Dead Star Dockyards

One liter.

To a single person, this might be a sizeable amount of fluid to drink at any given time, more than some could drink in a meal. Spread across multiple people, the perceived largeness of a single liter decreases exponentially. Two people halve it, ten drop it to half a cup each, and twenty barely leave enough to each have a shot's worth. Beyond that, there isn't really enough left to entice someone into trying it. 

Diana had been limited to nine liters for her market research project, a reasonable amount for the setting, but had made a mistake in the process. She had produced one liter of nine different products, not nine liters of a single product. The main guests had yet to arrive and she had already gone back to refill them all twice.

Well, she didn't have to. That job had been dumped on Donovan, who was more than happy to help while she made sure everything else ran smoothly. He had even gone so far as to mark each bottle with a piece of tape and a marker (materials Diana had thought might be useful at some point in the past) as well as mark all of the glasses with a 'fill to' point. So long as Diana filled them to around that point, she should get five classes worth of drink from each bottle. 

"Mm!" Cherry, whom Diana was training as the beverage boy, er, girl, for the night. Diana had expected her to appreciate the Cherry Cola, but this level of infatuation with 'her drink' was a tad amusing.

"Remember that the guests need to have some as well, Cherry." She had already consumed a liter of it on her own. "And don't drink too much, you might get an upset stomach."

"Okie-dokie!" Cherry served one of her coworkers with the strawberry alcohol fizzy drink, plinking one of the ice cubes in there after she finished pouring. 

"The ice goes in first, Cherry." Gretts hobbled over from the appetizer table, evidently finished supervising the set up. "Not that it seems to matter."

"Really?" Diana was the one who taught Cherry to put the ice in last. "Why?"

"I've supervised some parties that use ice in alcoholic beverages before, and the idea is to chill the beverage to change the taste. Placing the ice in after pouring will leave the bottom layer warm, while pouring the beverage over ice will make it all cold." Gretts accepted a glass of Cherry Cola (she had promised Cherry she would try her drink) before continuing. "Given how little you can afford to put in each glass compared to the amount of ice though, I don't think there's much of a 'bottom' to leave warm."

Gretts eyes widened slightly as the soda ran down her throat.

"How peculiar."

"It's so tasty, isn't it!?" Cherry was naturally quite enthusiastic at the positive response from her mother figure. 

"It is certainly much sweeter than I had been expecting. I assume it's different from the normal Cola, no?"

"Yes. Call it a strange coincidence if you will, but cherries were a type of fruit on Terra."

"Hmm. So you added them to the cola." Gretts nodded as she drank the rest. "I take it these are the same cherries you mentioned as being the same color as Cherry's hair?"

"The very same." Cherry hugged the bottle containing her beverage and rocked it like a baby. Two or three liters of cherry cola would probably have to be 'lost' before they left.

"The spare cola and a citrus alcohol." Donovan put the two bottles in the ice bucket, flicking away the nose of a ravenous beast obsessed with the cold little morsels within as he did so. "Have our guests arrived?"

"Not yet, though I believe I saw a carriage a few minutes ago."

The venue for the day, the field behind the barracks, was the only place the Pegasus could land in the immediate vicinity. Not much in the way of concealment was necessary in a region few people visited, though a massive metal box would be hard to miss at a distance. Fortunately, glare was not an issue. Without a point source of light, such as a sun, there were no oppressive rays the shiny exterior could reflect. 

"And you are certain there is nothing else you need me to do?"

"Not at the moment." Diana offered Mercedes some attention. "We'll take turns replenishing the soda."

"I can handle it. You should be the one talking with everyone, I can't handle it."

"You don't want to say goodbye to your friends?"

"They're mature adults, Diana. I think they understand." Donovan once more nudged Mercedes away from the ice bucket. "Besides, we'll see them in a few months."

"What if something happens in between now and then?"

"Then it was nice to know them, I wish them the best, or express my condolences for their loss." Donovan moved around Diana to hug her from behind. "Looks like Merndil is here."

"Is he?" Diana directed her head towards the gardening shed, around which a small party of people had emerged. "Looks he brought a few guests."

"Was he not supposed to?"

"If he can vouch for them, I have no issues - Hlapven being a good example." Diana said that, yet she had never seen the two unknown individuals in question. The man was older than anyone she could remember, and the girl sported hot pink hair. Diana would sooner die than forget such a striking feature. "And don't you think that mindset is a bit too callous?"

