“I’m fine.” Reyna shrugged. “Kind of horny, but otherwise okay.”
“Kind of… um.” Josie coughed and glanced around the room.
“It’s been ages,” Reyna said. “I’m gagging for it.”
“That’s… not something I can help you with.” Josie blushed.
“There isn’t anyone on board that can,” Reyna said, oblivious to Josie’s discomfort. “Next time we’re at Plankton station, though, I’m going to jump the nearest horny pirate I can find.”
Josie hated herself for it, but had to pry. “What about Doc?”
Reyna giggled. “I don’t want to put her out of her misery. It’s too much fun to tease her.”
“What’s this Plankton station?” Josie asked, hoping to change the subject.
“It’s just about the only place we can dock—” Reyna clamped her mouth shut.
“What? Why?” Josie asked.
“Thanks for the chat, Captain. It’s been kick.” Reyna hurried from the room.
Josie considered what Reyna had said for a moment. There had to be a reasonable explanation for why they couldn’t dock anywhere else, but why had Reyna run off instead of giving it?
She paced back to the bridge, her mind whirling. She found the entire crew staring at the yellow and blue planet growing larger on the display.
“That was quick,” Josie said, taking her seat.
“Well, we had to be within a few light years to even pick up the message,” Bao Lei said. “It hasn’t been transmitting for long.”
“What kind of planet is it?” Josie asked, staring at the display.
The view expanded, showing a large blob of grey surrounded by desert.
“Even from this distance, I can see about a dozen giant cities, evenly spaced on the planet. I’ve no record of it on any maps, though,” Topik said.
“I told you it was aliens,” Bao Lei said. “And they wouldn’t be using Morse Code unless they were up to something.”
“Thank you, Bao Lei. I appreciate all of your advice,” Josie said. “We should make sure before we leave, though. Can we get close enough to see without taking risks?”
“I don’t detect any ships, Captain,” Topik said. “So we should be safe to enter orbit.”
“Okay. Do that please, Topik,” Josie said.
Bao Lei straightened up from his desk. Lighting another cigarette, he turned to Josie. “Captain, could I talk to you... in private.”
“Of course.” Josie waved Bao Lei off the bridge. Returning to the conference room, she sat down with a sigh. She began to feel like a tennis ball.
Bao Lei peered around before closing the door. He leant against the wall, taking a deep drag from his cigarette.
“Listen, Reyna told me about the problem, and—” Josie started.
“Really?” Bao Lei interrupted. “That’s great. He’s been down lately. He’s going to take a while to adjust, but he just needs to feel included again.”
“Wait, who are you talking about?”
“Pol, of course,” Bao Lei said. “Who are you talking about?”
“Err... no-one. Never mind. Tell me about Pol.”
“He’s been pretty depressed since you took his captaincy. Have you seen the cabin you put him in? It’s tiny. I know he’s a rival to your power and he’s plotting to overthrow you or worse, but you need to include him.”
“I didn’t take his captaincy, you all elected me. And, I didn’t choose his cabin. Isn’t this ship designed for thousands of people? Isn’t there one other cabin he could use on the whole ship?”
“I know you have your reasons, Captain,” Bao Lei continued, ignoring her attempt to set things straight. “Could you bring him on the next mission, though? He’d appreciate it.” Bao Lei straightened up, stepping away from the wall. “We’d better get back. We’ll be in orbit by now.” He strolled out, lighting another cigarette off the butt of the last one.
Josie sat for a long moment. Who would have thought waking from the dead would bring so many problems? Sighing, she strode back to the bridge.
The crew watched the planet creep by on the display. Josie could make out cities with high perimeter walls holding back the desert. After pausing for a moment in case anyone else wanted a private meeting, she sat in her chair. “What’s it look like, Topik?”
“There are actually thirteen cities, Captain,” Topik said. “The one on the north pole was hidden from farther out. The structure of each city is different, all of them unfamiliar to me. But they are almost undoubtedly human.”
“A human planet that isn’t on any of your maps?” Reyna asked.
Bao Lei glanced at Josie. “That can’t be a good thing, Captain. They must be hiding for a reason.”
