Neo Chronicles: Black Void
Episode 8: Sightseeing Tourist
Table of Contents
We touch down on a giant blue planet. Looking at it from the ship, I thought all that blue was water. Turns out it was dirt. This planet is made up of blue dirt. At least the place has oxygen. As we step off the ship, I immediately notice myself having quite a bit of trouble—moving. It's like everything's super heavy. I can barely carry my sword, much less lift up my own arm.
The strain doesn't seem to get any easier. It feels like my muscles are tearing under the stress. As usual, Ri'lar doesn't seem the least bit affected. When he notices how much difficulty I'm havin', he gives a disgruntled sigh.
“This planet—Miraivus—is a lot bigger than the other places we've been,” he says. “The gravity is going to pull a lot harder than you're used to.”
“Gee, ya think?” I don't need explanations. I need t'get off. Before long, I can't even stand up. I'm down on my hands an' knees, fighting for the right to—to—to not be flattened like a pancake.
“Use your aura to adjust,” he says.
I raise my eyebrow and give him a cross look. “Do you think I...know what that means?”
Now I'm lying on my stomach, tryin' to crawl to my feet, but it's absolutely useless. All the strength I can muster up goes to turnin' me right side up. So here I lie on my back, looking up at the night time sky, counting the stars one by one until this nightmare can come to an end.
How long's it been? Days? Weeks? Surely I haven't been gone a whole month, right? I really don't know. Why doesn't Ri'lar have a watch or clock or somethin'? Don't aliens need to tell time?
I hear ol' whale-face tryna tell me somethin'. His deep voice seems more soothing than usual, like he's tryna coach me through somethin'. Maybe I should pay attention. Or maybe I should just lie here until I fall asleep.
“Just look up at the sky, and find a sense of calm. It doesn't matter what you set your mind on, just focus on something. Block out the rest of the world. Pretend it doesn't even exist.”
That does sound kinda relaxing. My eyes pick out a blue star in the sky to focus on. Why do some stars look bluer than others anyway? I noticed that on the ship too. Some look blue while some look red. What's up with that?
Ri'lar goes on to say, “Then reach up and grab it.”
I'm not sure how I can grab somethin' that's all the way up there, but now that he mentions it, I do kinda want it. A star—my own star. I'd call it—what would I call it? I could give it my name, Darius, but then how would I know when people wanna talk to me or talk to it? Oh, who'd wanna talk to a star anyway?
I think I feel myself farting as I try an' move my arm. Ri'lar says to grab the star, and I'm really tryin' to, but it's so far away. I can't stretch my limbs like some rubber stretchy man. This is the best I can do—and it's still so far away.
Then Ri'lar grabs my hand and says, “Now stand up.”
What's this dude gettin' at now? I'm already standin' up. With a lil' help from him, but besides that, I'm standin' on my own. He lets go of my hand and tells me to take it slow. It takes a while, but things start to fall into place. I still feel the pull, but it's manageable now.
I ask him how that happened—more to the point—how this is happenin', and he says,
“You know how you're strong enough to not get killed by things that should kill you? That's thanks to your aura. I don't know how your kind talks about it, but think of it like an energy source. It allows you to do things. You seem to put it all into strength and endurance, but it can be used for much more than that.”
“On the real? Tell me more. I'm interested.”
“Some other time. We've got—well, I've got business here. You should stay by the ship a while till you learn how to walk.”
“I can walk just fine.” I try to take a step just to prove him wrong, but even with how I've got a handle on things, it still proves to be a lot harder than it looks.
“Keep a hold of that sword. It's designed to bring out people's auras. It might help make things smoother for you. Just don't go swinging it around.”
I call out to him one last time, looking for an explanation. “Why the crud are we here, anyway?”
He sorta shrugs off the question and says, “I'll tell you when I get back. Stay put!” And with that, he doesn't bother sticking around. He walks towards the grand, magnificent gate to what I assume is the city, leaving me an' the ship out in this blue desert place away from everything else.
It's not so bad, I suppose. I see some ships—small ships, almost like the cars we got back on earth—flying over head every so often. Some are going to the city. Some are coming from it. I guess that puts me on one of the back roads. Y'know, if this place has cars, that must mean they're fairly modern. Then again, any place would look modern compared to that last rock we were on.
