Chapter Seven – Exotic Cuisines

Chapter Seven – Exotic Cuisines

“You don’t want to go to war with an empty tummy now, do you?”

-Tankette, to Brigadier General Thibodeau, 2057

***

We had a light lunch, which in my mind meant ordering up something from Myalis to snack on before we headed out, but apparently that wasn’t right according to Tankette.

The woman heard my plan to just order something to eat, then she calmly but firmly put her foot down. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.

“You don’t?” I asked.

She shook her head. We were still in the command pavilion in the middle of the highway, but Tankette looked ready to leave. “Sure, ordering food is fine when you’re busy, but you can’t order food that has any love or attention put into it. Come on, follow me, please.”

I glanced at Gomorrah as Tankette left the pavilion, but all I got out of the nun was an unhelpful shrug. So I followed after Tankette, and soon the others did the same with varying amounts of enthusiasm.

Tankette’s tank was parked next to the Fury, but it started to rumble and move before Tankette was even there. The little tank rolled towards us, then did turn on the spot so that its rear was facing our way.

The samurai popped open a small trunk at the rear, and I blinked as I saw how much space was in there. It looked like the space where the engine should have been was mostly taken up by shelving and a few unfoldable things.

Tankette tugged a bar out, then stepped back while pulling it. A whole mini-kitchen came out of the back, along with a small countertop. Pieces clicked into place, parts folded into parts that snapped and locked until she had her entire setup ready before her.

There were two little stovetop rings, a small oven-looking thing, and what I suspected was a microwave next to the bottom half of a blender. “Okay,” Tankette said as she turned our way. “Are there any dietary things I should know about?”

I looked around. “Uh, not for me?”

“I’m fine with everything,” Gomorrah said. “Are you going to… cook?”

“Why yes, of course,” Tankette said.

“Strange,” Crackshot said. “But alright, I’m down for it. I don’t like onions.”

“Don’t like, or are allergic?” Tankette asked.

Crackshot frowned. “You know when you make eggs and you leave a bit of shell in the egg and then you bite on it?” he asked. “Yeah, onions do the same for me. It ain’t so much the flavour, it’s the texture that’s all wrong.”

“I’m allergic to sesame seeds,” Princess said with a little wave. “I get a rash, it kinda sucks.”

“I’m vegan,” Knight said. Princess rolled her eyes next to her.

“Nothing here,” Hedgehog said.

Tankette clapped her hands. “Fantastic! Does anyone want to help me cook? I’m thinking… a nice little veggie stir-fry? Princess, are you okay with quinoa? I think they’re a kind of seed.”

“I think I’m okay with that, yeah,” Princess said. “I can help you cook. But Knight can’t.”

“What? Why not?” Knight asked.

“You don’t know how to cook,” Princess pointed out.

Knight shifted a little. “So?”

“You can help with the cutting,” Tankette said. She turned towards the countertop at the back of her tank and then a few boxes thumped into place. They were the same plastic boxes as every other item ordered up for points, only these had little cartoon tanks stencilled on the side. One of them looked like it was a bit thicker, like a cooler box.

Hedgehog stepped back a little, looking entirely unwilling to help with all of this, but Crackshot stepped up and started to unpack things next to Tankette. “Lemme help ya there,” he said. “You said stir-fry, yeah? Never was one for that kinda fancy stuff, but I know my way around a potato peeler just fine.”