Chapter 2
The doors opened and revealed an enormous room beyond. The roof was about five stories high, and bright lights illuminated the space station so that there were almost no shadows anywhere. Most of the walls were a gray-white color, but there were signs up in different colors that pointed in different directions. I imagined that the colors were linked to each section of the gargantuan building, but I also wondered if there was some universal language that everything was written in that most of these travelers could understand. Maybe that raised writing was what everyone used, and I made a mental note to ask Francine for another upload at a later date with some different languages.
Around the edge of the space were what looked like various shops and counters where items could be ordered or traded, paperwork could be dealt with, and even bets placed, if I was right about the roulette style game that was taking place in one shop. The center was mostly seating areas, with plants scattered between chairs and tables, and a few food carts that seemed to offer a variety of options. To the left was a large, clear tube, and a vehicle that resembled a subway train pulled up inside it. It made sense that the station would have its own train, since walking from one end of the station to the other would probably take hours. There were small skiffs darting around above us as well, though I guessed that only the wealthier guests could afford those.
What stunned me most about the whole room, however, was the people in it. Or, rather, the creatures.
There were different lifeforms of every shape, size, and texture, and I couldn’t get my head around the intergalactic live catalog of aliens that was right in front of my eyes. Some of them rolled, some walked, and some even floated around the space station, but the one thing they all had in common was that they all had something about them that I had never seen before.
In one corner of the room was a large group of bright green, bipedal, furry beings with three arms, two at the sides and one coming straight out of the torso. They moved in unison, sort of like a shoal of fish, and cut through the crowd of other beings around them.
Another group of aliens were huge and stood at around nine feet tall, but most were far smaller. I spotted one species that slithered around on the ground like snakes, and another vaguely pig-like species that was so short they darted through legs or drove around in small vehicles.
There was plenty of fur and scales on display as well as bare skin like my own. There were creatures with four eyes, and a group with none at all. Even as I stood there and watched the menagerie, a couple of beings that I could only describe as clouds of gas floated by. My brain tried to comprehend how that even worked, but in the end, I decided that I just wouldn’t be able to explain some things I was going to see on my travels.
Yet despite the obvious physical differences, it dawned on me that the scene was actually very familiar. If I just imagined humans sitting in the food court while they looked over their tablets or ventured into the shops, then I could have been in any airport terminal back on Earth. And with that realization, I felt the tension fall away.
The place was noisy, which was no surprise given how busy it was, and I wondered how many different languages were being spoken at that very moment. There were voices, clicking sounds, beeps, blips, and a whole range of other different ways of communication being used all at once, and somehow, all these different aliens could manage to communicate to each other. I only spotted two groups, one that looked like blue-skinned humans and another that looked, well, very furry, that kept to themselves and seemed to have little interest in talking to other species.
I was so caught up in the scene that I was still standing very close to the door, and I didn’t move until someone bumped against me. I looked around to apologize and saw that I’d blocked the way of an alien that looked like a very large amphibian with tentacles for legs. Its moist body left a damp patch on the sleeve of my t-shirt, and it glided into the space station on its eight, wriggling tentacles before I could even squeeze out a ‘sorry’.
As I moved away from the door, I noticed that I’d attracted the attention of a small group of aliens. One fellow who had a very human face smirked and seemed to laugh at me, and it was clear that he and his buddies had seen other species experience this port for the first time before. They found it amusing and watched as I tried to find some sort of words that could explain what I was feeling.
I shrugged off their stares and moved closer to the center of the space. I found a spot near some potted plants that seemed to be out of the general flow and studied the ebb and flow of life around me.
“I don’t even know where to begin,” I finally managed to say under my breath. “How do I find supplies? Or the upgrades you want?”
“I can understand that this may be overwhelming for you, Will,” Francine said.
“Understatement of the century,” I replied. “This is crazy. There are so many different… things.”
“Yes, there are,” Francine said, and the AI sounded just as amused as the aliens that had laughed at me.
“Well… I’m officially speechless,” I said.
“That is a first,” the AI quipped.
“Seriously, where am I supposed to go?” I asked. “I mean, I don’t have any money. Do they even use money here? And how do I talk to anyone? I don’t speak any of their languages, and I don’t wanna come off as offensive or rude or anything.”
