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Risen Star
A Thursday Prompt story
© 2020 by Walter Reimer
Prompt: dining
Thumbnail art by
technicolor_pie and 
marmelmm
The mystery of just how the Terrans on Magus Station had acquired Kashlanin foodstuffs was easily solved after a conversation with one of the Support personnel. The tank-grown meat that Meredith’s co-mother had suggested had been tested and approved as safe. The pilot project was scheduled to be scaled up, with funding secured through a military contract with a Mercantile Fellowship. The Support station in the system had started a limited trade with This Far.
“May I have some?” Varan had asked, and after a short conversation the staff-subcaptain had given her a quarter-tech of the dark mauve flesh in a vacuum-sealed container.
“It’s yevech,” the kam told her, “and it’s not bad at all. The Terrans did very well with it.” He made a questioning gesture. “What are you going to make?”
“It can be eaten raw, yes?” The kam gestured affirmatively. “Good. I was thinking that I would make she’ehkīj.”
The staff-subcaptain smiled. “Please let me know how you like it.” Varan had thanked him again and purchased a few more ingredients before returning to her cabin aboard the Kith. After she had completed the day’s duties she set to work.
In Terran Basic, the dish was called Risen Star, and it was one of the first things she’d been taught to make as a child. She could almost hear her mother as she listed the ingredients. Yevech, zh’rekk and gchert leaves . . . Always first, though, was the marinade for the yevech, which would be sliced thin and left to soak in the mixture of fruit juice and spices for a minimum of two cycles.
As she worked, Varan’s memory took her back, giving her images of her as a child, singing along with her mother as she shredded the leaves with her fingerclaws and measured out the spices and other ingredients. Her tail swished in time and she caught herself smiling happily.
When it was finished, the greenish-black zh’rekk and mottled red and green gchert leaves, wilted slightly and tossed with a spicy-sweet dressing, were arrayed in two large concentric circles, supporting the thin slices of marinated yevech. The slices were arranged like the rays of a star, giving the dish its name. She poured a glass of henal and carried the dish and a set of tongs to the table.
The yevech was tender, almost meltingly so, and the marinade enhanced the taste of the flesh. She’d cooked the shredded leaves properly, and the complete dish was delicious. Varan took her time and enjoyed the meal, finally mopping up the last of the mingled dressing and marinade with a few leaves and the last piece of meat in her tongs. She belched softly as she sat back, savoring the last sip of her drink.
After clearing things away and cleaning up, she opened her padd and skimmed through a few late reports from the division heads. All reported that the cruiser and crew were in prime condition, mentally as well as physically, in case Fleet Command ordered them back into front line service. She signed off on the reports and forwarded them to Captain k’Jen.
Clearing the padd, she brought up the game module that she’d spent scattered moments here and there working on. Meredith was still in the This Far system, so she would likely be listed in the network . . . aka, there she was.
Cutting a small slice of d’rathi and refilling her henal, she forwarded the module to the golden palomino mare and waited for a reply.
***
The altar in the Temple of Mysteries stood bathed in multicolored sunlight as the kobold mage stepped forward. She paused to glance up at the stained glass window, from which an equine paladin in full armor stood suspended, before drawing a dagger and a potion vial from her belt.
She poured the viscous green liquid over the blade and held it over the altar as she chanted:
“By this compounded attar
My friend revert to matter
And this foul trap may shatter!”
Whereupon Varan drove the dagger into the altar.
The stone lid of the altar cracked and crazed before the entire structure crumbled into dust. There was the sound of shattering glass, and Meredith fell to the stone floor with a harsh clatter of armor. “Demef!” Varan exclaimed. She went over and crouched beside her. “Are you all right?”
“Give me a moment,” the mare said, still lying face down amid dead leaves and shards of stone from the altar. Slowly she started moving her limbs, rolled over and sat up. “Yeah, I’m all right, just very stiff. Thank you for getting me out of it.”
“I couldn’t leave you behind,” the vir pointed out. “In fact, that was the ‘mystery’ this place was about.” The golden palomino gave her a questioning look and Varan said, “Part of it was a test of friendship. Whether or not I would abandon you and continue alone.”
“Aka, that’s . . . “
“Stupid?”
“Yes, but now that I think about it,” Meredith said, “it’s perfectly in character for the designers. I’ll bet that potion caused you a lot of trouble to put together, too.”
