirdith. I was told to gather you by Gloom who relayed the message originally from Seth. I learned from Gloom that you were present in the cargo hold so I endeavored to follow my instructions. Please, come.”
Without another rumbling word, the huge figure turned and started to stomp away, the force of their footfalls making the reinforced deck plating of the main corridor shudder slightly. She smiled as she followed the giant being. She remembered the first time she had ever laid eyes on Skorr, they had been trapped inside a solid chunk of twisted metal that looked to be indeterminablely old. And she knew from tidbits of information that the huge cyborg had dropped in the past that they were far older than any living being had any right to be. More ancient than any living species that walked the galaxy today.
She shook her head slightly, her jet-black hair falling back between her two horns in a neat ranxtail, or ponytail as Seth liked to refer to it. Some reference to another of the murder beasts from his hellhole of a homeworld no doubt. She knew that Seth wasn't actually from Earth, but you could take the Human from Earth, but never the Earth from a Human. She chuckled a little as she and Skorr finally reached the large open room they referred to as the galley.
Stopping in the doorway she looked around in mild confusion. She saw virtually the entire crew of The Shining Knight in front of her. Creesh and Jessie sitting very close together at one of the tables, Creesh’s small wingtip graspers wrapped firmly around the slight form of Jessie, the Human man’s cybernetic hands working on something out of sight on the table in front of him. Across the table sat Samantha, the muscular furred Yeown woman wearing a somewhat revealing top, her furred chest more exposed than usual by the deep vee cut shirt she was wearing.
As Neirdith looked around the room she spotted the unmistakable form of Grendel in the kitchen area to the back of the galley. The huge alien was a Vinarfel, looking similar to Earthly centipedes; he was grizzled and scarred from a long life of military service. His carapace was dark brown with red slashes and his silvery grey compound eyes shone in the bright lights of the ship.
She decided to make her way to him, passing by Samantha on her way to the kitchen. She looked to see what the three were working on and was a little confounded to see them wrapping small boxes in colorful looking paper. An idea started to form in her mind, a suspicion as to what was going on. She decided to hold the thought till she knew more however.
As she reached the opening leading to the kitchen she smelled the scent of cooking, her mouth began to water of its own accord as the smell of sweet delicacies met her senses. She could smell the aroma of roasting meat and the unmistakable heavy sweet tang of buttery goodness. Feeling slightly distracted she entered the kitchen and jumped as Seth scooted by her with a muttered apology.
“Oop, sorry Neirdith, I almost didn't see you there. I see Skorr was able to find you then.”
She shook her head slightly to clear it and looked at Seth. Both her oldest friend and lover, Seth was a Human male of average height and build, meaning she was much taller than him. His wavy brown hair was slightly slicked with sweat as he labored in the hot kitchen, but his vivid blue eyes were bright and shone like gemstones. She scooted a little closer to the main cooking area to see what he was working on and caught the sight of a large hunk of meat cooking in the oven.
Grendel Skittered over, his multitude of legs clicking on the floor and his ten arms performing a multitude of tasks simultaneously. He spoke without the hissing accent more common amongst his people “Hello Neirdith. I see you have been drawn to the smell of celebrations as well. I am glad that we could celebrate the holidays like this, it is good to get back to traditional roots every now and then.” He finished with a small expulsion of air as he hefted a large sack of flour.
She just nodded and made a motion for Seth to join her by the counter she was leaning on.
Seth stopped what he was doing, chopping some sort of fibrous vegetable that looked distinctly Gre’vahn in nature. He sidled up to her and leaned forwards to plant a kiss on her chin as it was the highest he could reach while she was standing. “Hey babe. What’s up?”
She just sighed and asked “Well I was going over the cargo manifest and noticed some discrepancies. But I think I know what they are now. What are you and Grendel doing?”
He smiled wide, his tiny canines glinting next to his more conventional flat teeth and answered proudly “Well. We have had a tough run lately and I felt that nothing would help to bring the crew together like celebrating the best holiday in the universe. The Festival of Giving!” he finished proudly with an even wider grin.
She looked around, the sight of Grendel frantically preparing a holiday feast for six different species all at once. She knew that Skorr and Gloom didn't eat and so they were likely excluded from the act of feasting, but the rest of the crew seemed to all have their own micro feast prepared for them.
She had already seen the large roast, likely for Samantha or perhaps Grendel himself, the counter next to the oven was piled high with various fruits and vegetables with a distinct sparkle that told her they were silicon rich food for Tahj. The large Gre’vahn’s biology intrinsically different from that of many of the others on the ship. Looking around she spotted a multitude of fresh and dried insects for Creesh, the little avian woman insectivorous by nature. She smelled butter and the earthy scent of mushrooms, her mouth once more beginning to water. She grinned at Seth, her flat grinding teeth flashing as she replied “I think it's a great Idea. though a little warning next time you plan something like this. You are my second in command, but you should still report non essential purchases to me in the future. Please?” she added as the man seemed to huff slightly.