“Well--” Francine began, but the AI was cut off when another alien started to hustle toward me.
The alien that stopped in front of me had pale blue fur and a body shape that reminded me of a baby elephant, right down to the large ears. But instead of one trunk and two tusks, it had two trunks and one large horn in the center of its head.
It looked up at me with bright, big eyes, and I had to fight the urge to say ‘awww’. I stared at it for a moment, and then I smiled and gave it a small wave as a greeting, since I wasn’t sure what else to do. I noticed then that it had a lanyard around its neck, which insinuated that it might work in the space station.
“Will, this is one of the employees at the space station,” Francine said, confirming my theory. “This species is the primary species on Aghoa, and is called a Snooli in your language.”
“Right,” I said. “How do I speak to it?”
The Snooli stared up at me like I was insane.
“What does it want?” I asked Francine.
“Ask it,” Francine replied.
“Excuse me,” I said. “Sorry if I seem rude. I’m new here and--”
The Snooli suddenly honked loudly, and the noise sounded like its equivalent of an understanding ‘ohhh’. Then, it turned to the side and used one of its trunks to reach into a bowl by the door, which was filled with black devices of various sizes and shapes. It took out one of the smaller objects from the bowl, which it then presented to me with its fluffy trunk. I took the device and looked at it.
It was the size of an earbud, and as I looked back at the Snooli and saw it pointing to its ear with the other trunk, I realized it was just that. For a moment, I wasn’t sure whether to trust it or not. I didn’t know what this alien wanted, or what its feelings toward newcomers were. For all I knew, it was a members only space station and that device would emit some deadly noise that would fry my brain.
But, then I reminded myself that Francine had explained that Aghoa was a neutral planet, and therefore the Snooli probably didn’t have any ill intent against me. Plus, my gut was telling me that the tiny elephant-like creature didn’t really seem like the cold-blooded killer type, so I carefully put the earbud into my ear and waited for something to happen.
After a few minutes, the Snooli honked and pointed at its mouth.
“I think it wants you to speak, Will,” Francine said.
“Right,” I replied. “Hello, my name’s Will Ryder. Is that good?”
The Snooli honked a couple more times, and as it did, a crackling sound came from the earbud. A minute or so later, a voice similar to mine that spoke English came into my ear. It began to translate everything that the Snooli said into my language, and my question of how I would understand all of the aliens in the space station was answered.
In fact, all of the languages around me were being translated, and it really did feel like I was in an airport terminal in the States waiting for a connecting flight. I was surrounded by different sounds and accents, but all of the languages were being translated into my accent. As I looked closer at the aliens beyond the doorway, I could see that some of them were wearing similar devices to me, which was how they were able to understand one another. Hearing all of their voices was a little freaky, but at least I could actually talk to people.
“Is your earpiece working?” the Snooli asked. “Testing, testing. Can you understand me?”
I almost burst out laughing at the voice the device had given the sweet little alien. It was more British than American, and the voice was deep and rough, almost as though Jason Statham had been hired to do the voice-over for it.
“Yes,” I replied. “Thank you. Sorry about earlier. I’m kinda new at this.”
“No problem at all,” it replied, and it looked over at Bob, which was about the same size as it was. “Is this your companion?”
“Um, yes,” I replied. “His name is Bob. I’m Will.”
“Welcome, both of you,” it said. “I must say, I have never met a first-timer before.”
“Well, we’re both experiencing a lot of firsts today, then,” I chuckled as I looked around the room again. “These earpieces are amazing.”
“They are also free,” the Snooli said. “We give them out to all travelers, as we believe that all species have a right to communicate.”
“Damn,” I said. “I wish the people where I come from were as progressive as you guys are.”
“We try our best,” it replied smugly. “Here.”
One trunk waggled toward me, and the Snooli looked expectantly at my hand. It took me a moment, but when I held out my open hand, the Snooli dropped a small, purple disk into my palm. It was about the size of a quarter and was totally plain, aside from a small hole in the center of the circle.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A token for a warm meal in the canteen,” it said. “We understand that, as a first time visitor to the Aghoa International Space Station, you may not have the appropriate credits or currency to afford a meal, which every lifeform is entitled to. After that, you will need to pay for any food or fuel, but this should tide you over.”