“Not necessarily for a bad reason,” Reyna said. “They could be refugees from any of the dozen wars since humans developed interstellar travel.”
“Captain, the city transmitting the signal will be under us in twenty minutes,” Topik said.
Josie massaged her forehead for a moment. Bao Lei might be right, it could be a trap. However, could she leave whoever was sending that signal to their fate? “We’ll take the shuttle down and have a look. If it looks risky, we’ll fly back to the Greenstar and get out of here. Pol and Bao Lei, you’re with me.”
“Oh, now you’re giving me orders on my own ship,” Pol spat.
“Captain, if there is something dangerous down there, our military specialist should accompany you,” Bao Lei said.
“Who’s that?” Josie asked. “Oh, you mean Marc?”
“Sergeant Marc might be the only one who can keep you and Pol safe,” Bao Lei said.
Josie nodded and stood. “Okay, fine. Pol and Marc, let’s grab some sim-rays. Bao Lei, you’re in charge while we’re gone.”
Chapter 2
“I wondered about my new title,” Pol said, as the shuttle neared the surface. “Is it butler? Am I your butler now?”
Josie massaged the bridge of her nose. “No, Pol, you’re not my butler. What title do you want?”
“Captain would be good,” Pol said. “Oh, wait, you stole that one.”
Josie activated her HandyTalk, mostly so she wouldn’t have to listen to Pol anymore. “Greenstar, do you read?”
“How’s it going, Captain?” a cheery male voice asked. It took Josie a moment to realise it was Bao Lei.
“We’re on final approach to the city.” Josie changed the display to show the streets below them. People strolled about, buying goods from stalls, sitting around, and not trying to shoot the shuttle down. “It looks quiet. We’re going to land. We’ll call you if things get hairy.”
“Sounds good, Captain,” Bao Lei said. She could hear the smile in his voice.
Josie lowered her finger. “What’s up with Bao Lei?”
“What are you blathering on about now?” Pol asked.
“He just sounded so happy,” Josie said.
“Of course he is,” Pol frowned for a moment and then his eyes sparkled with joy. “Wait… you thought he was like that all the time? He’s the pessimism officer. He acts pessimistic for work. Now he’s acting-captain, he can behave naturally. You don’t know how any of this works.”
“Apparently,” Josie said.
“Bao Lei is the most happy-go-lucky guy I’ve ever met,” Marc said.
Josie frowned, not sure if she could picture a happy Bao Lei.
“Captain, the signal is coming from the top of that skyscraper,” Topik said.
“Thank you, Topik.” Still struggling with the idea of Bao Lei as an optimist, she studied the single skyscraper rising above the centre of the city. “All right, let’s set the shuttle down on top of that building. Nice and easy.”
“I hope you don’t break anything this time,” Pol said.
The shuttle arced toward the top of the skyscraper. It pirouetted over a large landing pad, floated down, and plummeted with a bone-shaking crump.
“Captain, the Wygen manifest has been bruised,” Topik said.
“Is that important?” Josie asked.
Pol sighed behind her. “It keeps us from getting smeared across the cabin like jam… so, no, of course it’s not important. Just one of the many unimportant things that you clearly don’t need to know about to be captain.”
“Well, let’s hope it can heal up before we need it again.” Josie walked to the back of the shuttle and opened the hatch. As the ramp lowered, she took a breath of the cold air outside and shivered. Checking her sim-ray was in place, she strode onto the landing pad,
She hurried over to the stairs nearby, followed by Pol and Marc. Descending onto the flat roof of the tower, she noticed a low structure made out of some shiny red material she didn’t recognise.
Two people exited the structure and strode towards them. Their skin was grey and mottled, their eyes solid black. They looked like a telephone exchange operator had gone on an insane rampage, plugging wires in all over their skin.
“eMen!” Marc shouted, diving sideways.
“What are eMen?” Josie asked.
“Yeah, I’ve never heard of them either,” Pol said.
“Electronically-enhanced humans,” Marc said, scuttling backwards. “They almost wiped out us normals.”
Josie didn’t need to hear any more. “Back to the shuttle, now.” She ran for the steps. Before she could reach them, an eMan stepped in her way. Spinning, she saw eMen emerge from under the landing pad.
