Amelia gasped. The Operator was right. It should be obvious that humans couldn't be on the top of the food chain in the whole, big universe. Giant roach sounded even worse than Insect-people. .. "I'm sorry, I must learn to think before I speak, not the other way." Amelia sighed. She really had to act like herself again. Logical, smart girl. Not just some surprised tourist.
What happened next, left Amelia speechless, but some part of her wanted to laugh very hard. It reminded her of Earth's bureaucracy. It seemed, it was all faulty everywhere. Of course waiting in a long queue was not something to look forward too, but it didn't seem there was any other option. Amelia was positively surprised by The Operator's behavior. She liked that the woman wouldn't let others mess with her. Awesome.
She snoozed a bit when they were waiting again, and woke up to hear that they were in the wrong line again. "Is this some kind of a joke?" She said quietly, looking at the parking droid, a little angry. "Another one that probably needs software update." She murmured to herself.
Yet, this time Yoo-nit proved itself really useful. Even though Amelia couldn't understand what it did, they were going down to the surface now. And it was rather unpleasant. "Uh, are we tearing through atmosphere or what? Why is it so rough?" She asked, truly interested. Good thing she didn't have motion sickness. "Um... should I change into some work clothes? I should help you? Or stay in the car?"
What happened next, left Amelia speechless, but some part of her wanted to laugh very hard. It reminded her of Earth's bureaucracy. It seemed, it was all faulty everywhere. Of course waiting in a long queue was not something to look forward too, but it didn't seem there was any other option. Amelia was positively surprised by The Operator's behavior. She liked that the woman wouldn't let others mess with her. Awesome.
She snoozed a bit when they were waiting again, and woke up to hear that they were in the wrong line again. "Is this some kind of a joke?" She said quietly, looking at the parking droid, a little angry. "Another one that probably needs software update." She murmured to herself.
Yet, this time Yoo-nit proved itself really useful. Even though Amelia couldn't understand what it did, they were going down to the surface now. And it was rather unpleasant. "Uh, are we tearing through atmosphere or what? Why is it so rough?" She asked, truly interested. Good thing she didn't have motion sickness. "Um... should I change into some work clothes? I should help you? Or stay in the car?"
"Hang on love," The Operator said. "Re-entry is always a little bumpy when you enter a planet's atmosphere. Some are bit more so than others. Uh, let's wait and see what happens when we get there.
Yoo-nit apparently had instructions as to where they were supposed to go. A few minutes later, the van landed with a hard thud on the road and began driving like a normal vehicle on the pavement. All the cars seemed to be headed to a large building.
"What's going on Yoo-nit," The Operator demanded.
"You have to go through customs," The little droid replied. "All organic lifeforms must check in upon arrival."
"What," The Operator said glancing at Yoo-nit and the building the van was heading toward. They stopped at a toll plaza with another droid much like the ones at the various toll lanes they were at in space leaned out the window. It handed The Operator a paper ticket when she rolled down the window.
"What's this love," The Operator asked.
"Parking," The droid replied. "Don't lose it or you'll be charged for a full year."
"This planet charges for parking? What kind of backwater place still does that," She demanded.
"This one," The droid responded. "Please proceed."
A gate raised and the van continued on. After entering a garage and circling upward through a maze of twisting roads, Yoo-nit finally found a parking spot for the van.
"Now what," The Operator asked.
The printer in the back made a series of noises.
"I printed your instructions on where to go," Yoo-nit answered in its monotone voice. It didn't belch any smoke this time.
The Operator leaned back and snatched the sheet of paper. It was a map. She then turned to Amelia.
"Come on, love. I think you're fine the way you're dressed. Hopefully this won't take long," She said. "Wait here, Yoo-nit. "We'll be back in a jiff!"
The Operator got out. "Okay, we're in parking tower 135F, Green section, aquaish plaid sub-section, row 23532, aisle 213B, Space 00000232323. Got all that? We have to remember where we parked you know? Alright, love! Off we go!"
The Operator set off to find a turbo lift. The giant, dimly lit parking facility felt like an endless maze and everything looked alike. The Operator stared at the map for a moment. "Uh, this way... I think," She murmured squinting at the map.
Yoo-nit apparently had instructions as to where they were supposed to go. A few minutes later, the van landed with a hard thud on the road and began driving like a normal vehicle on the pavement. All the cars seemed to be headed to a large building.
"What's going on Yoo-nit," The Operator demanded.
"You have to go through customs," The little droid replied. "All organic lifeforms must check in upon arrival."
"What," The Operator said glancing at Yoo-nit and the building the van was heading toward. They stopped at a toll plaza with another droid much like the ones at the various toll lanes they were at in space leaned out the window. It handed The Operator a paper ticket when she rolled down the window.
"What's this love," The Operator asked.
"Parking," The droid replied. "Don't lose it or you'll be charged for a full year."
"This planet charges for parking? What kind of backwater place still does that," She demanded.
"This one," The droid responded. "Please proceed."
A gate raised and the van continued on. After entering a garage and circling upward through a maze of twisting roads, Yoo-nit finally found a parking spot for the van.
"Now what," The Operator asked.
The printer in the back made a series of noises.
"I printed your instructions on where to go," Yoo-nit answered in its monotone voice. It didn't belch any smoke this time.
The Operator leaned back and snatched the sheet of paper. It was a map. She then turned to Amelia.
"Come on, love. I think you're fine the way you're dressed. Hopefully this won't take long," She said. "Wait here, Yoo-nit. "We'll be back in a jiff!"
The Operator got out. "Okay, we're in parking tower 135F, Green section, aquaish plaid sub-section, row 23532, aisle 213B, Space 00000232323. Got all that? We have to remember where we parked you know? Alright, love! Off we go!"
The Operator set off to find a turbo lift. The giant, dimly lit parking facility felt like an endless maze and everything looked alike. The Operator stared at the map for a moment. "Uh, this way... I think," She murmured squinting at the map.
Amelia nodded. So it was the atmosphere. Probably how much bad it was depended on the type of the atmosphere. She didn't like it at all, but she was not going to complain more, than she already had.