Varan flexed her fingerclaws from their sheathes. “Yes, it was a great deal of trouble, but,” and she smiled, “it worked, and you’re free now. The puzzle said that it would ‘tell all’ if we reassembled it. Did it tell you anything?”
Meredith began shaking her head, but paused. “It was really insistent that I face forward.” She slowly got to her hooves and gazed up at where the window had been, then turned and looked at the wall that faced the window. She narrowed her eyes and pointed. “There! See that inscription?”
Varan followed the Terran’s finger and said, “Yes, I see it.” She squinted. “Terran Basic.”
“Yes . . . ‘Treasure can be found amid the dust.’” Meredith snorted. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Varan looked around. “The altar. It turned to dust.”
The pair set to work, and as soon as the dust was cleared the base of the altar vanished, revealing a holy sword and a reliquary. The reliquary, when opened, contained a spell book and a demon-dispelling relic.
***
“That was too easy,” Meredith said over the network as she saved the game module. “But thank you for getting me out of that trap.”
Varan smiled. “We will make it to the end of this together, lir demef. I did scout around while working to free you.”
“Yes?”
“There’s a village to the west of the Temple, containing an inn called the Teahouse of the Robust Goon. We may want to go there for clues.”
Meredith nodded, and watched as Varan scooped up a bit of something off a small plate with a blunt-edged knife, and after putting the morsel in her mouth was chewing with obvious pleasure. “What’s that?”
“Ernnh? Aka, this is d’rathi.” The vir momentarily left the focus for a moment, returning with a square box. “Take a look,” and she opened the lid, angling it toward the padd’s visual pickup.
A thick layer of shiny, almost oily-looking black solid took up most of the box, apart from where a corner had been cut out of it. The black layer was topped with a thin layer of white, almost like fondant. Meredith enlarged the image to look at it more closely.
And almost wished she hadn’t.
Tiny grubs, perhaps three millimeters long, were moving within the black layer. The mare’s ears flicked straight back as Varan explained, “The grubs are edible, and the dark layer is very sweet. As they move through it, they give it a trace of sourness.”
Meredith tried to keep her tone level. “And the white layer?”
“Their excreta. It’s very tasty.” Varan put the box away, giving time for the mare to compose herself before the vir returned to her seat. “I always had a hard time getting it.”
“I never heard of it.”
“It wasn’t available aboard when you were posted aboard, lir demef, and it’s quite toxic to Terrans.” Varan blinked at her. “Are you all right? Your nose looks a little pale.”
Meredith shook her head. “No, I’m fine. So, shall we head over to that teahouse?”
A Thursday Prompt story
© 2020 by Walter Reimer
Prompt: dining
Thumbnail art by
technicolor_pie and 
marmelmmThe mystery of just how the Terrans on Magus Station had acquired Kashlanin foodstuffs was easily solved after a conversation with one of the Support personnel. The tank-grown meat that Meredith’s co-mother had suggested had been tested and approved as safe. The pilot project was scheduled to be scaled up, with funding secured through a military contract with a Mercantile Fellowship. The Support station in the system had started a limited trade with This Far.
“May I have some?” Varan had asked, and after a short conversation the staff-subcaptain had given her a quarter-tech of the dark mauve flesh in a vacuum-sealed container.
“It’s yevech,” the kam told her, “and it’s not bad at all. The Terrans did very well with it.” He made a questioning gesture. “What are you going to make?”
“It can be eaten raw, yes?” The kam gestured affirmatively. “Good. I was thinking that I would make she’ehkīj.”
The staff-subcaptain smiled. “Please let me know how you like it.” Varan had thanked him again and purchased a few more ingredients before returning to her cabin aboard the Kith. After she had completed the day’s duties she set to work.
In Terran Basic, the dish was called Risen Star, and it was one of the first things she’d been taught to make as a child. She could almost hear her mother as she listed the ingredients. Yevech, zh’rekk and gchert leaves . . . Always first, though, was the marinade for the yevech, which would be sliced thin and left to soak in the mixture of fruit juice and spices for a minimum of two cycles.
As she worked, Varan’s memory took her back, giving her images of her as a child, singing along with her mother as she shredded the leaves with her fingerclaws and measured out the spices and other ingredients. Her tail swished in time and she caught herself smiling happily.