“Wow,” I said. “Thanks so much.”
“Enjoy your time at the Aghoa Intergalactic Space Station,” it chirped. “The station is fully staffed all the time, so if you need any assistance, don’t hesitate to ask anyone you see with a station ID.”
The Snooli pointed toward the official-looking ID card on the lanyard, and I nodded to show that I understood.
“The food hall is just around the corner to the left,” it added. “We pride ourselves on having food that almost every lifeform can eat, so I’m sure you’ll find something delicious in there.”
“Thanks,” I replied, as I looked over in the direction that the alien with tentacles had gone.
“Before you go…” it said.
“Yeah?” I replied.
“Where are you from?” it asked. “My friends would love to hear about the new species I met. It doesn’t happen as often as you would think.”
“Oh,” I laughed. “I’m a human, and I’m from Earth. In the, uh, Sol System… I think.”
“Are you the first from your planet to make it here?” it asked.
“I guess,” I replied. “I’m the first to make it out of our solar system as well.”
“Well, congratulations,” it replied. “That is truly a wonderful accomplishment for your kind. They must be very proud.”
“That’s debatable,” I chuckled.
“You seem very kind,” it said. “I cannot wait to meet more of your kind in the future.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “But I think it’s just gonna be me around here for quite a long time.”
It honked, and the earpiece didn’t translate what it said, so I assumed that was just its way of wordlessly saying goodbye. Then, it trotted over to the next alien that had just stepped into the terminal.
“Let’s start with some food,” I suggested as I started to head toward the canteen.
I tried to act like one of the cool kids, but it was hard not to take a good look in order to take in all the different aliens as I went by. No doubt my mom would have scolded me for staring, but mom was a long way away, and I’m sure she would have been staring as well if she was here. Although, the other aliens didn’t seem to appreciate my brown eyes boring into each of them as I edged past them.
Bob trotted along beside me and beeped occasionally, and he seemed to be enjoying himself, though I noticed he stayed close to my side. It seemed like a good idea, so I stuck closer to the wall where I’d be less likely to bump into someone. The last thing I wanted to do was end up in a brawl with someone I accidentally offended.
We passed what looked like a bank of elevators, shops selling items I couldn’t identify, and a small booth where an eyeless alien offered to tell me my future. But I barely heard the offer because I’d spotted a shop just ahead that was clearly a technology store of some sort. I recognized some of the pieces from the work I’d done on the ship, but a lot of it was completely foreign to me. And though I’d admittedly been expecting something ramshackle, and maybe even a bit like a scrapyard, this shop was sleek and clean. It was sort of what I imagined the Apple Store would look like if Tim Cook got his hands on an interstellar spaceship.
There was another stall next to that where a few aliens with three eyes, four paws, and similar rattlesnake patterns down their backs had congregated. In fact, there were a lot of their species at the station, and every single one seemed to stop by the stall to buy some strange, brown, spherical pellets in clear boxes. I realized it was some sort of food when I saw one of the aliens put a couple of the pellets into its mouth, which opened vertically.
“This place is crazy,” I said.
“And this is just one of the docking stations,” Francine said.
I followed the walkway past the rest of the stalls and then around the corner to the left. I still had the purple token in my hand, and I pressed it tightly into my palm as I rounded the corner and found myself in an enormous canteen. There were different food counters around the edges of the room with signs in various languages that I couldn’t read, and then there were tables and chairs in various sizes and shapes in the center of the room, where thousands of aliens sat and munched on whatever food they had bought from one of the stalls.
“Here,” a voice said.
I looked down and saw another Snooli, one that was a similar size to the one who had greeted me by the door. He had a blue tray gripped by the end of his trunk, and he held it out to me very politely. I took it from his trunk and noticed all of the different sections carved into the tray for the different courses I might have, as well as a drink holder and some cutlery that somewhat resembled a knife and fork.
“Thank you,” I replied.
