by Joe Crouch
“Ioution ship Mar’Ell, you’ve been granted permission to take up orbit two, I’m sending coordinates now.” A set of indecipherable numbers flashed up on screen as they altered course to glide into a safe orbit around the planet, still another thirty minutes away at sub-light speeds. Sean took this time to make sure his uniform was sitting right on his frame and ensured not a single hair was out of place. After a while, the crew gathered within the shuttle bay, each excited to leave.
“Come on, hurry up you pest,” Sean shouted across the shuttle bay as Fez strolled towards the craft at a leisurely pace, holding up the excited crew. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, his excitement was palpable, everyone was excited about some down time but for him it was more.
“Want to take her down?” Yumie asked as he settled into an empty seat, “I’ll be here just in case you open fire on one of the cruisers in orbit.” Unable to hide his glee, he jumped in the seat, he fidgeted about as it moulded to his shape. It wasn’t long before the crew were strapped in and ready to go. Xe’Olo stood alone in the shuttle bay, leant against a railing on the gangway that ran along the upper level of the shuttle bay.
“Idiots,” she scoffed, “Why would you go down there with what’s going on…” The shuttle accelerated away towards the almost barren planet, the large stations in orbit were the only sign of meaningful life from space. The planet had no real in-depth traffic control, it was a complete free for all as he darted in between bulky industrial ships and slow civilian cruise liners, drawing more than a few nasty messages that the computer took upon itself to display across his visor.
Entering the atmosphere was the only real barrier and as soon as the ship slammed into the dense, thick layer of the mesosphere they were thrown back and forth, letting him know he was far too hot on the entry. Minor pops and hisses rang out around the ships interior as hoses unclamped from their holdings and flailed about the passenger compartment. “Slow down you idiot,” Yumie screamed with genuine fear in his voice, “This is my ship remember.” The beatings stopped as they cleared the entry, a destination marker flashed into life on his HUD and turning the ship he put it into cruise as they approached their landing spot.
Zipping through the tricoloured atmosphere, the towering buildings of the newly formed super-domes were visible in the distance, their frames seemed to pierce out from the craggy surface and reach towards the clouds. The planet’s surface had clear signs of previous terraforming attempts, with scarring on a massive scale and patches of lush green landscape that was cut in two by a barren wasteland. The partially completed terraforming left a purple hue in the air, distorting the true colours of everything around, but at the same time giving the planet a truly alien look – At least to Sean. Grabbing control of the shuttle, he guided it down towards their assigned pad, taking a wide berth and bringing it back in as the landing gears deployed, giving the craft a relatively soft landing. “Nice landing, well done,” Fez smiled as the passengers gave a sarcastic, but relieved applause, Sean stood and bowed towards the crew.
Outside, the shuttle port bustled with activity, small and large ships each vying for the space above the port. The world was home to anyone who was looking for an escape, different species went about their business as if everything was completely normal – It was normal for them. Large hangers surrounded the area with towers that pierced the sky, different antenna extruding in all directions from their dull surfaces. A fine sand-like material encompassed the entire facility, it looks like something from a futuristic cowboy film Sean thought as a large alien walked on by, giving him an odd look, I’m the outsider here I guess.
Gathering around at the bottom of the large landing pad the vastness of the area finally became apparent as vehicles sped by, a swirl of sandy material being kicked up in their wake. Uncovering his eyes, he saw an alien wobbling towards them, it was tiny, a little below his waist, again, its bipedal form was eerily familiar. Stopping in front of Fez, the alien’s golden green skin looked extravagant as the sun accentuated its features. “Four-thousand credits to land here,” the alien said holding out its clammy hand, quite obviously a dock master, “Extra for your alien pet here,” it continued while nodding towards Sean. Fez’s laughter spread through the group as they couldn’t contain themselves, fuming, Sean went to speak but was shot down before he could open his mouth, handing over money to the small alien, Fez looked at Sean.