She remained quiet, trusting The Operator's trust in Yoo-nit. She was very surprised that they got paper parking ticket... So their cars could fly in the space, but parking tickets were paper... There seemed to be a lot of weird customs here... She was curiously looking through the window. Everything was so familiar and strange at the same time.
Amelie smiled, when The Operator turned her attention to her and got out of the car. "What? How am I supposed to remember this..." She asked, surprised and followed her new friend. "It looks like a parking in the shopping mall, just thousands of thousands times bigger..." She noticed. She felt completely lost and how dark was there, didn't help. She almost bumped into some bird-person and stepped on a tentacle of something that looked like straight from a horror book. "Sorry!" She said, scared, and clang to The Operator. "I am getting worried I will get you into troubles..."
She remained quiet, trusting The Operator's trust in Yoo-nit. She was very surprised that they got paper parking ticket... So their cars could fly in the space, but parking tickets were paper... There seemed to be a lot of weird customs here... She was curiously looking through the window. Everything was so familiar and strange at the same time.
Amelie smiled, when The Operator turned her attention to her and got out of the car. "What? How am I supposed to remember this..." She asked, surprised and followed her new friend. "It looks like a parking in the shopping mall, just thousands of thousands times bigger..." She noticed. She felt completely lost and how dark was there, didn't help. She almost bumped into some bird-person and stepped on a tentacle of something that looked like straight from a horror book. "Sorry!" She said, scared, and clang to The Operator. "I am getting worried I will get you into troubles..."
"Oh don't worry, love," The Operator replied. "Just stick with me an' you'll be fine!"
They got into an elevator. As it began to descend, it stopped on the next level. A giant cockroach wearing an outfit resembling a trenchcoat got on board and The Operator glanced to Amelia to gauge her reaction, cocking an eyebrow. Should Amelia freak out, she was ready to intervene by any means necessary to prevent her from causing a scene. If Amelia attempted to scream or even looked like she might, The Operator would respond by clamping a hand firmly over the girl's mouth and keeping it there until the bug person was out of sight.
Once, they got to the ground floor, the bug man (or woman?) exited the elevator car and went a different direction.
"Turbo lift 12355," The Operator noted allowed. "That ought to help us in finding the van again. Make a note of that for me, love! I'm terrible at remembering things like that."
As the pair stepped out of the garage, The Operator stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was bustling and filled with all walks of life and droids. Everything from 2 headed people to blue-skinned bi-pedal humans, to creatures that walked on four legs like dogs. There was even a being that looked like a tree from Earth, only it used its roots to scuttle along the sidewalk slowly like feet.
"Now, where were we supposed to go," The Operator mused.
"HALT! HALT! Stay where you are," a robotic voice demanded. A droid, obviously part of the police or security force rolled up to the pair. It resembled a large ovalish egg. There were no obvious appendages. It stopped in front of Amelia. Some sort of camera began scanning her.
They got into an elevator. As it began to descend, it stopped on the next level. A giant cockroach wearing an outfit resembling a trenchcoat got on board and The Operator glanced to Amelia to gauge her reaction, cocking an eyebrow. Should Amelia freak out, she was ready to intervene by any means necessary to prevent her from causing a scene. If Amelia attempted to scream or even looked like she might, The Operator would respond by clamping a hand firmly over the girl's mouth and keeping it there until the bug person was out of sight.
Once, they got to the ground floor, the bug man (or woman?) exited the elevator car and went a different direction.
"Turbo lift 12355," The Operator noted allowed. "That ought to help us in finding the van again. Make a note of that for me, love! I'm terrible at remembering things like that."
As the pair stepped out of the garage, The Operator stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was bustling and filled with all walks of life and droids. Everything from 2 headed people to blue-skinned bi-pedal humans, to creatures that walked on four legs like dogs. There was even a being that looked like a tree from Earth, only it used its roots to scuttle along the sidewalk slowly like feet.
"Now, where were we supposed to go," The Operator mused.
"HALT! HALT! Stay where you are," a robotic voice demanded. A droid, obviously part of the police or security force rolled up to the pair. It resembled a large ovalish egg. There were no obvious appendages. It stopped in front of Amelia. Some sort of camera began scanning her.
Amelia did exactly what The Operator said, she stuck with her. Or more, TO her. Maybe she took her advise a little bit too literally, but it helped calm her mind.
The elevator was exactly like these on Earth, there was nothing special about it and it made Amelia be a little surprised. She couldn't complain, but only for a very short period of time. When the, rather fashionable dressed, cockroach entered the elevator, she gasped and went pale, trying very hard to not scream. She drove her gaze to the floor. "No, no, this is just a bad dream, yeah, a nightmare, I am drunk, that's all... It's all a dream... And even if it is not a dream, the cockroach is dressed, it's not really a cockroach, it's an intelligent creature..."
Even though she managed to not make any scene, she sighed with relief, when it turned out the bug person went different direction. Amelia once again stuck herself to The Operator.
"I will try.." She replied quietly, asked to remember the number. She was not exactly sure if her tired brain would remember this number, but The Operator saw it too, so maybe one of them would remember part and the other one another part? She did that a lot of times with her brother, but they were twins, so maybe it helped a little... Amelia shook her head and repeated the number a few times in her mind. She had to remember. She could be useful at least in this matter.
When they got out, Amelia curiously looked around. She was super interested by everything. Some of the creatures were straight out of fantasy movies from Earth. "Amazing..." She whispered. "Oh my, look, this one is so pretty... What is this?" She asked, pointing to one of the creatures, that walked on four legs and was covered in lavender fur. "Ah, sorry for disturbing you..." She said, hearing her. "Hmm, isn't there anything on the map from Yoo-nit?"
The robot, demanding them to stay, startled her. She stepped away from The Operator and stood, like glued to the pavement. "Yes?..." She asked, sending scared glance to The Operator. "Is there any problem with me?" She knew, from experience, that security robots weren't the best. They would just do programmed tasks, not taking the circumstances into consideration. If this one would have any problem to her, she would definitely call its human supervisor.
The worst offence she could think of was eating a pizza with a ketchup.
Though, she did not have any papers and was a stranger here...