The nearest eMan smiled at her. “Where are you going? You just got here.”
“We picked up a distress signal,” Josie said.
“They all did,” the eMan said. “All those normals down there heard our message and came to serve us. I’m Phineas. We’re the Council of Five. Welcome to your new home.”
Josie pulled out her sim-ray and tried to point it at Phineas.
He grabbed her weapon and twisted it free, while continuing to smile. “Now, now, that’s very rude.” He examined the weapon. “What are these settings? Hunger? Thirst?”
“It’s a sim-ray,” Josie said. “It makes you feel whatever setting the gun is on.”
“It’s a useless piece of crap is what it is,” Phineas said, tossing it aside. He grabbed Josie’s right hand and stroked it. Dropping it, he grabbed her left, then threw something invisible over his shoulder. “We can’t have you contacting your ship.”
Taking her by the shoulder with a steel grip, he led her to the red structure at the top of the roof. He still had that irritating smile, but Josie felt certain if she stopped walking, he’d drag her.
Inside the structure, Josie saw an open lift ahead of them and a set of stairs beside it.
Phineas let Josie go and waved to the lift. “Get in.”
“Are you going to kill us?” Josie asked.
He stared at her with his black eyes. “What would be the point of that? Just get in before I push you in.”
Josie hurried into the lift. Pol and Marc joined her. The lift plummeted through the building and Josie’s stomach lurched.
“Tell us more about the eMen,” Josie said to Marc.
“I’ve read a little bit,” Marc said. “About a thousand years ago, humans began to enhance themselves: sharper vision; faster muscles; better memory. Only the rich could afford the enhancement, though, so the poor rebelled. They rose up and killed all the eMen.”
“Not quite all,” Pol said.
“So these are refugees from the revolution,” Josie said. “Or a bunch of humans copying the mistakes of the past. Either way, this planet isn’t on any maps for a reason.”
“I seem to remember someone saying that,” Pol said. “Wait, wasn’t it Bao Lei, our pessimism officer? Didn’t he warn you this exact thing would happen?”
“He thinks everything’s a trap,” Josie snapped.
The lift doors opened with a ping and Josie stepped out into a cavernous lobby. Her breath formed a little cloud. The room seemed abandoned. She walked forward, glancing around her. The walls and floor were featureless. Light radiated from an equally seamless ceiling.
Turning a corner, she saw a broad window. Through it, she could see people on a street, going about their everyday lives. Almost all of them wore purple and gold uniforms.
The others rounded the corner and stopped.
“Burger Supreme,” Pol said.
“You’ve mentioned that before,” Josie said. “What’s Burger Supreme?”
Marc and Pol exchanged a weighted glance.
“She’s going to hear about it sooner or later,” Marc said.
Pol scowled. “Fine. I guess we can tell her.”
“Tell me what?” Josie asked.
“Burger Supreme is the biggest human alliance in the galaxy,” Pol said.
Josie frowned. “I thought the U.F.S. was?”
Marc shook his head. “No. Burger Supreme controls most of the human colonies and ships.”
“Why do I get the feeling that’s not a good thing?” Josie asked.
Pol doubled-down on his scowl. “They’re monsters. They believe humans should wipe out all other intelligent life in order to control the galaxy.”
Josie considered for a moment. “Why do they want to do that? Maybe the occasional alien is dangerous. But the Delfans were happy to negotiate, so there must be others worth talking to.”
Pol shifted from one foot to the other.
“If you don’t tell her, I will,” Marc said.
“Fine. The Kalmari are why,” Pol said. “After the Kalmari started killing every human they came across, Burger Supreme decided they should wipe out intelligent life to prevent it ever happening again.”
Josie nodded. “I have to ask. Why are they called Burger Supreme?”
“Oh, that,” Marc said. “They were the biggest corporation a few hundred years ago. They opened restaurants on every human planet and bought everything out. Once they ran out of planets to buy, they went into terraforming. Some planets, and everyone on them, are just corporate assets. Then they moved into mercenary work and started adding to their baseline. They got so big, people joined them rather than be conquered.”
