He walked over to the smooth wall on his left side and placed his palm against a specific section. His biometric signature was recognized instantly, and a previously invisible seam appeared. A section of the wall slid aside, revealing the hygiene station.

Tatehan had been here quite a number of time, but seeing it now made him take it in new eyes.

As before, the space was compact, designed with the same advanced technology as everything else on the Red Dragon Spaceship. Instead of a traditional shower, there were multiple nozzles positioned at various heights and angles throughout the small chamber.

Tatehan stepped inside, and the door closed behind him automatically. He removed his clothing and activated the system.

The nozzles came to life immediately, spraying perfectly temperature-controlled water from multiple directions simultaneously.

The water pressure was adjustable through a simple mental interface that connected to his neural patterns. He increased it slightly, letting the powerful streams work out the knots and tension in his muscles.

He stood there for several minutes, just letting the water cascade over him, washing away the dust, sweat, and lingering stress of the past two days.

When he finally felt clean and somewhat refreshed, he deactivated the system. The nozzles immediately stopped, and warm air began circulating through the chamber instead, a built-in drying system that eliminated the need for towels.

Within two minutes, he was completely dry.

Tatehan stepped out of the hygiene station feeling significantly better. The door closed behind him, and that section of wall became seamless once again.

He walked to another section of the wall on the opposite side, this one leading to the sleeping area. Same biometric recognition process, same smooth opening.

Now inside, Tatehan pulled out clean clothes—simple, practical garments that were comfortable and durable. He dressed quickly, already feeling more human.

But despite his exhaustion, his stomach was growling insistently.

He'd been living on bread and jam for…like ever! While it had been adequate for basic sustenance, it was far from satisfying.

He wanted real food. Proper, cooked food.

And that meant using the kitchen area.

Tatehan exited the sleeping area and walked to yet another section of the wall. He placed his hand on the panel, and the kitchen area was revealed.

Like the hygiene station, Tatehan looked at the kitchen area like he was just seeing it for the first time m.

This space was slightly larger than the others, designed for actual meal preparation. There was a functional cooking surface with heat controls, a small sink with running water, storage compartments for preserved food supplies, and even a small refrigeration unit.

Tatehan opened the storage compartments (the one that made items as fresh as before you put it in, even for centuries) and began searching through the organized supplies.

He found sealed packages of various dehydrated vegetables, protein sources, and most importantly—rice. Several large packages of preserved rice.

Perfect.

He hadn't cooked a proper meal since arriving on Mars.

Today, that was going to change.

Tatehan pulled out one of the rice packages, along with some dehydrated vegetables and some pieces of meat. The meats he had gotten from Kael. He had put it in the storage device and now taking it out, it was as fresh as before he put it.

He activated the sink and filled a cooking pot with water, then placed it on the heating surface. The controls were intuitive, he adjusted the temperature to bring the water to a boil.

While waiting for the water, he opened the rice package and measured out an appropriate portion. The package helpfully included preparation instructions in multiple languages. Not that he needed them, he was an excellent cook already.

Once the water reached a rolling boil, he added the rice and reduced the heat to a simmer. The familiar process was oddly comforting, something normal and mundane in an otherwise completely abnormal situation.

He covered the pot and set a mental timer, then turned his attention to preparing the vegetables and protein.

The dehydrated vegetables needed to be rehydrated, which was simple enough—just soaking them in warm water for a few minutes. He prepared a bowl and added water, then carefully added the dried vegetable pieces.

While everything was processing, Tatehan leaned against the counter and just... Paused for a moment. The simple act of cooking and preparing food in a normal way, felt Earth like, though he was cooking it with more advanced equipments than he had ever done on Earth.

After the appropriate time had passed, he drained the excess water from the vegetables, took the pieces of meat, then added them to a pan with a small amount of cooking oil he'd found in the preserve shelf stuff.

The heating surface allowed for precise temperature control, and he sautéed the mixture until everything was properly heated and the vegetables had softened.

The rice finished cooking at almost the perfect time. Much faster than the fastest cooking equipment on Earth.

He removed it from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes to finish steaming, then fluffed it with a utensil.

Finally, he plated everything together—rice as a base, with the vegetable and protein mixture on top.

It was like a gourmet cuisine, simple but looking like actual food. Real, home-cooked food.

Tatehan carried his plate to a small fold-out table that extended from one of the kitchen walls, with a simple seat that also deployed from the wall structure.

He sat down, picked up eating utensils, and took his first bite.

The taste was... good. Really good, actually. Maybe it was just because he'd been living on bread and jam, or maybe he was genuinely decent at cooking, but the simple rice dish tasted amazing, really delicious to his taste buds.

He nodded to himself with satisfaction, continuing to eat.

"Still got the hang of this," he muttered between bites, a small smile on his face.

He went on to eat in peace, the place silent apart from the sound of him eating.

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