The Project

Chapter 39

The Project Chapter 39

Since they were at the Oxynian terminal Alex was required to verify that he had flown as an extra crewman.

Are you sure I won't get in trouble over this?" He asked.

"Naa" replied Gruk, "As long as we don't abuse the privilege they won't say anything, now let's get over to the Hostelry before the place starts filling up."

They stepped aboard a moving walkway which took them outside and up what Alex guessed was a city block to the crewman's lodging Hostel. He was grateful for the moving walkway as he was able to set down his duffel bag while they moved along. It also offered him a first-hand look at Golia. The buildings were pure white, with gold trim and black windows. There was no traffic at street level other than quite a number of pedestrians. Pointing to the buildings and what appeared to be flying cars Alex asked.

"Is that one way glass, and what are all those flying things? Both Gruk and Kleg chuckled.

"Yes, when you're inside those offices you can see outside normally. Those are reflective surfaces that not only reflect the heat and sun, but help to power the building with all the solar energy they suck in. As for those flying craft, they are private craft, or public "Tac-tac's" that take you wherever you need to go. All the heavy transport between these buildings is underground, and when we get up here a little farther you'll see the transport tubes that move citizens around the city." Gruk was right; Alex spotted a gold tube cutting through buildings like an enormous snake. It seemed to be roughly ten stories up but due to the reflective "skin," he couldn't see inside. Checking into the Hostel, Alex took a "single" while his friends opted for a larger room with a little more room.

As he paid for his lodging using his "credit card" it occurred to him that although he had enough funds to cover the cost, he'd better be looking into something that could make some money as well as one that could get him off this planet.

"We'll meet back down here in the lobby in one milacenton," announced Gruk, "Things don't start jumping at Neb's until around then." Heading up to his room, Alex discovered that it was rather small.

"Prison cells don't have anything on this place," he thought. There was a narrow single bed with one metallic blanket everyone called "metablank's." The bed appeared to be a single metal looking base with a thin mattress and a wedge shaped pillow. Thinking the mattress was going to be rather hard, he lay down, but was mildly surprised to discover it was rather soft and comfy. As he lay there, he thought to himself.

"I wonder how guys like Drok could sleep on something like this?" There was a tiny desk built into an alcove with dresser drawers next to it indicating that the clothes dresser was built into the wall as well.

The bathroom consisted of a single shower stall with a fold-out toilet, and sink.

He also noticed a small TV screen set into the wall above the desk. It turned out to be a touch screen Oxynian message board, with the keyboard incorporated into the screen. Typing in his ID number Alex was hoping for messages, but nothing came up. Finally it came time to join his friends down in the lobby. Gruk and Kleg were waiting for him,

"Neb's in just a short walk up the concourse, said Gruk, shall we be off.

As they walked down the wide walkway, Alex thought to himself.

"This truly what an alien planet should look like." He observed the building architecture, the stark and sweeping designs. The walkway was filled with people and not all of them appeared to be Golians. The walkway was semi-shaded with unusual looking trees that resembled palms but their leaves were almost in the shape of very large maple leaves. There were also several strange looking tree-like plants that resembled large mushrooms standing twenty or thirty feet tall. Asking Gruk about them, he was told.

"Those are Sensal,"

"I saw several of them on Deneva," replied Alex.

"You probably did," came the reply, "They are native to Golia but they are quite popular because they absorb pollutants in the air. Anywhere you find the Oxynian Company, you're sure to find Sensal."

Alex was completely awed by all that he saw, a world that many on earth suspected but one that he now knew as fact. They finally reached "Neb's Nebula"

Which on the outside looked like the other buildings along the walkway. Once inside, they passed through a crowded foyer into an inner chamber. As they approached, Alex could hear the strains of a strangely eerie music, Gruk said was called "Semuta." However the thing that literally took his breath away was the bar and lounge area. For all intends and purposes, they had literally stepped into space. The whole ceiling glittered with stars, far-off planets, and a multi-colored cosmos.

"Isn't this remarkable?" Asked Gruk, "I told you that you would like it." It was all he could do to keep from gawking as people were coming in and almost colliding with him.

