Fiona still didn't quite know how to take any of this. Part of her was terrified for her life at the hands of an alien race, another part was thinking that she cracked her head open at some point and this was all some insane fever dream, and yet another part was just sitting there shocked at just how absurd this whole situation was; that aliens were real, and they needed humanity to judge a cooking competition.
But a teeny, tiny part of her had to admit that this was also pretty exciting.
That little bit was enough to will Fiona to unbuckle and get to her feet alongside the sharkey alien. "So, uh, where's the door?"
"Door?" the sharky alien laughed. "We haven't used doors on our space faring vessels.Not since Galactic Eon 30285B and the Irokis Disaster."
"Sure," Fiora said, still trying to process all of this. "So how do we get off?"
"Translocators, easy and completely safe to use," the sharky alien explained, placing a hand on her shoulder and tapped something on their belt, and in an instant there was a blinding flash and a sound like the crackle of a firecracker. Blinking in the sudden light, she realized that she was standing in the same hanger area she docked in, immediately becoming self conscious and more then a little terrified at all of the aliens bustling around staring at this weird newcomer.
Being dragged through the terminal and past all the gawking and whispering faces allowed the culinary student to take in the sheer scope of all the beings here. Some were almost human, just with bright primary skin tones or extra limbs and bizarre facial features. Others resembled animal hybrids like her sharky friend, some even sporting a whole zoo's worth of physical features. Still others were so incomprehensibly different that they defied what little knowledge of science and biology she had; one alien who gave her an odd look appeared to be perpetually on fire. It was almost a relief when she finally passed through a doorway that slid shut behind her.
"That thing didn't take apart and rearrange my atoms or anything did it?" Fiona asked at last, once she was able to catch her breath.
"Goodness no, the translocator just picks you up and zips you across an alternate dimension," the sharkey alien explained, pressing a glyph on the far side of the circular chamber they were in. "Moving around atoms just makes things messy." Fiona nodded, feeling the familiar lurch of upward movement that confirmed that this thing was some sort of elevator.
The whisper-quiet whir of the elevator was helpful though, since it gave Fiona more time just to process everything going on. She still wasn't super convinced that this wasn't all some sort of weird delusion of hers, but if it was, she needed some more answers.
"I...think I'm starting to get over the whole 'aliens being real' thing," Fiona began slowly. "Still working on getting past the 'abduction' part though."
The sharkey alien frowned slightly. "I am actually sorry about doing that. I wasn't allowed to risk you spreading the story that we were out here, I was just told to find a low-profile human with culinary experience and bring her here."
Fiona pondered this for a moment. "Well, how about we start over then? Introduce ourselves properly and you can explain what's happening without the kidnapping part."
The alien smiled slightly. "That sounds good."
"Well then I'll start," Fiona said, holding out her hand. "Hi, I'm Fiona Daguare."
The alien stared at the outstretched hand, then held out their own in the same pose. Trying not to roll her eyes, Fiona sighed and reached out to take it and give a proper handshake.
"Oh!" the shark alien said in surprise at the gesture. "Uh...Kiskin Mak, Agent of the Grand Alliance." For the first time, that dangerous and literally shark-toothed grin that Kiskin gave seemed playful and silly instead of scary and unsettling. "And...ahem...on behalf of the Grand Alliance, we need your help."
"With a cooking competition," Fiona recalled.
Kiskin nodded. "The Gourmet Royale. Every species from the Grand Alliance sends their best and brightest to prepare the greatest dishes in the galaxy. It's not only our biggest competitive event, but a cultural touchstone that dates back to our founding eons ago and is symbolic of our commitment to peace and prosperity."
Fiona nodded, finding this far more believable then before, compared to everything else. "So...why do you need me to judge for you? What's so important that you needed to drag me out here?"
"Well, the reason the Gourmet Royale holds such importance in our society is because we've used it as an alternative to war. If two powers had a dispute, it was settled in the kitchen instead of on the battlefield. And in the last competition, one of the judges revealed that they were bribed."
"Oh, that's...not good."
"No it wasn't. The Onuruk and the Heldoth were particularly incensed, they've had a rivalry that dates back centuries and they said they wouldn't come to another competition until they were certain that the judge had not been compromised. And if they don't settle their differences in the kitchen..."
"They go to war," Fiona said grimly. "So that's why I'm needed then? I'm the most neutral judge they can find?"
"Exactly," Kiskin said, gesturing towards the wall opening up in front of them as the elevator finally came to a stop. "We can give you more details tomorrow once the contest properly starts, but until then we had this arranged for you."
Fiona stepped through the doorway, expecting some surreal looking furniture or a bunch of machines, only to find herself in a downright immaculate room, decorated like a gleaming marble antechamber, bare but for an elegant sofa in front of a flat rectangular device on the wall. In the room beyond she could see the edge of a bed that even from a distance had to have been the biggest, plushest bed she'd ever seen, something that a French monarch would think was too gaudy.
"It's a little bare," Kiskin admitted as Fiona gaped at her surroundings. "But you can talk to the device on the wall there and it'll provide you with anything you need. Otherwise, just ask it to call me and I'll come by to help you out. If you want me to, I mean..."
Fiona turned to look at Kiskin, who seemed to be shamefully staring at their boots again. "Hey, Kiskin," she said, patting them on the shoulder. "If it's about springing this on me, don't worry about it. I'm not upset any more, and I don't hold it against you."
Kiskin seemed to perk up slightly at that. "Th-thanks Fiona..."
"And besides, putting aside the ridiculous stakes, I'm gonna be judging an alien cooking competition," Fiona said, feeling a hint of excitement welling up inside her. "It'll be a hell of a thing to put on my resume." Like anyone would actually believe her if she told them, admittedly, but whatever. This was gonna be cool!
"I'll let the runners know that you're ready to begin!" Kiskin said brightly. "They'll be glad to hear your eager and ready, we have hundreds of entrants waiting to be judged already."
"...how many entrants?"
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