When it was finished, the greenish-black zh’rekk and mottled red and green gchert leaves, wilted slightly and tossed with a spicy-sweet dressing, were arrayed in two large concentric circles, supporting the thin slices of marinated yevech. The slices were arranged like the rays of a star, giving the dish its name. She poured a glass of henal and carried the dish and a set of tongs to the table.
The yevech was tender, almost meltingly so, and the marinade enhanced the taste of the flesh. She’d cooked the shredded leaves properly, and the complete dish was delicious. Varan took her time and enjoyed the meal, finally mopping up the last of the mingled dressing and marinade with a few leaves and the last piece of meat in her tongs. She belched softly as she sat back, savoring the last sip of her drink.
After clearing things away and cleaning up, she opened her padd and skimmed through a few late reports from the division heads. All reported that the cruiser and crew were in prime condition, mentally as well as physically, in case Fleet Command ordered them back into front line service. She signed off on the reports and forwarded them to Captain k’Jen.
Clearing the padd, she brought up the game module that she’d spent scattered moments here and there working on. Meredith was still in the This Far system, so she would likely be listed in the network . . . aka, there she was.
Cutting a small slice of d’rathi and refilling her henal, she forwarded the module to the golden palomino mare and waited for a reply.
***
The altar in the Temple of Mysteries stood bathed in multicolored sunlight as the kobold mage stepped forward. She paused to glance up at the stained glass window, from which an equine paladin in full armor stood suspended, before drawing a dagger and a potion vial from her belt.
She poured the viscous green liquid over the blade and held it over the altar as she chanted:
“By this compounded attar
My friend revert to matter
And this foul trap may shatter!”
Whereupon Varan drove the dagger into the altar.
The stone lid of the altar cracked and crazed before the entire structure crumbled into dust. There was the sound of shattering glass, and Meredith fell to the stone floor with a harsh clatter of armor. “Demef!” Varan exclaimed. She went over and crouched beside her. “Are you all right?”
“Give me a moment,” the mare said, still lying face down amid dead leaves and shards of stone from the altar. Slowly she started moving her limbs, rolled over and sat up. “Yeah, I’m all right, just very stiff. Thank you for getting me out of it.”
“I couldn’t leave you behind,” the vir pointed out. “In fact, that was the ‘mystery’ this place was about.” The golden palomino gave her a questioning look and Varan said, “Part of it was a test of friendship. Whether or not I would abandon you and continue alone.”
“Aka, that’s . . . “
“Stupid?”
“Yes, but now that I think about it,” Meredith said, “it’s perfectly in character for the designers. I’ll bet that potion caused you a lot of trouble to put together, too.”
Varan flexed her fingerclaws from their sheathes. “Yes, it was a great deal of trouble, but,” and she smiled, “it worked, and you’re free now. The puzzle said that it would ‘tell all’ if we reassembled it. Did it tell you anything?”
Meredith began shaking her head, but paused. “It was really insistent that I face forward.” She slowly got to her hooves and gazed up at where the window had been, then turned and looked at the wall that faced the window. She narrowed her eyes and pointed. “There! See that inscription?”
Varan followed the Terran’s finger and said, “Yes, I see it.” She squinted. “Terran Basic.”
“Yes . . . ‘Treasure can be found amid the dust.’” Meredith snorted. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Varan looked around. “The altar. It turned to dust.”
The pair set to work, and as soon as the dust was cleared the base of the altar vanished, revealing a holy sword and a reliquary. The reliquary, when opened, contained a spell book and a demon-dispelling relic.
***
“That was too easy,” Meredith said over the network as she saved the game module. “But thank you for getting me out of that trap.”
Varan smiled. “We will make it to the end of this together, lir demef. I did scout around while working to free you.”
“Yes?”
“There’s a village to the west of the Temple, containing an inn called the Teahouse of the Robust Goon. We may want to go there for clues.”
Meredith nodded, and watched as Varan scooped up a bit of something off a small plate with a blunt-edged knife, and after putting the morsel in her mouth was chewing with obvious pleasure. “What’s that?”
“Ernnh? Aka, this is d’rathi.” The vir momentarily left the focus for a moment, returning with a square box. “Take a look,” and she opened the lid, angling it toward the padd’s visual pickup.
