I smile over at him. He’s been sitting right next to be at the kitchen table, eating alongside me.
He smiles back at me, his attractive face getting even more handsome. “I enjoy these pancakes with may-pull sir-up. Human food is always enjoyable.”
“It’s true,” Jana laughs. “Beings all over the four sectors consider humans to be nice caretakers of the young and old, and they also think we have excellent food. This is another reason why I left New Earth for work, because being a human Chef who can make authentic human food makes me in demand.”
Jana tells interesting stories of all the job offers she’s received and rejected from fancy places all over the four sectors. Lila appears with a tall glass of something purple. “And drink this. It’s a Xylan recovery blend. Heavy swears by it after long shifts.”
“It’s good,” Texon agrees. “I drink it too.”
I take a sip. It tastes like berries and something mineral. Not bad, actually.
“How are you feeling?” Roxy asks, settling into the chair across from me. “Any pain? Dizziness? Nausea?”
“I feel fine. Better than fine, actually. It’s weird.” I look down at my side again, still expecting to see a wound. “I got stabbed a few hours ago and I feel like I just woke up from a really good nap.”
“That’s the rapid healing technology,” Roxy explains. “You might feel a little tired later as your body catches up, but by tomorrow you’ll be completely normal.”
“It’s incredible. On New Earth, I’d be in a hospital bed for a week. And the cost would be...” I shake my head. “There’s a new free med lab being installed in my neighborhood back home. It’s part of an IHO initiative, the Intergalactic Health Organization. They’re trying to bring basic healthcare access to everyone.”
“The IHO,” Roxy smiles. “I used to work for them.”
“You did?”
She nods. “Before I came to Timbur, I was a lab technician on Rigtor Five. I worked for a medical scientist named Aleksandr Petrov. He was trying to bring portable med labs to underserved populations across the four sectors.” She pauses. “The free med lab in your neighborhood, that’s his legacy. That’s what he dedicated his life to.”
“Oh that’s wonderful. What a terrific project. Does he still work for the IHO?”
“No, he died.” Her voice is rough. “The Lurks killed him.”
“The Lurks?”
Roxy’s jaw tightens. “They’re a species known for their medical industry, they manufacture most of the med labs across the four sectors. It’s incredibly profitable. Petrov’s research threatened that profit margin because he wanted to give awaywhat they were selling. So they killed him for it.” She pauses. “They also committed genocide against the Yurds on Rigtor Five just to get access to his lab. Wiped out an entire population as a cover story for a corporate raid.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah.” Roxy’s voice is flat. “The Lurks aren’t beings you want to cross. They have money, power, and they don’t care who they hurt to protect their interests.”
There’s something in her eyes that tells me there’s more to this story. But I don’t push. We all have things we don’t talk about.
“The med labs back on New Earth, the basic free ones your neighborhood is getting, those can handle injuries and trauma,” Roxy continues. “Life-saving techniques. But they can’t do what this med lab just did for you.” She gestures around us. “Timbur’s med lab is the kind usually reserved for battleships, governments, the extremely wealthy. This is needed for them because Illibrium miners are rare.” She smiles at all the fever brothers standing or sitting around the table. “The crystals choose who can harvest them, and there aren’t many beings in the galaxy who qualify. So miners and their families receive the absolute best care.” She gives me a small smile. “Petrov would have loved that you, a human from New Earth, just received such good care. He dreamed of a universe where everyone had access to health care like this, not just the rich and powerful.”
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “For telling me about him.”
Cannibal sets a bowl of something warm and savory in front of me. “Eat this too. It’s bone broth. Good for healing.”
“Cannibal, I really can’t?—”
“You can.” He crosses his massive arms. “You will.”
Roxy squeezes my hand. “Eat your bone broth. Doctor’s orders.”
I look around the table at all of them. The entire family is here, even the children. They are all either taking up seats at the table or are nearby, in the living area. This is what family looks like, I realize. Not just people who share blood, but people who show up. I’ve been alone for so long. I forgot what this felt like.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. “All of you. For everything.”
“You’re one of us now,” Lila looks over at Texon, then back at me. “We take care of our own.”
Heavy grunts in agreement. “Drink your recovery blend.”