“Now I’m officially your master,” he winked, a wide grin spreading across his wrinkled face, “But honestly, don’t make a fuss here, our uniforms will be a blessing and a curse, they will protect us from some of the more unsavoury sorts, but it will also paint a target on our back.” Wondering just what he had got himself into, he nodded and carried on behind the Ioution, chit-chatting amongst the crew.
The town was huge; the cramped streets were littered with parts from machines he had never even dreamt of. Sand whipped across the surface as burly aliens stood outside establishments waving passers-by to come in and enjoy the entertainment. Every wall was littered with tacky neon signs like the towns of vice back on Earth, all promoting various casinos or potential partners for you to take home and enjoy for the night. The atmosphere was frantic, but almost ordered as aliens zipped around from place to place spending their credits in the pursuit of something greater. Hover-vehicles took no notice of the pedestrians as people leapt out of the way of the speeding hunks of metal. Everyone seemed to be in a party mood, loud electronic alien music blared out from the many bars and clubs that lined the streets, drunk aliens either wobbling around outside or face down in the sand as people stepped over their inebriated bodies.
Fez knew where he was going, the squad flowed through back alleys, up and down stairs and across a rooftop to get where they wanted to be – Farel’s Tavern. “You own a damn bar on this planet?” Sean asked, watching as the team all glowed at the sight of it. Farel nodded and waved everyone inside. It was exactly as he expected. The floor space was scattered with various sized tables and chairs, all accommodating the different sizes of species which inhabited the planet, strobing bright lights flashed a multitude of colours, filling every inch of the room. They walked up to the bar which encircled the dance floor, waiters and waitresses zipped about as they dished out exotic looking drinks and cocktails, the dark cladded walls gave everything a rundown feel. Sean put both elbows on the reflective, multi-coloured metallic surface of the bar, he leant over and browsed the different drinks that were lined up along the middle shelf. Bottles lined every available part of the wall, greens, blues, and reds lit up the shelves as a soft light came from underneath. Lifting his elbows off the tacky surface, he turned towards Fez, “What the bloody hell should I even order?” yielding the choice to the alien.
A tall, well-kept Ioution barman walked over, “What can I get you?” he watched on as the barman flicked bottles around in both hands, bouncing them off different body parts before filling the two glasses with a thick, green liquid that poured like oil.
“I’m not even going to ask what this is meant to be,” Sean said as he slammed the drink down his throat, it felt as if it was coating every internal organ in a thick, viscous layer. Pursing his lips as the sweet burn filled his mouth and stomach he looked over towards the intrigued barman, not at all unpleasant he thought, “I’ll have another one of those.”
The group separated, Fez and Sean stood at the bar watching people as they went about their business. The others had found a large round table and sat to one side, having a clear view of the rest of the club. “So, what are those little aliens called,” Sean asked as Fez looked at him confused, “Ya’ know, the one that greeted us at the port.”
“Oh right, they’re the Chaek, they have a small collection of worlds not far from our space, usually peaceful but we have a long history with them…” Fez trailed off, “In our younger formative years when we were new to space travel, we found them early on, it’s been rather amicable to be honest, but hostilities still flare up from time to time.”
/> “That’s interesting,” Sean replied, “We’ve met two races and both blew each other up over our home world…” Fez smiled, pushing him over towards the table where everyone was sat. Taking a seat, he looked around meeting everyone’s gazing eyes, “What? Is it something I’ve done?” the group shifted about nervously not saying anything. He ignored the oddities, putting it down to the complexities of alien emotion, standing, he began to walk towards the bar before he was stopped by a large, bulky being.
“I’ve never seen your kind around here, or… anywhere, where you from little one?” Gulping hard as the massive mountain loomed over him, Sean looked up, his wide jaw blocking some of his vision. Puffing his chest out in a typical cocky Human manor, he replied.