The elevator was exactly like these on Earth, there was nothing special about it and it made Amelia be a little surprised. She couldn't complain, but only for a very short period of time. When the, rather fashionable dressed, cockroach entered the elevator, she gasped and went pale, trying very hard to not scream. She drove her gaze to the floor. "No, no, this is just a bad dream, yeah, a nightmare, I am drunk, that's all... It's all a dream... And even if it is not a dream, the cockroach is dressed, it's not really a cockroach, it's an intelligent creature..."
Even though she managed to not make any scene, she sighed with relief, when it turned out the bug person went different direction. Amelia once again stuck herself to The Operator.
"I will try.." She replied quietly, asked to remember the number. She was not exactly sure if her tired brain would remember this number, but The Operator saw it too, so maybe one of them would remember part and the other one another part? She did that a lot of times with her brother, but they were twins, so maybe it helped a little... Amelia shook her head and repeated the number a few times in her mind. She had to remember. She could be useful at least in this matter.
When they got out, Amelia curiously looked around. She was super interested by everything. Some of the creatures were straight out of fantasy movies from Earth. "Amazing..." She whispered. "Oh my, look, this one is so pretty... What is this?" She asked, pointing to one of the creatures, that walked on four legs and was covered in lavender fur. "Ah, sorry for disturbing you..." She said, hearing her. "Hmm, isn't there anything on the map from Yoo-nit?"
The robot, demanding them to stay, startled her. She stepped away from The Operator and stood, like glued to the pavement. "Yes?..." She asked, sending scared glance to The Operator. "Is there any problem with me?" She knew, from experience, that security robots weren't the best. They would just do programmed tasks, not taking the circumstances into consideration. If this one would have any problem to her, she would definitely call its human supervisor.
The worst offence she could think of was eating a pizza with a ketchup.
Though, she did not have any papers and was a stranger here...
When they got out, Amelia curiously looked around. She was super interested by everything. Some of the creatures were straight out of fantasy movies from Earth. "Amazing..." She whispered. "Oh my, look, this one is so pretty... What is this?" She asked, pointing to one of the creatures, that walked on four legs and was covered in lavender fur. "Ah, sorry for disturbing you..." She said, hearing her. "Hmm, isn't there anything on the map from Yoo-nit?"
The furry creature made what Amelia could only assume to be an offended "Hmmph!" noise at her remarks. It hurried off down the street.
"Huh? Oh, that little rust bucket doesn't know what it's talking about, love. That's why that good-for-nothing toaster waited with the van! Don't worry. We'll figure out where this place is," The Operator reassured her. "We can just ask..."
The Operator was abruptly cut off as some sort of police droid approached the pair.
The robot, demanding them to stay, startled her. She stepped away from The Operator and stood, like glued to the pavement. "Yes?..." She asked, sending scared glance to The Operator. "Is there any problem with me?" She knew, from experience, that security robots weren't the best. They would just do programmed tasks, not taking the circumstances into consideration. If this one would have any problem to her, she would definitely call its human supervisor.
"HALT! HALT! Stay where you are," a robotic voice demanded. A droid, obviously part of the police or security force rolled up to the pair. It resembled a large ovalish egg. There were no obvious appendages. It stopped in front of Amelia. Some sort of camera began scanning her.
"Unauthorized person! Let me see your papers," The droid demanded.
"Calm down, love! She's with me," The Operator started to explain. "We just arrived and..."
The droid turned to her. "Let me see YOUR papers," it demanded now focusing on The Operator.
"Alright, alright! Calm down. They're right here," The Operator protested thrusting a stack of jumbled papers at the droid.
The robot scanned the paperwork. "You have not completed customs or decontamination! You must report to the customs office at once," It demanded. The robot had a somewhat angry tone to its voice... or maybe it just always sounded that way. The voice was high-pitched and not the least bit friendly and lacked any inflection.
"That's where we're going, love! We just parked and...," The Operator tried to explain.
The robot made a series of computer noises. A small, driverless vehicle pulled up. It was a rectangular box with 4 wheels and a single folding door on the side in the very center. The graphics on the side identified the vehicle as an automated people mover. The scrolling screen in the window indicated it was route 208 and its destination was the "Customs and Processing/ Welcome Center."
Suddenly, the police droid began making a noise that sounded very much like the sound the printer in The Operator's van made. Two red pieces of paper emerged from the robot's upper body. An arm emerged from the egg-shaped droid and it ripped the paper twice and handed one to The Operator and one to Amelia.
"A citation? Are you bloody kidding me," The Operator protested.
"This is a formal written warning," The robot informed her. "Please board the shuttle bus. You must report to the Welcome Center immediately! If you deviate from your destination, you could be prosecuted. Repeat you must proceed to the..."
"Well I never," The Operator retorted. "Calm down, love! We heard ya the first time! Come on, Amelia! You heard the officer! We're going to the Welcome Center to get processed!"
She stepped through the doors of the people-mover. It had 4 rows of benches designed to seat approximately 4 humanoids per bench. The Operator turned to make sure Amelia followed. Assuming she did, The Operator took the back row of the empty vehicle. If not, The Operator remained just inside the doors waiting for her. It seemed the pair were the only 2 on board. The police robot stood outside the door of the vehicle diligently to make sure the pair complied and waited until the doors closed and the vehicle departed.
The furry creature made what Amelia could only assume to be an offended "Hmmph!" noise at her remarks. It hurried off down the street.
"Huh? Oh, that little rust bucket doesn't know what it's talking about, love. That's why that good-for-nothing toaster waited with the van! Don't worry. We'll figure out where this place is," The Operator reassured her. "We can just ask..."
The Operator was abruptly cut off as some sort of police droid approached the pair.
The robot, demanding them to stay, startled her. She stepped away from The Operator and stood, like glued to the pavement. "Yes?..." She asked, sending scared glance to The Operator. "Is there any problem with me?" She knew, from experience, that security robots weren't the best. They would just do programmed tasks, not taking the circumstances into consideration. If this one would have any problem to her, she would definitely call its human supervisor.
"HALT! HALT! Stay where you are," a robotic voice demanded. A droid, obviously part of the police or security force rolled up to the pair. It resembled a large ovalish egg. There were no obvious appendages. It stopped in front of Amelia. Some sort of camera began scanning her.