“Okay. I promise I'll let you know next time I plan a surprise for you.” He said a bit sarcastically before jerking as she whipped him with her tail. “Ayy, hey! Okay fine. But I want at least one freebee a year. Ah ah ah, that's the best I'll agree to.” he said quickly, waggling a finger as she opened her mouth to argue.
She sighed, he was stubborn, like all Humans. She knew that she wasn't likely to get a better deal than that and so gave in saying “Okay then, but only one. But I want to know the moment the surprise is over okay?” he just gave her another shiteating grin and bounced away to help Grendel with something.
She rubbed her eyes as she walked from the kitchen, frustrated but also a little relieved. That was one issue solved, now she just needed to figure out what to do about their contract. Before she could worry about it more, her eyes widened in surprise as two more figures walked into the room.
The first was Tahj, the Gre’vahn man tall and stately in his white medical garb. His personal heraldry shining from the adorned sash he wore. His family’s history evident from the honor badges and medals that hung from the silken cloth. His wide feline features surveyed the room and landed on her, his large eyes silver with flecks of green. Raising a hand from his upper torso he waved to her, his four clawed legs making slight clicking noises as he started in her direction.
Her surprise had been reserved for the second figure however. In the doorway to the galley was a large smokey black crystalline entity. They had four legs and two shining dark obs on the front of their headless body that seemed to take in the entire room all at once. It was Gloom, the enigmatic and somewhat dour Jeseo who spent almost all of their time hooked directly into the ships heart as his species was able to directly interface with computers due to their bodies being composed of a biocrystalline superconductor known commonly as jeseorite.
Gloom’s body was small for a Jeseo, only standing about one hundred and sixty two centimeters in height, but the density of their body made them weigh well over a tonne and a half. Their heavy plodding steps thudding across the floor as they made their way to the middle of the room.
Tahj loped over to her as she turned away from Gloom’s movement. She was rather tall, almost two meters in height, but she had to look up to see Tahj’s face as the Gre’vahn man was over two hundred and forty centimeters tall at the tips of his pointed ears. He looked down at her and asked “What is the occasion? A celebration of victory perhaps?”
She just shook her head slightly, her tail flicking as she gathered her thoughts. Passing a long fingered hand over her swept back horns she tried to explain as best she could. “So, Seth and Grendel decided there wasn't enough holiday spirit on the ship and are cooking dinner for the Festival of Giving. I think the idea is sound, but I just wish we had some warning to prepare for it beforehand.” she finished with a grumble.
Tahj just laughed, a full bellied sound that made the others in the room turn to look in curiosity. “Oh that's rich. Trust a Human to come up with a surprise right? The Festival of Giving you say? Then I am to assume we should prepare a gift?” He asked her, his tone curious.
She waved a hand, not sure of how to respond to that. She didn't have any gifts prepared, how could she have? She had only learned they were doing this about five minutes ago after all.
She sighed and walked over to where Gloom and the others were, Tahj following behind. Skorr was too large to fit in the galley, but she knew he would be watching them from the main entrance, likely just as curious about this as they were about everything.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
As she reached the gathering she heard gloom speaking, their translator converting the electrical language of their people into recognisable speech as the Jeseo had evolved on an airless planet and so lacked the ability to both speak or hear.
“--Excitement-- This is very new. I have never had occasion to attend a celebration in this manner. What do I do? --Confusion–” the large smokey black Jeseo asked, their translator picking up stray emotions as they spoke.
Samantha shrugged her large furred shoulders and pointed a meaty hand at Jessie. “Ask Jessie, he knows about Human holidays more than I do.”
Jessie smiled and shifted, Creesh snuggled up to him like he was a pillow. “Yeah. Er, The Festival of Giving is one of Humanity's oldest traditions. Almost as old as Hallowed Eve, but instead of celebrating life, the Festival of Giving is all about friends and family. You give gifts, spend time doing activities, eat good food and drinks. Stuff like that.” he finished.
Gloom seemed a bit disappointed by the somewhat mundane explanation, their posture slumping ever so slightly. She wanted to say something but Creesh cut in before she could, the small feathered woman’s melodic voice sounding like two people speaking at once. “That’s it? What about the gifts, is there a reason behind it? Why the end of the year? What's the point of it all?” she said, poking Jessie in the ribs with each subsequent inquiry and making him grunt.
He looked around, the faces of those present expectant and full of curiosity. “Well…” he started before a slightly crackling voice sounded from behind them.