A thick layer of shiny, almost oily-looking black solid took up most of the box, apart from where a corner had been cut out of it. The black layer was topped with a thin layer of white, almost like fondant. Meredith enlarged the image to look at it more closely.
And almost wished she hadn’t.
Tiny grubs, perhaps three millimeters long, were moving within the black layer. The mare’s ears flicked straight back as Varan explained, “The grubs are edible, and the dark layer is very sweet. As they move through it, they give it a trace of sourness.”
Meredith tried to keep her tone level. “And the white layer?”
“Their excreta. It’s very tasty.” Varan put the box away, giving time for the mare to compose herself before the vir returned to her seat. “I always had a hard time getting it.”
“I never heard of it.”
“It wasn’t available aboard when you were posted aboard, lir demef, and it’s quite toxic to Terrans.” Varan blinked at her. “Are you all right? Your nose looks a little pale.”
Meredith shook her head. “No, I’m fine. So, shall we head over to that teahouse?”
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Alien (Other)
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 47.1 kB
In my many travels, every place I visited had some obscure delicacy that the local populace thought nothing of, but made me look askance thinking "Are they kidding? Are they trying to pull one over on the foreigner?"
I ate a lot of weird stuff while in the Navy.
I ate a lot of weird stuff while in the Navy.
I look at it this way - some human decided once to take a chance and eat something that had just erupted out of the back end of a chicken. And another one tried raw oysters, and a third accidentally dropped a piece of raw hyrax into his fire, and was too hungry to simply throw it away.
Who are we to judge?
(I caught myself trying to think of a real analogue to this dish. Of course, I'd have to cook the chicken.)
Who are we to judge?
(I caught myself trying to think of a real analogue to this dish. Of course, I'd have to cook the chicken.)
I've had to eat a lot of strange things on my travels through Ryperna. Mimic birds are a delicacy in Mesartis, considering how killing one during the day can sic the whole flock on you, and at night... Well, let's just say it's very dangerous work, where you're liable to lose your life if you hunt them alone. Two or more Rypernans can take them down easily, though. Eating their meat is a tradition at the Eustrom festival, especially with a few eggs here and there. It has to be cooked very slowly to get the Void energy out, though, so it's a bit juicier than it was to begin with by the time it's safe to eat.
So you're published, right?
A lot of compliments come to mind. I could try to offer one criticism, but it would be as a layman speaking to a practitioner.
There is a vastness to the exposition that, in a short format, impresses a desire to have a slower immersion. There's details that fly by as I went along, and I wanted to investigate further.
Generally? You're very talented, and here you seem to gleefully dig in. The characters are vivid, intimately rendered and carry a full deck. When Varan was remembering her mother, I knew I loved her. You can take things that are strange or repugnant and make them wholesome and funny, is a talent that takes a lot of practice and at least some natural ability.
A lot of compliments come to mind. I could try to offer one criticism, but it would be as a layman speaking to a practitioner.
There is a vastness to the exposition that, in a short format, impresses a desire to have a slower immersion. There's details that fly by as I went along, and I wanted to investigate further.
Generally? You're very talented, and here you seem to gleefully dig in. The characters are vivid, intimately rendered and carry a full deck. When Varan was remembering her mother, I knew I loved her. You can take things that are strange or repugnant and make them wholesome and funny, is a talent that takes a lot of practice and at least some natural ability.
Yes, I'm published; I started writing about the Kashlani shortly after I graduated high school in 1979. The three published books were largely a vanity project.
While "a slower immersion" would add more detail, I try to avoid getting too far into the weeds all in one go. I'll put my Captain Exposition hat on, though, if it's necessary to the story.
I thank you very much. I had another writer in another forum refer to me obliquely as a "third rate hack," and I try very hard not to do things like that. The Kashlani are my creation, and I exercise care in getting them right. This current story with Meredith and Varan has been going since late 2017.
While "a slower immersion" would add more detail, I try to avoid getting too far into the weeds all in one go. I'll put my Captain Exposition hat on, though, if it's necessary to the story.
I thank you very much. I had another writer in another forum refer to me obliquely as a "third rate hack," and I try very hard not to do things like that. The Kashlani are my creation, and I exercise care in getting them right. This current story with Meredith and Varan has been going since late 2017.
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