Chapter 26: New Friends
At 6:10pm Sylvia and Elliot entered the canteen. There were about two hundred beings there. Most were Kylots with a lesser amount Elliot presumed from different planets. At a table in the far corner were five humans.
Many creatures were quite different looking. The Kylots were the tallest. On average they were more than six feet tall, but in this canteen there were also about thirty beings who were less than three feet in height and had tongues like lizards. Their speech was not of Earth and Elliot could not understand them. Their hide was of a green fur like material and they had large eyes that appeared perfectly circular. Being near these beings made Elliot feel like a giant.
There were three other beings who looked like large caterpillars that could also stand upright. They stayed amongst themselves and communicated to each other while drinking an orange liquid.
Some other creatures with green hair, brown felt like skin and pointed ears appeared to have wings attached to their bodies. Elliot wondered if the wings were real or an advanced form of technology.
Both Elliot and Sylvia joined the queue for food which was twenty aliens long. They hadn’t spoken for a while now. The adolescent knew that Sylvia was not impressed with his “gullible” attitude. From past experience he knew it was best to wait for her to cool down.
Eventually the young man was able to see what food they were serving. Most creatures appeared to be opting for a green sludge like substance, with some recycled water on the side. The alternative selections did not appear to be any more appetising.
Elliot chose the green sludge. He waited for Sylvia and suggested they join the human group. Sitting with the group of five humans was Averneen. She stood up, greeted them and offered to introduce them to each other.
First, they were introduced to two young Chinese girls named Li and Suki. Both of them seemed happy to be there and most of the time they had smiles on their faces. Both were short with dark hair and brown eyes. They looked very similar except that Li had a large inch wide birthmark that went down from her jaw to her neck. Both appeared to be in their early twenties and were wearing colourful dresses that went down just below their knees.
The third human was a Russian named Sergei. He barely smiled but did offer both newcomers a handshake. He was of medium height but slightly overweight and with thinning brown hair. Elliot guessed that he was pushing forty. Sergei was wearing a white shirt and brown trousers.
Finally Elliot and Sylvia were introduced to Marty and Elisa who were both Canadian. Marty was quite tall with dark hair and blue eyes. They both seemed friendly. Marty reached out and shook the newcomers’ hands in a welcoming manner. He was wearing black trousers and a plain red t-shirt. Both Canadians looked to be in their mid twenties. Elisa had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was about five foot ten inches in height and was wearing a white blouse with purple floral patterns, blue jeans and boots.
“What do they call this food?” Elliot said aloud as he tested it for consistency with his fork. The smell of it was not very strong but of course the young man’s sense of smell wasn’t very sensitive.
“It’s called Dukateca,” Averneen said.
“That’s Kylot for green sludge,” Elisa quipped. “It’s very healthy. All of us have lost a lot of weight here. Three meals of that a day and you’ll feel energetic and well, slim. It tastes like shit though, metaphorically speaking.”
Eventually Elliot summoned the courage to raise a forkful to his mouth. Reluctantly he tasted it. It tasted like liquidised cucumber and celery combined. The two foods that Elliot disliked the most. It was however, just about bearable.
“Do they serve anything else in this place?” Elliot asked aloud once more.
“Everything we serve in here is meant to be healthy,” Averneen declared. “It’s one of the respects in which Kylots differ from Kylons. Kylot leaders do it with the best interests of their subjects in mind.”
“Who are these leaders?” Elliot asked.
“There is a council of fourteen men and women who govern this planet. They aren’t always here. Calum for instance is one of the council members but he hasn’t visited the planet in twenty years. Now, everyone is here.”
“What does everyone do all day?” Sylvia asked.
“Most of us have jobs,” Averneen replied. “Others engage in activities like swimming, exercising in the gym, watching movies, listening to music. We have all kinds of entertainment from all around the universe. The most popular among Kylots is a game resembling chess.”
“Do earthlings get jobs?” the young woman asked.
“They can elect to do so, but generally they don’t. Most earthlings prefer to enjoy what Todor has to offer. Besides, the reward usually isn’t great enough for humans to want to work unless they are bored.”