I spend the next several minutes taking Ri'lar's advice and trying to learn how to walk. Running's not doin' to well, but I am getting the hang of walking. Holding onto the sword helps out a lot. I'm tellin' you, this thing is like magic. And if you look at it in just the right light, it looks like it's glowin'. I need to find a sheathe for this some time soon, because holding it in my hand like this can get old pretty quick.
Things get boring after a while. Getting the hang of moving around was fun for an hour, but now—I mean, I've got down what I needed to get down, so now—I got nothin' to do. I raid the ship for some more food. More of those burger block things. Ri'lar keeps 'em stashed at the side of his seat. I'm sure he won't mind me snatch a few.. I notice myself starting to like them more and more, which is sad, because they're not good at all. Real bland. I know it's time for me to go.
But Ri'lar did say to stay put, and the last time I didn't listen, I almost got killed. But then again, just me bein' here means I got a good chance of almost gettin' killed anyway. I take a seat on edge of the open hatchway and look to the sky for a moment. Then I look at the city and how bright and fancy it is. Great big lights shining from the buildings certainly make the town stick out at night.
Let me think about this for a moment. What is the absolute worst thing that could happen? I could die. Yeah, that's a possibility, but in a populated place like that, what'd actually be out there to kill me? Who'd have a reason to? I ain't done nothin' t'nobody, an' nobody knows me from nowhere. So what's the most likely thing that could happen?
I'd probably get lost. Yeah, that could happen, but if I keep track of where I've been, I should be able to make it back to the ship. Yeah, well that's that. Not really seein' any reason to stay, so still holdin' tight to this great sword in hand, I march towards the city.
Skyscrapers, plazas, malls, parking garages, all with weird, funky, curvy, alien architecture—this place has it all. People from so many different places. I thought I'd seen the craziest lookin' whatchamahoosies in the galaxy, but that ain't nothin' compared to the folks I see walkin' the streets an' drivin' their flying cars.
Some half robot—half lion—half lizard—half tree thing is out walkin' what I think looks like a sock with spider-legs as a dog. I see a toothbrush lookin' thing with four arms an' four legs—like a centaur—lookin' at one of its many watches while rushin' to get some place. It's a wonder he doesn't trip over his own feet. I know I would.
There's a Venus-flytrap lookin' lady window shoppin' in front of some designer jewelry store—I guess that's a lady. Is that bad to assume all flower people are girls? Whatever. A flock of three-eyed, three-headed, three-winged, horse-bats are peck, peck, peckin' at some crumbs on the side of the road. They get all flustered every time a car zooms by them, but they keep goin' back to finish they plate.
And I see a group of octopus like chimpanzees or somethin' swingin' on the ledges of the tallest buildings like monkeys at the zoo. An' these are just the things that immediately stand out. This place is packed. I've never seen a place as big—a place as busy as this place right here. I thought I'd seen it all. I really did. Me thinkin' Next City had all there was to life. No, thinkin' back, it probably does if you know which corner or rock to look under, but still. This place is happenin' too.
I'm not really doin' much except for sightseein', but that's all I really have time for. If I were to wander inside every store or mall or whatever that caught my interest, Ri'lar would've finished what he came here to do an' left before I got through with half of it.
So many noises an' sounds, so many lights an' colors. I spend at least fifteen minutes lookin' through one block. Is that a barber shop? Lookin' through the window, I see some animated pile of dinosaur bones—spikes coverin' from its head to its giant flipper like toes—with a pair of scissors in one hand, clippers in the other, an' a shampoo bottle held up by its tail. This is just too much. I'm crackin' up over here.
I take another ten minutes or so to soak up whatever else I can. Then I get this tug—you know, that tug you get when you know you're supposed to be doin' somethin' even though you're trying to avoid it. That tug is tuggin' at me tryna get me to go back to the ship before Ri'lar gets back. I know I should. I really, really should, but—and I know this is sorta outta character for me—but I really wanna keep exploring.
Nope! Nope, I'm yankin' the cord. Gotta head back now before I lose my way. Let's see, where to go? I pretty much walked out in a straight path on this one side walk—oh that's another thing about this place. The sidewalks are cushiony. Who'da thunka that? Cushiony sidewalks, firm enough to stand an' walk on, but soft enough so you always feel comfy. No need to get sore feet when you're in this town. I really gotta get outta here before I pack up shop an' call this place home.
