When the work was done, my face was flecked with carbon, and my stomach was growling so loudly it drew the attention of Tau.

“Are you purring?” he whispered as Nova inspected our work on the final power exchanger.

I rolled my eyes, and tried to focus on what Nova was saying. Something about leverage, getting the right angle with the brushes to make the work go faster? I couldn’t concentrate.

My stomach growled again, and this time Nova heard. “When was the last time you ate, Rook?” she asked suspiciously.

I wasn’t falling for it, hungry or not. “I don’t remember,” I lied; last meal I’d eaten before the vending machine food had been sushi, and though I had had the foresight to stuff myself as full as my nutritionist would allow, I was running on empty.

“How in the void can you not remember?” Tau asked.

Nova planted her hands on her hips disapprovingly. “If you’re going to haze the new guy, at least be creative about it. And do it on the way to the mess, I’m dismissing you two early with the understanding that you’ll use this free time to get some food and acquaint yourselves with the Clover.”

“Roger that, boss!” Tau barked, giving a careless salute before dashing away towards the lifts.

I lingered for another moment, debating on asking Nova why she stuck me with such a tool.

“You two are getting along like cats and dogs I see,” she observed, barely able to keep a straight face.

I forced a toothy, insincere smile, then rolled my eyes and started after Tau.

“What?” I heard her call between giggles. “Cuz’ you’re a bast and he’s-”

“No, I got it!” I shouted back, then stepped into the lift. I glimpsed his tail disappearing onto the second deck, so that’s where I stepped out.

“Took you long enough,” Tau grumbled, leaning against the wall beside the lift.

“Like, not even fifty ticks,” I insisted. “Besides, you missed a great joke about cats and dogs.”

Tau gagged. “Genotypicals be joking, but the moment you call them hairless apes...”

I cleared my throat to suppress a giggle. “Shall we?” I asked pointedly.

“Fuckin’ ice queen over here,” he grumbled.

The mess hall wasn’t far from the gravity shaft. The double doors slid open to reveal a spacious dining room with a convincing digital sky projected over its ceiling. A row of tables and benches crowded one half of the room, while the other was dominated by a line of serving dishes on rolling carts laden with various colors of... food? I eyed the textureless slop with disdain.

“Go on then, Richie!” Tau taunted, pushing me towards a stack of plastic trays. A group of blue-suited workers seated around one of the tables all turned to look at the spectacle. “It’s all you can eat!”

I tried to ignore the eyes on me, taking a deep breath. “My name is Rook,” I declared, then snatched a tray and spoon. I cautiously sniffed the mounds of nutrient paste, but none smelled any more or less appetizing.

I grabbed the ladle sticking out of the red stuff to a chorus of cheers and whistles, and scooped a big pile onto my tray. Making direct eye contact with Tau, I dropped the ladle, grabbed my spoon, and took a big bite.

It tasted like the fabricator that made it was out of every seasoning except salt, but it was tolerable. I swallowed the slime with difficulty, then stuck my tongue out at Tau to prove that it was gone.

He opened his mouth, no doubt to undermine my small victory, but was interrupted as a man in a blue jumpsuit put an arm roughly around my shoulders. “First time eating Frontier rations, huh kid?” he asked warmly.

“Uh, yeah,” I replied, squirming free from his aggressive touch.

“Don’t let Woofy here get to you. This slop is hard to digest for anyone, especially someone like you,” he smiled as he spoke, as if I were in on some joke with him. “So, reactor crew huh? What do you do there?”

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I shrugged. “Uh, junior engineer.”

The big guy burst out laughing. “Engineer! Sure you are.”

I narrowed my eyes. “And why exactly is that so funny?”

The worker seemed to realize it wasn’t a joke, and straightened up. “No shit, really? Sorry, it’s just that your kind aren’t really known for being good for manual labor.”

Tau stepped forward, arms folded and jaw set. “And what exactly do you know about his kind?” he demanded.

“Geez, it was just an observation. He’s a small guy is all, don’t be so sensitive about it,” the worker backed off, hands raised innocently over his head.

