V - the Visitors

Daniel was just about to reach into the fish tank, when he noticed from the corner of his eyes that the menu right above the rodent cages advertised rat as today’s special. Daniel liked rat, the contrast between the furred body and the naked tail made his palate tingle. As a member of the lower classes he had lived off canned food for most of his life. He knew how to properly use a fork and was good at seasoning processed meat to make it less revulsive, even tasty. That was a useful skill, but also a mark of the underclass on his home world.

Those Visitors stationed on the motherships were still subjugated to that diet. Having a room at the Belle Isle base offered access to small luxuries like WISTARAT.

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For the Visitors, who gulped down live animals, their food’s taste didn’t really matter. The prey’s smell was most important, followed by the texture. A fish went down differently than a rodent, a rat’s tail produced a different sensation from a squirrel’s or a tailless guinea pig. For the serious gourmand the different fur structures of the various guinea pig races made all the difference.

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An appetizing presentation in a bowl contributed to the dining experience. In this regard the cafeteria only had to offer the good old “pull out randomly and make room for the next one in the queue” cages. But since Cole and Daniel were alone this morning, Daniel could carefully select a choice specimen. He ruffled the meal's fur while lifting it up to his mouth, to bring out the texture to the fullest, opened his jaws wide and...

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Daniel: “Ouch! Ow! The little motherplummer BIT me! Does everything on this world hate us?!”

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Daniel: “Ew... I’m not eating that! Back in you go!”

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Close up of Daniel’s breakfast misshap.

I didn’t try for this result, could just as well have ended with Daniel eating the rat.