![canstockphoto12261576.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWT6Nvf8mBq5gi5kdukjMqYi1ExodzquH8KBQ4GV673sk/canstockphoto12261576.jpg)

> A: This blade, with its razor sharp edge, can cleave through flesh and bone easily. Due to the various materials to make this, no blood or grime will stick to this blade.
> B: you know out of context that is scary until you realise it’s a Butcher knife. But the way you hold it and the precision you use it is terrifying. -- Anon Guest

[AN: I derped and did a prompt out of order. Apologies for the inconvenience.]

Cookie continued chopping zucchini with near mechanical precision and skill. "Aw, you're not buying into that space orcs nonsense about Humans, are you? I'm cooking ethically-sourced vegetarian food, here." The knife in question was now placed with precision and care near the chopping board so Cookie could sweep the finished product into the pot. "We don't even have any nature-sourced protein[1] to cut like that anyway."

"Nevertheless," protested Graax. "It's the way you say it and the way you use it... I know a knife is just a tool, but in the wrong hands?"

"Pfft. I cut myself more than I cut a living being," scoffed Cookie. Then the shipwide alarms went off. Pirates! Cookie did what any Ships' Chef would do. They made sure all meals in progress were at a stage where they could wait, and then made sure their knives were sharp. Cookie handed a fillet knife to Graax. "Remember what you were saying about the wrong hands?"

Graax made a nervous 'meep' noise, but nodded.

"We're the right hands. Pointy end goes into the bad people. Get to a livesuit, get the passengers to safety, and if you can, remember everything you've learned from me about ordinary household chemicals before you get out." Cookie grimaced in the determined way of someone who knew that they had to mess as much up as possible and knew how to do it. "_Man_, am I gonna regret the cleanup after this bullshit." They then hefted the biggest, sharpest butcher's knife they had and snarled, "Let's do this!"

By all accounts, this was not the first time a Ship's Chef had royally spoiled a hijacking in progress. It was not even the messiest[2]. It was, thanks to the presence of a Deathworlder, and the _student_ of a Deathworlder, one of the most terrifying for the invaders.

In less than three hours, the pirates in question were not only subdued, but willing to spill the details of their entire operation, home base, allies, and officials they paid to look the other way. They surrendered without any conditions bar one:

"Don't let that Deathworlder near us! Don't let them _anywhere_ near us!" They had, after all, seen that big scary knife in action, and now they were watching the bloodless steel employed in the simple act of chasing dirt out from underneath Cookie's fingernails.

[1] Time, being a unit of currency, in combination with the widespread use of cultured meat, has lead to traditionally grown proteins as being one of the more expensive ways to consume it. This, in turn, has lead to the near extinction of cows, pigs, and chickens.

[2] See archival file _Under Siege_ for one in the top ten of messiest events of Ship's Chef interventions.

[Image <a href="https://www.canstockphoto.com">(c) Can Stock Photo / aopsan</a>]

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