"Unauthorized person! Let me see your papers," The droid demanded.
"Calm down, love! She's with me," The Operator started to explain. "We just arrived and..."
The droid turned to her. "Let me see YOUR papers," it demanded now focusing on The Operator.
"Alright, alright! Calm down. They're right here," The Operator protested thrusting a stack of jumbled papers at the droid.
The robot scanned the paperwork. "You have not completed customs or decontamination! You must report to the customs office at once," It demanded. The robot had a somewhat angry tone to its voice... or maybe it just always sounded that way. The voice was high-pitched and not the least bit friendly and lacked any inflection.
"That's where we're going, love! We just parked and...," The Operator tried to explain.
The robot made a series of computer noises. A small, driverless vehicle pulled up. It was a rectangular box with 4 wheels and a single folding door on the side in the very center. The graphics on the side identified the vehicle as an automated people mover. The scrolling screen in the window indicated it was route 208 and its destination was the "Customs and Processing/ Welcome Center."
Suddenly, the police droid began making a noise that sounded very much like the sound the printer in The Operator's van made. Two red pieces of paper emerged from the robot's upper body. An arm emerged from the egg-shaped droid and it ripped the paper twice and handed one to The Operator and one to Amelia.
"A citation? Are you bloody kidding me," The Operator protested.
"This is a formal written warning," The robot informed her. "Please board the shuttle bus. You must report to the Welcome Center immediately! If you deviate from your destination, you could be prosecuted. Repeat you must proceed to the..."
"Well I never," The Operator retorted. "Calm down, love! We heard ya the first time! Come on, Amelia! You heard the officer! We're going to the Welcome Center to get processed!"
She stepped through the doors of the people-mover. It had 4 rows of benches designed to seat approximately 4 humanoids per bench. The Operator turned to make sure Amelia followed. Assuming she did, The Operator took the back row of the empty vehicle. If not, The Operator remained just inside the doors waiting for her. It seemed the pair were the only 2 on board. The police robot stood outside the door of the vehicle diligently to make sure the pair complied and waited until the doors closed and the vehicle departed.
Amelia wondered if she could somehow offend the creature. It was really beautiful, why would it get offended because of her words?
She soon forgot about it. The police robot tok her whole attention. She went totally pale when it asked for her papers. She didn't have any. Everything was left with her brother, who had her backpack, back on Earth. As from the beginning of her 'adventure', The Operator saved the day again, hopefully not getting herself into troubles.
Amelia took the paper from the robot and looked at it. She really wanted to file a complaint to its supervisors... It was rude and didn't even let them explain situation. Horrible thing. However, what if organic supervisors were the same? What if it was just this planet's main race's trait?... Amelia shook her head, not even wanting to think about it and went after The Operator into the vehicle. She sat next to her and looked at her worried. "What if they will want my papers? I do not have any and probably, even if I had, these Earth ones wouldn't be useful... Won't you have problems because of me? If you would have problems, maybe just leave me? I don't want to be such a burden..."
She was feeling really bad, probably the worst she had ever felt. She hated being a burden, but right now she was exactly that and couldn't change that. She sighed and looked around, as they were heading to the Welcome Center.
She soon forgot about it. The police robot tok her whole attention. She went totally pale when it asked for her papers. She didn't have any. Everything was left with her brother, who had her backpack, back on Earth. As from the beginning of her 'adventure', The Operator saved the day again, hopefully not getting herself into troubles.
Amelia took the paper from the robot and looked at it. She really wanted to file a complaint to its supervisors... It was rude and didn't even let them explain situation. Horrible thing. However, what if organic supervisors were the same? What if it was just this planet's main race's trait?... Amelia shook her head, not even wanting to think about it and went after The Operator into the vehicle. She sat next to her and looked at her worried. "What if they will want my papers? I do not have any and probably, even if I had, these Earth ones wouldn't be useful... Won't you have problems because of me? If you would have problems, maybe just leave me? I don't want to be such a burden..."
She was feeling really bad, probably the worst she had ever felt. She hated being a burden, but right now she was exactly that and couldn't change that. She sighed and looked around, as they were heading to the Welcome Center.
Once Amelia boarded the bus, The Operator proceeded to take a seat. She selected the last row and sat down.
"What if they will want my papers? I do not have any and probably, even if I had, these Earth ones wouldn't be useful... Won't you have problems because of me? If you would have problems, maybe just leave me? I don't want to be such a burden..."
"Oh don't worry about it, love! It will be fine," The Operator insisted cutting the Earth girl off mid-sentence. "Obviously, this planet likes its bureaucracy. Don't worry, I'll give 'em an earful when we get to this 'Welcome Center'. They have a thing or two to learn about customer service!"
The automated shuttle vehicle continued along its route. The sidewalks were populated by all kinds of different aliens and robots and various futuristic-looking vehicles zoomed up and down the streets. Some of them were completely unoccupied. About every block, the automated shuttle would stop at a designated point and wait. Sometimes, no one got on and other times, one or more passengers boarded. The signs all had numbers at the bus stops. Sometimes it was just the number 208. Other times there might be additional numbers for different routes.
The small people mover was beginning to fill up and what could only be described as a magenta puddle of slime crawled up on the seat next to Amelia's other side from The Operator. The little creature was covered in eye stalks, like a snail. They slightly resembled Yoo-nit's but there were many more eyes. The little slime creature fixed all of its eyes on Amelia. It was clearly staring at her.
The seats in front of Amelia were a group of what could only be described as frog people. They were even green like the ones on Earth, but were human-sized, wore what looked like the Earth equivalent of expensive suits, and their headwear closely resembled old-fashioned top hats. Instead of croaking the way one might expect a frog to sound, they spoke in a tongue that resembled some sort of Asian tongue from Earth, perhaps similar to Korean or Vietnamese.
The Operator seemed to tune the other riders out and stared out the window. She didn't say anything unless spoken to, but Amelia noticed her tapping her foot impatiently and drumming her fingers on her leg.
"Zee-toot-uh?" Amelia heard a voice but wasn't sure where it was coming from. "Zee-toot-uh," It repeated immediately when she didn't answer.
