Challenge #02471-F281: Double the Experience

They were twins, identical to the last freckle. It brought them no end of joy with playing pranks on friends, or on unsuspecting galactics, when they wore the exact same clothes and hair styles. Very few have ever seen humans that looked, sounded, and acted so similar that they could practically be ONE person in two bodies. But they were in space for a reason. To learn new foods, new cuisines, new inspirations. They wanted to open a restaurant that could one day be famous through-out the universe. Problem is, just what were the tastiest treats around? -- DaniAndShali

[AN: So very tempted to do Taako and Lup IN SPACE! but they've already been there, sooo....]

There was a big lump under the bigger warming blanket that had one Human head poking out, looking around anxiously. Like all Spacers, this one had their hair cut short and the barest minimum of protections against random infection on. In this case, the only visible safeguard was a breath mask. In a handful of moments, the head would duck down, the lump would shift around, and the head would apparently pop back up again.

Finally, at last, their contractor arrived at the meeting place. Only then was it revealed that there were two Humans under the warming blanket, which they folded in a co-ordinated dance. Apart from the fact that there were visibly two of them, they were apparently completely identical. Only their nameplates distinguished them apart. One was called Tash and the other Kel.

Captain Krasq startled at this. Ze had heard legends, for sure, but this? This could easily be chalked up to an emerging phenomenon known as The Humans Were Right. Which was a list of reports and footage from assorted beings who independently confirmed things that the Humans had been stating as truth for years, even decades. The N'Ozzies really did a number on Human-Galactic relationships.

"This," ze said once they were over the initial shock, "Explains why you sent dual copies of the same identity image."

"We didn't," said Human Kel, "Those were individual identity photos."

"If you overlay them, you'll be able to spot the differences," said Human Tash.

This sounded like more Drop Bear nonsense, but Captain Krasq verified anyway, checking both images and then overlaying them as described. It took hir quite some time, twiddling, and staring at the images as ze moved them, but... some freckles and moles were in slightly different positions between the faces.

Humans Tash and Kel patiently waited for all of this to transpire. "There's also fingerprints," said Human Tash. "Even identical twins aren't identical there." She offered her thumb, as did her sister. "You can scan us."

It may well have been the very last time they were scanned for their fingerprints. Once they were on board the Long Hauler as culinary experts and traders, all fingerprint scanners suffered a consecutive cascade of errors that meant fingerprint verification was next to impossible. That was the beginning of The Shenanigans.

Captain Krasq had heard of such things from Human tales of Humans. Identical twins using their visual similarity in order to pull pranks. This, Captain Krasq was certain, was some kind of 'hazing' activity. Getting all of the nonsense out in the open to see how the newcomers dealt with it. On one hand, it was annoying as every singular hell.

On the other hand, they were absolutely amazing chefs. A spectacle to behold, as they worked. A delight to taste their hard work. There was, to use the Human phrase, never a dull moment.

Nothing phased them. If the gravity engines failed, they could still cook in low to no gravity, effortlessly tossing implements, ingredients, and food in progress about as they prepared meals. When they weren't cooking, they were discussing things in one of the very, very many obscure Human dialects, and taking notes in their relatively primitive data management devices.

It was no small shock that they, relatively young Humans, were concocting a plan for the later part of their lives. A plan like many Human plans, full of ambition and dreams, and reliant upon rampant circumstance and synchronicity. When Captain Krasq investigated, their plans at this stage consisted of mostly one activity:

Find and document all the foods that all the creatures in the Galactic Alliance and Edge alike could enjoy with little to no repercussions.

"We're thinking of calling it Everyone Eat," smiled Human Kel.

"Meals together help sociability," said Human Tash. "We could be the vessel by which ambassadorial relationships grow and foster."

Captain Krasq was moderately certain that Human Tash had mispronounced 'fester', but with Humans you could never be absolutely certain.

[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / voltan]

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