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February 4, 2051
Henry, Autumn, and four other doctors finished administering the supplement injections to the pilots flying the first morning patrol, and then they all went to the rec area to eat breakfast.
The other four doctors sat at a table in the middle of the room, and Henry and Autumn took a corner table, sitting on the same side of it as if waiting for their friends to join them.
They were waiting, but they were also keeping watch.
The new doctors’ CIDs were not on the list of devices that disconnected from the station’s intranet, but if Long and Rogers were rebels, neither Henry nor Autumn put it past them to somehow disconnect other doctors’ CIDs as a cover.
Autumn ripped open a ration packet. “Looks like our new personnel have no trouble making friends.”
Henry nodded as he opened his packet. “From what I’ve seen of them, they are very open and talkative—and they are very good at getting other people to talk too.”
“They must find you and me quite annoying.” Autumn half-smiled. “Though probably not half as annoying as Station Guard Duy.”
Station Guard Duy had put on a good performance of having a pained, but not sprained ankle, if the doctors’ prescription of mild pain medication was any indication.
Henry sighed. “At least they didn’t tamper with the medication they prescribed him.”
“You were nearby when they retrieved it from the cabinet—who knows what they might have done if you hadn’t been.”
“I’m glad you still tested it afterward. Although I know he wasn’t planning to use it.”
Autumn studied her half-eaten packet of food. “I almost wish they would do something so we could catch them in it. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.” She looked up. “Although I prefer that they do something after your birthday.”
“Thank you.”
“Speaking of which.” She smirked. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you.” Henry smiled. This would be his first birthday in nine years celebrated with friends. During his time at the training facilities, he hadn’t made any friends among the medical cadets, and his instructors had taken a dim view of associating with anyone from the other divisions.
And since his birthday wasn’t around any major holidays, he couldn’t take time off to visit his family or have them visit him. Every year, his parents had sent him a birthday gift, a card, and their traditional dessert, and he’d always video chatted with them, but seeing them on a screen just wasn’t the same as seeing them in person—although he’d certainly miss it this year.
He doubted he’d get to do a VCS call with them, as Claire had with her parents on her birthday. That would require Internet usage, and the temporary station head was trying to keep Internet usage to a minimum for security purposes.
At least Henry would be spending his birthday with Autumn and the others.
Alex, Claire, and Topaz would be flying the second afternoon patrol, which left most of the morning and evening open. And Colton had said he’d spend the evening with them.
And while Henry wouldn’t get to talk with his parents, they’d sent him a present and a card—he’d still be holding a gift they’d picked out for him, still reading the words they’d written to him.
He hoped they’d make birthday cookies. If only he could have made some to share with his friends.
For security reasons, no one at the Moon Station was supposed to receive food mailed by friends or family, but they were allowed to order food and have it sent to them.
Henry remembered the regret in Autumn’s voice when she told him she had to cancel his order for cookie ingredients because the risk of a rebel in the government finding out the items were meant for him and then tampering with them was just too high.
Autumn had looked as sorry as he’d felt, even though it wasn’t her fault and he’d told her that.
Oh well. Having friends like her took a lot of the edge off his disappointment.
His CID buzzed, and he found a message from Alex. Sorry, but the rest of us will have to miss breakfast.
____________________________________________________________________________
Claire entered the medical bay with Topaz right behind her.
As they headed toward Autumn’s office, movement caught Claire’s eye, and she touched Topaz’s shoulder and pointed to their right.
A bit of U.S.G.F. uniform stuck out past one of the curtained exam tables.
Claire signed, Stay here, to Topaz, then drew her electrical pistol and moved toward the table. The person the uniform belonged to backed up and whirled before she was halfway there.
“Alex.”
“Claire.” He let his breath out. “I thought you were one of the wedgie head doctors.”
“What are you doing here?” She holstered her weapon as Topaz joined her. “I thought you were having breakfast with Henry.”