"What if they will want my papers? I do not have any and probably, even if I had, these Earth ones wouldn't be useful... Won't you have problems because of me? If you would have problems, maybe just leave me? I don't want to be such a burden..."
"Oh don't worry about it, love! It will be fine," The Operator insisted cutting the Earth girl off mid-sentence. "Obviously, this planet likes its bureaucracy. Don't worry, I'll give 'em an earful when we get to this 'Welcome Center'. They have a thing or two to learn about customer service!"
The automated shuttle vehicle continued along its route. The sidewalks were populated by all kinds of different aliens and robots and various futuristic-looking vehicles zoomed up and down the streets. Some of them were completely unoccupied. About every block, the automated shuttle would stop at a designated point and wait. Sometimes, no one got on and other times, one or more passengers boarded. The signs all had numbers at the bus stops. Sometimes it was just the number 208. Other times there might be additional numbers for different routes.
The small people mover was beginning to fill up and what could only be described as a magenta puddle of slime crawled up on the seat next to Amelia's other side from The Operator. The little creature was covered in eye stalks, like a snail. They slightly resembled Yoo-nit's but there were many more eyes. The little slime creature fixed all of its eyes on Amelia. It was clearly staring at her.
The seats in front of Amelia were a group of what could only be described as frog people. They were even green like the ones on Earth, but were human-sized, wore what looked like the Earth equivalent of expensive suits, and their headwear closely resembled old-fashioned top hats. Instead of croaking the way one might expect a frog to sound, they spoke in a tongue that resembled some sort of Asian tongue from Earth, perhaps similar to Korean or Vietnamese.
The Operator seemed to tune the other riders out and stared out the window. She didn't say anything unless spoken to, but Amelia noticed her tapping her foot impatiently and drumming her fingers on her leg.
"Zee-toot-uh?" Amelia heard a voice but wasn't sure where it was coming from. "Zee-toot-uh," It repeated immediately when she didn't answer.
Amelia looked at The Operator worried, but only nodded. She somehow couldn't believe that they would just let her go without any papers. Not after what she had already seen. Although, if they were going to deal with humans... No. Not 'humans', more like "not robots", they could have any chance, but if it would be droids again, she had no hope.
For now, she just looked outside, watching everything. It was somehow familiar, yet so different from everything she knew. The variety of creatures living here, was definitely much greater than on Earth, where they had, well, humans. She would find it fascinating if it was not for the huge worry about what would happen to her next. Would they help her? Would they send her to some kind of space jail or rehabilitation center? Maybe they had something like camp for illegal immigrants? Was she an illegal immigrant even? She didn't want to be here. Even if she had gotten a chance to see things no one from Earth had before her, she didn't like it, not a bit, at least now, worried about herself and the kind woman who offered her help. It was not exactly like her as well. Normally, she always had a lot of ideas about how to get out of troubles and she felt as if there were no things she couldn't do. But it was back on the Earth. Back at home. And here, she didn't know customs, she didn't know anything. The fact that they all spoke English was amazing enough! Amelia started wishing it was all bad dream. She just hit her head and she would wake up in hospital, then she would tell her brother about it and they would both laugh. Knowing Tony, he would tell her to stop drinking so much and he would be damn right!
The shuttle bus was getting slowly full, but it slipped Amelia's attention, until the slime-person sat next to her. 'Jelly', as Amelia called it in her head was kind of horrifying. It had so many tiny, little eyes, it freaked her out and it was staring at her, what freaked her out even more, but she didn't say anything, just politely made space for it to sit comfortably... If it could even sit comfortably. Did it even need any space, being a slime?
Trying to forget about Jelly, Amelia looked at frog people. They looked rich and spoke language similar to some she had heard before. She found it interesting, but her thoughts were still disturbed by stares of many tiny eyes... Why was Jelly looking at her? Did she have something on her face? The Operator would have told her if she did, right?
She looked at her new friend, but the woman looked to be annoyed? Maybe irritated? So she decided not to say anything, but hearing some weird... Words? She nearly jumped startled. She looked around, trying to find the source, but she couldn't what would mean only one thing... She nervously swallowed saliva and looked at the slime-person. "Um... I'm sorry, I don't understand..."
For now, she just looked outside, watching everything. It was somehow familiar, yet so different from everything she knew. The variety of creatures living here, was definitely much greater than on Earth, where they had, well, humans. She would find it fascinating if it was not for the huge worry about what would happen to her next. Would they help her? Would they send her to some kind of space jail or rehabilitation center? Maybe they had something like camp for illegal immigrants? Was she an illegal immigrant even? She didn't want to be here. Even if she had gotten a chance to see things no one from Earth had before her, she didn't like it, not a bit, at least now, worried about herself and the kind woman who offered her help. It was not exactly like her as well. Normally, she always had a lot of ideas about how to get out of troubles and she felt as if there were no things she couldn't do. But it was back on the Earth. Back at home. And here, she didn't know customs, she didn't know anything. The fact that they all spoke English was amazing enough! Amelia started wishing it was all bad dream. She just hit her head and she would wake up in hospital, then she would tell her brother about it and they would both laugh. Knowing Tony, he would tell her to stop drinking so much and he would be damn right!
The shuttle bus was getting slowly full, but it slipped Amelia's attention, until the slime-person sat next to her. 'Jelly', as Amelia called it in her head was kind of horrifying. It had so many tiny, little eyes, it freaked her out and it was staring at her, what freaked her out even more, but she didn't say anything, just politely made space for it to sit comfortably... If it could even sit comfortably. Did it even need any space, being a slime?
Trying to forget about Jelly, Amelia looked at frog people. They looked rich and spoke language similar to some she had heard before. She found it interesting, but her thoughts were still disturbed by stares of many tiny eyes... Why was Jelly looking at her? Did she have something on her face? The Operator would have told her if she did, right?
She looked at her new friend, but the woman looked to be annoyed? Maybe irritated? So she decided not to say anything, but hearing some weird... Words? She nearly jumped startled. She looked around, trying to find the source, but she couldn't what would mean only one thing... She nervously swallowed saliva and looked at the slime-person. "Um... I'm sorry, I don't understand..."
