What’s cooking
By GitonCrais
~Are
you sure Crais?~ Talyn chirped.
“Yes,
I’m sure Talyn.”
The
Leviathan “looked” down in the Galley.
His
Pilot, Crais, had decided he had enough of only eating food cubes. As a Captain
of a Command Carrier he had been accustomed to eating fine foods rather than
food cubes and although they had sustained him during his first weekens on
board Talyn he longed for the flavour of “real” food. He had brought fresh
supplies on board, there was nothing stopping him from having a proper meal,
nothing apart from a lack of knowledge how to cook in the galley.
In
his younger years he had been on survival training and then later on campaigns
where he had learned how to cook in the field. This, however, was a far cry
from cooking in a galley with edible ingredients.
Talyn
had sensed his Pilot’s confusion but also his grim determination.
Crais
had entered the galley without his coat and gloves. While on the planet he had
the foresight to acquire some pans and cooking utensils since Talyn had none.
Working
it out logically and remembering what the food had tasted like, Crais set about
preparing the food. For his experiment he had chosen to cook some Delvian
vegetables, which resembled big water plant leaves and the meat of a domestic
animal bred on the Commerce planet.
Talyn
watched the procedures with interest.
First
came the vegetables. Crais chopped the leaves into smaller pieces and threw
them in the big pan, which he had already filled with water. The root
vegetables followed.
He
switched on the hob under the pan and pressed the ignition to start up the
heat.
Nothing
happened. He pressed it again.
~Crais…~
“Not
now Talyn, I’m busy.”
He
pressed the ignition again and frowned in frustration when there was no
reaction.
~Crais…~
“What?”
Crais growled in frustration.
~You
have switched on the wrong hob and are using the wrong ignition, maybe you
should…~
“Yes,
yes, use the right ignition.” Crais’ hand moved to the other ignition.
~No
Crais…~
The
warning came too late. Crais pressed the ignition
KABOOM!
The
shock send him flying metras back and he landed none too softly on his backside.
His eyebrows, stray hair and goatee were singed.
~…you’re
using the wrong ignition~ finished Talyn.
Crais
clambered to his feet, thunder written on hi face. He growled in anger.
~Are
you angry with me?~
“No,
Talyn. I am angry with myself. What do you use for fuel anyway?” Crais
inspected the hobs.
~Cesium
gas. It’s a small by-product from my propulsion system and can be easily
stored.~
“That
explains the explosion,” said Crais offhandedly.
This
time he listened to Talyn first how to use the cooker before proceeding. He
didn’t like to make obvious mistakes twice.
The
vegetables were now cooking and he concentrated on the meat. It looked nice and
the portion a decent size. He smiled.
He
placed the meat in the skillet and turned on the hob. He noticed with
satisfaction that it was the right one.
He
took some of the herbal containers out of the cupboard to spice the meat. The
containers weren’t big and he had chosen the herbs himself, relying on his
memory of smell and with a little help from the shop-assistant. Now it was just
a matter of marrying the meat with the herbs.
He
pulled at the lid and found it stuck. Twisting and turning didn’t help. Using
the strength he was renowned for he pulled.
Three
things happened at once.
Talyn
noticed that the meat was burning and had started to smoke.
Crais
managed to rip the lid off the container.
Talyn’s
only DRD so far, (‘in training’ according to Crais) came into the galley to
contain a potential fire.
The
DRD scooted forward towards the cooker, mindless of Crais.
The
container opened with an audible pop.
Crais
was slightly off balance with the strength he had exerted.
The
DRD bumped into Crais, who released the container, which fell onto the smoking
meat. The herbs ignited and showered Crais to whom the DRD applied the fire
retardant foam and then proceeded to use the foam on the meat.
When
the din settled, the smoke had cleared and the remainder of the herbs had
settled on the floor a slightly singed, herb and foam covered frustrated
Captain reached over to turn off the hobs.
The
whir of the little DRD drew Crais’ attention and he wheeled around to it. He
could have sworn that he could detect a satisfied smile on the little device as
if it was standing at attention after a job well done.
A
low growl escaped from Crais’ throat and he resisted the urge to kick the
little DRD the full length of the galley. It hadn’t been only the little DRD
who had been at fault.
He
looked around at the mess. The pan, which had held the vegetables, now had foam
in it and he saw how the vegetables had blended perfectly with the foam. The
meat had burned on one side while the other side was topped with the white
substance; little burned herbs almost gave it a decorative touch. Herbs were
flying everywhere.
He
could feel Talyn “snigger”. “What’s so funny,” Crais asked in irritation.
Instead
of explaining, Talyn showed him.
Crais
saw himself through Talyn’s eyes, slightly distorted.
The
normally impeccably dressed man had changed into a mess of a man.
His
front was totally covered in the foamy fire retardant. His beard and eyebrows
seemed to have an affinity with the substance and made it look as if he had a
white beard and matching eyebrows.
His
clothes were splotched white with small little dots where the burned herbs had
landed.
The
icing on the cake (pardon the pun) was a twirl of foam on the top of Crais’
head, which sat there with a defiant insistence.
The
otherwise stern face of the Captain looked first in anger and horror at his own
visage.
Then
a small smile started to crack the exterior, changed into a wide grin and soon
the galley and the corridors were filled with a deep booming laughter and happy
chirps from Talyn.
The End