The Solstice Pudding by angel martinez

The Solstice Pudding by angel martinez

Author:angel martinez [Martinez, Angel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mischief Corner Books


Since the regular hallways offered a straighter line than the twisting maintenance corridors, Tyra opted for a full-out run down the main route through the habitat ring. Every being who could scrambled out of her way, and those who couldn't, she dodged or leaped over. Behind her, Shandi's sorry, excuse me, sorry became fainter and fainter, but she didn't dare slow down.

If she could reach the hive of intercultural kitchens before the chep—

A screaming fekra in kitchen whites flew past her, the outer edge of his wing clipping Tyra's head. Two panicked zesh and a human followed, making the distressed noises unique to their respective species.

So much for getting there first and preventing panic.

"Admin, this is Major Sur. Full station alert. I repeat, full station alert. We have an unsecured small predator in the culinary sector."

"How the hell did that happen, Major?" the security duty officer bellowed back.

"Talk later, ma'am. On scene now."

A short sprint brought her to the kitchens' corridor, and all she had to do to find her target was to move against the steady stream of culinary workers running, hopping, and flying the other way, some of the larger workers carrying the smaller so they wouldn't be trampled. As she neared the majority human kitchen, a strange sound reached her.

Nam nam nam nam nam…

Tyra slowed, treading softly and holding up a warning hand when Shandi's running footsteps pounded up behind her.

Nam namnamnamnam…

"What…?"

Without turning, Tyra waved her to silence. She eased around the doorway and found the source of the sounds. The former ussi, now chep, stood on the central counter where the staff had been working, its front feet planted firmly in a huge frittata, head down and devouring away. In other circumstances, Tyra would've told the chep to have at it, since the frittata was made with the odd egg substitute spacers favored. Unfortunately, every bite brought them closer to the pudding-of-doom transformation.

"This can't be good," Shandi murmured at Tyra's elbow.

"Agreed." The chep ignored them in favor of its feast, so Tyra went on. "Circle around the left of the counter. I'll take right. Find something to herd it with. Don't try to catch it."

Shandi gave her a thumbs-up and bent low to scurry around the several shorter counters between them and the chep. Along the way, she snagged one of the long-handled paddles used to stir industrial-sized pots. No hesitation. While anger still simmered in Tyra's brain, she couldn't help admiring Shandi's courage and her determination to make things right. Though maybe it was guilt. Hard to say.

Happily feasting away, the chep still ignored them. It might have been unaware of them, but Tyra wouldn't take that bet. She crept along, placing each step silently, moving fluidly and slowly. When she was in reach of the counter on one side and Shandi had closed in on the other, Tyra held up a hand and counted down by folding in her fingers. Three… two… one!

Paddle held at arm's length, Shandi surged forward as a distraction for the chep.



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