The Operator had been staring out the window absently. When she saw the little slime creature on Amelia, she scowled and made eye contact with it. "Zee-toot-uh," it repeated.
"Oh, I don't think so, love," The Operator replied in a less than friendly voice. "She doesn't have any money and that's not a very polite thing to ask, now is it?"
"Boothoa! Boothoa," It chirped in reply.
"Oh, I"m feeling rather generous actually," The Operator threatened. "I'm going to give you to the count of 3 to find another seat and then you're going to be permanently splattered against that window if you're still on her or anywhere near our bench."
"Echuta," The little alien snapped. It took a flying leap, attached itself to the top of the ceiling of the vehicle and scuttled off to the front.
"The nerve," The Operator mumbled. "Don't worry about 'im, love. He won't trouble you again. I promise!"
About that time, the vehicle stopped behind a bunch of other nearly identical box-shaped vehicles and the door opened. "Well, this is our stop love," The Operator informed Amelia.
The building was unremarkable. It was a giant square-shaped structure with no telling how many floors. There were no obvious windows, but it was easily the size of a stadium found on Earth. It could probably hold thousands of beings, likely tens of thousands. The building's only features were a series of electric marquees scrolling information in dozens of languages above a series of many doors. Each had different colored lights above them.
"Great, now we have to figure out what line to stand in," The Operator groaned. "Didn't we already play this game in orbit when we had to figure out which lane we were supposed to be in for entry onto the planet?"
All of the lines were well out the door and going out to the street. "Well this should be fun, eh," The Operator grumbled. She stared at the marquee trying to figure out which line they needed to be in.
"Alright, 'ere's the plan, love. You let me do all the talkin'. You just started workin' for ITC. You're my helper," The Operator began to explain. "I'm training you but right now you're just holdn' the flashlight, fetchin' tools from the van and the like. Just give'em your real name and all that. No one around here has probably 'eard of your Earth or of you... wait. Okay, I need you to be really honest here. You're not wanted for anything are you, love? Ya know, no warrants or what not? Even if you have an outstanding parking ticket, tell me now. It'll stay between us but we don't want any surprises just in the off chance they can pull something up on you, which I doubt."
"Oh, I don't think so, love," The Operator replied in a less than friendly voice. "She doesn't have any money and that's not a very polite thing to ask, now is it?"
"Boothoa! Boothoa," It chirped in reply.
"Oh, I"m feeling rather generous actually," The Operator threatened. "I'm going to give you to the count of 3 to find another seat and then you're going to be permanently splattered against that window if you're still on her or anywhere near our bench."
"Echuta," The little alien snapped. It took a flying leap, attached itself to the top of the ceiling of the vehicle and scuttled off to the front.
"The nerve," The Operator mumbled. "Don't worry about 'im, love. He won't trouble you again. I promise!"
About that time, the vehicle stopped behind a bunch of other nearly identical box-shaped vehicles and the door opened. "Well, this is our stop love," The Operator informed Amelia.
The building was unremarkable. It was a giant square-shaped structure with no telling how many floors. There were no obvious windows, but it was easily the size of a stadium found on Earth. It could probably hold thousands of beings, likely tens of thousands. The building's only features were a series of electric marquees scrolling information in dozens of languages above a series of many doors. Each had different colored lights above them.
"Great, now we have to figure out what line to stand in," The Operator groaned. "Didn't we already play this game in orbit when we had to figure out which lane we were supposed to be in for entry onto the planet?"
All of the lines were well out the door and going out to the street. "Well this should be fun, eh," The Operator grumbled. She stared at the marquee trying to figure out which line they needed to be in.
"Alright, 'ere's the plan, love. You let me do all the talkin'. You just started workin' for ITC. You're my helper," The Operator began to explain. "I'm training you but right now you're just holdn' the flashlight, fetchin' tools from the van and the like. Just give'em your real name and all that. No one around here has probably 'eard of your Earth or of you... wait. Okay, I need you to be really honest here. You're not wanted for anything are you, love? Ya know, no warrants or what not? Even if you have an outstanding parking ticket, tell me now. It'll stay between us but we don't want any surprises just in the off chance they can pull something up on you, which I doubt."
Amelia was very surprised by the whole situation. Why would little slime alien ask her for money? Or... Actually, okay, that one was quite understandable, they had people like that on Earth as well. A lot of them. The most important question was how could The Operator understand it? She looked at the alien, as it made its leave on the ceiling and then at her companion. "May I ask, how could you understand it? Do you know its language? But it seemed to understand English just fine..." It was very confusing for poor, lost girl from Earth.
She walked out of the shuttle bus and went with The Operator. The building was huge, too huge for Amelia's liking, especially if it was just some office building... She had a bad feeling about it and a quiet groan left our her throat when The Operator mentioned more lines. "Whatever lives on this planet, they must love bureaucracy, lines and making others' life harder than it already is..." She said, it could be heard in her voice that she somewhat had given up.
Amelia joined in staring at the marquee, trying to help in any way, but it didn't tell her much. "Do you think there is anyone we could ask?" She asked. Truth to be told, she was not too keen on the possibility they would stand in a line and get informed they were in the wrong one, again.
"The plan?" She asked and quietly listened to The Operator, nodding from time to time to show that she agreed with everything. The last part made her a little anxious, but she quickly calmed down. "No, I'm all clear. I got a fine for crossing the road on the red light, but I paid it on time." She went quiet, trying to remember if there was anything else. "Yeah, that would be it. I haven't had paid rent this month yet, but I share the apartment with my brother and as I am gone now, he will do it," she added. "Do you think they will not ask about any papers? You know, I don't want to end as an illegal immigrant..."
She walked out of the shuttle bus and went with The Operator. The building was huge, too huge for Amelia's liking, especially if it was just some office building... She had a bad feeling about it and a quiet groan left our her throat when The Operator mentioned more lines. "Whatever lives on this planet, they must love bureaucracy, lines and making others' life harder than it already is..." She said, it could be heard in her voice that she somewhat had given up.
