The Quarry

[Rage Menelas]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]Their next mission came soon enough. It was a ferry job, toting a small party of archaeologists to a dig site on one of the moons of a distant system. It seemed someone had discovered alien ruins there.

The party of six reported aboard and Charlie busied himself with the routine of settling them and their gear into Saar'floe. Ryan, for his part, made a show of welcome and then stayed out of their way. He was still a little uncomfortable around the Dalcachenes for lack of knowing how to appropriately act, especially with big-wig scientists.

About ninety minutes after he excused himself the starflyer came onto the bridge. Well, it seems as though they are ready for the journey, he announced. Shall we get started?

Okay... I've put all systems through preflight as you instructed, but I'd sleep better if you would go back over them, Ryan stated flatly. I am still on slightly infirm ground here.

Charlie smiled and winked without speaking. He started in on the process of going back over the checks he had taught his apprentice over the course of the past week. He was delighted to find that there were no errors in his work.

Hey... I... got a question, boss.

Please... ask...

I took it for granted that you did something to me when I first came on board, to allow me to hear and speak other languages... or does everyone in the universe speak English...?

Hardly... by last count there were some three hundred some odd languages and dialects... and that is just among the humanoids.

Right, so... want to enlighten me as to how I can speak and understand them all...?

I programmed your mind before I brought you out of the stasis... after I harvested you. It gives you unfettered access to the ship system as well. Otherwise you would be of no use to me. And... he sighed in memory of a bad affair, ... it ...prohibits your harming me physically... as well as crafts your perceptions.

My perceptions...?

Yes... all of the decor in your room, for instance... and your clothing... my appearance...

Ryan suddenly began to wonder what was real. He touched his pants leg; the fabric felt like every pair of jeans he had every touched. So this is not real?

It is made of the same material as the ship, modeled to look and feel like your memory of more familiar clothing... as is the food you eat...

My food is made of fabric...?

No, no... of course not... it is made of a processed protein-vitamin supplement determined to be just what your body needs most to keep it healthy... the taste and texture is crafted from your memories of food you have eaten in the past.

Ah... okay... I think I am catching on... So, he scratched his head, what if I had never eaten a sausage biscuit before?

Then the ship's sustenance maker would not have been able to make one for you ... It is why new, exotic foods are in such high demand on my planet. The people crave ever new and diverse culinary tastes...

Ryan wondered how his clothes looked to everyone else and then decided they must look as silver as the ship's bulkheads. Interesting... then he got busy helping Charlie launch and began wondering what new and unusual things this journey would bring... One thing for sure, it would be an adventure, but then again every day was lately!