“Help yourself to whatever food you would like,” it said. “There are plenty of different stalls to choose from, and with your token, you are able to purchase one meal for free, on us. Although, please be aware that if you eat something that does not agree with your species, then the Aghoa Intergalactic Space Station will not be held liable and refund requests will be denied.”
“Fair enough,” I replied. “Understood.”
“Enjoy your meal,” it said, and then it honked and rambled off.
I looked down at the blue tray, which looked amusingly similar to the ones I used to use in the cafeteria at my school when I was a kid. There seemed to be trays of all sizes for the different types of aliens that came through here, but mine was, as I’d already come to expect from the Snooli, the perfect size for me.
However, the Snooli had brought up a very valid point.
“Um, Francine?” I said.
“Yes, Will,” the AI replied.
“What can I actually eat?” I asked.
There was a pause while Francine considered my query.
“Good question,” it eventually replied.
“That’s the best you can do?” I sighed as I looked around the room and considered where to even begin. “Well, I guess if I try and work out which aliens I’m the most similar to, then maybe whatever they’re eating will be fine for me to eat?”
“That sounds like a good place to start,” Francine said. “One moment. I’ll scan the room for aliens that seem similar.”
“They kinda look like me,” I said as I pointed to a stall a few counters down, where a long line of bipedal lifeforms were waiting to order.
“They’re Elishans,” Francine said, as though that somehow explained something.
“Meaning?” I asked.
“Meaning they are cannibals,” Francine said.
“Right,” I replied. “Maybe not, then.”
I stood still and waited for Francine to work out where I could go, and I’m sure I looked like the nerdy kid at school who had nowhere to sit. At that moment, I kind of wished that I had another human being with me. Bob and Francine were good company, but it didn’t make me feel any less out of place.
“Do you see the stall with a green sign that is five stalls to your right?” Francine asked.
“Yeah,” I replied as I looked over and saw the line of humanoid aliens in front of it.
“I believe that is your best option,” Francine said. “The home planet for the species you see is a very similar planet to Earth, and they require similar types of nutrients, like proteins, fats, vitamins, and carbohydrates, to survive. Their genetic makeup is fairly similar to yours, and they could be described as humanoid. You should be able to eat what they do.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” I replied as I walked over to the green stall.
I joined the back of the line and quickly found myself sandwiched between a couple of the lifeforms as they waited for their food. They almost looked human, only their skin was nearly translucent, and I could see the veins and arteries underneath that ran through their bodies like blood-pumping spiderwebs. They were also entirely hairless, but other than that, they pretty much resembled a very pasty, bald human.
The line was long, so I wasn’t able to see what was on the counter just yet, but everyone seemed eager to buy whatever it was that was being sold there. I took that as a good sign and kept my fingers crossed that we shared a similar taste in food.
“Can I help you?” the guy to my left asked.
I suddenly realized I’d been staring at him for a while, and he looked quite uncomfortable.
“Sorry,” I replied.
“Is it your first time here?” he asked.
“Is it that obvious?” I chuckled.
“Um, yes, it’s extremely obvious,” the other guy said. “And have you enjoyed it so far?”
“It’s… Well, I mean, there’s a lot I could say,” I laughed. “It’s better than I could have ever imagined… I’ll go with that.”
“Wait, do you mean it’s your first time in Aghoa, or in space?” he asked.
“The second one,” I replied.
“Damn,” he said. “I can’t imagine growing up not having been to space. Well, congratulations. That’s a big deal.”
“Thanks, you’re telling me,” I replied. “I’m guessing you come here a lot?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m a delivery driver, same as all of these guys?”
“What do you deliver?” I asked.
“Weapons, mostly,” he said. “There’s a big market here for them because they don’t mark the prices up too much. It’s good for my business, and having Aghoa as my main base, well, I can’t complain, can I?”
I felt the token in my hand, and I realized that if I was going to get all of the upgrades I needed for my ship here, then I was going to need some money. And this guy seemed to know where to earn it.
“Does it pay well?” I asked. “Being a delivery driver?”
“Yeah, very well,” he chuckled. “But you have to be careful. You’re flying through unknown territory a lot of the time, and it’s space, so you can never be sure what’s out there. It changes every day. Delivery driving is good fun and it pays well, but it’s well paid for a reason, if you know what I mean.”