“And I’ve never seen your ugly kind before, either,” he said, pushing a finger into the alien’s chest, “You’re a real-life Cinderella, you know that?” Without hesitation, the large alien picked him up by his arms, raising him over his own head and threw him about like he weighed nothing. Crashing back into his own chair, Sean shook his head, trying to regain some focus. The alien eyed him up and down, huffing and walked away. “Alright then, that was fun,” he beamed as he sat back in his now wobbling seat. The crew looked at each other in despair for a moment.
“So, Sean, tell me about Earth,” Farel asked, curious.
“I’m not sure what to say really, she’s beautiful, her lush green landscapes sweep across the surface and the oceans are teeming with so many weird and wonderful creatures.”
“I know what it looks like, but what’s it like, the day to day life?” Sean stopped and pondered the question for a moment.
“It depends who you ask I suppose; we’ve only just recovered from our biggest environmental scare in the last century so a lot of people are pleased with that.” Sean sat back, looking on at the engaged audience, “But day to day life? It can be hard, the planet is overcrowded so everywhere you walk is full of people, privacy has become a luxury and not a right.”
“Why doesn’t your race expand out from your single planet?” Farel asked.
“We have, there are colonies on the Earth’s moon and on a planet we call Mars, but our technology for terraforming is in its infancy, the habitats are just about liveable, but they’re mostly formed up from people who are fed up of the government trying to control their lives.”
“But your race has a centralised government for the empire, does it not?” Fez queried.
“We do, but her creeping tentacles of control have less favour on somewhere like the Moon and defiantly Mars.” The crew continued to listen and ask questions, all curious about the new alien’s culture, they had all gotten on well with him, but he was still an outsider to the galactic community.
Continuing long into the night, they stuck together and enjoyed the local entertainment. It wasn’t until deep into the evening, or early morning, no one knew, that the large alien returned, this time with friends. Tapping Sean on the shoulder, he turned. “You’re the Cinderella, punk,” the alien fumed.
“That’s not exactly how it…” he started before he was lifted high and thrown across the table, glass and bottles smashed as he slid across its surface. Picking himself up and grabbing the nearest bottle, Sean launched it towards the alien, his reflexes saving his face. Fez stood between the two, shouting.
“Stop this nonsense, don’t you see our uniforms?” the alien looked up and down, examining the now stained outfit.
“I see it, fleet freak,” he snapped, pushing Fez aside, slamming him into a nearby chair. Sean lunged forwards wrapping his arms around the alien’s muscly neck, the creature flailed him about trying to swing him off. Fez shot up and swung a left hook at one of the smaller aliens behind the main aggressor knocking it straight to the floor, before long a full brawl broke out with punches and kicks being exchanged. The larger alien remained focused on Sean, circling him as they danced around the floor. Without warning, he charged him like a bull, ready to tackle him to the ground, dodging out the way the Human slammed an elbow into the back of the being’s skull sending him crashing to the now chaotic floor.
“Yeah, stay down you…” he was interrupted as the alien picked up a chair leg and swung, connecting with a loud crack across his head. Dazed, he could only make out a shadowy figure stood over him, its arms crossed with a second figure charging from behind, spearing the alien and dragging him to the floor. Rubbing his own eyes, Sean shot up to see Fez struggling trying to keep the aliens arms pinned to the ground, failing miserably. A bang came from the club’s entrance and paying no attention, Sean wound his foot back, ready to land a boot to the massive chest of the alien, but before he could do anything he felt a large voltage surge through his body and dropped to the floor.
He was out cold.
* * *
“Ugh, where am I?” Sean squirmed as he awoke from a forced slumber. He looked around and was still groggy from whatever had hit him, all he could remember was a voltage and now this. He was in a sparsely decorated room, no visible exits or identification marks of where he was. The walls were dark, the floor a bright white and the atmosphere humid, as he walked around it was like trying to move through tar. A slow panic crept up his arms and legs. He began to bang on the walls, trying every one of the four that surrounded him keeping him boxed in, until one sounded hollow, slamming his fist against the wall he shouted trying to make as much noise as he could, but still no one showed.