“Wait. So when you say Burger Supreme controls most of the human colonies and ships…?” Josie asked.
“They control almost all of them,” Pol said. “But there are space stations and newly-colonised planets that are independent.”
“And they’re all in the U.F.S.?” Josie asked.
“Not exactly,” Pol said.
Josie felt a creeping dread wash over her. “The U.F.S. consists of a single ship, doesn’t it?”
“No, we have supporters all over,” Pol said. “There are lots of people who send us messages and donations.”
Josie sighed, adjusting to the ever changing facts. “Fine.... Well, let’s get out there, then.” She noticed Pol and Marc weren’t following her. “What now?”
“Josie, Burger Supreme knows the Greenstar turned the Kalmari on the galaxy,” Marc said.
Josie shrugged. “So? We just won’t tell them we come from the Greenstar.”
Pol blushed for the first time since Josie had met him. “I kind of held a press conference before I flew to the Kalmari home world.”
“Wait, so all the Burger Supreme people out there—?”
“Burger Supreme troops,” Marc interrupted. “They’re wearing uniforms.”
Josie nodded. “All the Burger Supreme troops out there know you’re the one that set the Kalmari on them and got someone they know killed?”
Pol shrugged, and then nodded.
“They might not recognise you,” Marc said. “It was ten years ago.”
Josie scanned the almost featureless lobby again. “Well, we can’t stay here forever. We’ll just have to hope they’ve forgotten what Pol looks like.” As she crossed the lobby, the glass doors whisked open.
***
Bao Lei spun slowly back and forth in the captain’s chair; it felt comfortable. In the five years since he’d joined the Greenstar, he’d never once sat there. He smiled at
Doc and Reyna at their respective desks.
“Status report,” Bao Lei said.
“Still nothing from the Captain,” Doc said. “She’s probably busy.”
“I’m sure she’s helping whoever was in trouble,” Reyna said.
“Wait, I forgot, which one am I again?” Doc asked.
“Pessimism officer,” Bao Lei said.
“Oh, right,” Doc said. “The Captain is dead, but life is meaningless anyway. We should all kill ourselves.”
“Not quite that pessimistic,” Bao Lei said. “Tone it down a little.”
“The Captain has smallpox?” Doc tried.
“Better,” Bao Lei said with a nod.
“Captain, the shuttle is on approach,” Topik interrupted.
Bao Lei grinned. “They’re back already? That was quick. Come on. We should all go down to meet them.”
Bao Lei led Reyna and Doc to the lift. “Shuttle bay please, Topik.”
“Sure thing,” Topik said, whisking them through the ship.
They walked into the bay. Bao Lei could see the shuttle through the shimmering field that kept the air in the bay. The shuttle slipped through the field and set down on the deck.
“The Captain’s got much better at piloting the shuttle,” Reyna said.
The ramp swung down and three grey-skinned figures stepped out. Cables sprouted from their heads and bodies.
A shiver went down Bao Lei’s spine as he met their black shiny eyes. “Opinions?”
“Captain, nothing that wanted to harm us would choose to look quite that scary, so they must be friends,” Reyna said. “We should welcome our guests.”
“Doc? What do you think?” Bao Lei asked.
“They might be sick. Don’t mention their skin or eyes.” Doc paused, then grinned. “Although, they already think we hate them.”
As the eMen advanced, Bao Lei felt a sudden desire to flee, but dismissed it. If neither of his officers thought the visitors were a threat, they couldn’t be dangerous.
“Hello, I’m Acting-Captain Bao Lei Park,” Bao Lei said, holding out his hand to shake theirs.
The stranger in the middle took his hand and shook it. “I’m Phineas. These are my comrades Snorri and Ned. That’s an unusual name you have.”
Bao Lei forced a smile. “My father is Korean and my mother is Chinese.”
“Fascinating,” Phineas said. “Well, are we going to get your ship upgraded, then?”
“Huh?” Bao Lei said tactically.
“Your captain told us to come right up and flarmigate your flomplops,” Phineas said. “So how about we get going on that?”
Greenstar Season 1, Episodes 1-3 Page 8