FRANKYL SHEPARD THE INTERGALACTIC BLOGGER: 002

Greeting Spacefarers,

In our last transmission, we left Funa Space Dock to start our journey to Earth. But, after five minutes of using the old FTL, it broke. I know I shouldn't be surprised SF Morningstar was found in a junkyard, so who knows how long it had been sitting rusting away. My parents and I had enough money to buy the ship as is. They don't make FTL II luminous capacitors anymore cause the Federation is gone. Still, I made an emergency landing on a rock called Omega Station.

On reactor power, I ignored No Humans Allowed signs at the other alien spaceship garages and find Ro-Ro's Garage at Station End. I talk to Ro-Ro Brisk himself. He's a friendly guy, deep-set green eyes like two pools of stagnant water. Found out we're the same age, I explained my problem.

Ro-Ro said, "I can replace the old FTL capacitor, or I have something newer, a StarDrive. What do you say?"

Never heard of a StarDrive so, I asked him.

“The StarDrive is an engine built two years before the fall to the Federation,” Ro-Ro said. “It takes handmade star fuel to jump you two or three ly (light-years). Some people claim their recipes can jump you ten or twelve ly.”

“That sounds amazing, but again I have no money to pay you or for a new engine.”

Ro-Ro said, “Look, buy me a drink, play little cards, deliver something to a planet, and your debt is paid-in-full. What you say to that?”

“I’m sorry, did you say deliver something?”

“Never mind about that you want that StarDrive or not?”

Needing a new FTL system so, it looks like I have no other options and agreed.

“Good to hear,” said Ro-Ro, “let’s go get that drink.”

In another part at Station End, Ro pointed me to The Strong Monkey Inn. The tavern is stick in-between a pile of trash and the dome of the Station. A holo-sign glitch as it plays a skinny monkey growing into a strong monkey. As you enter the bar through the heavy, metallic door, you're welcomed by a few groans and the chime of the doorbell. The bartender is trying to catch a spider and makes no effort to acknowledge your presence. The inn is as dull inside as it is on the outside. Squared, silvery beams support the upper floor as the rows of small laser diodes shoot out from there to light the bar in yellow sunlight. The walls are loaded with pictures, though the dust and cobwebs stop you from taking a closer look. The bar itself is almost completely abandoned. The few people inside could be anybody.

Ro yelled, "Anne!"

Ro told me about the owner Anne Michael; she inherited the inn from her father, similar to how he inherited his garage. Ro advises me to order their best, found out later their only drink, the Cosmic Shaman.

Anne walked like a dignified swan over to our table. Ro and Anne talked a bit. I notice the two had similar hair color Annes' hair is in a thick, straight, medium-length, beryl-green; Ro-Ro is worn in a handsome style and the color of wild moss.

Ro and I talked for a moment. Anne returned with tremendous, frothy beer mugs and a deck of playing cards. An old man asked to join the game. I agreed.

The old man pulls up a chair introduces himself, "Ben Beard retired space-miner for Future Packaging." Ben is an intimidating gentleman with deep-set amethysts eyes. He is bald but, as he said repeatedly used to have silky, wavy coffee and cream hair. I hear Ben's metal legs rub like two soda cans under the table.

As I started to cut the pack he asked if we wish to hear a story. I agreed:

"Have you ever heard of The Planar Finger?

“The Planar Finger was an old generation ship. You know what a generation ship is, right? Well, it's a spaceship with sub-light speed engines, holding thousands of passengers, on heading to a distant star that nobody on the ship will see in their lifetimes. That's what a generation ship is and, that's what The Planar Finger, well, was.

"The now gone Federation built a dozen of them to reach distant stars from Earth. We didn't know about the other races and their tech, not that they would have shared any of it. (Ben ranted about the alien races until Cleve, another space-miner, told him to continue his story.)

"The Planar Finger never reached Vega. Vega is a simple space flight of about 25 ly away from Earth. The government never released why the generation ship never touches the Vega star system. People have their theories like the other alien races didn't know us and blow it up. Another theory is the navigation system on the ship malfunction and got them lost in the endless void. And another theory is the crew has gone mad and killed each other and, now the spaceship floats in the lost expanse within their metal tome.

"Did you also know that nobody has seen The Planar Finger in centuries? But, in the last hundred years, there have been sightings of her. Even I have seen it. I have even been on it, and I know the truth of that ship..."

Cleve, a different space-miner and local who decided to join the card match, said, "Aye, hey, don't let the old man tell his stories. He's just a drunk."

Old Ben Beard spat back into his drink, "I have been on The Planar Finger, I tell you. Look listens he added S to the end of his sentences...

"Me and other races, two Nollas, and a Qobok, were coming back from the asteroid field between the Choo and Phaar systems. We got a wide half-a-mile asteroid and were pulling that rock back to the Choo systems. Just on our way back to the Choo system, we received a distress call from a craft, not a .5 ly away from our positions. We tried to respond to the spacecraft but, she never said who or whats? Just that there was a fire and needed helps.

"So, we went to investigate what is going ons. You should have seen her immense and cylinder-shaped and a glossy silver in brilliant chromes. Once there, we tried hailing her but no answers. Finally, we decided on sending someone. Naturally, the other races on board ordered me to go help, seeing how it was a human vessel a human should help humans.

"Right, I put on my EVA and started in our small ST 987s. Onboard, I searched around in the silent chrome ships. The dust floated like a shaken snow globes. The lights warmed my path to where I believe where the bridge was; I pass a couple, a man and a woman running. I tried to stop them buts... I move to a quiet room, inside, a family. This family them running around their rooms. A small child in blonde pigtails stared up at mes. I felt she saw me, but a man with a mustache approached hes... It... It went straight through mes.

I manage to find the bridges. Dozen people were rushing in and out but, none seemed to acknowledge mes.

"On the bride is where I found the fire in a chair. But... My fire extinguisher did nothing to its. It did nothing, and nobody saw me or did anything to stop that red hot fires. That ship turned into a madhouse I says.

“The next thing I know is I'm overheard the captain, a captain Derock saying to his First mate, 'First mate Lee, what did you do?'

"First mate Lee said, 'I lit Nolan Green on fire.'

'What why?'

'Because', said First mate Lee, 'he navigated us into that star, straight into that star.'

"Then the entrance to the bridge explode; the fire was so hot I swear it burned me.

"Captain Derock shouted, 'What is this?'

"First mate Lee smiled white teeth, 'The sweet release from our chrome prison.'

"Then the entire ship erupted in red fire and blue sparks and black smoke, the chrome, composite vanishing through me. Then nothing, I was just there floating in space. I heard my shipmates over the two-way saying that they were trying to contact me but couldn't till the spaceship disappeared..."

Old Ben Beard swallowed dry spit, the corners of his mouth still, frothy. Nobody at the table said another word.

“Boy," I said, "that drink really kicks your ass. How do you make it again, Anne.”

Anne said, "Cosmic Shaman can't be made here but, is made on Funa in Human Town, the ingredients are tea, lemonade, and rum."

Ro-Ro said, “Look, I’ll get your new engine fitted tonight, you just go to your room and sleep it off. We can talk details tomorrow.”

All I did was agree with him and followed Anne to my room upstairs. I don’t even remember the number to the room. I saw the inviting pillow, smash my face into it, and passed out.