"Callous? I could say that your approach to these matters is too attached. Mister Prince over there is in serious danger of assassination, is he not?"

"The succession crisis hasn't become that serious yet."

"Who said anything about succession? I can think of plenty of reasons a prince of all people might be at risk of a sudden lapse of existence. Some random disgruntled underling could snap, he could suffer an accident whilst practicing with a sword, or his vessel might be intercepted by pirates."

"Shouldn't that be all the reason you need to express-"

"My thanks for their existence? For their help? Anything I needed to tell them I've done already." Diana didn't need to see his face, she could feel his eyes rolling. "Look, as far as I'm concerned, the relationship I have with Merndil and the Holifanians is professional, not necessarily one of friends. Amicable maybe, but not at the point of friendship."

"Not even Trebar or Rashtvice?"

"Trebar is my superior here, and I've only been with Rashtvice a handful of times. I haven't had many friends in my life-"

"I'm convinced you haven't had any friends." Diana's interjection 

"That's . . . not entirely wrong."

"I think they are your friends, Donny. Talk to them." Diana could only be so intimidating from below. Her attempts at chastising him probably came off as cute.

"Fine." Donovan massaged her shoulders and neck. "I won't avoid them."

"Maybe you should give them a tour of the Pegasus." Diana waved at the newcomers, welcoming them as they approached. These were the last few moments they would be out of earshot. "I think they would find that entertaining."

"So are we just throwing away all semblance of secrecy?"

"All of the important components are hidden from view, right? What could they possibly steal without an understanding of how its constructed?" Diana had assumed the pink haired individual just had an awkward gait, but she seemed to be glued to a certain brother of Donovan's. "Did Len ever mention having a lover?"

"No."

"Hm." A brief, expressionless nod was all Diana devoted to the topic. An introduction would be due regardless of their relationship. "Good morning, Merndil. I'm glad to see you could make it."

"As much as I would like to say I wouldn't miss such a meeting for my life, I very nearly wasn't able to make it."

"And yet you are the first to arrive!"

"That would certainly explain the lack of guests. Speaking of which, I hope you don't mind that I brought some of my own." Merndil gestured to the newcomers. "They provided me enough of an excuse to get out of other commitments, but they also have some business with the two of you. I'll allow them introduce themselves."

"Arrewiz, son of Arrelois, and the future head of House Arre. Merndil spent a few years with my family learning how to fight with a sword and command a force on the battlefield." Short and to the point, providing his name and relationship with the prince before offering a handshake to both Donovan and Diana. "And this is my sister, Arreviro. It is a pleasure to finally meet Len's real brother."

Arreviro curtsied, detaching herself from Len in the process. Diana returned the gesture, whilst Donovan nodded back.

"It is my pleasure to meet the people who have kept him safe all these years." Donovan responded in keeping with their story. House Arre was the family Len's father had entrusted his son - Donovan's half brother - to whilst domestic issues in the home country were taken care of. "That being said, we weren't expecting you to make an appearance today."

"We can certainly accommodate you though!" Diana made sure to ensure that they were welcome to be here. "Here, have some cola. It's a special drink from our homeland . . . Donovan, can you go fill these up again?"

Merndil, Rashtvice, Arrewiz, Arreviro, Hlapven, Satie, Len, Wall, and Sanna came to nine people, ten if Diana included herself, which was just enough to empty both bottles of cola. This cola was how she planned to introduce carbonated beverages to her guests, humanity having collectively decided it to be the most agreeable flavor, with her own consumption of it as an example for them. To run out of it would be sacrilege.

"Sure. You'll need to empty them first."

"That won't be a problem. Cherry?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Please pour us ten cups of cola."

"Right away!" Cherry began to pour the fizzing brown liquid into cups that had been neatly prepared, Gretts suspiciously absent from the serving table. Diana took it upon herself to hand each member of the arriving party their cup individually and on the basis of status, Satie being served before the three musketeers despite her protests. 

"Is this . . ."

"Safe to drink?" Diana preempted Arrewiz's concerns by drinking her own, abolishing fears of poison. "If it wasn't safe to drink, why would I make it the centerpiece of the party? You aren't the only guests we'll be having."

"Fair enough."

Diana found great pleasure in the variety of responses to the beverage, from surprise to bliss. Satie's reaction was particularly interesting, confused at the sensation but immensely pleased with the taste. 

