Solbidyum Wars Saga Book 1: Battle of the New Orleans Read Online Free

waited.
    Nothing happened.  The stars kept whizzing by at the same rate as before and the ship seemed to be going in the same direction.  Meanwhile, the headgear instructional video in the smaller window had repeating for about the thirtieth time.
    I was getting hungry and thought perhaps there was chance that something still edible might be stored in the galley and, for that matter, something to drink.  Looking at my watch I realized that it had been seven and a half hours since I had entered the ship, I must have been unconscious for some time after smashing into the wall. 
    “I suppose it’s better to get up and look for food and water than just sit here and wait to die.”  I returned to what I believed to be the galley and began to poke around.  While most of the fixtures were unusual, I thought that I might figure out what they were, if I exercised some imagination.  A cubic opening was positioned in the wall near a column of buttons, each of which was accompanied by what looked like a description in the alien writing that I guessed might be food selections.  Next to that was a similar but smaller opening with fewer buttons and descriptions, which I hoped might be beverage selections.  I was at least going to give it a try. 
    I took a deep breath, stood clear of the opening, and pressed the first selection on the larger of the two fixtures.  I heard a whirring sound, followed by a few buzzing sounds, a moment of silence, and then another whirring sound, after which a small steaming container slid out of the side of the opening.  I started to pick it up by the sides, but it was too hot.  I found the two handle-like extensions at the top of the container to be room temperature, so I carefully moved the container to the table and focused next on what I was now somewhat more certain would be the drink dispenser.  With a bit less caution, I pushed the first button.  This time I watched what transpired.  Almost instantly, a transparent, sealed container appeared that held what I expected to be water.  I took it to the table and had a seat, wondering how I was going to get the liquid out, when I noticed a small nub like protrusion on the edge.  I shook my head in disbelief; surely I was not expected to drink from a sippy cup?  “Oh, what the heck,” I thought, and a placed edge to my mouth, not really expecting anything.  To my surprise, water entered my mouth… and good tasting water, at that.  I stared at the container a moment, trying to see where the water was exiting, and then took another sip.
    The food looked like mixture of something like rice and lentils with some larger pieces of what may have been vegetables or meat.  I was fiercely hungry, so I didn’t much care how it tasted; but it certainly smelled good.  It was then that I realized I had no eating utensils.  I glanced about but saw nothing resembling a spoon or fork.  On one wall of the galley area I noted several outlines that resembled cabinet doors, but I had no idea how to open them.  Tentatively, I pressed on one and it popped open, not unlike handle-less latches and releases back on Earth.  Inside I found a number of strange objects and containers, the functions of which I could not identify.  I checked several more cabinets with the same results before thinking logically that eating utensils would likely be next to the food dispensers.  Upon closer examination of the dispensing area, I located a much smaller, almost drawer-sized outline.  The mechanism slowly opened a sliding panel, revealing several utensil-like items  – some that looked like chopsticks, others that looked somewhat like square spoons, and a two-tined spear-like object that might be a fork.  The last item was clearly a knife, though the handle was a bit odd.
    I had always been a fan of eating with chopsticks, so, without much thought; I selected a pair from the drawer and returned to sample the food.  I was surprised at the richness of flavor.  I