Fish out of water.

Fish out of water.

"You look a little under the weather," Sam commented to the creature beside him, as he tried not to think about the meal on his tray. Even with the cafeteria sectioned so you wouldn't get yourself poisoned, what was served didn't exactly look appetizing. The reptilian creature's ears twitched in surprise, pointed things that folded downwards near the back of its head, and it looked to him with a start.
"What?" it asked, in a mix of unease and confusion.
"Ohh, umm... you look a bit worn out," he rephrased hastily. The lizard-like creature looked back to shelves of food in front of them, eying the strange mixtures of food cautiously.
"I didn't sleep well..." it replied at last, without looking up. There was a strange accent to its voice, even for someone unused to speaking English. Sam was pretty sure it wasn't to do with its reptilian snout. He noticed webbing between its clawed fingers, as it poked cautiously at something that looked like lettuce. The lines along the sides of the reptile's neck, he realized, were gills shut off from the air. That would explain the odd tone of voice.
"Bad dream?" Sam inquired, as they moved to collect drinks. The creature paused in the middle of getting its second cup of water, glancing to him for a moment, before fetching a third cup. Sam moved off to sit down, and was somewhat surprised to see the reptile sit at the same table.
"Sam Falkner, male human..." he said after a moment. It was a common way to greet someone on a ship like this, when sometimes your co-worker could be from another twelve galaxies away. "I'm a lieutenant, from one of the other ships... recon unit..." he added as an after thought. The reptile looked up from its food nervously.
"Paku..." it replied hesitantly, "Kamin... male..." it added, before glancing to the tray again with unease, "I... I haven't been here for very long... I... came along with this... place, by accident..."
"Really?" Sam said, remembering the talk, "You were the one that fixed the engines back in that battle, right?" he asked, "They say you saved this whole ship from being shot to pieces..."
"Yes..." Paku replied quietly. Sam knew how he felt, being stuck out here, too far away to even see the star that was once your sun.
"Well... I'm sure it'll be safe enough to drop you off home again soon," Sam said encouragingly. The reptile gave him a small smile. They sat and ate some of their meals for a moment. "So, what was your dream like?" Sam asked at last, wondering if Paku might feel the need to talk.
"It was... disturbing..." Paku began. "First thing I knew I... I couldn't breathe. I felt so dry... like a sun-dried bali..." he said, quoting some kind of animal, before gulping and raising a paw to his neck, where his gills were shut against the air. Sam handed him a cup, and the reptile drank gratefully. Droplets trickled from the edges of his gills, as they filled with water, before Paku looked calmed enough to speak again. Some kind of bi-directional breathing, through both mouth and gills, Sam thought, and wondered how he was able to breathe here. "I was... in some sort of tiled room," Paku went on, "like... that washroom here, with the large sink against the wall." He paused to take another drink, "I didn't stop to look. I needed water..." he paused again, gulping, "But... but when I made the water flow and went to breathe it in... I... I started choking..." he finished, taking uneven breaths as he remembered it. Sam wondered anxiously what he could do, hastily handing him another cup. Paku took it and held it without drinking, apparently focused on his breathing.
"My... friend Hasiru, on this ship... he says it is each other's genetics interacting that gave me these... lungs..." the reptile explained, closing his eyes. "I am... not used to them," he added, in a dejected tone. Sam shifted over and put an arm on Paku's shoulder comfortingly, finally understanding. It was tough, being a fish out of water...