“I’m afraid not—but I can prepare some dishes that will be almost indistinguishable from meat.”

“I’ve heard that before,” muttered the Swagman.

“You might as well take what he’s got,” said Cain. “We’re not about to divert to a planet with a grocery store.”

The Swagman shrugged. “Can you come up with something that tastes like shellfish in a cream sauce?”

“I can try.” Schussler paused. “What would you like, Sebastian?”

“Whatever’s easy,” said Cain.

“How about a steak?” suggested the cyborg.

“How about a salad?” countered Cain. “I’ve had soya steaks.”

“If you’ll come to the galley, your dinners are ready,” announced Schussler.

“What are you talking about?” said the Swagman suspiciously. “We just ordered them.”

“The Graal’s technology makes meal preparation almost instantaneous,” explained the cyborg. “Especially when I can work with adaptable raw materials such as soya products.”

Cain and the Swagman exchanged dubious glances and entered the galley, a long narrow room in which almost all of the equipment was hidden from view.

“Where are we supposed to eat?” asked the Swagman.

“I can unfold a small table,” said Schussler, “but there won’t be room for both of you at it.”

“We’ll stand,” said Cain. “Where’s the food?”

“I’ll have it in just a second,” said Schussler. “Ah, here it comes.”

A shining metal panel receded, and two nondescript plates appeared on a polished counter.

The Swagman reached out for his shellfish, then withdrew his hand and muttered a curse.

“I forgot to tell you: the plate is hot.”

“Thanks,” said the Swagman caustically. He reached into his pocket, withdrew a monogrammed silk handkerchief, wrapped it around his fingers, and pulled the plate over. “I could use a knife and fork.”

“I wish I could help you,” said Schussler apologetically. “But Altair of Altair didn’t use human utensils. She preferred these.”

A pair of odd-looking metal objects emerged onto the counter.

The Swagman picked one up and examined it. “Wonderful,” he said. “It looks about as practical as eating soup with chopsticks.”

Cain picked up the other, studied it for a moment, and then began using it on his salad.

“How did you do that?” asked the Swagman.

“I’ve seen these things in the Teron system,” said Cain, impaling an artificial tomato and twisting a piece of artificial lettuce around it. “A Teroni bounty hunter showed me how to use it. It’s not too bad once you get the hang of it.”

“How are they on cream sauce?” asked the Swagman, staring at his plate.

“Try it and find out,” said Cain, returning his attention to his salad.

The Swagman made three or four false starts but eventually gained a rudimentary mastery of his utensil and finally managed to get a piece of pseudoshellfish all the way to his mouth without dropping it.

“Well?” asked Schussler anxiously. “What do you think of it?”

“It isn’t bad,” said Cain noncommittally.