Maybe there’s an intercom system or something he thought, slowly he crawled around the room on his hands and knees, trying to feel for any sort of breeze or opening that might exist. Finding nothing, he turned back to his bunk and laid down, losing himself to his own thoughts, he wondered about where he was and right on cue, one of the walls vanished, seeming to melt away. Standing beyond the clear wall was an Ioution dressed in what seemed to be military clothing, armour and weapons adorned his body. “You know where you are?” the Ioution asked, shaking his head, Sean moved closer to the now transparent wall. “You sir, are in jail, we had to stun you and another assailant you were fighting with, you will now be kept here until processing or you are charged.” the alien smiled, looking Sean up and down before walking away. Jail Sean thought, how am I gonna get out of this one. Trudging back to bed and laying down, there was nothing more he could do, this was it, he was in an alien jail for getting into a stupid fight over nothing.
The room turned colder as the night drew in, moans reverberated around his cell that mixed with the terrifying noises of what sounded like alien wolves howling from outside the complex. It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed, bathing his compartment in a dull white glow, just enough to see. Sat on the edge of his bunk, he peered out the still transparent wall, looking to the cell across from him, sat there staring back was the large alien he got into a fight with earlier. Trying his best to ignore the beast, he went to sleep hoping tomorrow would be a better day.
Waking to the sounds of screams, he looked out his cell and saw a Chaek prisoner being dragged away as they kicked out and protested. Pressing his face against the wall to get a better view, he saw a long hallway filled with multiple cells, all with varying races being held prisoner. Striding down the corridor he saw Fez, looking gloomier than usual, browsing through the different compartments. “You’re going to make this up to me, Human,” Fez said with authority, keying a terminal to the side of Sean’s compartment. There was a deafening whine as power was drained from the shield that blocked his escape, stepping out into the hallway, he felt a free man. Patting his saviour on the back, he kept stride as they left the facility through a series of winding hallways and checkpoints, eventually stepping into a grimy, run-down street outside.
“Freedom,” he shouted, punching the air and looking to the sky while on his knees. The gathered group stared on confused, often chalking up these situations to cultural differences, Farel grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Patting his uniform down, he peered around. They were in what seemed to be a shopping street, the store
fronts were joined as the area was so cramped, their marquees over lapping to form a shadow filled, strange road. The team continued on, often taking quick detours into various businesses. Animals hung from shop fronts, pre-cooked and ready to buy, the smell almost made him gag. Clothes rails seemed to line nearly every inch of the confined passage, the swollen crowd having to dodge between them to get anywhere.
The weather around the port had turned violent, strong winds raged as rain fell, turning the once sandy floor into a cement that clung onto every surface. The squad lumbered through the quicksand, their vision restricted as loose particles of sand that hadn’t been caught in the soaking surface tore across the surface. In the distance, they saw a heavily armoured Ioution standing beside their shuttle, arms crossed and obviously waiting for them to return. “Captain Feghouli, how wonderful to see you again,” the female voice came out from the helmet’s speakers, “And who’s this, a new handsome plaything?” She said, nodding towards Sean.
“Handsome,” Fez questioned, “I wouldn’t quite go that far, Taris.”
“Oh, I would,” she joked while reaching up and removing her helmet. Long, blonde hair flowed and spread out to reveal a young looking Ioution, her purple eyes pierced through Sean’s chest. She was tall, much like Fez, and just as gangly, the green shading around her eyes lured Sean into a false sense of security. Her purple-grey skin was vastly different to the majority of Ioutions he had met thus far.
“What a pleasure to meet you, my name is Sean, I’m the first Human to join this little community of yours,” he stuttered, almost tripping over his own words. She stared at him, smirking.