Name: Hunter Lebeau

The soil of Struunus was toxic. The apes of Struunus were anything but. Theirs was a culture of hospitality and generosity. Whether one was a traveling vagabond or an envoy from the Collective, all could be sure of an excellent welcoming feast at their arrival. Providing for these feasts was a challenge for the Struunusians living on a planet where nothing grew, so they researched and constructed the most advanced greenhouses the galaxy had ever seen. Then they searched the galaxy collecting every edible plant known and many previously unknown.

Hunter Lebeau grew up in this unlikely paradise of agriculture. He loved his Struunus and, from a young age, dedicated himself to Struunusian hospitality through cooking. By the time he was an adult, he'd risen in renown to become the youngest chef added to the legendary roster who would be called on to prepare the welcome for visitors from abroad.

He always pushed himself to take his cooking to higher levels and was overjoyed when accepted into GACA (the Galactic Academy of Culinary Arts). There was no comparing GACA to any other culinary institute, as it stood in a class of its own. The Struunusians celebrated his outstanding achievement with an even more lavish feast and took a collection to help him cover the tuition.

It was far from enough, as while Stuunusians were rich in generosity, they were far from rich in riches. He would not let that stop him and applied for a hefty loan from the Bank of Laruta.

Four miserable years later, he was preparing his thesis meal for the head of GACA faculty, which included galaxy famous chefs Allard Tremble and Lucie Abraham. This high falutin academy he'd spent the last four years in had one significant difference from his home he missed constantly.

They cooked and ate meat.

He never feared for himself ending up as food, as ape meat was a dish discouraged, more than half of GACA attendees also being apes. Species like frogs and all kinds of fish were a completely different story. Most viewed these species so beneath them that they considered them hardly smarter than plants.

He was disgusted at the thought of eating or cooking conscious creatures, but fate's cruel plans were indifferent to his indignation. The donation fund from his fellow apes ran dry within his first few months, and he'd maxed out his loan limit before the end of his second year. He had to take on work part-time.

Frog legs were something he'd only had associated with the often undressed inhabitants of Strahawei who rarely left their planet, though that changed quickly. Now he associated them with the sizzle sound they made when they hit the grill and that mouth watering heart breaking smell they emitted soon after.

He suffered through the nightmare with one goal, to prove to the academy and the galaxy that cuisine could be just as good without suffering. Today he would present his meat-free magnum opus to the faculty as evidence.

He'd spent the past year designing and perfecting the perfect meal. It began with Amida glazed tofu on a black sesame steamed bun paired with pickled cucumber. That was followed by confit baby turnip with charred chicory, toasted walnut, beetroot, and pickled onion.The main course was a majestic Struunusian cauliflower steak matched with spiced potato fritters, crispy chickpeas, flaked almond, and braised lentils. The finishing move would be a dark chocolate cake on a pineapple coconut sorbet.

Allard Tremble sat at the head of the faculty table, looking at the elegantly handwritten menu in confusion. "Are you making a mockery of us, of GACA, of the art of cuisine? How could you dare bring this hodgepodge of peasant food to this institute? After four years of your insufferable insubordination being reported regularly to my office, now you disgrace me to my face with your moral insanity." Allard looked down the table at his esteemed peers. "None of you dare debase yourself with even a thought of tasting this vegetable roughage." And back to Hunter, "Get this out of here. If I ever hear another of your childish ideas or smell another of your vegetables again, I will break our academy's taboo on preparing ape meat!"

In silent defeat, Hunter collected his untouched meal and packed it with his few things into the small ship that had been loaned to him by his mentor back home. As he slowly made his way back through space, wondering why he took this meal that doomed him with him, he saw a medical outpost on his scanner. He hadn't changed the system, but maybe he could brighten a hard-working doctor's day.

After landing his ship, he unpacked the food and walked toward the entrance when he overheard loud voices while passing what looked like a pirate ship.

"Please don't leave me again. I've only just found you after years of searching. We will be magnificent together."

"There's nothing magnificent about you, you foolish panda. You almost killed innocent Frida, you nearly crashed the ship landing here, and you can't even feed yourself or your crew. We've been here for days, and you've run out of supplies. Why would I join your mess?"

They were interrupted by a knock at the door and an ape on the intercom display.

"I'm here with the food delivery." Hunter smiled into the camera.