"It's like . . . angry syrup." Arreviro, the first to attach words to the experience, did so whilst sniffing at the brim of the cup. Diana's concern that the beverage wouldn't suit the refined tastes of the upper crust evaporated. 

"That's certainly one way to describe it." Arrewiz had swished his first sip around in his mouth before drinking the rest, probably the same way he would take part in wine tasting ceremonies. His eyes focused on the bin before speaking again. "I assume you will be providing different samples as the party goes on?"

"Yes, though I fear you won't be among the first to try them." Diana checked her math. The Montaug, Trebar, and Gawan would be on the first panel alongside Merndil and Morizo. All of them were of a higher status than Arrewiz except for Morizo, but she had an acceptable explanation for that. "I plan on marketing these to a wider audience, so I've invited a merchant I am familiar with to sample them. Once the first round is done I can have Donovan fill up another batch, but I do need to keep my promises."

"No worries. I am fully aware my sister and I arrived unannounced."

"Unannounced, but not unwelcome. Once the guests of honor have had the opportunity to provide their thoughts, I will make another batch for the rest of you to try. I need to do some research on my market to see what will sell best."

"Would you be interested in offering this beverage at a future party?" Merndil did not Diana to ask for an opportunity. She had already pulled a similar stunt with the board games and metal artwork, it would only make sense for her to do the same here. "I believe it would be a welcome asset."

"I would be happy to. Are there any plans at the moment?"

"It can wait until you return, however I was contemplating a party along more standard lines open to a wider group of people. Would it be possible to secure enough of this beverage for such a party without the need of the . . . um."

"The Pegasus?"

"Yes, the Pegasus. Would it be possible for you produce and store enough of this beverage without having the Pegasus nearby?"

Diana nudged Donovan. A few bottles might not be a burden, but how many would be required for a party? The few at her disposal were barely enough for a party in the low double digits, how many would be needed to cater hundreds?

"Glass blowing should be simple enough for Arc. They might not be pretty, but so long as we get the proper materials he could probably make a run of bottles."

"Then I shall move forward expecting its availability."

krrak

"Stop eating the fucking ice!" Donovan span around and kicked Mercedes on the butt, not hard enough to hurt her but enough to get the message across. "Why do you keep eating the ice!? It isn't for you! It's not for dogs! It's not for Mercedes! It doesn't say Mercedes on the bin!" Donovan had bent down and grabbed Mercedes' head with his hands, the loose fur around her neck being pulled forward and scrunching up her face. "Spit it out you derpy cretin!"

Donovan applied slight pressure to the sides of Mercedes' mouth, a smattering of ice shards falling to the grass as her tongue lolled out.

"No ice! NO ICE! No more ice!" Donovan shook her around a bit. "Do you understand me? Do you understand?! Ice is not for dogs! Dogs do not eat ice! Ice will break your teefs!"

Mercedes had sat down, abandoning her feeble attempts at resistance as Donovan had all of the leverage. She stared him in the eyes for a few seconds, displaying her guilt with flattened ears and a whimper, before licking Donovan's face a few times. That, it seemed, was all it took for Donovan to be convinced of her repentance. He released her head, collected the two empty bottles from the table, and began to walk towards the Pegasus.

"I'm going to fill these up again. Is there anything else you need?" Mercedes followed close behind him, tail a wagging. 

"Can you get Titanyana as well?"

"Yeah, sure. She probably needs a break at this point." Donovan escalated his walk to a jog, Mercedes more than happy with the hastened pace.

"What a peculiar creature." Hlapven could not contain his curiosity. Past experience told him that 'Terran' things were interesting, and usually operated beyond what he could imagine. "Is it some form of . . . livestock? A game animal bred for its fur, perhaps?"

"If you wish to keep your life, I strongly suggest you refrain from degrading Mercedes." Diana maintained a lighter tone to suggest Donovan wouldn't actually kill him, but made eye contact to ensure the message got across. "Mercedes is a dog. Dogs are a man's- no, a Terran's best friend. They have been loyal and trusted companions at our sides beyond our recorded history, tens of thousands of years if I remember correctly. They worked alongside us, hunting and guarding, and could provide an extra set of eyes an ears on the lookout for threats."

"So they are something of a sacred animal to your people?"

"Sacred?" Diana raised an eyebrow. She knew they didn't have 'pets', but were there animals elevated to the status of sacred? "No, they aren't sacred. They are more like a combination of coworker, therapist, and unruly child. Sometimes annoying, but an overall joy to have around. I'll ask Donovan to let you pet her when he gets back."