The Acolytes of Crane (Theodore Crane, #1)(64)
There were three round tables in the center of the dining hall, with six settings of food placed upon the tables, groaning against the weight. Throughout the room, there was a hive of Sepherans bringing out mouth-watering food that appeared mystifying to me.
At the front of the dining hall, Nezatron, preening himself, looked like he was preparing a speech, and the Sepherans were lining up in formation side by side, as if they were going to sing.
One glass wall in the dining room showed off a slice of flora and fauna only found on other worlds. The giant aquarium had teeming plant life everywhere within. Trees and foliage lined the walls within this huge enclosure. The oxygen fed in from this conservatory was so clean—I could breathe deeply and comfortably. Visually quixotic birds were fluttering about within, and grotesquely formed yet alluring animals were prancing about. What a spectacle to those dining, to be able to see a whole new world across the thick glass.
I was gazing intently. At one end of his gigantic nature conservatory were guests of the ship who had entered through a secure door from the dining hall in order to entertain themselves.
‘Come on, Ted, let’s take a look, we can eat later,’ Lincoln tugged at me to go inside the world of vitality, clearly enthralled. We ducked in through an electronic entrance that checked our identity and beeped as we successfully passed through.
Enchanted, I looked around at the beguiling ecosystem. There was wild grass on the floor of the room, and various beings—Bromels, Karshiz, and Sepherans—were joyfully playing a type of hacky-sack. It looked like they were playing PELT, which was a game we made up on earth. To my immediate left, a tree stood about ten feet tall and looked a lot like a Venus flytrap. I leaned in closer to touch a leaf.
‘I would not do that if I were you; it is said that it can engulf and slowly digest its prey for eternity,’ a familiar soft Karshiz voice said from behind.
I turned around. ‘I wasn’t going to touch it. What is this place?’
‘This is the Hall of Efran, and that tree that stands before you is a deflicontis.’ Tez said. She was excited for knowing something I didn’t. Again, she was awesome on the eyes of budding young men. Unlike their male counterparts, the women’s entire body was covered in luscious thick hair of about one inch, with only the eyes easily visible.
‘I think you are pulling my leg for sure now,’ I said.
She looked at me bewildered and asked, ‘How could I pull your leg? I am standing over here with my hands on my hips.’ She rolled her eyes as she thought some more, then frowned. ‘Oh, I see! This is one of those human idioms.’
‘Well, I am not sure what an idiom is, I just know that it means joking. I felt you must have been joking with me. So this is where things are created?’ I asked.
‘It is a more complicated than that. . .’ she said, before being interrupted by the voice of Nezatron.
‘Attention everyone, please take your seats back in the dining room. I see all are engaged in a game of Jengitch over there. Please stop your game for a moment, so I may have a word,’ he waited about five minutes for everyone to take his or her seats, chatting among themselves.
Once everyone was sitting before the food, Nezatron positioned himself at the front of the dining hall. ‘I see that you have been fascinated by The Hall of Efran just across from this room. This fascination is well deserved. This Hall was used millions of years ago in the raising of newly created species. The ship has since then outgrown this Hall, and now instead all of our creations are fathered from the massive Garden of Odion which is located on the second level of the Uriel.’
Odion? I thought, puzzled. Why was such an honored enclave on the ship named after Zane’s most mortal enemy? I’ll find out later, I told myself.
The voice continued, ‘I must add that this Garden of Odion is strictly forbidden for many reasons, one of which being the existence of unpredictable predators, who can kill you if you are foolish enough to try to enter. The only person having a safe passage through that realm is Zane himself. Not even Migalt steps into the Garden of Odion without a gun blade close by.’
Nezatron paused for dramatic effect. ‘Dacturons are invading your planets. They are not doing it in a manner that causes widespread panic, but by stealth. You are here on the Uriel to train for your entry into the fight. The resistance is comprised mostly of three major species: the Bromels, the Karshiz, and the Humans. The Valeon Galaxy has yet to be tainted by this wicked plot, but there is no telling what may be going on beneath our noses. Now please enjoy the food, have an open mind, and embrace the unknown because that is what will make you succeed in these dark times. Acceptance of meaningful change leads to evolution.’
Tez was so enthusiastic that she clapped before Nezatron had finished, then a resounding escalation of applause followed. The cheering and noise subsided, then there was much imbibing, munching, laughing, and backslapping among three vastly different species of beings.
The tamed wildlife in the hall grew quiet as well and watched us through the secure glass while we ate. Everyone was digging into their roast beast and vegetable-like items. There were sauces that glowed, and huge colorful bugs that were piled into pyramids and presented as entrées.
The Bromels were devouring the crunchy bugs, and they seemed to enjoy them immensely. My crew just glared at the other tables with astonishment. The buffet style assortment of food, much of it unfamiliar to us, was quickly disappearing.