"Come on, let's find a booth," announced Kleg. Before they began to move off, a gruff voice exclaimed.

"Gruk! Kleg! Do your mother's know you're in a place like this?" Both immediately turned to see a somewhat larger Golian with a short van dyke.

"Ronjac! What are you doing here?" Exclaimed Kleg.

"It appears that I'm doing the same thing you are, I've just spent three yarns hacking around the Tryn-Isha system, you two still working for Oxynia?"

"We are," replied Gruk, come on, lets go get find a booth and talk over old times." Alex tagged along as the three Golians worked their way towards the back of the lounge area while Alex split his attention between the "Universe" above him, and the darkened bar, trying to keep up with his friends. The sights and sounds filling the room overloaded his senses as Gruk located an empty booth indicating that he should slide in first.

As he did so, Ronjac got a good look at him,

"Who is this person?"

"Oh, this is Alex Russom," stated Gruk, "He's from earth; we're showing him a little bit of Golia." Ronjac chuckled, then directed his attention to Alex.

"Earth eh, the last I checked, your planet had no interstellar travel capabilities, how did you find your way out here?" Alex gave him the short version of how he met Gideon and Arna, travel on the Karla-Ann, and his current situation.

Ronjac studied him for a moment, then said,

"Would it surprise you to know I've been to your planet, almost died there as well."

"You've been to earth?" Exclaimed Alex, "When?"

"Ten yarns ago, I and a few others were running a survey for Arpac which is one of Oxynia's competitors. Anyway, we were way out beyond any recorded references, in a strange galaxy. Our scanners alerted us to this big blue planet that was showing an incredible amount of life."

"No doubt someone saw you and another "UFO" was reported.

"What's that?" Asked Ronjac.

"Unidentified flying object" replied Alex, people report seeing them all the time." Ronjac just grunted, and then continued his story.

"We landed in a vast barren waste, much like that miserable Ussen Ommo. Moments after stepping out, we were attacked by the natives riding strange four-legged beasts. They were shooting at us with weapons unknown to us. Whatever it was, was pinging off our ship, and whizzing past our heads. We managed to scramble back on board, and take off"

"What happened after that?" Asked Alex, Ronjac gave him a hard look.

"Well let's just say, we dealt with the problem." Alex wasn't so sure what that answer implied, but the look the Golian gave him dissuaded him from inquiring further.

Ronjac then turned his attention back to his friends who asked him more about what he had been doing.

"Well like I said, I've been three yarns out in the Tryn-Isha working security for Oxynia. Finally they are putting their credits where their mouth is by getting the raider problem under control." Alex was about to ask him a question but was distracted by the waitress taking their drink orders. Topless, and quite well endowed, she obviously wasn't a Golian. He remembered the scrap dealer looking very similar but he had to ask Kleg what race she was.

"Vaeon," was the reply. She wore what looked like red war paint on her face in a sort of star pattern. Alex ordered the Golian equivalent of beer while everyone else ordered beverages of a much stronger variety. He then began to notice the waitress's were of different races and all wore varying modes of dress. Gruk and Kleg were chuckling over his distraction with the half to fully naked wait staff.

"Come here enough and the prettier ones will do more than take your drink order," remarked Gruk.

"Do they serve any kind of food here?" Asked Alex, both his friends laughed, and pointed towards the back of the room.

"They serve what they call "Chibat" which is their version of eabak. They add iza, a lot of ursil, spice the drek out of it but I guarantee you haven't eaten eabak until you have Neb's chibat," stated Kleg. Deciding that he'd give the dish a try, Alex excused himself to go in search of food. As he was threading his way through the darkened room, Alex thought to himself,

"Boy! Lucas sure got it right, this IS the Star Wars cantina." He observed that many were wearing side arms, as well as assorted pieces of flight gear. There seemed to be just as many females to males, all drinking and laughing at somebody's story. There seemed to be a line waiting to order a bowl of chibat, and he found himself standing behind a tall and very attractive Ruddorian who looked bored. Striking up a conversation, he asked.

