A Good Meal

The interior of the floating restaurant on an asteroid in the middle of the central part of the Milky Way galaxy was eclectic to say the least. It had three different sets of interior decorations and three overhead names. The biggest sign of the three was one that said: The Undying Phoenix. It sounded like it belonged on a pub door. The décor looked as though it was built in a Nordic hall, full of rustic wooden tables and chairs. Each wooden beam intricately joined with the most difficult of joinery. A wooden bar marked the far end of the wall, complete with the shelves of different bottles of booze. A cutout in the wall made a window into the kitchen beyond where food could be ordered and picked up.

To the left of the central area where The Undying Phoenix made its home, was a sign that said: Jupiter 12. The décor of this section of the restaurant was more like a diner that I had passed a couple of times on my way to Atlanta's Rest. The very 1950s CE meets 2300s CE look of silver furniture and white counters with red cushion on the seats. The rounded almost flying saucer look that made its presence the forefront of the décor was very evident. The kitchen here was exposed for everyone to see what was cooking. It definitely had those burger joint vibes.

On the right of The Undying Phoenix was a third sign that read: Foz' Bites. This style was a little more upscale ethnic food meets pomp. Tables draped in long white cloths and dimly lit for ambiance. The servings were probably bite sized too and expensive. Anything to do with the kitchen was out of sight. Server droids bounced back and forth between tables, carrying food all over the restaurant.

The place smelled like a giant food truck. A cacophony of smells assailed my nose. The smell of grease, smoke, and spices filled the air like a thick miasma, making its way into every single atom of the surroundings. It will definitely leave with you. 

I wondered why Yrh'danyr took me here. This was definitely the oddest place I had ever been to. Nothing looked as though they belonged together. I didn't know where to sit or even where to look.

"Come, this way." Yrh'danyr directed. She had taken a slightly different form than what I was used to seeing her in. Her snake like lower half was gone. She looked more like a Scarrin now. A humanoid with a snake head. I guessed it made it easier to move about in such cramped places. Yrh'danyr led me to a table directly in the middle of the three restaurants, right in the middle of view from everyone in the entire establishment. "You mentioned you would like a really good meal. This place makes the best Terran food outside of Terra." She sat down.

I sat down across from her. "Why are you being so nice to me all the sudden?" I got right to the point of what I was thinking. It had been bothering me for awhile now. Since she offered to take me to get clothes.

She smiled weakly. I could tell she was unsure of how I was going to take what she was about to say and was trying her best to present herself in a more amicable way. She was beyond nervous. "I know what you did. But, even before that, when Rammel explained what his intentions were, I realized we had gone about everything the wrong way. Whisper and Yog had swayed us into thinking that you were our enemy. That your father and grandfather were our enemies." She paused a second. "I am just trying to right our wrongs. I want you to know we are not your enemy."

"What do you mean, you know what I did?"

She leaned in and whispered what she said next. "You not only revived us all but, you also absorbed A'grappa. I can sense him inside you. Not many of the Minor Ones are as keen on sensing the minute flows of mana as Talanys and myself."

A droid came up to us, interrupting our conversation. His calculated and dry voice met us through a prewritten script. "Welcome to The Undying Phoenix, home of Foz' Bites and Jupiter 12. We have all the delights found across the Milky Way. Can I have your order?"

"A bowl of tom yum and some fish fry." Yrh'danyr ordered. I could tell she was looking forward to the meal just by the way she said it. She was doing everything not to lick her lips in front of me.

I quickly thought about what I really was in the mood for. Sandlands' traditional dishes would be unknown to these people. Their ideas of food probably comes from more than two thousand years ago. But, the spread of different types of meals throughout Earth was pretty easy in those days. "Egusi soup, piri-piri chicken, and a side of som tam." I settled on something that would make me feel nice and warm inside.

"I see you like it spicy."

"I like food that makes you feel alive while you eat." I countered.

The droid wandered off. Probably to relay the order to the kitchens that would be cooking it. This time the droid was replaced by a second droid. "What kinds of beverages would you like to have with your meal?" This one was a little less stiff.

"You can bring a bottle of Dragon's Fire and leave it at the table." Yrh'danyr said fervently. "What would you like, Mara?"

"A bottle of Soten Ranka, if you have it."

The droid wandered to the bar.

Yrh'danyr leaned in close again. "Soten Ranka?" She sounded surprised. "That stuff is stronger than Dragon's Fire. I never pegged you for someone who could handle that sort of stuff." She sat back again. "I am in the presence of someone with very strong tastes." She smiled.

We waited patiently for nearly an hour and a half for our food. When it came, the smell of the spices hit the table first. I could smell the hot scotch bonnets and chili peppers. Yrh'danyr's fish fry looked so soft and crispy that it made me think it was going to crackle when she bit into it. Her soup was very bright and inviting. My soup was very bright red and looking spicy. My salad was very bright and looked light. Even my chicken was charred to perfection. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into my food. My mouth was watering.

"I see why you brought me here." I countered my earlier skepticism. "It definitely has promise." I dug into my food as the bottles Dragon's Fire wine and Soten Ranka baijiu made their way to the table with a pair of glasses. I immediately poured myself a shot of the baijiu and downed it. The fire coated my belly along with all the spices from my food. I could feel the warmth emanate through me like I was sitting directly in front of a fireplace.

All of my cares melted away with the food.

An idea suddenly popped into my head. "Yrh'danyr, if we are to make sure the Great Ones cannot return, why don't we go to the place they are sealed away?" I often wondered why the Minor Ones hadn't done something all this time while the Great Ones had been sealed.

"For one, we are not strong enough on our own to destroy them. Not entirely." She responded. "For two, you are definitely not ready to go to Heron's Gate. The mana there would kill you by itself. It is steeped in mana from days immemorial."

"Heron's Gate?" It was my turn to be surprised.

"The home of the Great Ones. The place where everything began. The place where all shall end." She remarked. "It was named for the first mortal ever made. Heron dal Gazna or Heron the Great. He was Marthukas' favorite. The Great Ones created Heron's Gate to house them as they designed the multiverse and created the system in which the plan could be carried out."

"That reminds me, why is this universe called the Prime Universe?" I questioned. It would be hard to explain that I had heard the name from Whisper, since he was dead and absorbed into me. I wasn't sure she knew exactly how my powers worked.

"This is the first universe. The Prime. This is the heart of the multiverse." She answered. "And, no. You cannot go between the universes. At least, not as you are. You would have to gain much more mana efficiency for that."

"So, it is possible though?"

"Yes." She nodded. "We are not the only Minor Ones. There are a great many of us. A certain number of Minor Ones were assigned to each universe to oversee the mortal races. We rarely have contact with each other but, it is possible." Then, she motioned towards my food. "Go on, eat. Before the food goes cold."