Ask DECS Pathfinder Ration Rumble

[Thalis Kryze]

A symphony of frustration and passion rang through the polished durasteel kitchen aboard the DECS Pathfinder. Thalis Kryze, culinary maestro of the cosmos, found himself in the throes of a conundrum. His long fingers darted deftly through the maze of supplies, maneuvering through the spice racks and trinkets of exotic produce with a grace that could only be borne from years of culinary cultivation. His forehead, crinkled in consternation, carried beads of sweat that trailed down his pallid countenance, refracting the cold luminescent light of the overhead panels.

With a grumbling sigh, Thalis grumbled about the blatant inefficacy of the droids, their abysmal lack of subtlety when it came to inventory management. "These mechanical marauders have as much finesse with my ingredients as a Wampa in a pottery shop," he muttered to himself, rolling his striking silver-blue eyes. His emphatic resonance with each ingredient, each delicate texture and aroma, put him at odds with their coldly pragmatic and sterile efficiency.

His heart thrummed in his chest, like a drumbeat accompanying the rhythm of his agile movements. The scent of thyme and sage mingled with the stinging smell of ionization from the ship's life support, enveloping him in a heady mix that further fed his ire. All the while, his taste buds quivered in anticipation of the extraordinary dishes he had been curating in his mind, awaiting the right resources to bring them to life.

A dawning realization chilled him more than the artificial cold circulating the ship. The inventory's discrepancy was too systemic, too calculated to be the product of simple incompetence. He meticulously rechecked his datapad and found the numbers glaringly inconsistent. The once harmonious chords of his culinary craft were discordantly disrupted by a silent melody of theft.

Thalis' agile mind whirled with suspicion. "A thief on the Pathfinder? Of all the nerve!" His voice echoed in the silence of the kitchen, the words lingering like the aftertaste of a bitter drink. A cold ripple of indignation surged within him. The thought that someone would dare pilfer from his carefully curated trove was not just an affront to him, but an insult to the very essence of culinary artistry he held dear. But, resilient as ever, Thalis was determined to unveil the phantom pilferer who dared sabotage his symphony of flavors, for nothing stood between a chef and his kitchen.

@Raydo

 

[Relan Quin]

Dr. Relan Quin had settled into a somewhat steady routine, as steady as he thought it would get. It had been an eventful journey so far, and eventful usually meant injuries and illnesses to tend to. He had been doing some studying a rather rare strain of the cold that one of the crew members had picked up from a long-forgotten planet.

It was not the first nor the last time he had accidentally missed a meal in the name of research, but sometime after midnight, his stomach finally reminded him that he needed to eat something.

He picked up his datapad and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder before he made his way to the ship's mess hall to see if there was any food to be had this time of night. There were certainly some crew members, but the ship was quiet this evening. Relan found he quite liked it.

The doors slid open as he stepped into the empty mess hall. It was mostly dark, with several lights flickering to life as he stepped in. He heard some commotion in the back where the kitchens lay. The voice muffled because of the distance, though Relan could sense the distress.

"Uh...hello?" he called out. "Is everything alright back there?" he asked, taking another tentative step further into the mess hall.

@Aberforth

 

[Thalis Kryze]

Abrupt silence befell the galley at the sound of an unexpected voice. Thalis’s heart momentarily caught in his throat, eyes widening in surprise. The heavy scent of his simmering broth was momentarily obscured by the smell of cold metal and disinfectant that clung to the newcomer – a scent that Thalis had come to associate with Dr. Relan Quin. The medic's usual tranquility, stark in contrast to Thalis's current tumult, gave him pause.

Cautiously, Thalis rounded the corner, curiosity igniting in his silver-blue eyes. His agile fingers stilled, clasping around the smooth edge of a data pad. His words held an edge of playful suspicion, half-hidden beneath a thin veil of seriousness, "Dr. Quin, have you wandered back to the scene of your crime?"

But reason swiftly flooded back into Thalis, washing away the drama of his earlier musings. His brows drew together in concern. "I jest, doctor, but there's a grave matter at hand. Our supplies – they're disappearing." His voice grew quieter, the deep baritone laden with worry. He gestured towards the sea of containers, neatly arranged but noticeably diminished.

"Four pounds of Reek meat, a bushel of Lothalian apples, a jar of imported Chandrilan honey... all missing. The numbers simply do not match. The inventory logs on my datapad here say that we should have a different count," the chef murmured, scrolling through the digital display before offering it to Relan for inspection.

