She regarded the food in front her cautiously. It was green and gelatinous, like lime jello. Only it didn’t smell like lime jello.
“Frank! We talked about this!”
She had named the computer, or whatever it was that spoke to her and seemed to run the ship, Frank. It was easier than the ridiculously long and scientific name that Franks real name translated to in her language.
“You can travel the universe, speak every language known on every planet in said universe, have the sum of the knowledge of all civilizations from every part of the universe at your disposal. Why can’t you just make me a hamburger?”
Frank beeped, miffed. She could tell he was miffed by the way the lights ran across the control panel randomly. She sighed. Leave it to her to get on board a moody spaceship to escape her pathetic love life.
Not that she was complaining, she was having the time of her life really. Learning about space, Earth, human life and civilizations, alien life and civilizations. She just really wanted a cheeseburger.
“Come on Frank, I promise I’ll take the vitamin and mineral supplements and I’ll let you check my cholesterol levels later.” Frank worried about her health out here in space. Thus the nutritionally complete but utterly tasteless green blob in front of her.
“Catherine” came the condescending tone from Franks speakers, “you know that red meat is bad for you.”
“Yes,” Cat replied, “but it tastes good!” She wasn’t sure if Frank was just stubborn or if he didn’t want to admit that he had no clue how to make a cheeseburger.
“Eat your nucohume (she had learned that stood for nutritionally complete human meal) and I’ll take you to a planet where they have something very close to cheeseburgers, but much, much better.”
“Where is that?” She asked suspiciously.
“In the Pegula galaxy, we were heading there next anyway. It’s a planet almost indistinguishable from your Earth, but a few twists I can’t wait to show you!”
She suspected she was being handled, but after securing a promise of a cheeseburger at their next stop, she complied. Sighing again, she reluctantly shoveled into the green nucohume.
Angela Harrison 