Yeah, that's right, a couple a' lefts, a right, under the big neon blue sign, past the post office an' the gas station—what kinda gas do these guys use? Bah, not now! Stay focused. Yep, keep lookin' over your shoulder 'cuz you paranoid. No trouble so far, and yep, right about—
Yeah, right about not here. None of this looks familiar, which is strange because I know I didn't do anything different, did I? Well I had to. Shoot, maybe there shoulda been another left somewhere in there. No, cuz then that'da took me to that other place, an' I know I didn't go down there. Crud, how did this happen again? Crud. Crud.
“Crud!” I don't care who's out there listening. I scream to the highest heavens. Ain't nobody know what I'm sayin'. “How did—it don't make no sense. Crud.”
And this place is waaay too big for me to just so happen to bump into Ri'lar. Would he really leave me if I'm not there? Would he even notice if I'm gone? I have been a bit of a bother to him, but not enough for him to abandon me like this, right? I gotta get back.
“Crud.” Okay, calm down for a sec. Can't do nothin' if you don't have a clear head. Just take a couple a' steps back. Retrace where you've been. Find out what looks different an' what looks the same.
“Why don't nothin' look the same out here?” I didn't notice that parked hovercraft before. I don't recognize that giant light pole. None of these are the same buildings. Where's the barber? Where's the jeweler? Where's the neon sign?
“Crud!”
“'Crud?'” I hear echoed back at me. “Is that one of your earth words?”
Okay, now I'm scared—nope, not scared—cautious. I heard a voice—a voice that I understood, and it didn't sound nothin' like Ri'lar. I don't see where it came from or who said it, but I got my sword right here, an' I'm ready—an' given how upset I am right now—ready an' rarin' for a fight. Oh, whoever you are, you done snuck up on the wrong negro today.
“Whoa, calm down, Darius.”
And for a second there, the voice sounds familiar. Oh, it's her. “Ran?” She steps out from the nearby corner to greet me, looking as human as ever. That shapeshifting trick of hers is really somethin'. She's even wearin' a different shirt than before—a green one. Wait, I think girls call that a blouse instead of a shirt. Why they gotta be so weird?
“You Earth people hug each other when you greet, right?” She opens her arms, lookin' awkward as I don't know what. It's kinda funny, kinda cute that she's tryin', but I sorta shy away from her.
“Yeah, it's somethin' some people do.” I hold out my hand instead. “I'd prefer to shake instead.” Gotta watch out for coodies. No tellin' how those things are with aliens. She sorta inspects my hand before shaking it.
“Interesting,” she says. “This means something a little different where I'm from.” Then she sorta pauses, givin' me a funny look. I don't really know what she's thinking, but before doin' anything else, I yank my hand away. She giggles at that for some reason.
“So what're you doin' on Miraivus?” she asks.
“I should be askin' you that. How in the world did you just so happen to be here when me an' Ri'lar were? Is you followin' me?”
“Ha ha, that's funny. Well, I was following something or another a while back. It was going all 'Crud! Crud! Crud!' and I thought it sounded familiar. Turned out to be you, so if you call that stalking or whatever, then yeah.”
“Yeah, I sorta got lost.”
“Ah, this place'll do that. For some reason, they thought it'd be a good idea to build a city on a watzsvyre fault.”
“A wha?”
“It's basically a spot on certain planets that likes to change its mind a lot. When it does, whatever's around changes with it. This being the big city and all means that the city changes too. Buildings get moved around, whoever and whatever get displaced all about. Most tourists get super confused, but to those who know about it, it's not so bad.”
“So I was goin' the right way. Just that—the right way got...changed?”
“Something like that.”
So from there, we pretty much play catch up. She hasn't been doin' much of anything since last we spoke. Mostly just goin' from planet to planet on a sightseeing trip. I tell her that I've been pretty much doin' the same, but more for business than pleasure. As for what that business actually is, I'm still in the dark on, but Ri'lar makes it out to seem important, so that's good enough for me.
I tell her about how hard it was for me to get used to this planet's gravity. She gets a good laugh outta it. She says she's never really had to worry much about that. The way her people are, they sorta adapt to anything and everything without her even noticing, but for people not like her, she says they usually wear special made space suits for that. Apparently I can pick up one in one of the marketplaces here. She even offers to buy one for me, but I say I got a handle on it.
