A Monkey's Charm

[Tomtomrawr]

The next ten minutes were used to load the seventy-two Primusians who had reached the Compound into the starship, and begin the Dromedary launch sequence. Elite Guard Bobby, their avionics expert and source on the inside, had been the pioneer of Primusian initial exploration. He was, to put it rather bluntly, a pothead. His rastafarian cap and long, braided hair always sheltered his often comically bemused expression.

'Why couldn't've we just, like, used my Ahoudori, man?' He asked Maktu as he slid into the pilot's chair. Bobby was so trusted by Senator Kombuchinus that he commanded one of the only truly combat-capable craft of the Primusians - an Ahoudori purchased at great cost from the Zoners. It was normally used to collect Nomad remains to sell, which was the primary source of Sirian credits for Primus.

'It was too well defended, Bobby.' Maktu patiently replied. 'As I told you before.' Poor Bobby, he thought. The drugs had had some adverse affects on his mind. Memory loss was the main one. His mind was so far gone that he couldn't even remember his own Primusian name, which was why he'd taken up calling himself "Bobby". Sometimes he even needed to be reminded of that.

The ability to fly would never leave him though, as he often said. He effortlessly began his pre-flight checks with the Dromedary, lights on the wings flaring into life, a gentle hum as the engines began to ignite. Within seconds the ship was in the air, Bobby taking it up toward the emptiness of space.

'No need for the docking ring, man', he said to Maktu, who had taken the co-pilot chair. 'It's all like, a conspiracy. You don't need a docking ring.' He took a puff from his joint, the air filtration system immediately sucking up the smoke. Maktu nodded.

'Here we are man, edge of the atmosphere. Get ready for an awesome view man, it really is something.'

The Dromedary cleared the final barrier posed by the planet and propelled itself into space. Maktu and the others in the cockpit gasped at the sight, Bobby grinning at their reaction. It seemed to go on forever. It did go on forever. Oddly shaped rocks littered Omicron Kappa in their orbit around the lone star. In the far distance, a white orb was prominent in front of the darker space behind it.

Maktu was the first to shake himself from the trance. He reached deep into his pocket, pulling out an envelope, which he handed to Bobby.

'This is where we're going. It was left behind by our brothers who first came to Primus. It hasn't been opened yet, strict instructions to keep it sealed until we reach this point. Will you do the honours?'

Bobby took it, and without a hint of care ripped the envelope open and took out a single sheet of paper. He read it, before handing it to Maktu to read for himself.

'This is where we must go.' He said after a few seconds. 'Where our brothers will be waiting.'

'Woah, hold on there cowboy,' Bobby was quick to respond. Maktu hated him when he used his expressions like "cowboy" and "man". 'We gotta sort some stuff out in Omicron Delta first. Gonna take a while. We need to get enough supplies for the trip, enough fuel, and all we got here is the last step of the journey. We gotta find out how to get to this point first. And that's gonna take a while.'

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[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.

Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.