Vkusno Victuals

Vkusno Victuals

Food for Thought.

The Catastrophe affected everyone; in most cases, the effect was death. Those few who managed to survive scraped by in any number of ways. Some resorted to cannibalism, others to creative ways of farming mold, others just fared luckier. In the case of Vladimir Fitzhenry’s great grandfather, it was promotion, gastronomic skill, and a stranded ship with a fully stocked larder. Vassili was just a chef on the intergalactic cruise liner Diomedes with a ship’s complement of well over a hundred individuals, both guest and crew. The Catastrophe assaulted the ship’s systems, infected critical networks and causing deadly chaos throughout the vessel. After the crew was able to restore some semblance of order, it transpired that Vassili was the highest-ranking surviving member of staff.

The Diomedes was dead in the water, so to speak, and the highest ranking officer was a chef. With no way to get the engines any power and barely any life support, he did what he knew best, he fed people. For seven cycles the Diomedes drifted through space, and while its primary function meant it had an extensive storage of vacuum sealed foods and even a fairly efficient water reclamation system built in, its larder grew emptier and emptier. Vassili was a world-class chef and it is said that even when the food was whittled down to the barest of rations, he somehow always managed to mold it into what appeared to be a king’s feast.

Vassili died some cycles before rescue came, but he passed on his knowledge to his daughter. When the Diomedes finally made contact with rescue vessels of the Gaule Protectorate, she brought her father’s skills to what remained of humanity when she set up shop on Bordeaux Station. There she trained dozens of cooks, including her son Vladimir who now runs the family business. Now, anyone who could provide them materials and credits would find the heartiest possible meal crafted.

Notes

  • "Vkusno" is the Russian word for delicious.
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