Work Text:
Globarb Log #7-16-19
Ready for another day! Today is the start of Mission: Resourceful. Only one of our kind gets to do this trip every year. A trip to Earth to fetch and bring resources back to our planet! Will be looking forward to The Choosing later on!
Globarb. My home.
Round in shape and orange from far away. Time passes faster than other planets. Technology on my planet is freaky! Others here look similar to me.
Perhaps I should introduce myself! My name is Glodis. I am one of many on Globarb, but more the odd one out than anyone else. So odd that others call me a clown. Today is a special day for me, however. I am going to be participating in The Choosing!
This is when our leader, Sidolgus, chooses who shall go to Earth for Mission: Resourceful. I have been hopeful for the past few Choosings, but I have been left out many times. This time, I know I can do it! I will be the Chosen!
I am on my way to the Globarb Stadium where this Choosing will be held. As I am crossing the various tents and mini-houses that lighten up Globarb, I look to my left and see my friend: Pet #120718! Though, others like to call them “Na-Na”.
“Na-Na,” I say, “Happy Choosing Day!”
“Same to you, Glodis,” they answer in a distorted voice. Na-Na is different from the Earth pets Sidolgus told us about. They do not talk in our language, but they do have feelings. “So, are you hoping to be the Chosen today?”
“You bet,” I replied, “I have been hoping for this day every year! Today will be the day!”
“Well, Glodis, do not get too excited. There are a lot of choices for this year.”
“Na-Na,” I persisted, “I will be the Chosen! There is no doubt!”
Na-Na giggled. “You are always so positive, Glodis. For your sake, I do hope you are the Chosen.”
Suddenly, horns blared through the planet. Globarb citizens began running towards the stadium excitedly. It was Choosing time! “Oh! Time to go, Na-Na!” I began running as fast as I could towards the gathering spot with Na-Na hiding under my hat. I just hoped I would not be too late!
After a few minutes of high intensity running, I made it to the stadium. The time was now that I would go to planet Earth! I will gather the resources and make Sidolgus proud!
Lots of others in the stadium, just like me. It was pretty rowdy, but I managed to find my seat amongst the sea of Globarb citizens. I was close to the front. Na-Na peeked their head out from under my hat.
The stadium lights dimmed. The crowd went silent. A spotlight shone down on the stage in front of me. From below the stage floor, a platform rose up with smoke encasing us all!
Sidolgus, our proud leader, had made their grand entrance! The color of them was white like the color of snow, and they were taller, had what Earthlings called a “moustache and beard”, and wore a robe fit for a king. Golden beads with red and silver colored threads. Fun! Sidolgus waited for the platform to level before slithering forward to meet us.
“Greetings, citizens of Globarb,” they said in a manly voice, “It is time for the Choosing!”
Applause! Then, silence. Sidolgus continued.
“As you all know, every year, Globarb passes near Earth orbit. From there, we are able to gather resources from the planet to fuel our own. Resources such as electricity, hydrogen, oxygen, and gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. When gathered every year, we can maintain our planet successfully! However, it only takes one of us to do the job, and that is why we are here today.”
I was giddy in my seat, wiggling around like a Globarb child. I could tell Na-Na was just as excited as me, even though they tugged at my antennae to get me to stop wriggling.
Sidolgus took a deep breath and scanned the crowd. I could sense them glance at me. Oh, that was a wink! My chances are good!
“The next one to head to Earth for resource gathering on Mission: Resourceful will be…”
Me! It has to be--
“Yokex!” Sidolgus announced it followed with applause from the audience.
I blinked. Yokex?
When The Choosing ceremony was finished, I went backstage to see Sidolgus. They were busy fiddling with their royal staff and robe. “Leader Sidolgus?”
They turned to face me and grinned. “Ah, Glodis,” they said, “A pleasure to see you here!”
“Leader Sidolgus,” I asked, “Why did you pick Yokex for The Choosing this year?”
“It is quite simple, Glodis. Yokex had been working for a long time on proving themselves worthy for The Choosing from researching to helping with Globarbian tasks, and now, it is their time to go on their biggest mission.”
“But,” I stammered, “What about me?” Sidolgus put a tentacle around my back.
“Glodis,” they explained to me, “It just looks like you are not ready for The Choosing this time. Of course, there is always next year to do better!”
“But--”
Sidolgus pat my head with another tentacle of theirs. “Rest easy, Glodis. You will get your chance.” They turned around and walked away without any further explanation. I let myself out of the building with my head down and full of questions I did not have the answers to.
Back in my little house on Globarb filled with various trinkets of Earth materials, I laid on my bed facedown. Na-Na flew up to me and rubbed my head. “Do not worry, Glodis,” they reassured me, “I am sure The Choosing will happen again next year and you will be picked for sure.”
“It is not that,” I said as I lifted my head, “Leader Sidolgus did not give me a good enough reason as to why I could not be picked for The Choosing this year.”
Na-Na inquired, “Do they always do that?”
“Yes,” I elaborated, “They have always been good with reasons in the past years, so I do not understand why this year feels off.” I rolled over onto my back and off of the bed, hitting the floor with a thud.
After Na-Na chuckled, they asked, “It is weird of them to do that this year. Have you considered… appealing to them?”
I gasped. “Appealing to the leader of Globarb? That is risky!”
“Maybe, Glodis. But, do you have another idea?”
To be honest, I really did not. Perhaps Sidolgus would be willing to listen. What did I have to lose?
I waited until all of the Globarbians went to sleep. Na-Na stuck by my side as I bided my time going over to the Globarb Space Force headquarters quite a ways down the planet. I came up on a building with windows and surveillance devices. It was massive! I remembered my time inside the building.