Alex held up a blue candle. “I had to borrow one of medical’s portable heating grids to make Henry’s birthday candle.”
Claire frowned. “I thought you were going to do that in engineering—like you did with mine.”
“Yeah, and I was going to do it yesterday, but with all the stuff Colton and I ended up having to do—not to mention as soon as he was done placing the CIDs he got roped into helping upgrade our space fighters—did you hear those special tracking bullets are finished?”
“No.” Claire looked at Topaz, who shook her head.
“Well, they’re finished. And with all the fighters there were to upgrade, I’m guessing he was up a lot of the night doing it.” Alex sighed. “Anyway, he’s in Autumn’s office—”
“Who’s with Henry?” Claire asked. “If you’re not with him—”
“It’s okay. He’s with Autumn. They’re eating breakfast and watching the two doctors. I mean the major wedgie-headed ones, Rogers and Long.”
Topaz giggled. “Technically Barr’s the only official Major around here…so maybe they’re more like junior-major.”
“Junior-major wedgie heads…I like the repetition of the juh sound.”
Claire smiled. “Does Colton have the ingredients ready?”
“Yeah.” Alex gestured toward the heating grid in front of him. “The grid’s definitely ready when you guys are. I don’t think the butter will have to be on here ten seconds.”
“Gotcha.” Topaz jogged over to the division head’s office, and Claire followed.
The operator knocked on the door, and Colton let them in, then locked the door behind them.
Topaz grinned. “So, Autumn’s officially retired, and you’re the new Head of the Medical Division, huh?”
Colton smiled back. “Last night, when we went over the plan for today, she gave me her passcode in case she wasn’t here to let us in.”
“Alex said he thought you were up late working on our space fighters,” Claire said. “Sorry about that.”
He smiled again. “I wasn’t up that late. But thank you.” He let his breath out. “I’m glad you’ll be able to use the trackers now.”
“We just have to wait for the rebels to show up.” Topaz frowned, then glanced at Claire. “On the one hand, I don’t want you guys in another battle—but on the other hand, if it meant actually finding their base…”
“I know what you mean.” Claire rested a hand on her shoulder. “When they come, we’ll be ready.”
“You’re right.” Topaz turned to Colton. “Alex said you had all the cookie ingredients ready.”
“Yes.” Colton gestured for them to join him at Autumn’s desk. Bowls, pans, utensils, and containers of ingredients were arranged on top of it.
One container was marked “Handle With Care.”
Claire eyed it. “Are those eggs?”
“Four bottles. Each containing the equivalent of one egg. Since we’re making two giant cookies, we’ll only need two eggs. Autumn ordered extra in case something happened.”
“And the recipe?” Topaz asked.
Colton pulled a scrap of paper from his jacket and handed it to her. “I wrote down what Henry told me in November.”
“Nice handwriting.”
Colton smiled. “Thank you.”
Topaz frowned. “Only a quarter cup of brown sugar per cookie? That seems small.”
“It’s the amount Henry told me.”
Topaz passed the recipe to Claire, who read through it and then handed it back to Colton.
“Too bad we can’t bake them in here,” the pilot muttered. “Then we wouldn’t have to worry about watching for the other doctors.”
Colton nodded. “I know. But this room isn’t wired to support her computer and a heating grid.”
“It’ll be okay.” Topaz reached for a measuring cup. “If anyone tries to pull anything, we’ll take care of it.”
In minutes, they had the two batches of dough ready, Colton briefly leaving the room to soften the butter. He and Topaz shaped the two giant cookies on trays, which they carried out of the office together. Claire watched for doctors while Colton locked the door behind them.
The three of them joined Alex and put one pan on the grid to cook and the other on an exam table close by.
Colton stared at the baking cookie. “Wow. You can see it coalesce!”
Claire grinned at his excitement, taking her eyes off the surrounding area to glance at the dough.
Then heavy footfalls sounded through the bay, and she spun toward their source. Dr. Oakes rushed toward her and the others from the direction of the doctors’ quarters. He was carrying a large container.