“Right,” I said. “Do you think I’d be able to make some money doing that?”
“There are some companies that hire one-off transporters,” he said. “You’d just have to go down to deliveries and ask around. If you ask for Darak, he’ll be able to help you out.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “I really appreciate the help.”
“Don’t mention it,” he replied. “So, where do you come from?”
“Earth,” I said. “In the Sol System.”
“Never heard of it,” he chuckled. “I’ll have to go there someday. So, they do a lot of trading?”
“No,” I replied. “They don’t even know all of this exists. I didn’t until about an hour ago.”
“I see,” he said. “So you’re the first?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Well, congratulations,” he chuckled. “I guess I’ll have to keep an eye for more… Earthers. I could use a new trade route.”
“Earth doesn’t really do any trading with other species,” I said.
“Got it,” he said and winked. “We all agree not to trade with planets that haven’t achieved interstellar travel yet because it interferes with their own development. But since you made it out here, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on Earth. I’m sure there will be others coming here like you have soon enough.”
“Um, sure,” I said, although I was pretty sure he’d be waiting at least another couple of hundred years.
“I could definitely use some new routes,” he continued. “The competition for assignments can be pretty tough, especially when you’re talking about some of the plum assignments to places like Vergiron.”
“Where is the deliveries section?” I asked after he’d complained for a few more minutes.
“Take the elevators down to the floor below us,” he said. “That’s all deliveries for this section. There are other locations scattered around the station, but they all have access to the same assignment board.”
“Okay,” I said. “Thanks.”
We’d made it to the front of the line by then, and I finally saw what was so popular. I almost threw up when I saw that it was wriggling around on the hot plates. They were like giant maggots and were covered with a tar-like, brown sauce. I looked over in horror as the other translucent aliens munched on the worms, which went limp as soon as someone sunk their teeth into them.
The guy in front of me held up four fingers, and the alien manning the hot plates dumped four of the worms on his tray. The alien paid the cashier with a handful of green tokens, and then it was my turn.
I stepped up to the counter and stared at the various pots and trays of the worms, which appeared to have been cooked in different sauces.
“What can I get you, love?” the alien behind the counter, a female from what I could tell, asked.
“Oh…” I said as I tried to stop the little that was in my stomach from coming up. “I just, uh, realized I left my money back in my ship.”
“Oh, dear,” she said.
“I’ll be back,” I assured her, though I fully intended to never set my eyes on the worms again.
“I can cover you,” the delivery driver beside me said.
“No, really, it’s fine, thanks,” I said with a smile. “See you in a minute.”
I stepped away from the counter and hurried away, with Bob hot on my heels. I put my tray down on one of the empty tables and then darted toward the exit.
“I thought you were hungry, Will?” Francine said.
“Shockingly, I just lost my appetite,” I replied. “I’ll eat back on the spaceship.”
“If that is what you wish,” the AI replied with an amused tone in its voice.
I was all set to head back to the ship, but then I spotted the elevators. Well, if I wasn’t going to get food, then I might as well see if there was a job I could do. I joined the crowd of people by the elevators, and stepped into an empty one a few minutes later with Bob by my side. The floor I was on was helpfully displayed on a screen by the door, so I studied the buttons until I found that one and then pressed the button below it. Hopefully, that would take me to deliveries.
The door slid closed seamlessly, and I began to descend down to the next level.
“Darak was the person he said to ask for, right?” I said.
“Correct,” Francine replied. “It was clever of you to ask him about making deliveries. While the folding engine recharges, you can do some local trips, earn some money, and then upgrade the ship.”
“Exactly,” I said. “See? I’m not just a pretty face.”
“Sure…” Francine quipped.
Finally, the elevator came to a stop. There was a beep, which Bob beeped back at defensively, and then the doors slid open. I stepped out without really looking where I was going. The room was dimly lit, compared to the vast space above, but I was looking down to make sure Bob had gotten out of the elevator before the doors snapped shut.
“Will, look out!” Francine shouted.
My head snapped to the right, just as something enormous flew toward me like a bat out of hell.