He allowed his gaze to meet Relan's, a silent plea for understanding mirrored in his eyes. "This throws my meal plans into chaos, but beyond that... it could lead to rationing problems, if it continues." He sighed heavily, the fear of deprivation looming ominously over the comforting familiarity of his galley.

"Do you... have you noticed anything similar in the medical bay? Any supplies unaccounted for, anything amiss?" the chef inquired, the last vestiges of levity fading from his voice. His dedication as a chef now held hands with his role as a crew member, his empathetic heart reaching out to encompass the entire ship in his concern.

@Raydo

 

[Relan Quin]

He stood in silence for a moment before the Chief Culinary Officer of the Pathfinder stepped into view. The man looked deeply concerned about something.

"Excuse me?" the Doctor asked, his confusion deepening. "Are you alright, Thalis? How have you been sleeping?" he asked the chef as the man approached him. He listened as the Chef explained his mystery. "Maybe a computer error?" he suggested after he had finished. He doubted that to be the case; Thalis looked like the kind of person who was just as meticulous with his cooking supplies as Relan was with his medical supplies.

Relan stomach growled at the mention of ration issues. "There was nothing out of the ordinary yesterday when we did inventory, though perhaps I will complete it again..." he said, pulling out his own datapad and tapping away a reminder.

"Have you notified security? Perhaps they could investigate this for you?" he asked.

@Aberforth

 

[Thalis Kryze]

As Relan queried about his sleep, Thalis cast the doctor an incredulous glance, eyes narrowing in amusement. "I assure you, my four hours a night are a luxurious feast compared to the scant morsels of rest I survived on back in the culinary crucible of Corellia. My creativity thrives on the edge of fatigue."

His expression sobered at Relan's suggestion of notifying security. A skeptical shadow clouded Thalis's vibrant gaze as he considered the proposal. "Security?" he echoed, skepticism imbued in his voice. "Ah, doctor, therein lies the irony."

He paused, his silver-blue eyes glimmering with a blend of humor and suspicion. "Those ardent sentinels of law and order are the most gluttonous epicures on this vessel. Paragons of vigilance, yet tragically helpless before the allure of my culinary creations." The chef’s voice carried a subtle undercurrent of jest that did little to conceal the gravity of his insinuations.

Thalis' gaze darted to the side, as if imagining the security officers, ostensibly paragons of discipline, sneaking around his galley. His skepticism towards them was based not on mistrust of their intentions, but rather a keen understanding of their appetites.

The brief spark of investigative excitement at the thought of tracing the missing ingredients through medical means - blood draws, mandatory stool examination - quickly waned, replaced by a grim realization. To resort to such invasive measures would imply his own failure to maintain the sanctity of his kitchen. A chef who couldn't protect his ingredients was akin to a pilot who couldn’t navigate the stars.

"No, we can't show our hand so early. Not yet..." the chef murmured, more to himself than Relan. His gaze locked onto the gleaming surfaces of his kitchen, thoughts swirling as he grappled with this unforeseen predicament.

His expression hardened, resolve kindling in his eyes. "There must be another way," he declared, his voice echoing in the hushed mess hall. Amidst the simmering pots and racks of exotic ingredients, he found himself in a game of culinary espionage, the unknown thief his unseen opponent. And Thalis Kryze, culinary maestro of the cosmos, did not intend to lose.

@Raydo

 

[Relan Quin]

"That..." he said with a pause. "Is not enough..." he said with a shake of his head. Long-term sleep deprivation could lead to increased paranoia. In any case, he wasn't here to parent but would be monitoring the chef's health.

"So no security then? Alright.." he said with a raised eyebrow. He tucked his datapad away for the moment. He was a fan of mystery novels, and this sounded like something straight out of one of them.

He was done for the evening anyway, and maybe he could help out some here. If there truly was someone stealing supplies from the ship, they needed to be stopped. And if this was the delusional rants of an overworked chef who refused to sleep, that also needed to be dealt with.

"Let's back up a little bit." he said, pulling a chair up to a table and sitting down. "When was the last time the supplies were there? The ship should have a log of everyone who accessed the storage area. Maybe that will give you a clue?" he asked. It was an obvious start, but that's how you had to do these things. You always start at the most obvious thing and work your way back.

@Aberforth

 

[Thalis Kryze]

Thalis listened to the doctor's concerns about his sleep, a thin smile of indulgence gracing his lips. His mind was too consumed with the enigma of the disappearing supplies to consider personal matters. He dismissed the topic with an airy wave of his hand, his attention already drifting to the question of inventories.