“Come on,” Tau growled, and grabbed himself a tray. He chose the green slop, then dragged me away to a table at the opposite end of the room. “Don’t worry about those guys,” he said as we sat down. “Their mouths are bigger than their brains.”

“I wasn’t worried,” I retorted. “I can take care of myself, thank you.”

Tau rolled his eyes. “Again with the ice queen act? Don’t you know us modders have to stick together?”

My tail lashed in frustration. “I’m not a modder,” I said quietly. “Unlike you, I was born this way.”

Tau stopped choking down his foodslime to stare at me, open-mouthed. “Seriously?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah. I’m not a modder, I’m a bast,” I explained, watching his face grow even more disgusted.

“My mistake,” he growled. “Thought we had at least one thing in common. Now I see the truth, that you really are better than me in every way huh?”

I froze mid-reply, realizing that I may have messed up my phrasing somewhere in our conversation. “I didn’t mean it like that! Not better, just... different.”

“Uh huh,” Tau grunted. “And those guys over there,” he pointed; they were making cat ears on one another with their fingers. “I’m sure they think you’re better than me too. I’m gonna go enjoy my day off, have fun showing yourself around.”

I shrank as I watched him depart, dumping his empty tray and utensil in a bin by the door. I looked back at the mound of red goo, sighed, and readied my spoon.

“Hey engineer catboy!” shouted a terran from across the room. “Don’t be shy, come over and eat with us!”

I grimaced. “It’s okay, I’m almost-”

“What? You’re too quiet, new guy! Just come over here!”

Not seeing a better way out, I took a deep breath and picked up my tray, then shuffled over to their table. “Hey,” I said awkwardly, and slid into an open spot at the end of the bench.

“Hey new guy,” said another of the group. “Don’t I recognize you from somewhere?”

I choked on my slop. “Probably not,” I answered quickly. “I’ve barely been off my homeworld.”

“No, I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere,” they insisted, peering at me curiously.

One thing was for sure; I needed to get rid of the pink in my hair. It was too much of a clue to my former life. I didn’t like the color anyway.

“Hey, are you ignoring me, catboy?”

I smiled shyly. “Sorry, just trying to eat my food,” I said, heart pounding in my chest. I shouldn’t have been rude to Tau, but he’s just such an asshole...

I readied myself for more harassment, but the heavy footsteps of Medina’s metal soldier marching into the mess shut down all chatter.

Apollyon took up a position at the end of the table and folded their arms impatiently, but said nothing while the others hastily scarfed down their meals. Soon enough, I was left alone with the brute.

I started to get up, though not quite finished with my red slop, but the Paladin cleared their throat pointedly. “The nutrient paste is free, though waste comes out of your paycheck at a punitive rate.”

I settled back down with a heavy sigh. “You know, I’m actually glad to see you for once. Those guys made me uncomfortable.”

They scoffed. “I am sure it was mutual.”

I shrugged. “I mean, all I did was eat my food. I don’t see why that would make anyone uncomfortable. For the record, I was born this way, before you call me a mutant again.”

They grunted. “My priestess explained to me what you are. I am unconvinced, but my duty to her comes before my duty to uphold human purity.”

I shook my head slowly. “Why don’t you come sit down, Sir Human Purity?” I suggested. “I’d rather be friends than enemies.”

“No,” they replied flatly.

“Suit yourself,” I said, and shrugged. As I continued to pick through my meal under the watchful gaze of Apollyon, another group filed noisily into the room, before one by one going silent, and quickly making their way back out. “So, you hate me because someone told you to, huh?” I mused.

“I do not hate you,” They finally said. “What you call hate, I call righteous fury against that which brings us further from Eden.”

“I don’t know what your Eden is, but I’m pretty sure me having a tail doesn’t have any effect on it,” I said flatly.

“There are conflicting interpretations,” they admitted. “My priestess can answer your questions. I will lead you to her.”

I finished off the last bite in the first half of my lunch. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit with me?” I asked. “Do you even eat?”

“Yes, and no. My armor provides all the energy I need,” they replied. “Besides, I would not eat here. I am a VIP.”

I didn’t remember their name being on Unity’s list, but saying so wouldn’t earn me any points with the tin can soldier. I took a breath, suppressed my nausea, and dug in.