I ask if she knows anything about auras. Ri'lar got me all interested in that now.
“Uh huh, I've heard of it. I know what you're talking about,” she says. “It's kind of archaic though. Part of that mystic mumbo jumbo. Supposedly every living thing has a spirit, and I think—if I get this right—through meditation and training or whatever, you can use that spirit to do weird things. It's a real religious concept that's dated waaay beyond most of the galaxy. Most of the things people used their auras for got replaced with things like fire and the wheel and most modern technology. You're wasting your time if you're seriously thinking about going into it.”
Meh, I still think it sounds cool.
After chit chat goes on for another minute, I think I actually see the whatsithoosie do its work. It's only for a brief second—half a second really—but the city really does change. New buildings, new places, new people, and me an' Ran in the center, still goin' on about—well now about nothin'.
We notice somethin' fly across the sky really fast. I think it's a shooting star. Ran thinks it's a space ship about to crash land. After thinking about it, I think she's probably the one who'd be right, and being the good Samaritan that I am take it upon myself to go investigate.
“They have police and ambulances for that.”
“Yeah, but we saw it first.”
“You can't possibly know that.”
Against her better judgment, she follows me. I finally got running down, so it doesn't take us long to get there. A two to three minute sprint while keeping to the cushiony sidewalks and we're there. And what a sight to behold.
Whatever it was, it crash landed right on top of a mall building. Huge crater, smoke and dust puffin' up all over the place. The people close by are panicking, trying to get to safety, some are phoning for help. It's a real disaster to say the least. Ran says we should leave before things get too far out of hand, but I'm kinda stuck there just looking at it.
It's a fire. Yeah, the block is on fire. What are you supposed to do when stuff like this goes down? Do you help? I gotta help, but how? Call 911? Do aliens have a 911? I see some people dialing something on their funny lookin' cell phones. Should I get in there? Maybe I could move some rubble or help get some people to safety. Can I do this? Should I?
And then the rest of the building comes tumbling down in a huge thunderous rumble. And here I am, just lookin' at the whole thing happen while doing nothing. What kinda person am I? What kinda person could just sit by and—whoa, what the crud is that?
Episode 8: Sightseeing Tourist
Table of Contents
We touch down on a giant blue planet. Looking at it from the ship, I thought all that blue was water. Turns out it was dirt. This planet is made up of blue dirt. At least the place has oxygen. As we step off the ship, I immediately notice myself having quite a bit of trouble—moving. It's like everything's super heavy. I can barely carry my sword, much less lift up my own arm.
The strain doesn't seem to get any easier. It feels like my muscles are tearing under the stress. As usual, Ri'lar doesn't seem the least bit affected. When he notices how much difficulty I'm havin', he gives a disgruntled sigh.
“This planet—Miraivus—is a lot bigger than the other places we've been,” he says. “The gravity is going to pull a lot harder than you're used to.”
“Gee, ya think?” I don't need explanations. I need t'get off. Before long, I can't even stand up. I'm down on my hands an' knees, fighting for the right to—to—to not be flattened like a pancake.
“Use your aura to adjust,” he says.
I raise my eyebrow and give him a cross look. “Do you think I...know what that means?”
Now I'm lying on my stomach, tryin' to crawl to my feet, but it's absolutely useless. All the strength I can muster up goes to turnin' me right side up. So here I lie on my back, looking up at the night time sky, counting the stars one by one until this nightmare can come to an end.
How long's it been? Days? Weeks? Surely I haven't been gone a whole month, right? I really don't know. Why doesn't Ri'lar have a watch or clock or somethin'? Don't aliens need to tell time?
I hear ol' whale-face tryna tell me somethin'. His deep voice seems more soothing than usual, like he's tryna coach me through somethin'. Maybe I should pay attention. Or maybe I should just lie here until I fall asleep.
“Just look up at the sky, and find a sense of calm. It doesn't matter what you set your mind on, just focus on something. Block out the rest of the world. Pretend it doesn't even exist.”
That does sound kinda relaxing. My eyes pick out a blue star in the sky to focus on. Why do some stars look bluer than others anyway? I noticed that on the ship too. Some look blue while some look red. What's up with that?
Ri'lar goes on to say, “Then reach up and grab it.”