“Have there been other earthlings before us?”
“Yes,” Averneen replied calmly.
The Kylot’s demeanour never changed. She was as mild mannered a life form as Elliot was likely to come across. Even Sylvia’s sniping did not appear to irritate her in any way.
“What happened to them?” Sylvia asked
“Everything will be revealed in its own time.”
“Did you eat them?” the young American woman asked with a hint of animosity.
“Of course not. Some of them were what we call implants. They were sent to spy on us so they were deported. Others chose to move on.”
“Hmmph,” Sylvia responded. Finally she believed she was getting somewhere. She was correct all along. These creatures were not as perfect as they made themselves out to be. She was on to something, she believed.
“What do you do for money here?” Elliot asked.
“Almost everything is free. The people who work here don’t get paid very much extra. There is no such thing as money here. What they do get is a gift or two that would be otherwise unavailable to them. They work because they feel healthier doing it but they don’t have to.”
Sylvia scrutinised every expression on Averneen’s face and body. She seemed calm in her demeanour and her answers but the young American believed that there had to be a dark secret underneath and she was determined to find it.
“How does a space station like this find the resources to build and survive without money?” Elliot asked
“We trade with other planets and other races,” the Kylot responded.
“Can we choose our own jobs?”
“Only where there are vacancies and where there is appropriate training,” Averneen responded calmly. “It might be dangerous if we give you the job of a brain surgeon when you don’t have the training.”
“I didn’t get the impression that your chef enjoys his job,” Elliot observed.
“Think of how miserable he would be without it,” Sergei replied.
“What would you like to be?” Averneen asked the young American.
“A pilot,” Elliot responded.
“There are no vacancies at the moment but there are always programs available for training. It takes four years at least.”
“Please let me know in advance if you get any ideas about flying spaceships,” Sylvia responded. “That’s one flight I wouldn’t like to take.”
While the conversation continued, both Suki and Li whispered repeatedly in each others ears and giggled every now and then. Elliot was curious as to what they were discussing. Maybe he was better off not knowing.
“And what would you like to be?” Elliot asked Sylvia.
“An axe murderer,” the young girl responded
“Seriously?” Elliot replied with an incredulous expression on his face. Part of him was embarrassed. He respected Averneen and was afraid that Sylvia was not creating the best of impressions with her.
“Chilling out and doing next to nothing, sounds good to me as long as I don’t get eaten alive,” The American woman replied.
Sylvia’s cynicism was becoming altogether too predictable. Elliot had never seen this side to her before. He hoped that in the coming days he could convince her to see Kylots in a more positive light.
“Won’t you get bored?”
“Well, what does everyone else do here?” Sylvia asked aloud.
“Nothing,” Sergei responded. “We all do nothing other than what we want to do.”
“I told you,” Sylvia responded turning to Elliot. “They’re just fattening us up. They’re going to eat us.”
While Sylvia was having her tantrum, Elliot observed the behaviour of Elisa and Marty. They seemed very calm and pleasant in their manner. The American adolescent was a little surprised by Sylvia’s behaviour and how it created a false impression. It came as a relief that they were completely unperturbed.
“Well with your axe murder training I feel safer already,” Elliot replied. “Nobody will mess with you.”
“I will leave you to get better acquainted,” Averneen replied before standing up. “If you’re serious about pilot training you know where to find me.”
“Do you have axes here or not?” Sylvia asked.
“We don’t have many trees so what is the point in having an axe?” Averneen responded in a composed manner before walking off.
“They don’t have guns here either,” Sergei declared, “It’s crazy. There is something wrong with the world when we can’t go bonkers every now and again. This place is too civilised altogether.”
“I don’t like it,” Sylvia replied. “There is something fake about all of this. There has to be.”
“You should become a journalist,” Elliot suggested.
“What would there be to write about. Everybody is too bloody nice.” No matter how hard Elliot tried, he couldn’t understand Sylvia’s logic. It seemed like there wasn’t anything he could say to enlighten her and make her feel at ease.
