Dr. Chef

* 1
* 2

Dr. Chef, illusrated by Sarah/@IceFang111

Ashby Santoso (left) and Dr. Chef (right) by Kiku Hughes

**Dr Chef** is the doctor and cook aboard The Wayfarer. He is a Grum, and one of the last of his kind. He served as a doctor during a war on his planet, but retired after watching the last of his daughters die. He then became a cook before re-training as a multispecies doctor and joining the crew of the Wayfarer.

## Appearance and Personality

As a Grum, Dr Chef is large and grey, with balloon-like cheeks and six multifunctional limbs. He typically wears a shirt with extra holes cut in the sides and a pair of baggy drawstring trousers, presumably a habit he gained after joining the largely-human crew of the Wayfarer.

Dr Chef is friendly and outgoing, with a caring manner to the rest of his crew which is often parental. He is passionate about food, cooking and gardening, with a particular love of herbs as they blend the culinary and the medical.

## Early Life

Dr Chef was born on the Grum homeworld as a female. Her full name in her native tongue lasted over a minute and translates roughly as "A Grove Of Trees Where Friends Meet To Watch The Moons Align During A Sunset In Mid-Autumn," while also including her mother's name and the town where she was born. From long before her birth, Dr Chef's culture had been at war with others of their species. As an adult, she took her place in the war as a battlefield medic. She had five daughters, all of whom grew up to become soldiers.

Towards the end of the war, the enemy began using organ cutter, a weapon genetically tuned to Dr Chef's society which would burrow into them until they died. Dr Chef struggled to save patients, and eventually euthanasia was considered the most effective treatment. It was soon discovered that the weapon had been developed by their own side, and both sides were using the cutters and other inhumane weapons to kill thousands.

A few years before the end of the war, Dr Chef's youngest and last living daughter was shot by an organ cutter close to the hospital where she worked. Dr Chef administered the euthanasia injection herself, and held her daughter as she died. The experience left her broken with grief, and she retired as a doctor and spent the rest of the war in a place of rest.

After the war ended, the Grum's planet was uninhabitable, and they decided not to build a new colony. Dr Chef found a job on board a trade ship, first as a cleaner in the kitchens and then as a cook. When she had enough money, she opened a soup shop on Port Coriol which was quite popular with the merchants who lived there. She befriended a human doctor named Drave who offered to teach her medicine in return for free soup, and she spent six Standards training part-time to qualify as an interspecies doctor. She then transitioned into male, and stopped working for a time, letting Drave's grandson take over the soup shop.

Shortly after this, Ashby offered Dr Chef a job aboard the Wayfarer, which he accepted.

## On Board the Wayfarer

Dr Chef is both the doctor and the chef on board the ship, and takes both jobs equally seriously. Most of his time is spent tending the garden in the Fishbowl where he grows food for the crew, and cooking meals, but he also gives the crew regular medical check-ups and any specialist or emergency care they need. His relationship with most of the crew is paternal, often giving them advice or reminding them to take care of their health, and he greatly enjoys his work.

## Relationships

### Sissix

Although Dr Chef is close with most of the crew, he and Sissix occasionally bond about being non-human in a human-dominated environment. He is the only one Sissix can stand to be around when she is moulting, and he confides in her that he adds anti-odour powder to the crew's soap.

### Drave

Drave was a doctor on Port Coriol who inspired Dr Chef to become a doctor again while she was running her soup shop nearby. He exchanged medical lessons for free soup whenever he wanted. The two became close friends, and still write to each other occasionally.