Randolph Lalonde - Triton – 01

Minh had just cut some fresh rhubarb and was chewing the end when a sound came from two decks below.

“This is Lorander Survey Ship, Intrepid to…” the voice coming from his command and control unit paused for a moment. “what do I call this thing?”

“I don't know, address him as occupant,” said another voice.

He clamped the rhubarb stalk in his teeth and ran frenzied down the steel grating stairs. His long black hair flailed out behind him, the leafy end of the rhubarb stock bobbed in front of his face.

“This is Lorander Survey Ship Intrepid to wreckage occupant. Do you require assistance?”

Minh got to the bin he had left his command and control unit in and rummaged through the various extra parts and reusable containers from his meals. “Well, not really, but since you're asking, actually meeting someone who isn't imaginary would be nothing short of the best thing to happen to me in about seven years!” he shouted out as he looked for the unit as fast as he could. “Just hang on and… Found it! ”

“This is Lorander Survey Ship Intr-”

“Oh God, tell me you're real, tell me you're real and even if you're not real at least be convincing!” Minh shouted into the communicator.

There was silence on the other end.

Minh brought his face very close to the command and control unit and tried to sound very calm even though his heart was beating a tattoo against the inside of his chest and he was so desperate to hear the people on the other end, to be saved. “Hello? Please help, I'm not crazy. Well, not dangerous crazy, just been living with plant life too long crazy.”

To his relief the voices came back, he could hear laughter in the background. “We'll get you out in a couple minutes. Do you have a pressure suit?”

“I do, but please don't kill my green friends,” he couldn't believe what he was saying at first, but then he looked around from the bottom of the five level reactor room and realized he could barely see the walls for the vines, trees and other shorter plants. The apple trees had grown tall and strong, and the decks were so laden with pots and plants that there was really only the smallest walking path left. In the middle of the bottom level was his materializer and the cot he made with it seven years before.

“We can make a seal and the deck officer tells me we can rescue some of your plants, maybe even use them for re-seeding on a colony,” the voice on the other end said eagerly.

“Wait, you're from Lorander? How far away am I?”

“I'm sorry, how far away from what sir?”

“From Starfree Port or Freeground, or even the Blue Belt?”

“Give us a minute to calculate that.”

Minh's eyes went wide. “They need to calculate it?” he whispered to himself.

“About twelve hundred light years from Starfree Port. From what we can tell there's evidence of a high energy event about seven years behind you. Sounds like you have one hell of a story to tell.”

“I've had a lot of practice telling it to squash puppets, it'll be nice to have a real audience,” Minh-Chu said, completely unaware of how strange he sounded.

“Hang on to something, we're latching on. We'll have you aboard and on your way back to civilized space as soon as possible. Seems Freeground is one of our allies and someone back there still has you on a missing in action list. Someone back there wants you home.”

Minh-Chu's legs gave out and he plopped down to sit on the edge of his cot. The sounds of the much larger long range ship latching on to the upper part of the station remnant echoed all around him. He looked to a ripened squash he had propped up beside his bed and said; “We're going home.”