Earth Quadra: The Wrong Planet by Mervyn Byron

Author:Mervyn Byron [Byron, Mervyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-07-27T22:00:00+00:00

Later that evening, the two groups are sitting together around the fire and talking. The last rays of sunset disappear from the darkening sky as they are digging into fist-sized pieces of meat.

“Wow! Is this ever good...!” Gord exclaims.

“You can say that again!” Tanya agrees. “I've never tasted anything quite like it.”

“You mean to say it doesn't taste like chicken?” offers Justin.

“No way, chicken is good, but this is kind of like a cross between chicken, turkey, goose, and is essentially purrrrrfect!” Tanya chuckles.

Ida is eating from a ration pack, and Tanya, never shy at making a point, glances at Ida. “How's your snack bar tasting, Ida; a little old is it?” she jibes. “Sure, you don't want a piece of this? It's a whole lot fresher than sixty-year-old ration packs.”

Tanya holds up a big juicy piece of leg meat and waves it at Ida. Ida rolls her eyes. “Don’t make me sick! The rations are just fine and as fresh as the day they were packed,” she emphasizes.

“OK, suit yourself, but you're missing out on something special here.”

Justin smiles and clears his throat. “Tanya, don't be a pest. Ida has her principles, and we need to respect them and her desire to stick by them.”

Tanya shrugs and takes a bite of the drumstick. “You're right, as long as everyone realizes that goes both ways. I was just trying to be neighborly!” she says innocently.

“It sounds like you don’t like vegans, Tanya,” says Amber.

“On the contrary, I love vegans. They are the best eating! This bird was a vegan!”

Nasir snorts, then chuckles and chokes a little as he listens. After catching his breath again, he glances at Justin. “So, the stunner was effective?”

“Yep, but we didn't stick around to find out how long it kept them down,” replies Justin.

“Mind you, the knife in its head was probably a good move too,” Nasir suggests.

“I thought so at the time, but everyone on the infrastructure team won't share that sentiment!”

Nasir nods slightly. “Different scenarios require different tactics, and there usually isn't time to take a vote.”

“You've got that right,” Justin nods. “But I get the feeling we’d be overruled on that aspect.”

“Well, I’d agree we’d be outnumbered on a vote, but not overruled in the heat of the moment...you do what you have to do to save a life,” says Nasir.

Justin nods again. “Yep!” He takes another bite as Nasir continues.

“So, besides the big centipedes,” Nasir adds, “did you encounter anything else that looked dangerous?”

“Nothing big anyway,” says Justin. “We saw a lot of tracks, though, and judging from the shape and size, they weren't all vegetarians. How about you guys?” he asks.

“We've seen small herds of herbivores, grazing in meadows and a few running from something, but no actual sign of a predator, other than some tracks now and then,” Nasir explains.

“All the same, we'd better be careful on our way back tomorrow. We're leaving quite a scent trail for anything to follow if it's curious what we might taste like,” Justin suggests.

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