Amelia joined in staring at the marquee, trying to help in any way, but it didn't tell her much. "Do you think there is anyone we could ask?" She asked. Truth to be told, she was not too keen on the possibility they would stand in a line and get informed they were in the wrong one, again.
"The plan?" She asked and quietly listened to The Operator, nodding from time to time to show that she agreed with everything. The last part made her a little anxious, but she quickly calmed down. "No, I'm all clear. I got a fine for crossing the road on the red light, but I paid it on time." She went quiet, trying to remember if there was anything else. "Yeah, that would be it. I haven't had paid rent this month yet, but I share the apartment with my brother and as I am gone now, he will do it," she added. "Do you think they will not ask about any papers? You know, I don't want to end as an illegal immigrant..."
"May I ask, how could you understand it? Do you know its language? But it seemed to understand English just fine..." It was very confusing for poor, lost girl from Earth.
"Oh you pick a bit of every dialect in the galaxy in my line of work, love," The Operator replied. "Trust me, I know his type. Let's say his entire planet is known for abusing the collect call system."
She walked out of the shuttle bus and went with The Operator. The building was huge, too huge for Amelia's liking, especially if it was just some office building... She had a bad feeling about it and a quiet groan left our her throat when The Operator mentioned more lines. "Whatever lives on this planet, they must love bureaucracy, lines and making others' life harder than it already is..." She said, it could be heard in her voice that she somewhat had given up.
Amelia joined in staring at the marquee, trying to help in any way, but it didn't tell her much. "Do you think there is anyone we could ask?" She asked. Truth to be told, she was not too keen on the possibility they would stand in a line and get informed they were in the wrong one, again.
"I'm sure there is, but will it lead us to more confusion or help us get ahead? That is the question. All of this to fix a bloody payphone. I'm a contractor," The Operator grumbled. "Let's try this line."
The Operator stood behind an assortment of beings. In front of them was a creepy four-armed human with thick glasses conversing with what could only be a giant snail with the head of a hourse.
"The plan?" She asked and quietly listened to The Operator, nodding from time to time to show that she agreed with everything. The last part made her a little anxious, but she quickly calmed down. "No, I'm all clear. I got a fine for crossing the road on the red light, but I paid it on time." She went quiet, trying to remember if there was anything else. "Yeah, that would be it. I haven't had paid rent this month yet, but I share the apartment with my brother and as I am gone now, he will do it," she added. "Do you think they will not ask about any papers? You know, I don't want to end as an illegal immigrant..."
"Good, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," The Operator assured Ameilia. "As for being an immigrant, we aren't stayin' 'ere love. Jus' passin' through. We're here to do a job and we're leavin'... after we pay a visit to that displaced persons bureau that is..."
After hours in line, having to get in a different line, fill out a bunch of paperwork, only to find they were given blue pens and they had to be done in black and then found out they needed blue forms because they were contract workers and they'd been given green ones, The Operator and Amelia were directed to another waiting room.
"This is ridiculous, love," The Operator scowled. "This mess has been goin' on 6 hours now!"
Finally, their group was led to the de-contamination and detoxification chamber which could only be described as a human-alien car wash. The pair were sprayed with a variety of soaps and other chemicals as they stood on a moving sidewalk.
"They could've let us remove our clothes first or something," The Operator complained. Finally, they came to the end of the decontamination chamber and saw a variety of what appeared to be restrooms or changing rooms marked in dozens of languages and genders.
One of them appeared to be the outline of a human woman. It looked like the restroom sign for a woman on Earth. The pair were soaking wet and their clothes were soaking wet. It felt like they'd just come in from heavy rain without a raincoat or umbrella. The Operator's bun had come loose in the process and her hair as now long and straight, going midway down her back.
"Oh you pick a bit of every dialect in the galaxy in my line of work, love," The Operator replied. "Trust me, I know his type. Let's say his entire planet is known for abusing the collect call system."
She walked out of the shuttle bus and went with The Operator. The building was huge, too huge for Amelia's liking, especially if it was just some office building... She had a bad feeling about it and a quiet groan left our her throat when The Operator mentioned more lines. "Whatever lives on this planet, they must love bureaucracy, lines and making others' life harder than it already is..." She said, it could be heard in her voice that she somewhat had given up.
Amelia joined in staring at the marquee, trying to help in any way, but it didn't tell her much. "Do you think there is anyone we could ask?" She asked. Truth to be told, she was not too keen on the possibility they would stand in a line and get informed they were in the wrong one, again.
"I'm sure there is, but will it lead us to more confusion or help us get ahead? That is the question. All of this to fix a bloody payphone. I'm a contractor," The Operator grumbled. "Let's try this line."
The Operator stood behind an assortment of beings. In front of them was a creepy four-armed human with thick glasses conversing with what could only be a giant snail with the head of a hourse.
"The plan?" She asked and quietly listened to The Operator, nodding from time to time to show that she agreed with everything. The last part made her a little anxious, but she quickly calmed down. "No, I'm all clear. I got a fine for crossing the road on the red light, but I paid it on time." She went quiet, trying to remember if there was anything else. "Yeah, that would be it. I haven't had paid rent this month yet, but I share the apartment with my brother and as I am gone now, he will do it," she added. "Do you think they will not ask about any papers? You know, I don't want to end as an illegal immigrant..."
"Good, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," The Operator assured Ameilia. "As for being an immigrant, we aren't stayin' 'ere love. Jus' passin' through. We're here to do a job and we're leavin'... after we pay a visit to that displaced persons bureau that is..."
After hours in line, having to get in a different line, fill out a bunch of paperwork, only to find they were given blue pens and they had to be done in black and then found out they needed blue forms because they were contract workers and they'd been given green ones, The Operator and Amelia were directed to another waiting room.
"This is ridiculous, love," The Operator scowled. "This mess has been goin' on 6 hours now!"
Finally, their group was led to the de-contamination and detoxification chamber which could only be described as a human-alien car wash. The pair were sprayed with a variety of soaps and other chemicals as they stood on a moving sidewalk.
"They could've let us remove our clothes first or something," The Operator complained. Finally, they came to the end of the decontamination chamber and saw a variety of what appeared to be restrooms or changing rooms marked in dozens of languages and genders.