"Ah, the last time the provisions were all accounted for... That would be two days ago. I meticulously examined each crate, container, and canister," Thalis explained, the memory of his thorough inspection still fresh. "Our inventory droid also had a perfect tally yesterday. However, the same droid's count turned up erroneous today, so I'm not putting too much stock in that."

His voice lapsed into contemplation as he began listing the potential culprits. "Those with unrestricted access to the storage area include Captain Priam, the two formidable Mandalorians, the girl with the sylphlike ears, the aquatic gentleman...” He went on, each name adding another layer to the convoluted puzzle.

The mystery was tantalizing, tempting Thalis to apply his chef's intuition to a different kind of recipe - one involving suspicion and secrecy. His eyes glazed over, fingers drumming rhythmically on the datapad as he imagined the elusive culinary creations that the stolen ingredients could conjure.

"Reek meat, Lothalian apples, and Chandrilan honey... With these ingredients, one could cook a hearty stew, roast an exquisite Reek loin, or even create a unique tart. Such dishes would be tantalizing... a culinary delight. But why would anyone risk pilfering the very ingredients that grace their plates each day?” He mused, his curiosity piqued.

@Raydo

 

[Relan Quin]

He opened a document on his datapad and start tapping away notes as the Chef gave him information. Luckily the man seemed to be meticulous as his reputation spoke of. It didn't surprise him all that much. He had expected to be eating paste out of a tube when he first accepted the role as the Chief Medical Officer of the Pathfinder, but he had found himself eating better than he had in basically his entire life.

"Well, I suppose we can write off the Captain as a suspect. He could just come down and take whatever he wanted. No need to be secret about it." he said, crossing the man's name from the list. "You have any issues or run-ins with any of the other suspects?" he said, glancing up at his new detective partner.

Both of them solved mysteries of different kinds. Once he got a solid grasp on the situation at hand, they could formulate a way to attack the problem.

As the Chef listed off dishes, Relan's stomach growled. He had come in search of food, after all. "Hey, I am ready to help solve this thing, but do you have something to eat back there?" he asked. "Can't solve crimes on an empty stomach..." he added.

@Aberforth

 

[Thalis Kryze]

Thalis glanced at the doctor's datapad, an amused smile spreading across his face. The sight of the medical professional playing the part of an amateur sleuth was a novel one, yet strangely reassuring.

"Indeed, the Captain wouldn't skulk around his own ship. And as for the others... No, I can't recall any confrontations, disagreements, or culinary discontent that might inspire such subterfuge," he mused, his mind navigating the sea of faces that populated the DECS Pathfinder.

A chuckle escaped Thalis as he heard the growling protestations of Relan's stomach. It was a sound he was intimately familiar with, a universal language spoken across galaxies. "Can't have my detective partner going hungry," he quipped, his serious demeanor softening at the mention of food.

Shuffling towards the back, he moved with a fluidity born of countless hours spent within the kitchen's confines. His nimble fingers danced across the storage containers, selecting a few choice ingredients that hadn't fallen prey to the unknown thief.

As he worked, the warm, comforting aroma of simmering Broth of Kodashi began to permeate the room, mingling with the faintly metallic scent of the ship's interior. The broth was a simple, hearty meal - earthy Kodashi roots, fragrant Nerf stock, a medley of spices, and fresh Nysillin bread on the side.

While the broth simmered, Thalis found himself contemplating their predicament. "You know, doctor," he began, glancing over his shoulder, "I wonder if we could lay a trap for our midnight marauder. Introduce a tempting new ingredient to the larder, one so unique, so tantalizing, that they can't resist. And then, we catch them red-handed..." His eyes sparkled with a combination of cunning and excitement, an adventurous spirit kindled in the quiet expanse of the galley.

@Raydo

 

[Relan Quin]

He gave a relieved sigh when Thalis agreed to fix some food, his stomach echoing its own thanks in its own way. Soon the smells of a heart broth filled the mess hall, only increasing his stomach protest.

He rubbed his chin as the Chef laid out a possible plan. "Oh! Like a stakeout?" he said, his mind immorality jumping to the crime novels he loved so much. "I have always wanted to be in one of those.."

"You think you can let the news slip in a way that won't arouse suspicion but still get to our thief?" he asked genuinely. "I could add a slight sedative to the container we use for bait. One good touch, and they would be out for a few minutes," he added to the plan. "Too much you think?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

His eyes shifted to the simmering broth; the smell was almost unbearably good.

@Aberforth