“It's about friendship.” Grendel said.
Everyone looked at the huge insectoid standing behind her as Seth walked up beside him and nodded. Seth began “Yeah, so the story goes like this. Back on Earth, way far back in the past, there was a wise king named Santa. He ruled a wealthy kingdom far to the north, but he wanted more. He wanted to get good trade deals with the kingdoms around him so he decided to throw a massive festival. Giving out gifts and celebrating friendships and alliances, word of his generosity quickly spread. Soon everyone wanted to be his ally to get in on the gifts and celebrations. One day he died, an old man but wealthy beyond words. His sons continued the tradition of their father though, giving lavish gifts and receiving them in return. The tradition had become a thing of its own by this time, the act of giving for no reason but love and appreciation during the darkest and coldest time of the year, a phenomenon that never stopped. And that’s the true meaning of The Festival of Giving.” he finished with a slight flourish as if asking for applause.
After a second Jessie spoke up. “Hey, wait a minute, that’s not what my Mother told me when I was a kid. She said it had something to do with God’s son and the spirit of sacrifice.”
Grendel looked between the two and asked “Is it not about the act of ceasing hostilities? I was told the tale of two Human armies as a larva, bitter hatred for each other had caused a great war to erupt and the two opposing sides fought violently against each other. But they were evenly matched and a stalemate soon transpired. This stalemate continued until one cold winter's day some men decided that they wanted to know who they were fighting. They yelled their names across the desolate blasted waste of no man’s land and got their enemies names in response. This conversation continued till both sides were as well acquainted as old friends. In the spirit of communication they met in the middle, a spontaneous ceasefire of proportions that had never been seen before, nor since. They exchanged gifts and swapped stories, they shared rations and talked of home and their plans for the future, and when the sun fell below the horizon they bid farewell to each other, knowing that upon the coming morn they would once more be enemies but happy in the comradery they had shared. For a brief moment not enemies, but people, simply people.” he said in a long-winded speech.
Neirdith was flabbergasted, how could a single holiday have so many different origin stories? ‘What was the true message, which beginning held the secrets of The Festival of Giving?’ she wondered to herself.
Surprisingly it was the rumbling voice of Skorr that spoke next from the galley’s entrance, breaking the pregnant silence with a single question. “Why is the origin important?”
She looked around, seeing the looks on the faces of those she loved and considered her family. Skorr was right, the ancient titan once more seeing the world not as a series of complex consequences, but as a simple place of action and reaction. She nodded and spoke up suddenly “Yeah, Skorr is right. Who cares where it all comes from, what matters is what meaning we find in it personally. I'm here, nowhere else in the universe I would rather be than with those I love.” she said and stepped to Seth’s side, her tail wrapping around his waist as he leaned into her side.
Creesh chirped “I second that!” as she hugged Jessie even tighter.
Grendel seemed to perk up, his face incapable of smiling, but his antenna lifting and his demeanor changing. “Well. With that, I declare the dinner complete!” he announced to the cheers and excitement of those seated around the large table.
Neirdith and Seth followed Grendel to the kitchen area, the long serving window filled with a multitude of dishes and delicacies. She heard the scuffle as everyone else followed them to the feast that had been laid out.
Grendel spread all five pairs of arms and said “Well? What are you waiting for? Dig on in, oh but make sure you are eating from the dishes labeled safe for your consumption.” She smirked at that. It was an obvious thing to say, but it was still necessary to say regardless as not everyone could metabolize the food that others could. Well except Seth and Samantha. The Humans and Yeown were interesting in that they could digest and extract nutrients from almost anything. It was ridiculous to the point of Humans and Yeown being able to digest things like minerals, glass, some metals and even certain types of polymers. Sure those were not exactly nutrition filled, but the very fact that Seth could eat a handful of steel bolts and not die was still incredible to her sensibilities.
So while Seth loaded up his plate from almost the entire selection of delectables, she stuck to the small area labeled ‘Nerivith’. Her people were fungivores but able to process some limited meat proteins, their copper based blood requiring a healthy dose of the mineral meant that the livers of various Earthly cattle were very nutritious indeed. Loading up on a large portion of chopped liver, Nurshtops and a few other types of mushroom she didn't immediately recognise, she turned and walked back to the table where the sound of chatter could already be heard.
Sitting next to Seth she ate her meal slowly, savoring each and every single bite. Seth and Samantha on the other hand seemed to be trying to eat the other under the table, both going back for first seconds, and then thirds. She shook her head as Grendel began to tell some tales from his youth of things he had seen on distant worlds and places long past. She smiled in contentment. This was exactly what life should be about, no worries about the troubles of the galaxy. Just good friends, and good food.
