"I need Chocolate!" -- Knitnan
"Attempted security breach detected in junction B-9," intoned the computer. Security Operator Vic stumbled out of his bunk. Why did this shit always happen on his rest cycle? He scrubbed the grit out of his eyes and attempted to focus on the screens. Which were needlessly tiny, lowest-bid, grainy-as-flakk monitors from the absolute dawn of screen technology. The only thing stopping the corp from using Cathode Ray Tubes was the radiation restrictions for the fluffiest Havenworlders on board.
It took quite a lot of interpretation to figure out the ghostly monochrome figures as they blended into each other at - it seemed - four frames per minute.
There was, indeed, someone messing with the food printer. Hacking it. Vic could barely make out a jury-rigged datareader and some cables. There was some shadowy thing on the floor that had to be some removed panels.
Right. This was officially interfering with corpo property. Vic pulled on his pants, picked up his weapon, and marched all the way to junction B-9.
Human San was cussing as ze hit the datareader, the bare circuits of the printer, and a random patch of wall.
"That's potential abuse of corpo property, San," sighed Vic. "The flakk are you doing?"
San slumped, called on hir gods, and sighed. "I flakking need just one machine to dispense one thing for my mental flakking health! I'll put up warning stickers. I'll add an extra cleaning protocol to the printer nozzles. Free!"
"I can put the proposal to corpo. They like free," said Vic. "What were you trying to print anyway?"
"What else? Chocolate!"
[Photo by Tamas Pap on Unsplash]
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends! Or visit my hub site to see what else I'm up to.
My Prompt Forum is currently down, but if you want to send me a prompt, post it on my Discord's emergency prompt supply.