Peri Peri Paprika
by Leanne Su
| Published 11-03-2024
Moss is a pilot aboard the Rusty Raccoon, a trash collection ship traveling through interstellar space. Moss is sleepwalking through existence, but when she stumbles across her supervisor Turnip attempting to flee the ship, she's forced to wake up. By happenstance and Moss's own hesitant cooperation, Turnip technically kidnaps Moss—legally speaking.
Using Turnip's engineering know-how and Moss's piloting expertise, they travel through the stars, stealing ships from the rich, dodging the Galactic United Peace Patrol Implementers, and enjoying all the absurdity that the universe has to offer. Moss doesn't know where Turnip is taking them, but discovering herself along the way is a worthy exchange.
Leanne Su (Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan) is a postdoctoral researcher working on electric propulsion in Washington DC, where she lives with her partner and her cat. When she’s not breaking or fixing thrusters, she enjoys swimming, crafting, and writing. Find her work in various literary zines and on her website at leanne.space.