Seth leaned on her and groaned, holding his stomach. “Ohh mannnn. I think I ate too much.” he groaned in obvious discomfort. She just shook her head and looked at Samantha.
The large Yeown woman was in a similar state, her large furred head down on the table, her tongue lolling out of her toothy mouth and her eyes glazed over as she seemed to be in a daze. The plate in front of her littered with the scraps of her meal.
Seeing Gloom standing nearby she motioned them over and smiled as they plodded to her side. “Hey, sorry you couldn't join us Gloom.”
Seth raised a hand as she finished and muttered “Actually. We had something for him. Hey Grendel, can you show Gloom their thingy?”
Grendel, who had been busy eating a truly huge piece of bone-in roasted meat, his radula slowly dismantling the large hunk bit by bit, stopped eating and set his meal down. Cleaning off his greasy hands with a convenient piece of cloth, he moved back from the table, his stature not allowing him to sit at a chair like the rest of them. He skittered over to a corner of the room and called Gloom over. Neirdith was intrigued and decided to follow.
Seth groaned as she moved him from her side to the table, his posture mirroring that of Samantha as Neirdith stood and followed Gloom to the far corner of the room.
She was mildly curious, but Gloom seemed to be positively incensed with a fascination towards the large object that was sitting covered next to Grendel. As they reached the large Vinarfelien man, he gave a little bow with his upper body and said “Never let it be said I ever left a diner unsatisfied.” and then proceeded to pull the cover off the mystery object.
Gloom made a strange series of noises as their translator was completely overwhelmed with input. She looked more intently at the strange device. It was about the size of an oven with a complex series of buttons and dials on the front. It seemed to her to be some sort of capacitor bank with a lot of added complexity. As she came to this conclusion she realised what it must be.
As Grendel helped a static spouting Gloom turn the device on, she asked “Wait is this what I think it is?”
Grendel stopped a moment and replied “Well, if you are thinking it is a state of the art solar emulator then you would be correct. With this Gloom should be able to mimic the unique power output of any known star in the database. They can feel the cool pulse of Barnard’s star of the harsh solar storms of Scorch Prime.” he said matter of factly.
Gloom was far too preoccupied with the machine to pay them any mind, but she smiled at the large beings' obvious excitement. Their translator had given up on trying to translate and had instead shut off completely.
She and Grendel moved away, leaving the large dark crystal to their own devices and she asked “That’s super sweet of you Grendel.” the large man shook his chitinous head though.
“I must admit that it was all Seth’s idea. Where I personally had not even entertained such an idea. It shames me that I would not have put any thought into Gloom’s enjoyment if Seth had not been there to remind me. I am sorry.” he said.
She shook her head and gripped the large man's third right shoulder, stopping him. He gave her an almost unreadable look, only the twitching of his face plates and antennae giving his discomfort away. “I think you did a great thing here tonight. Gloom will likely never know unless you tell them, and I don't want you too. They deserve to think that this was your idea, you know they are feeling depressed lately, think of how they would feel if you admitted you didn't even think of them? I know it's not great to lie by omission, but in this specific instance I believe it's the right thing to do Grendel.” she told him.
He seemed a bit uncomfortable at first but then nodded. “Okay Neirdith. If Gloom does find out it won't be from me.” and then he walked away, towards the kitchen. He was likely going to start cleaning things up now, always a busy body.
She reached the table and sat by Seth once more. He looked at her and smiled. “I got you something, but I don't want to give it to you here.” he said.
She smiled and leaned close “Oh? That's fine. Because I have a gift for you as well, but you are going to have to unwrap me back in our room.” he frowned before the light of understanding crossed his face.
“I, oh. Oh! Uh, yeah. I can do that.” He said with a laugh and a wink. She smiled and batted his head with her tail.
She giggled and looked back around the table, the smiling faces and cheerful conversation filling her heart with love and appreciation. Not even a year ago she had been stuck in a dead end job she had hated. Now she owned her own ship, had a new family and friends. She said a quick thanks to the powers that be and joined into the conversation.
**********
Skorr watched their friends from the doorway, not able to directly participate but happy nonetheless. A feeling they were still getting used to. For eons they had known only rage and pain, but then Neirdith had saved them. She had shown them that there was more, and for that Skorr would forever be in her debt. They would follow her anywhere, do anything she asked of them. This small gathering was insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. It paled to absolute nothing compared to the things they had seen and done in their unfathomably long existence. But now, at this moment, Skorr could think of nothing more important in the entire universe. Settling back unto their massive mechanical legs, Skorr decided to rest, no reason to guard her now, nothing here would hurt her. Nothing would ever harm her again as long as they were near.
End of Story