Stepping into the main room where registration for the GSF was to be held, I remembered signing up and being accepted as a special candidate. The time I spent going through the pop quizzes they gave to me came back in my memory as I crouched and snuck past the examination room.
The time a GSF recruit called me a clown and I got the blame for it went through my antennae as the hallway I traversed had empty rooms back-to-back.
“Glodis,” Na-Na whispered in my ear, “Do you know this place?”
“Kind of,” I lied, “It has a strange layout. I will manage.”
And I managed, alright. I opened a door at the end of the hallway. It was a big room with a big Globarbian battleship pointing up at the steel double-door hanging on the ceiling. To Earthlings, rockets looked eerily similar to our battleships. It was smart of Sidolgus to disguise our battleships this way so as not to be considered hostile on other planets.
As I got closer to the rocket, Na-Na hissed at me. “Glodis!”
“Na-Na, this battleship,” I called back to them, “I have never seen it designed this way.”
“That is not why we are here, Glodis!”
I put my hand on the rocket. Cold and solid. Metallic, no doubt. I was mesmerized, and every Globarbian knew that if I was mesmerized, there was no chance I could step away without something to keep me away.
Na-Na flew over to me and pulled on the antennae under my hat. “Come on,” they yelled, “We’re here to appeal to Sidolgus, not stare at their ships!”
I begrudgingly turned away from the battleship and followed Na-Na to another door at the end of the room. When we opened it up, the alarm went off. It sounded all over the facility. I didn’t know what I did.
Next thing I knew, there was a Globarbian with black eyes, darkened purple skin with markings of battles in their past, and a booming voice coming at us from behind with more GSF recruits behind them.
“Glodis!”
Captain Thorro. They were the one that taught me about the GSF the most, but more importantly, they were the one that got me kicked out. My tentacles trembled as the GSF recruits were front and center with Captain Thorro leading the pack. “Captain Thorro,” I whimpered, “I did not mean to--”
“Can it, you dishonorably discharged mackerel,” they growled, “Do you have any idea where you are in this building, or do I have to put you in the Hole again to remind you?”
I screamed. “Not the Hole!”
From behind Captain Thorro was who I was looking for: Leader Sidolgus. They looked like they just woke up from a nap. “Glodis,” Sidolgus grumpily said to me, “What in Globarb’s sake are you doing here?”
“I wanted to appeal to you,” I confessed, “I know I am worthy to go on Mission: Resourceful. If you will just hear me out--”
“Hear you?” Sidolgus interjected by slamming their staff on the floor. A hush fell across the room. “The whole Globarbian capital heard you! You sneak into the GSF headquarters and expect me to listen to you justify your reasoning for going on this important mission?”
“Just like an outlaw,” Captain Thorro added, “Always begging for forgiveness when their back is against the wall.”
Na-Na flew in front of me. “We did not want to cause any harm,” they pleaded, “Glodis is worthy of joining the GSF! I know they can do it!”
Sidolgus leaned their head closer to Na-Na and asked, “And who are you?”
“Na-Na. They are my companion,” I told them, “And they had nowhere to go once I found them here on Globarb.”
“Impossible,” Captain Thorro exclaimed, “Only Globarbians resided here after its founding. We scavenged the planet for any other lifeforms.”
“It does not matter.” Sidolgus pointed their staff at me and said, “You are in a lot of trouble, Glodis.” They turned to Thorro. “Captain Thorro, escort both of them out of this building and back home immediately.”
In a split second, I made a move that would change my life forever. I quickly turned and dashed away from the recruits and Captain Thorro.
“Get back here and face your punishment with dignity,” Captain Thorro screeched, “You clown!”
I went for the battleship. I used all five of my tentacles to leap up as high as I could to the single door of the ship. I opened it with brute force. Looking down for a split second, I noticed Na-Na fending off the GSF recruits for me.
“Weapons free!” Captain Thorro let out the command and, from inside the pilot’s seat of the battleship, I could practically feel the electricity going through my body like a cold shiver. I fiddled with the levers and buttons on the control panel, hoping for some kind of button to escape this madness.
Then, I pushed a yellow button. The rocket rumbled. Smoke emitted from the bottom of the ship, and it was followed by fire from the exhaust. The steel door on the ceiling opened up for me.
Liftoff.
I looked down at the recruits, Captain Thorro, and a disgruntled Sidolgus who were getting smaller as I was getting higher.
I saw Na-Na laying on the floor. I wanted to cry, but I was too afraid to. They were all out of view now.
The stars in space were all I could see as the planet Globarb got further and further away from me.
It had been a few Earth hours since I blasted off from Globarb. I was hungry and thirsty, but more importantly…
I was alone.
I sat back in the pilot’s seat as I passed several planets along my journey in space. Mission: Resourceful.
A beeping noise from the battleship’s fuel gauge caught my attention. It was running close to empty. What else could I do?
I noticed a blue ball far-off into space. There! I pulled a switch that boosted the ship forward. It was close enough that I could get a better look.
It wasn’t just blue. It was blue and green. I quickly set the battleship on autopilot and floated my way down the ship to a convenient window close to the back door. I gazed in awe.
Earth. It had to be. That’s what all the books said. That’s what Sidolgus was talking about. A blue and green ball of water, land, and life.
I lost my focus. My view of the planet became tilted just like my body as I quickly realized the autopilot setting never accounted for reserve fuel.
I tried to make my way back to the pilot’s seat, but with the fuel and reserve fuel completely gone, I was instead sent face-first into the controls.
The gravitational pull of Earth caught the ship and kept my face smushed against the control panel. I did not have enough strength and no way to change course.
Look out, Earth. I am Glodis from the planet Globarb.
My story mission begins now.