Grab a snack

Before you had a chance to ask what he meant, Klix said, "I need to return to my quarters now, but I would like to learn more about you and your species. Perhaps we can meet again another day."

"That's fine with me," you said.

Klix bowed slightly, and then turned and dropped onto all six limbs before scurrying out of the dining hall even faster than R-1 had. Was there something they weren't telling you? You decided to leave the dining room too, but on your way you spotted a bowl of what looked like strange alien fruit sitting by one of the machines. They were roughly spherical ranging from the size a husked coconut up to a muskmelon. Each had a dark green color but the stripes of each varied between yellow, orange or red.

"What are those?" you asked.

MPAD-24 moved toward the bowl and then said, "Those are non-viable seeds from a Feeler and Cuni coupling. They are edible by many species, including your own based on your biological scans. Would you like to try one?"

You were starting to feel hungry, but eating a giant seed that a tentacle plant had been implanted into a Cuni and was later birthed by them seemed rather strange. As you picked it up, it felt heavier and denser than you expected. The smooth outer shell or thick rind was something like a watermelon. "How do I open it?"

The robot drifted down next to it and produce a glowing beam which immediately cut the seed into multiple slices. Once sliced, the edible light green colored portion inside was easy to separate from the outer shell. You took a bite, not sure what to expect. The taste was a strange mix of flavors that reminded you of a cross between unripened pears and uncooked beans. With effort, you managed to eat the rest of it. Edible obviously didn't mean tasty, and it would probably be better if it was cooked or mixed with some other ingredients. At the very least, you'd found a potential food source you could tolerate.