'All of them are cautious,' he thought, placing his tray of food on an empty table as his eyes darted across the room once more. 'Wouldn't be surprised if multiple of them were wanted criminals.'
The insect-faced one especially caught his attention. From the brief glimpse under his mask, he'd seen the chitin plates layered over his skin like armor.
'A full insect race? Or a hybrid?' Zion wondered. 'Either way, it's a surprise to see one outside of their hive planets.'
He studied the creature for a moment longer before lowering his gaze to his food tray. 'Last thing I need is to irritate them by staring too much.'
He remembered the hive planet he'd gone to with his former best friend. The planet was filled with endless tunnels, the air thick with spores and entire colonies mindlessly working under their queens.
'Despite how primitive their technology is, they're a powerful race,' he thought, biting into a slice of bread. 'That chitin armor can rival a nanosuit, and each of them has their own built-in weapon.'
Before he could continue thinking, a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
''Enjoying the company?'' Ravel asked, sitting down in front of Zion with a tray of food for himself.
Zion looked up, surprised to see him here. ''I can't complain,'' he said. ''You have a very interesting crew.''
''They keep the ship running,'' Ravel replied, biting down on a large piece of meat. ''Wouldn't trust anyone else with it.''
Zion tilted his head slightly, studying Ravel between bites.
''Didn't expect to see you eating down here,'' he said. ''Don't captains usually have their own quarters for that?''
Ravel snorted, shaking his head. ''Yeah, some do… but I don't see the point. The crew eats the same junk I do, so we might as well eat it together.''
Zion nodded slowly, letting the answer sit for a moment. It might seem like the obvious answer, but in reality, he knew that wasn't always the case.
'If a scavenger captain starts eating among his crew, they might lose respect and challenge him,' he thought. 'But the crew here doesn't seem like that at all.'
Both Zion and Ravel went quiet after that, focusing on their food. Slowly, the rest of the crew also minded their own business, though their conversations remained quiet and occasional stares were directed at Zion.
Zion didn't mind this in the slightest though. Each moment of silence allowed him to think and digest the situation.
'Uriel,' he thought silently. 'How long until we reach Daresk, did you say?'
[A little under four days are left,] Uriel replied softly.
'Four days, huh,' he thought, closing his eyes for a moment. 'Guess that gives me plenty of time to observe this strange crew.'
As he opened his eyes again, Zion noticed Ravel had already finished eating. The man leaned back in his chair, an unreadable look in his eyes as he stared at his crew.
Zion followed his gaze, his eyes barely falling on the crew members before he turned back again.
''Not what you'd expected, huh?'' Ravel said, now staring at Zion.
''You could say that,'' Zion gave a slight nod. ''I've seen scavenger crews before, but never one this… mixed.''
Ravel's face remained neutral, only giving a slight nod before he spoke again. ''Only works because most of them have something in common… regardless of their race, each person here has a past.''
Zion looked at him, but Ravel didn't elaborate. Instead, he grabbed his empty tray and pushed himself up from the table.
''You can find your own way back to your room,'' he said without looking at Zion. ''You're free to come here whenever you want—just remember, if you wander anywhere else on the ship, your safety's on you.''
Zion's eyes widened slightly, but before he could answer, Ravel had already set aside his tray and started heading for the mess hall's exit.
''What the…'' he muttered.
He watched Ravel disappear behind the exit doors as they hissed shut, still in complete confusion himself.
'Why did he allow this?' he wondered. 'If I wanted to… this could be a chance to sabotage the ship and escape.'
Though that was still incredibly difficult, it was no longer completely impossible with this level of freedom.
Before he could think any further, Zion was alerted by the sudden shift in the room. Each of the crewmates currently present stared at him cautiously before returning to their food.
'I shouldn't overstay my welcome,' he thought, chewing down on the final few bites of food.
Throwing the last piece of meat into his mouth, Zion stood up under the crew's cautious eyes and set his plate aside.
He took one short glance at the room. 'Even after Ravel's gone, they still keep their distance from me,' he thought, giving a slight nod. 'I wonder what they all have in common for this level of respect.'
Zion turned towards the exit, the sound of his footsteps echoing lightly through the mess hall. No one stopped or spoke to him, but their eyes followed him intently.
The metal doors hissed open in front of him, revealing the corridor he'd already walked through a few times by now.
The doors shut behind him with a hiss, and Zion let out a quiet breath. The silence of the corridor felt better than the stares back in the mess hall.
'Uriel,' he thought quietly. 'Show me the way back. I really don't want to take a wrong turn.'
[Understood,] Uriel responded. [Go straight and take the second left. Your room is at the end of that corridor.]
Zion gave a grateful nod and followed the directions. The lights flickered as he walked, accompanied by the faint hum of the ship in the air.
Halfway down the hall, a crewmember appeared from the opposite side. Their eyes met for only a second before the man looked away and kept walking, ignoring him completely.
'So they already know,' Zion thought, glancing over his shoulder. 'Ravel must've warned them not to get close.'
He turned another corner, and finally, his door came into view. Without hesitation, he stepped inside. The door slid shut behind him, leaving him completely alone.