“I thought you said it was fake. Are you slipping up?” Elliot replied.
“Arrrgh,” Sylvia grunted in frustration.
“They didn’t mention that there is no gambling here,” Sergei declared “There is also no Vodka unless you go to the underworld and that is a dangerous place for people like us. What is a guy to do? Nothing is real. You can’t go for a forest walk, a stroll by the river or a swim in the ocean. They have green areas here with plants and flowers but it’s not the same.”
“Cheer up Sergei,” Marty responded, “it’s not all that bad.”
“Yes, I know,” the Russian replied, “I actually look forward to this green sludge.”
“If you need help settling in myself and Marty would be only too happy to assist,” Elisa said to Sylvia and Elliot. “It’s not all bad here. You’ll get to like it in time. They have all the best soaps from earth, fashion channels, reality tv programmes. You name it, it’s all there. I can show you if you want. We can show you around. There are video games. At least that’s what I call them. They even have some brilliant ones that you’ve never heard of.”
“I’m sorry but I’m not in the mood right now,” Sylvia replied with two hands raised up to shoulder height. “You’re very helpful….but”
“She’d rather sulk,” Elliot interrupted.
“You’ll come round,” Elisa replied before standing on her feet. “Maybe we’ll leave you alone for the moment. All in its own good time.”
“I don’t blame you,” Sergei replied. “The first two years were like hell for me. No smoking, no gambling and no Vodka. I got over it. As you can see now I’m the life and soul of the party.”
A despondent Sylvia continued to eat from her bowl. The food wasn’t bitter or sour but it was too bland and she didn’t like it. She wanted to go back home, no matter how dangerous it might be for her. Anywhere but here, she thought to herself.
“I’m planning on catching up with a rather excellent documentary about Stalin,” Sergei said as he stood up from his chair. “I find it quite interesting. He was such a brutal dictator but very interesting. Now I must leave you.”
As soon as Sergei departed the Chinese girl named Suki addressed them.
“Are you a couple?” she asked while trying to repress her laughter.
Elliot hesitated yet again.
“No, we’re not a couple,” Sylvia declared.
“I think you are very funny Elliot. You’re also big and strong,” she said moving towards him and rubbing his upper arm.
Elliot had always considered himself to be a weakling, but the more he thought of it there might just be a gram of muscle in those biceps of his and even if five foot five was small in American terms he might be a giant in China terms. Maybe this Dukateca had its benefits.
“Would you like to be my boyfriend, Elliot?” Suki asked with a hint of charm and a broad smile on her face.
To Elliot, Suki was an attractive woman. She was slim and fit looking and had a very attractive face with deep dark blue eyes. He considered that Suki only liked him because he was the only single young man there within two million light years. His hormones however, persuaded him otherwise. He liked Sylvia a lot but if she did not want him, like any man he was willing to explore other options.
“He’s not available,” Sylvia declared.
“What do you mean?” Suki asked
“Yeah, what does that mean?” Elliot asked. Just because Sylvia didn’t want him didn’t mean that she could deprive him of some excitement in his otherwise dull life. Even Elliot didn’t know if Suki was serious, but it was a risk he was willing to take.
“Well, for one thing, you’ve just met her. You don’t even know if she’s a Kylon. She could be an evil changeling in disguise.”
Elliot blushed. He was embarrassed at Sylvia’s brutal honesty in front of his possible new girlfriend. His long time friend didn’t seem to be happy enough in her misery, but now she had to bludgeon any opportunities he might have at happiness.
“Well I do appear to have plenty of time on my hands. I can always get to know her.”
“Don’t blame me if she gets a scissors and goes snip snip,” Sylvia said as she gestured with her fingers. “You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
For a moment Elliot paused to reconsider but then decided that the odds of Suki being a psychopath were similar to him having bird dung fall into his mouth while laughing. He liked them odds he told himself.
“Come on Elliot, let me show you around,” Suki said as she grabbed him by the arm.
The teenager was in no mood to quibble. He had enough green sludge for one day and the prospect of being shown around a vast space station by a beautiful woman was something he would find hard to resist.