I'm not sure how I can grab somethin' that's all the way up there, but now that he mentions it, I do kinda want it. A star—my own star. I'd call it—what would I call it? I could give it my name, Darius, but then how would I know when people wanna talk to me or talk to it? Oh, who'd wanna talk to a star anyway?
I think I feel myself farting as I try an' move my arm. Ri'lar says to grab the star, and I'm really tryin' to, but it's so far away. I can't stretch my limbs like some rubber stretchy man. This is the best I can do—and it's still so far away.
Then Ri'lar grabs my hand and says, “Now stand up.”
What's this dude gettin' at now? I'm already standin' up. With a lil' help from him, but besides that, I'm standin' on my own. He lets go of my hand and tells me to take it slow. It takes a while, but things start to fall into place. I still feel the pull, but it's manageable now.
I ask him how that happened—more to the point—how this is happenin', and he says,
“You know how you're strong enough to not get killed by things that should kill you? That's thanks to your aura. I don't know how your kind talks about it, but think of it like an energy source. It allows you to do things. You seem to put it all into strength and endurance, but it can be used for much more than that.”
“On the real? Tell me more. I'm interested.”
“Some other time. We've got—well, I've got business here. You should stay by the ship a while till you learn how to walk.”
“I can walk just fine.” I try to take a step just to prove him wrong, but even with how I've got a handle on things, it still proves to be a lot harder than it looks.
“Keep a hold of that sword. It's designed to bring out people's auras. It might help make things smoother for you. Just don't go swinging it around.”
I call out to him one last time, looking for an explanation. “Why the crud are we here, anyway?”
He sorta shrugs off the question and says, “I'll tell you when I get back. Stay put!” And with that, he doesn't bother sticking around. He walks towards the grand, magnificent gate to what I assume is the city, leaving me an' the ship out in this blue desert place away from everything else.
It's not so bad, I suppose. I see some ships—small ships, almost like the cars we got back on earth—flying over head every so often. Some are going to the city. Some are coming from it. I guess that puts me on one of the back roads. Y'know, if this place has cars, that must mean they're fairly modern. Then again, any place would look modern compared to that last rock we were on.
I spend the next several minutes taking Ri'lar's advice and trying to learn how to walk. Running's not doin' to well, but I am getting the hang of walking. Holding onto the sword helps out a lot. I'm tellin' you, this thing is like magic. And if you look at it in just the right light, it looks like it's glowin'. I need to find a sheathe for this some time soon, because holding it in my hand like this can get old pretty quick.
Things get boring after a while. Getting the hang of moving around was fun for an hour, but now—I mean, I've got down what I needed to get down, so now—I got nothin' to do. I raid the ship for some more food. More of those burger block things. Ri'lar keeps 'em stashed at the side of his seat. I'm sure he won't mind me snatch a few.. I notice myself starting to like them more and more, which is sad, because they're not good at all. Real bland. I know it's time for me to go.
But Ri'lar did say to stay put, and the last time I didn't listen, I almost got killed. But then again, just me bein' here means I got a good chance of almost gettin' killed anyway. I take a seat on edge of the open hatchway and look to the sky for a moment. Then I look at the city and how bright and fancy it is. Great big lights shining from the buildings certainly make the town stick out at night.
Let me think about this for a moment. What is the absolute worst thing that could happen? I could die. Yeah, that's a possibility, but in a populated place like that, what'd actually be out there to kill me? Who'd have a reason to? I ain't done nothin' t'nobody, an' nobody knows me from nowhere. So what's the most likely thing that could happen?
I'd probably get lost. Yeah, that could happen, but if I keep track of where I've been, I should be able to make it back to the ship. Yeah, well that's that. Not really seein' any reason to stay, so still holdin' tight to this great sword in hand, I march towards the city.
Skyscrapers, plazas, malls, parking garages, all with weird, funky, curvy, alien architecture—this place has it all. People from so many different places. I thought I'd seen the craziest lookin' whatchamahoosies in the galaxy, but that ain't nothin' compared to the folks I see walkin' the streets an' drivin' their flying cars.
Some half robot—half lion—half lizard—half tree thing is out walkin' what I think looks like a sock with spider-legs as a dog. I see a toothbrush lookin' thing with four arms an' four legs—like a centaur—lookin' at one of its many watches while rushin' to get some place. It's a wonder he doesn't trip over his own feet. I know I would.
