There wasn't anything like a kitchen in the tiny compartment. "All right, fine." We humans could find some space on the ship to use as a mess hall, us being social animals, and mealtimes being a prime social activity. "Show us the food."

"In that cabinet behind Sergeant Adams."

Adams opened the cabinet and pulled out a handful of clear plastic tubes which contained a thick beige fluid. "What is this?" She peered into the cabinet, in case she'd missed something, then opened the other cabinet. Same clear plastic tubes.

"That's their food. The best translation of their term is sustenance sludge."

"Sludge?" I asked, appalled.

"Hmmm, that word may have a negative connotation." Skippy mused. "How about gunk, or muck, or goo, or slime? Darn, those words also have negative connotations."

"Ya think?"

"Think of it as a smoothie?" Skippy tried.

"You're not helping." I took one of the tubes and examined it. "This is all they eat?"

"Yes, it contains everything a Thuranin needs."

"What does it taste like?" I asked, grasping the cap on the top to open it.

"Well, don't eat it, dumdum, it's designed for Thuranin biology, it doesn't have the proper mix of amino acids and vitamins for humans. I have the synthesizers working now to make sludge, I mean smoothies, for humans."

"Wonderful. And what will that taste like?"

Silence for a moment, then, "Like I have taste buds, Joe."

"Oh, sorry about that."

"However, I have built what I consider a fairly accurate model of human senses, including taste-"

"Of course you have."

"-and it will taste like, the best way to describe it, I think, is a combination of oatmeal, carrots and bologna."

"Shit." Adams made a sour face. "This is going to be a long voyage."

"Skippy, this is unsat. You told me we could eat Thuranin food, as in food. This," I shook a plastic tube and the sludge oozed unappealingly from one end to the other, "is not food. An army runs on its stomach. Damn," I looked at Adams, "this is going to be terrible for morale. What the hell is the crew going to do?"

Adams pulled her shoulders back and set her jaw in determination. "They'll embrace the suck, sir." Some things in the military simply sucked, and there wasn't anything you could do about it, so you embraced the suck and did your duty. "Soldiers have been embracing the suck since we fought with wooden spears. We're not out here for a pleasure cruise."