Origin by Dani Worth Read Free Book Online

Programmed that one in too.”
    My smile couldn’t be stopped this time. He just shook his head, muttered something that sounded like dangerous, and grabbed two tubes. He nodded toward the last booth.
    We sat across from each other and I waited to see if he used utensils to eat because he hadn’t picked up any. He used both hands to lift the wrapped food and took a huge bite out of it. “It’s not as good as hers—she always had real instead of simulated ingredients—but works in a pinch to satisfy the craving for Earth. Or home.”
    “You’re from Earth?” I thought back to the news vids I’d been watching, remembered seeing that the original Earth was barely livable and had been turned mostly into cryogenic facilities that could get around the ration of food to human laws.
    “Earth Two. My parents have a ranch. They named it Texas after a state that used to be on the first Earth. My ancestors lived there.”
    Ranch and Texas were all new words to me. I followed his lead, picked up the taco and took a bite. The green leaves crunched, the meat was tender and juicy and I recognized the yellow slivers. “Oh, this has cheese! My owner loved this stuff. He let me taste it one time.” I started picking out the small pieces so I could taste them alone.
    “Hold on,” he murmured as he slid out of the booth and walked to the simulator. He came back carrying a platter with different sections of white and yellow squares. “Boy did you pick the right pirate ship. Our captain is a cheese junkie. There are different kinds there—some from the Earths and a couple from this settled moon we ran across in Sector Two. They made it from the milk of a three-legged creature called a bork.”
    Excitement tightened my stomach as I hovered over each small piece, not sure where to start. Then I clued in to what he’d said. I dropped my hand in my lap, narrowed my eyes. “Pirates?”
    Anders took another bite of his taco and rolled his eyes as he chewed. He swallowed, nodded. “You didn’t know you’re on a pirate ship?”
    Cold filled my limbs. “Pirates sell slaves.”
    “Oh no, sweetheart, we’re not that kind of pirate.” He looked around then leaned across the table. “We don’t steal from anyone other than Saturna. The pirate title is a joke. Just don’t let Claybourne hear you repeat that.”
    Even I knew what Saturna was. A huge mining corporation that rivaled The Company. “My owner used to work for them. Sometimes the government officials who visited spoke of Saturna.”
    “Really.” He set his taco down and leaned back into the corner of the booth. “Don’t suppose you remember anything of what you heard?”
    I shrugged. “It was mostly about mining.”
    “Anything about Kithra?”
    “No. No one was allowed to talk about Kithra around me.” I chose a soft-looking white square and closed my eyes in pleasure. It had a smooth texture and melted on my tongue. “I like this one.”
    “Unfortunately, you’ll have to get Clay to tell you which is which. I’m more of a beef eater myself.”
    “Beef?”
    “Cows. From the Earths.”
    I wrinkled my nose. “You eat real meat from animals?”
    “Not that often, but I do go home for a steak every now and then. My parents raise their own food. The government gives them a stipend for doing so as well as extra for providing for other families.”
    I eyed my taco. “What did you call this meat? Chicken?”
    “That is simulated—not real.”
    “Okay then. I like it very much.”
    I jumped when the captain’s voice came over the speaker. “Sullivan, where the hell are you?”
    “Galley. With Siri. Something wrong with the cameras?”
    “Stay there. I’ll come to you.”
    The clicking noise signaled he’d signed off.
    “Bossy fucker, isn’t he?” Anders’s grin let me know he wasn’t annoyed. It wasn’t the first time he’d called the captain names. Maybe it was a sign of affection for them.
    Clay strode into the room and sniffed. “I’ll have what