There's a Venus-flytrap lookin' lady window shoppin' in front of some designer jewelry store—I guess that's a lady. Is that bad to assume all flower people are girls? Whatever. A flock of three-eyed, three-headed, three-winged, horse-bats are peck, peck, peckin' at some crumbs on the side of the road. They get all flustered every time a car zooms by them, but they keep goin' back to finish they plate.
And I see a group of octopus like chimpanzees or somethin' swingin' on the ledges of the tallest buildings like monkeys at the zoo. An' these are just the things that immediately stand out. This place is packed. I've never seen a place as big—a place as busy as this place right here. I thought I'd seen it all. I really did. Me thinkin' Next City had all there was to life. No, thinkin' back, it probably does if you know which corner or rock to look under, but still. This place is happenin' too.
I'm not really doin' much except for sightseein', but that's all I really have time for. If I were to wander inside every store or mall or whatever that caught my interest, Ri'lar would've finished what he came here to do an' left before I got through with half of it.
So many noises an' sounds, so many lights an' colors. I spend at least fifteen minutes lookin' through one block. Is that a barber shop? Lookin' through the window, I see some animated pile of dinosaur bones—spikes coverin' from its head to its giant flipper like toes—with a pair of scissors in one hand, clippers in the other, an' a shampoo bottle held up by its tail. This is just too much. I'm crackin' up over here.
I take another ten minutes or so to soak up whatever else I can. Then I get this tug—you know, that tug you get when you know you're supposed to be doin' somethin' even though you're trying to avoid it. That tug is tuggin' at me tryna get me to go back to the ship before Ri'lar gets back. I know I should. I really, really should, but—and I know this is sorta outta character for me—but I really wanna keep exploring.
Nope! Nope, I'm yankin' the cord. Gotta head back now before I lose my way. Let's see, where to go? I pretty much walked out in a straight path on this one side walk—oh that's another thing about this place. The sidewalks are cushiony. Who'da thunka that? Cushiony sidewalks, firm enough to stand an' walk on, but soft enough so you always feel comfy. No need to get sore feet when you're in this town. I really gotta get outta here before I pack up shop an' call this place home.
Yeah, that's right, a couple a' lefts, a right, under the big neon blue sign, past the post office an' the gas station—what kinda gas do these guys use? Bah, not now! Stay focused. Yep, keep lookin' over your shoulder 'cuz you paranoid. No trouble so far, and yep, right about—
Yeah, right about not here. None of this looks familiar, which is strange because I know I didn't do anything different, did I? Well I had to. Shoot, maybe there shoulda been another left somewhere in there. No, cuz then that'da took me to that other place, an' I know I didn't go down there. Crud, how did this happen again? Crud. Crud.
“Crud!” I don't care who's out there listening. I scream to the highest heavens. Ain't nobody know what I'm sayin'. “How did—it don't make no sense. Crud.”
And this place is waaay too big for me to just so happen to bump into Ri'lar. Would he really leave me if I'm not there? Would he even notice if I'm gone? I have been a bit of a bother to him, but not enough for him to abandon me like this, right? I gotta get back.
“Crud.” Okay, calm down for a sec. Can't do nothin' if you don't have a clear head. Just take a couple a' steps back. Retrace where you've been. Find out what looks different an' what looks the same.
“Why don't nothin' look the same out here?” I didn't notice that parked hovercraft before. I don't recognize that giant light pole. None of these are the same buildings. Where's the barber? Where's the jeweler? Where's the neon sign?
“Crud!”
“'Crud?'” I hear echoed back at me. “Is that one of your earth words?”
Okay, now I'm scared—nope, not scared—cautious. I heard a voice—a voice that I understood, and it didn't sound nothin' like Ri'lar. I don't see where it came from or who said it, but I got my sword right here, an' I'm ready—an' given how upset I am right now—ready an' rarin' for a fight. Oh, whoever you are, you done snuck up on the wrong negro today.
“Whoa, calm down, Darius.”
And for a second there, the voice sounds familiar. Oh, it's her. “Ran?” She steps out from the nearby corner to greet me, looking as human as ever. That shapeshifting trick of hers is really somethin'. She's even wearin' a different shirt than before—a green one. Wait, I think girls call that a blouse instead of a shirt. Why they gotta be so weird?
