A human quartermaster questions the diet and customs of a giant, feline alien serving as a soldier on his ship. It doesn't go well...

Credit for the art in the thumbnail goes to  SenseOfScale!

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Kishi’s spade-tipped tail occasionally thumped against the metal floor. She resumed sitting down with her legs crossed, face scrunched up as she found herself inside a cramped cargo bay.

She gave a nearby crew member a death stare. “What do you think you’re looking at?”

Rather than responding, the human scurried away, joining many others moving around the area.

Kishi sneered afterward. “Typical…” From there, she sipped on her piping hot tea. Her forked tongue flicked out of her mouth for a moment as she savored the sensation. “Mmph.”

Suddenly, the ship shook, then the lights flickered. Some human voices cried out…

“What the hell?!” exclaimed a young man.

An officer shook their head. “Asteroid field, people. Nothing to worry about!”

An older woman blinked several. “AGAIN?”

Meanwhile, Kishi remained unfazed. She ignored all the fear and confusion surrounding her as she sipped her tea. Although multiple cargo containers surrounded her from several sides, one worked well enough as a makeshift table. She used it for a massive bowl brimming with red noodles and a spicy broth. Setting her teacup aside, Kishi grabbed hold of the bowl, using sizable utensils similar to chopsticks to chow down on the noodles, slurping some up before broth dripped from her furry muzzle during the aftermath.

A masculine voice emitted from her helmet on the ground, which remained next to her clawed feet.

“Ugh. Kishi, we’ve been over this…”

Kishi’s ears perked up as she licked her thin, black lips. She let out a satisfied sigh. “Ah… quartermaster. If you’d like to speak, feel free to join me in the cargo bay.”

“I just wanted to remind you to stop eating in the cargo bay whenever we’re loading or unloading things.” he continued, sighing through the other end. “It gets in the way. Scares the civvies. Certain species might also take offense to your more carnivorous diet, so could you please-”

“Quartermaster.” she said, cutting him off. “Your voice is blaring through my helmet speakers. It’s very rude! I’m trying to enjoy some peace and quiet, so don’t disturb me while I’m eating.”

The quartermaster grunted. “But… you-!”

Simply tapping her helmet with one hand flicked a switch with a clawed finger, silencing him.

With that, Kishi returned to sipping her tea and indulging in spicy food. She remained in a borderline meditative state during the process. Only a familiar sight mere minutes later made her snarl a little as the quartermaster finally approached her position in person, albeit in stark contrast to others outright avoiding her…

The old man was also like a mouse compared to her huge, feline form.

He looked at her with daggers in his eyes. “Seriously, Kishi?!”

She sneered down at him accordingly. “At least you’re braver than most. Typically whenever I tell humans to confront me in the flesh, they usually don’t do it.” Kishi paused to lift some noodles with her utensils, emphasizing their size differences even more with noodles the size of individual ropes displayed before him. “Are you here to complain more about my diet then?”

The quartermaster held out an arm to gesture at the various civilians and forklifts sifting throughout the cargo bay. “I’m just asking you not to eat while they’re moving things around…”

Kishi barred her sharp fangs. “But they’re disturbing me as it is.”

“Don’t act like a kid.” he said, shaking his head. “Or should I say a big kitten? Because the cargo bay should be available to everyone!”

She huffed, puffing out her fluffy chest. “I practically live here. I can only access the cargo bay and the hangar since no other rooms can accommodate a woman like me. If anything else, it’s very irritating having strangers constantly barging into the closest thing I have to a personal quarters!”

He crossed his arms. “Okay… but how do you expect us to feed you if we can’t bring in fresh rations? You eat more than a whole platoon of marines!”

Kishi took another bite, severing the noodles before softly swallowing them all. “Mmm. Don’t worry, I always make do. Especially if I manage to find some fresh protein in the field.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still doing that…” the quartermaster replied, rubbing his eyes.

Her tail flicked behind her before she cocked her head to the side. “Doing what, exactly?”

He sighed. “If you’re gonna make me say it out loud, then I’m talking about you eating people.”

Kishi hissed, narrowing her eyes. “They’re not people. They’re enemy combatants!”

The quartermaster rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t matter. It makes the military and your kind look really bad if there’s any images or videos of you doing that crap. Hard to win hearts and minds if an official confederate auxiliary turns out to be a maneater, you know?”

“Well…” she replied, closing her eyes. “It’s a tradition in my clan. You are what you eat. I simply take the strongest, the smartest, the most successful… then I make them part of me.” Kishi stopped speaking for several seconds as she slowly opened her eyes with something far more predatory lingering within them. “Is that really so bad?”

He groaned. “My god, woman. Is it really that hard to refrain from eating people?!”

Kishi tilted her head up, letting out a low growl. “I’m going to kill them either way. Why let them go to waste? If anything else, I’m helping us conserve rations!”

“At the risk of a complete PR disaster!” he said, shaking his head. “I heard certain hellcat clans practice some kind of ritualistic cannibalism as it is, but you don’t have to bring that shit here!”

She scoffed. “It’s not cannibalism if it’s a different species, quartermaster. Don’t be ridiculous!”

He threw his hands in the air. “I don’t care! And you’re the one acting ridiculous! Just this petty or vindictive behavior… acting like you’re still a tribal warrior rather than a professional soldier!”

Kishi shook her head before snarling at him. “Oh, so I’m a savage now? I never took you for a xenophobic bigot.”

The quartermaster dismissively waved at her with one hand. “You know what I mean. But… ugh. I am aware that certain hellcat practices, psychology, and traditions are a lot different from humans. Like how staring at someone is considered highly aggressive to a hellcat, or how hellcats perceive humans smiling at them as baring their fangs if they don’t know any better. However, you certainly know better with your training and education, Kishi, and at this point it’s just malice on your part if you keep doing things that you know make other people uncomfortable!”

Kishi put down her bowl and retrieved her teacup once more. “Clearly you can’t comprehend the richness of hellcat culture, quartermaster. I’m simply practicing the customs and traditions of my clan. It’s very insensitive of you to come here and criticize my diet. Prejudiced, even!”

He balled his hands into fists. “Don’t even try to play that card, Kishi! I’m getting too old for this crap. You’re not the only hellcat auxiliary I’ve worked with, and I’ve never had to worry about them threatening to devour any of our marines! Why, back in my day…”

At this point, Kishi stopped listening. She sipped on and savored her tea. The man continued to shout and scream at her as he vented his frustrations, all while she remained indifferent to his pleas. Kishi would only stop just to adjust her position next to the cargo containers, interrupting his rant every now and then to audibly gulp down her remaining tea.

“And if this continues…” resumed the quartermaster, pointing a finger at her. “I’ll have no choice but to bring the matter directly to Captain Astra!”
Kishi glanced at her empty cup before glaring at him. “Noted. Now… are you done yet? Get it all out of your system? Because I’m trying to rest and recuperate after the last operation.”

He opened his mouth before biting his tongue. Instead, the quartermaster cursed under his breath, walking away while slumping his shoulders down just a little… defeated in all but name.

As for Kishi, a wry smile spread across her face. She continued to indulge herself by pouring herself another fresh cup of tea from a gigantic, plastic container. Ultimately, the civilian workers and crew members avoided her as she devoured her food in the middle of the cargo bay, treating her like a force of nature or a potentially hazardous piece of the scenery.