"Ever had this stuff before, my friends tell me it's pretty good." The girl turned and gave him a curious look,

"Actually not this is my first time here, and this is the only thing they serve." She studied him further, then asked,

"I don't believe I've ever seen anyone like you before, what planet do you come from?"

"I'm a human from the planet earth, as far as I know I'm the first member of our race to ever come to this planet, much less this galaxy."

"You don't say, well my name is Tiag, I'm here with my brother, what's your's?"

"Alex Russom," he replied, "Nice to meet you, Alex." By now, it was her turn to order and Alex was further distracted by another near naked waitress walking by. As the girl finished up and Alex prepared to order she suddenly turned and asked.

"Wait, I'd like to see you again, and meet my brother, are you staying here in Khemna?"

"Yeah, over at the Oxynian hostel, maybe I'll see you around ?"

"I'd like that!" She exclaimed as she disappeared into the crowd.

Since they only served the one item along with a piece of what appeared to be some sort of flat bread, Alex swiped his ID/credit card when a bowl of steaming chibat along with a "spork" appeared behind what looked like a microwave door. Well it smelled good anyway as he turned to head back to his table. Alex suddenly panicked as he realized that he'd forgotten where he'd been sitting. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts he remembered that they had been sitting directly under a small bluish planet. Scanning the ceiling he spotted it over in the general direction of where he knew his friends waited.

Carefully "navigating" his way towards the small blue orb he soon found his table.

"What happened Alex?" asked Gruk, "We were starting to wonder." He quickly explained what had happened, and how he was able to find his table again. Both his friends grinned with Kleg patting him on the shoulder.

"You're learning Alex; you stumbled onto a little known secret of this place. Besides being a constant reminder of our home every one of those planets and major stars centers directly over a booth or table, if you never learn another thing about star navigation you'll have learned how to find your seat here at Neb's."

While he had been gone his beer had come, taking a sip, he noticed that it had a bitterness the beer he drank back on Deneva and Doradus didn't, it also tasted a bit flat, obviously these Golians didn't know much about beer making. Digging into his chibat, Alex discovered it was quite "hot" and the only thing he had to alleviate the burning sensation was his beer. Other than being hotter than he liked, the food was quite good, Kleg wasn't kidding, it was eabak with a twist, a little milder, and he could eat this stuff all day long.

At one point, both Gruk and Kleg had to answer the call of nature leaving just he and Ronjac at the table.

"You said you were out in the Tryn-Isha system?" Asked Alex, "Isn't that where Z'ha'dum is?"

"It is, what do you know of it?" Asked Ronjac. Alex explained how the Neistra had kidnapped the people of Coryville so long ago and taken them there to mine Morbidium, and that eventually he wanted to fulfill Gideon's wish and travel there.

"Z'ha'dum is a big planet," replied Ronjac, "After the Neistra had died off or left, Z'ha'dum was pretty much up for grabs. If these humans were taken there it was probably somewhere in the Shurkhal mountains, I think we picked up some signs of life but we couldn't be sure if it was two or four legged."

"What do you think killed off the Neistra?" Asked Alex. Ronjac thought a moment then shrugged,

"Hard to say, they were quite the reclusive ones. They never became part of the Oxynian trading empire, they minded their own business, we minded ours." Then Ronjac asked,

"Gruk tells me you were on Ussen Ommo, was it as bad as I've heard?" Alex nodded,

"If that place isn't a monument to the disaster of war I don't know what is," he said.

"It's a ghost planet; I really hope Drok and my android friends can turn that place into something people can actually live on. Have you ever seen one of these purifier's?" Ronjac nodded,

"Two yarns ago on Praia-Doryl, they are quite the thing to see, they can strip the soil right down to bedrock if that's what it takes, but they're everything people say they are."

Alex could see Gruk and Kleg slowly coming through the crowded tables when Ronjac asked him.

"So you're really from earth eh?" Alex nodded,

"You know I wouldn't mind going back there, If you're still around I could use a guide, I'd hate to land someplace as unfriendly as the last time I was there."