“You Earth people hug each other when you greet, right?” She opens her arms, lookin' awkward as I don't know what. It's kinda funny, kinda cute that she's tryin', but I sorta shy away from her.
“Yeah, it's somethin' some people do.” I hold out my hand instead. “I'd prefer to shake instead.” Gotta watch out for coodies. No tellin' how those things are with aliens. She sorta inspects my hand before shaking it.
“Interesting,” she says. “This means something a little different where I'm from.” Then she sorta pauses, givin' me a funny look. I don't really know what she's thinking, but before doin' anything else, I yank my hand away. She giggles at that for some reason.
“So what're you doin' on Miraivus?” she asks.
“I should be askin' you that. How in the world did you just so happen to be here when me an' Ri'lar were? Is you followin' me?”
“Ha ha, that's funny. Well, I was following something or another a while back. It was going all 'Crud! Crud! Crud!' and I thought it sounded familiar. Turned out to be you, so if you call that stalking or whatever, then yeah.”
“Yeah, I sorta got lost.”
“Ah, this place'll do that. For some reason, they thought it'd be a good idea to build a city on a watzsvyre fault.”
“A wha?”
“It's basically a spot on certain planets that likes to change its mind a lot. When it does, whatever's around changes with it. This being the big city and all means that the city changes too. Buildings get moved around, whoever and whatever get displaced all about. Most tourists get super confused, but to those who know about it, it's not so bad.”
“So I was goin' the right way. Just that—the right way got...changed?”
“Something like that.”
So from there, we pretty much play catch up. She hasn't been doin' much of anything since last we spoke. Mostly just goin' from planet to planet on a sightseeing trip. I tell her that I've been pretty much doin' the same, but more for business than pleasure. As for what that business actually is, I'm still in the dark on, but Ri'lar makes it out to seem important, so that's good enough for me.
I tell her about how hard it was for me to get used to this planet's gravity. She gets a good laugh outta it. She says she's never really had to worry much about that. The way her people are, they sorta adapt to anything and everything without her even noticing, but for people not like her, she says they usually wear special made space suits for that. Apparently I can pick up one in one of the marketplaces here. She even offers to buy one for me, but I say I got a handle on it.
I ask if she knows anything about auras. Ri'lar got me all interested in that now.
“Uh huh, I've heard of it. I know what you're talking about,” she says. “It's kind of archaic though. Part of that mystic mumbo jumbo. Supposedly every living thing has a spirit, and I think—if I get this right—through meditation and training or whatever, you can use that spirit to do weird things. It's a real religious concept that's dated waaay beyond most of the galaxy. Most of the things people used their auras for got replaced with things like fire and the wheel and most modern technology. You're wasting your time if you're seriously thinking about going into it.”
Meh, I still think it sounds cool.
After chit chat goes on for another minute, I think I actually see the whatsithoosie do its work. It's only for a brief second—half a second really—but the city really does change. New buildings, new places, new people, and me an' Ran in the center, still goin' on about—well now about nothin'.
We notice somethin' fly across the sky really fast. I think it's a shooting star. Ran thinks it's a space ship about to crash land. After thinking about it, I think she's probably the one who'd be right, and being the good Samaritan that I am take it upon myself to go investigate.
“They have police and ambulances for that.”
“Yeah, but we saw it first.”
“You can't possibly know that.”
Against her better judgment, she follows me. I finally got running down, so it doesn't take us long to get there. A two to three minute sprint while keeping to the cushiony sidewalks and we're there. And what a sight to behold.
Whatever it was, it crash landed right on top of a mall building. Huge crater, smoke and dust puffin' up all over the place. The people close by are panicking, trying to get to safety, some are phoning for help. It's a real disaster to say the least. Ran says we should leave before things get too far out of hand, but I'm kinda stuck there just looking at it.
It's a fire. Yeah, the block is on fire. What are you supposed to do when stuff like this goes down? Do you help? I gotta help, but how? Call 911? Do aliens have a 911? I see some people dialing something on their funny lookin' cell phones. Should I get in there? Maybe I could move some rubble or help get some people to safety. Can I do this? Should I?
And then the rest of the building comes tumbling down in a huge thunderous rumble. And here I am, just lookin' at the whole thing happen while doing nothing. What kinda person am I? What kinda person could just sit by and—whoa, what the crud is that?