Claire didn’t know what he was going to do, but she knew she wasn’t going to let him do it. “Oakes!”
The other three were already moving—they must have all spotted him at the same time. Colton snatched up the other cookie and whirled, shielding it and the baking cookie, while Claire, Alex, and Topaz moved to intercept Oakes.
Alex and Topaz got to him first.
____________________________________________________________________________
Breakfast over, the other four doctors headed back to the medical bay, still conversing, and Henry and Autumn followed.
Henry wondered why Alex and the others hadn’t been able to come to breakfast.
Either they were planning a surprise…or they were having a secret meeting with the general.
I hope nothing’s happened.
The bay was empty when they entered it, and the other doctors continued through it toward their quarters.
Henry and Autumn stopped outside her office, and Autumn let out a sigh. “Think they’ll stay in there the rest of the day?”
“That would be nice.”
She smiled. “I guess we better inventory or something so we can be out here to wait for them.”
Henry was about to agree when her office door opened.
Henry’s hand automatically grasped his electrical pistol, then released it as Colton walked out. “Colton.”
“Hello, Henry. I’m sorry I startled you.”
“Don’t worry. I am all right.”
Colton hesitated, then gave him a hug. “Happy Birthday.”
Henry returned it. “Thank you.”
Autumn gave the engineer a sympathetic smile. “I hope you were able to rest.”
Colton nodded. “Thank you for letting me borrow your office—it was very quiet. And no one messaged my CID, either.”
Poor Colton. That’s why he couldn’t come.
“You can also always borrow my room again, if you need it,” Henry said.
“I know—and thank you—I just wanted a place with…fewer doctors moving around. Not that I think anyone has your passcode, Henry. I better head back to engineering now.”
“See you later.” Henry smiled.
“See you both.” Colton returned the smile, including Autumn in it, then headed for one of the bay exits.
____________________________________________________________________________
Alex, Claire, and Topaz sat at a corner table in the rec area, waiting for Colton and quietly discussing the current status of the operators’ mission to get into the rebel network.
“The CIDs are linked to the switchboards.” Claire looked down at her hands. “So if there’s no record of the new doctors disconnecting theirs from the intranet…Could they have borrowed or stolen other doctors’ devices and used them?”
“That’s a possibility too,” Topaz answered. “It’s also possible they modified their CIDs so they don’t link to the switchboards the same way”—their CIDs buzzed, and they checked them.
Alex’s stomach clenched and he threw a look at the other two. “The general says to join the current patrol.”
“Same,” Topaz answered.
“Same.” Claire pushed her chair back.
Several other pilots and operators in the rec area hurried with them, the operators stopping when they reached their area, and the pilots continuing to the pilots’ bay.
Colton and Albert were checking Alex and Claire’s space fighters while other engineers checked the other pilots’.
I hope none of those engineers are rebels...Alex pulled on his space suit alongside the others, and then they all raced to their fighters.
The engineers backed up, nodding to them that their fighters were ready, and Alex threw Colton and Albert a hasty grin before hopping into his.
When they left the station, their operators directed them toward the moon to join the pilots assigned to the second morning patrol. The pilots had formed a wall of fighters. Beyond it, giant black circles looked like gaping holes in the moon.
What the—Alex’s mind didn’t get to complete the thought before the circles exploded into individual space fighters, far more than Alex had ever seen before.
He guessed Topaz had already zoomed in on them. “How many rebels?”
“Looking…”
A gap of silence.
Then her voice came over his comms again. “Those aren’t regular space fighters.”
Thank you for reading “The Cookies” (Part 2). Read the next part of this episode here.
The previous installment in this series is “The Cookies” (Part 1). Read it here.
Copyright © 2026 Li Mitchell All Rights Reserved
Note: Everything I write is written without AI—even if I do use a lot of em dashes (and some semicolons).
Uh oh... 👀
This one ends with a surprise!