Risen: Shatterverse

Chapter 18: Not Just Another Terran

The newcomer, also kroshan and wearing heavy overalls just like Drava, looked over at him with a toothy grin.

"You're not the only one that's curious about these new bodies, big brother," she said, a sleeker, more graceful version of the muscular and powerfully built Drava. Sporting one thick braid going down the center and two smaller braids on either side, her finer features made her quite feminine in comparison to the square features of her brother, though more sturdy than your standard human female. Sturdy, but still incredibly attractive, somehow.

Then she was bringing to bear those cat-like eyes on me.

"You didn't say you had a hero visiting you, brother," she said. Before the frowning Drava could reply, she stepped forward with a friendly smile and her hand extended human style.

"Hello. I'm Chaal Drava."

Taking her hand in a firm grip, I gave it a quick shake.

"Version Two," I said in reply, a smile of my own on my face. "But most just call me Two."

"Two." Chaal's smile brightened as she gave my hand another shake before letting it go. "I like that. Nice and simple. I think I saw you at the canteen an hour or so ago. You were with a Juno class and a butterfly jockey."

"Perkins and Kresh," I said with a nod. "We were trying to have a drink together."

"Trying being the operative word," Chaal said with a disapproving snort. "SP's pulled you out of there before you could even finish your first one."

"What's this, now?" Drava looked over at me with a frown. "Shore Patrol yanking a non-Ascendency soldier out of a social situation while off-duty?? Were you doing something wrong, Two? Because if you weren't, the blue sleeves were out of line with that. Like, way out of line!"

"No," I said. "Nothing illegal or wrong, or anything. But I was wanted in a high level briefing in the Games Room."

"Well, shit," Drava growled even as Chaal nodded in understanding. "When the epaulets talk, the enlisted walk. Hopefully they didn't drag you through it."

"I've been through worse," I said with a wry smile.

"Sounds like you still need that drink, Two," Chaal said, her smile returning. "Good thing you've come to our garage where we built our own synthesizer for nano-beer. That is, if you still want one."

"If it's Kroshan ale, I sure do," I replied, making both kroshans laugh.

"Not sure what that is, actually," Chaal said as she stepped to a flat panel to move her fingers quickly over an interface. "We don't drink anything called that on Krosus."

A swirl of light then three flattened bottles of some dark material appeared on a recessed assembly pad. Reaching in, Chaal took hold of them and stepped back. One she tossed to her brother, who nodded in thanks, a second came to me, and the third she opened with a confident twist.

"This is Moondust, a nano-beer kroshan synthoids have been drinking for a couple centuries," she said before taking a long pull from the bottle. For his part, Drava was chugging his.

"Nice and clean, with a hint of smokiness and fruit," she said after dropping the bottle away from her mouth to look at the bottle itself. "I couldn't appreciate it fully until you gave us these bodies, Two. I like it."

"Me too," Drava said, finally dropping the bottle from his lips to also look at it with a nod of appreciation. "A little lighter than my usual, but nice body and flavor. Lots of texture there."

Hearing those positive notes, I undid mine with a twist and took a cautious sniff. Which I knew I could do with these nano-brews, which were crafted to interact with mechanical bodies like my neoshell. Hmm. Not bad. A bit stronger than the ale served at the canteen, but not unpleasant. I then lifted it to my mouth and took a cautious swig. And almost immediately found myself smiling.