find.”
“... Hold on, what?
Interstellar Baking Championship?”
She blushed slightly, but didn’t turn away. “Yes,
what of it?”
“That’s your first assignment?” He started to laugh.
As he did, all his tension washed away.
This was the best thing he’d heard all year.
“Yes it is, but how do you know that?”
“I overheard you talking to the Captain. But this
... wow, you’ve really made it big now, haven’t you, Miss? I mean,
a baking championship. You must be the best journalist in the
galaxy.”
“It’s an interstellar baking championship. And I’ll
have you know that it can get pretty exciting. Last year there was
a shootout in the donut round.”
He laughed harder and harder. Until all his tension
disappeared entirely.
“It’s nothing to laugh about; some races take it
incredibly seriously. The Hakar have bakers training all year
round, not just in cooking skills, but in combat skills too, in
case it comes down to fists over dough.”
Josh kept laughing. He rocked back and forth in his
chair, and it was a surprise he didn’t fall off.
“It’s really not that funny. You know the winner
gets the opportunity to bake for the President herself?”
Josh finally tried to calm himself. Clamping a hand
over his mouth, he let a few more chuckles escape before stifling
them with a cough. “Oh wow. Just wow.”
“You know, you’re kind of mean. A lot of people take
this championship very seriously. Just because you don’t share
their views doesn’t mean you should belittle them. I mean, I’ve got
to admit I was a little hesitant about it at first, but the more I
read, the more I realize how important this event is. It can change
lives.”
Despite his best attempts, Josh started laughing
again.
“Okay fine. You have your chuckle. I’m going to the
bathroom.” She stood up abruptly, flicking her hair over her
shoulder as she did.
Josh pushed to his feet too, pushing away his mirth
at the same time. “Not on your own.”
“What? What do you mean not on my own? I don’t need
you to chaperone me to the bathroom. I’ve got my recording ball,
I’ll be fine.”
“I have no idea what that means, and it sounds
pretty weird, but you’re still not going on your own.”
He watched her cheeks start to burn. A mighty flush
climbed her neck so quickly it looked as if she’d swallowed hot
coals.
“My recording orb is programmed to scan my
surroundings, and can alert me should anything untoward happen,”
she clarified in a single breath.
“You
don’t want to be alerted when something bad happens – you want to prevent it from
happening in the first place. So I’m coming with you.”
She closed her eyes and took a massive breath that
saw her chest punch distractingly against her top.
He only looked away once she opened her eyes.
“Fine.” She picked up her recording orb and stalked
off.
Josh followed. He paid keen attention to the other
passengers as he did.
To be honest, he wasn’t sure they were going to try
anything. This did, however, provide him with a great opportunity
to explore the ship. While Mimi was busy wrestling with zero
gravity, he’d be able to scan the rooms next to the bathroom. He’d
tried to do it before, but without a reason to loiter in the
corridor, he’d been shooed on.
This was his excuse.
It was a short walk to the bathroom, but it was a
treacherous one. This old tin-bucket ship surely deserved its lowly
rating as a Class Y tug. There was junk everywhere, and the walls
were nearly all broken. As they made their way through the
corridor, they had to navigate through pipes jutting out of the
floor and patches of oil. Once or twice Mimi nearly slipped.
He could have caught her. He didn’t.
Let her fall, he thought. Someone had been propping
her up all her life. She needed to learn to survive on her own.
Also, it was kind of fun to watch her tripping
up.
When they finally made it to the bathroom, Mimi had
to press herself against the wall to
“... Hold on, what?
Interstellar Baking Championship?”
She blushed slightly, but didn’t turn away. “Yes,
what of it?”
“That’s your first assignment?” He started to laugh.
As he did, all his tension washed away.
This was the best thing he’d heard all year.
“Yes it is, but how do you know that?”
“I overheard you talking to the Captain. But this
... wow, you’ve really made it big now, haven’t you, Miss? I mean,
a baking championship. You must be the best journalist in the
galaxy.”
“It’s an interstellar baking championship. And I’ll
have you know that it can get pretty exciting. Last year there was
a shootout in the donut round.”
He laughed harder and harder. Until all his tension
disappeared entirely.
“It’s nothing to laugh about; some races take it
incredibly seriously. The Hakar have bakers training all year
round, not just in cooking skills, but in combat skills too, in
case it comes down to fists over dough.”
Josh kept laughing. He rocked back and forth in his
chair, and it was a surprise he didn’t fall off.
“It’s really not that funny. You know the winner
gets the opportunity to bake for the President herself?”
Josh finally tried to calm himself. Clamping a hand
over his mouth, he let a few more chuckles escape before stifling
them with a cough. “Oh wow. Just wow.”
“You know, you’re kind of mean. A lot of people take
this championship very seriously. Just because you don’t share
their views doesn’t mean you should belittle them. I mean, I’ve got
to admit I was a little hesitant about it at first, but the more I
read, the more I realize how important this event is. It can change
lives.”
Despite his best attempts, Josh started laughing
again.
“Okay fine. You have your chuckle. I’m going to the
bathroom.” She stood up abruptly, flicking her hair over her
shoulder as she did.
Josh pushed to his feet too, pushing away his mirth
at the same time. “Not on your own.”
“What? What do you mean not on my own? I don’t need
you to chaperone me to the bathroom. I’ve got my recording ball,
I’ll be fine.”
“I have no idea what that means, and it sounds
pretty weird, but you’re still not going on your own.”
He watched her cheeks start to burn. A mighty flush
climbed her neck so quickly it looked as if she’d swallowed hot
coals.
“My recording orb is programmed to scan my
surroundings, and can alert me should anything untoward happen,”
she clarified in a single breath.
“You
don’t want to be alerted when something bad happens – you want to prevent it from
happening in the first place. So I’m coming with you.”
She closed her eyes and took a massive breath that
saw her chest punch distractingly against her top.
He only looked away once she opened her eyes.
“Fine.” She picked up her recording orb and stalked
off.
Josh followed. He paid keen attention to the other
passengers as he did.
To be honest, he wasn’t sure they were going to try
anything. This did, however, provide him with a great opportunity
to explore the ship. While Mimi was busy wrestling with zero
gravity, he’d be able to scan the rooms next to the bathroom. He’d
tried to do it before, but without a reason to loiter in the
corridor, he’d been shooed on.
This was his excuse.
It was a short walk to the bathroom, but it was a
treacherous one. This old tin-bucket ship surely deserved its lowly
rating as a Class Y tug. There was junk everywhere, and the walls
were nearly all broken. As they made their way through the
corridor, they had to navigate through pipes jutting out of the
floor and patches of oil. Once or twice Mimi nearly slipped.
He could have caught her. He didn’t.
Let her fall, he thought. Someone had been propping
her up all her life. She needed to learn to survive on her own.
Also, it was kind of fun to watch her tripping
up.
When they finally made it to the bathroom, Mimi had
to press herself against the wall to
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