Chapter 4

I focus on the chopping board, making sure the cabbage gets chopped instead of my fingers. Acea is with me today and is busy mincing the meat with four butcher knives at the same time. He is the perfect one for the job. The meat can use a ton of hits before it is ready.

There are a few more helping with the food. We have to prepare breakfast and dinner for everyone. And if the situation allows for it, we keep some soup for everyone all day.

Acea says, "So, you mean the new guy isn't doing anything?"

"Apparently. I told him to make himself useful, but he sneered at me. I'm not sure what he expects, that we are going to just let him sit around and do nothing while we feed him free food?"

"Looks like you're certain that he isn't from home."

I shake my head with a heavy heart. "I wish he was, but he isn't. He is just too dumb to drive a spaceship straight."

Acea chuckles. "I can see that. But maybe he ran into some accident. Do you think he can contact someone for help? We can use help too."

I pause when my hand shakes. It won't be safe to keep going, so I join the side that is kneading the wrappers for the dumplings. Acea frowns at me, also stopping his knives. I clear my throat. "Maybe. I won't be against meeting others."

The frown on his face lingers. I sigh. "I mean it. We are fine."

He nods and gets back to chopping. I put the dough into smaller slices, getting them ready for dumplings. Part of me hopes that I'm not the leader whatsoever. There's nothing glamorous about it other than more responsibility, even worse, everyone seems to have their hopes on me, that I'll be able to reconnect with our home planet.

It doesn't help when the gray thing comes around and annoys me to no end. Maybe it isn't completely fair to him that I'm pissed almost every time I see him, but I can't help myself. Everything about him grinds my gear and I really want to kick his ass, somehow. Maybe it is the way he carries himself. He sure thinks he is invincible or something.

I take the pan of dumpling wrappers, moving it to the stand where beings are putting them together. The chopped cabbage and green onion with minced meat all go inside the dumplings and will be tossed into a pot to get cooked. These are pretty good when we can make a lot of these and put everything into the freezer.

"Boss."

I turn around to a younger being who's also here to help. Everyone on this planet is recruited to start a base for workers that will be coming... sometime in the future, so all of us are good to be working our asses off and expected to work, yet... Sometimes, some of them feel a bit too young to have to suffer this life.

I nod. "You don't have to call me boss, but yes, how I can help you?"

"Here, I have everything ready." He points at the chopping board he has been working at with a grin. Seeing the younger ones put a smile on my face, but I still hope they don't have to suffer.

I was longing to be here, to do something meaningful to help the community while earning a handsome amount, but... Everything changed soon enough that...

I swallow, pulling my thoughts elsewhere. This isn't the time to wallow. I check the corn he picked from the cob into a basket. "Nice work. The dumplings are going to be amazing."

"Yay!"

"Now get this basket and the meat from Acea. Mix them."

"Sure!" He takes the basket and heads over. Somehow, I'm not sure whether everyone's just pretending to be happy when they aren't.

I check the time. I better get back to preparing the dough so there will be enough time to get the dumplings ready. When everyone comes back hungry for dinner, the last thing they need is a delay because I've been distracted.

Will the coal-gray guy actually be useful?

I doubt he is going to do as I said. Such a big ego bastard.