GalaxyBillies

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

MegaDan Scholes, Voice of the Galaxy, sat in front of his mini-Comp and stared at the screen in disbelief. As he read the words for what seemed like the hundredth time, sweat began to run down his back. 

When the information had first appeared in his search queue several hours before he had hoped it was a fluke. Since that moment he had worked feverishly to prove the information wrong.

He had failed.

He nudged Charlie the cameraman who lay on the opposite bunk snoring softly. “Charlie, you’ve got to see this!”

Charlie sputtered, coughed, then blinked up at MegaDan. The question was clearly evident in his eyes.

MegaDan turned the mini-Comp screen toward Charlie. “Look at this. I was certain Greklor wouldn’t be destroying an entire species just because his idiot son was killed by one of them so I did some more digging. This came up several hours ago.”

Charlie read the screen, his eyes getting bigger and bigger with each passing moment. He looked up at MegaDan when he had finished, his eyes questioning.

“I know! I couldn’t believe it either so I kept digging, trying to find anything that would refute this information.” MegaDan tapped the screen. New information appeared which Charlie also read.

This time, instead of his eyes getting bigger, the cameraman seemed to curl in on himself until he lay on his bunk in a fetal position.

MegaDan rubbed his eyes. “I know what you mean, Charlie. We are in BIG trouble. I tried to send the data back to the studio but something is blocking the feed. That means one of two things: either Greklor knows what we’ve found or the fleet is running dark.”

He shook his head. “Either is bad news. The first one means we’re in deep trouble. It’s probably already too late for us to escape. The second means the fleet has located the human’s home planet and is preparing to attack. Whatever is the truth, we’ve got to get out of here and warn the galaxy that a criminal madman is on the loose.”

MegaDan closed the mini-Comp and stuffed it into an inside pocket in the chest area of his jumpsuit. “I’m going to try to find some way to either get a message out or get us off this bucket. The only good thing we’ve got going for us is these garbage scows have minimal security. Unless there is a guard outside our door, I should be able to get out of here.”

He walked to the exit and tried the door. With a long-suffering groan, it opened, bits of rust and metal flaking off as it. MegaDan looked up and down the corridor before stepping out. 

Just before he closed the door behind himself he looked at his cameraman. “If I don’t come back, remember what I found and try to get word back to the studio. If anyone asks, I’ve gone to use the bathroom, OK?”

Charlie nodded slowly, giving a thumbs up signal as MegaDan closed the door.

The hum of the ship was more pronounced in the corridor than it had been in the cramped cabin. It smelled worse too. A lot worse. This was definitely a garbage scow⁠*. (*It is a universal constant that, no matter how well sealed the garbage hauling area is, the ship, car, wagon, plane, barge, whatever, will still smell like garbage.)

MegaDan crept down the dimly lit corridor hoping against hope that he wouldn’t run into any crew. He heard voices and looked wildly around for a place to hide. In the end, he had to retrace his steps a good ten meters to a door. He breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened to give him access to a room filled with ship systems. An evil smelling cloud of greenish vapour met him as he went into the room.

He sent a silent prayer to the Almighty Zork hoping the vapour wouldn’t kill him. The door closed behind him and he turned to lock it. No sense letting the crewmen or guards or whatever they were catch him here if he could help it. Still, he looked around for a hiding place.

What he found instead was a small droid. It was one of the asteroid models shaped like a canister with two treaded feet protruding from the body, one on each side. The domed top could swivel and sported a single ocular unit. Blinking lights flashed in a merry display on the canister.

What a stroke of luck. Such machines were friendly and helpful. As if reading MegaDan’s mind, the little droid rolled over to him, beeping and chirping cheerfully.

“Hello, little droid,” MegaDan said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the mini-Comp. “I’m very happy to see you. I need your help with something.”

The droid chirped again and rolled closer. MegaDan held up his mini-Comp. “There is some information on here that I need you to store and get to the Galaxy News Studio for me. Can you do that?”

The automaton waggled its body in affirmation. It extended a data wand for MegaDan to connect his mini-Comp to. In a matter of seconds the transfer was complete and the wand was withdrawn back into the droid’s canister body.

“Thank you, little friend,” MegaDan said. “This information is of utmost importance. It must only be seen by Overjohn Wassabi, the producer of Galaxy News. His identity information is in the data you have stored along with where and how to find him.”

The asteroid droid chirped at MegaDan.

The newsbeing seemed to understand the robot’s question. “You are able to record a message from me?” MegaDan smiled. “That would really help. Thank you.”

He leaned over the droid facing the ocular unit. “This is MegaDan Scholes, Voice of the Galaxy, reporting from the Galactic Counsel Garbage Scow, Turdination. I have discovered evidence that the being who calls himself Vice Chancellor Greklor is an impostor. Even now he prepares to exterminate the species known as humanity in a cowardly act of vengeance. I have included all the information I have discovered about this plot in this little asteroid droid. Help me Overjohn Wassabi. You’re my only hope.”

MegaDan stood and smiled at the little droid. “Please get it to him as quickly as possible. I’m counting on you.”

The droid beeped in response, turned and rolled away. MegaDan watched it enter an escape pod bay and listened to the door cycle closed. It was time to get out of here and find another way off the ship.