One of them appeared to be the outline of a human woman. It looked like the restroom sign for a woman on Earth. The pair were soaking wet and their clothes were soaking wet. It felt like they'd just come in from heavy rain without a raincoat or umbrella. The Operator's bun had come loose in the process and her hair as now long and straight, going midway down her back.
Amelia listened to The Operator. "I see..." She said. It was still rather impressive. Amelia had never been in learning languages. She loved math and science, but learning languages seemed just... Useless.
Yet, it was still less useless than all of that bureaucracy they had to do on this planet. At first Amelia was trying to observe and learn all kinds of creatures that she could see there, but after a few hours she was close to losing her sanity. Why would anyone bother about color of the pen? Why would they have exactly the same papers, printed on differently colored sheets? What happened to the digitalization? How about ecology?!
She groaned, but it seemed they were finally close... And indeed they were, but Amelia wasn't too happy about being soaking wet too. "Yeah... Although at least that ketchup stain is gone from my shirt." She said, trying to crack a little joke in this extremely annoying situation. "Tell me... Is everywhere like that?" She asked and sighed.
In restrooms place, she looked around. "We don't possibly have any clothes we could change in?" She asked, although she knew the answer. She looked at The Operator. "Well, we should still go there, you probably would like to fix you hair." She noticed, "Maybe there are some driers or something. I guess they treat everyone like that, so it would be very useful if there were driers."
Yet, it was still less useless than all of that bureaucracy they had to do on this planet. At first Amelia was trying to observe and learn all kinds of creatures that she could see there, but after a few hours she was close to losing her sanity. Why would anyone bother about color of the pen? Why would they have exactly the same papers, printed on differently colored sheets? What happened to the digitalization? How about ecology?!
She groaned, but it seemed they were finally close... And indeed they were, but Amelia wasn't too happy about being soaking wet too. "Yeah... Although at least that ketchup stain is gone from my shirt." She said, trying to crack a little joke in this extremely annoying situation. "Tell me... Is everywhere like that?" She asked and sighed.
In restrooms place, she looked around. "We don't possibly have any clothes we could change in?" She asked, although she knew the answer. She looked at The Operator. "Well, we should still go there, you probably would like to fix you hair." She noticed, "Maybe there are some driers or something. I guess they treat everyone like that, so it would be very useful if there were driers."
"Tell me... Is everywhere like that?" She asked and sighed.
"Oh heavens no, love," The Operator replied. "Could you imagine an entire galaxy as a bureaucratic hell? Well, I guess I could see that if ITC gets its way, but that's another matter..."
Amelia led the pair toward the restrooms.
"We don't possibly have any clothes we could change in?" She asked, although she knew the answer. She looked at The Operator. "Well, we should still go there, you probably would like to fix you hair." She noticed, "Maybe there are some driers or something. I guess they treat everyone like that, so it would be very useful if there were driers."
"Agreed, love," The Operator said as she followed her through the door. "Let's duck into the loo!"
The pair entered the restroom. There were dressing rooms on one side of the room and restroom stalls across from those. There was a large rack of bathrobes in assorted colors and sizes on the back wall between the two areas. Beside the racks were cubby holes filled with assorted pairs of what appeared to be bunny slippers in different colors that matched the robes. Other cubby holes had clean, folded towels in them. They matched the robes and slippers.
Along another wall were receptacles that were labeled "laundrette" with some instructions. Apparently, visitors were to put their wet clothes into one of them for cleaning and sterilization.
As the pair got inside, a humanoid that looked like a bipedal dog could be seen lapping water from a toilet bowl through the ajar door. The being was wearing overalls and had a plunger. There was a distinct feeling that the dog person was a plumber. As soon as the plumber realized it had been seen, it grabbed a toolbox and the plunger and scampered out of the restroom quickly, clearly embarrassed.
"That's disgusting," The Operator muttered under her breath. "Well love, there are some dry things we can wear in the meantime." She pointed to the wall with the robes.
"Please remove your garments and deposit them in the laundrette receptacle for cleaning and decontamination. Please remove all personal belongings and electronic devices first," An unseen robotic voice said. It was unclear where it was coming from. It continued to repeat itself.
"Alright, love, we 'eard you! The Operator snatched a lavender robe, pair of slippers, and a towel from the racks after studying the sizes on the robes and slippers and disappeared into a dressing room. A moment later, she came out. The Operator's hair was still damp and down as she hadn't put it back up into a bun yet. She looked a bit silly in a bathrobe wearing her headset. Her toolbelt was around her waist over the robe's tie-on belt. The message continued to loop demanding the pair change and discard their wet garments.
"I think you'd best change, too, love," The Operator advised. "It'll be the only way to shut up that annoying announcement."
She moved to where she was supposed to insert her soaked clothing and studied the directions.
"Oh heavens no, love," The Operator replied. "Could you imagine an entire galaxy as a bureaucratic hell? Well, I guess I could see that if ITC gets its way, but that's another matter..."
Amelia led the pair toward the restrooms.
"We don't possibly have any clothes we could change in?" She asked, although she knew the answer. She looked at The Operator. "Well, we should still go there, you probably would like to fix you hair." She noticed, "Maybe there are some driers or something. I guess they treat everyone like that, so it would be very useful if there were driers."
"Agreed, love," The Operator said as she followed her through the door. "Let's duck into the loo!"
The pair entered the restroom. There were dressing rooms on one side of the room and restroom stalls across from those. There was a large rack of bathrobes in assorted colors and sizes on the back wall between the two areas. Beside the racks were cubby holes filled with assorted pairs of what appeared to be bunny slippers in different colors that matched the robes. Other cubby holes had clean, folded towels in them. They matched the robes and slippers.
Along another wall were receptacles that were labeled "laundrette" with some instructions. Apparently, visitors were to put their wet clothes into one of them for cleaning and sterilization.
As the pair got inside, a humanoid that looked like a bipedal dog could be seen lapping water from a toilet bowl through the ajar door. The being was wearing overalls and had a plunger. There was a distinct feeling that the dog person was a plumber. As soon as the plumber realized it had been seen, it grabbed a toolbox and the plunger and scampered out of the restroom quickly, clearly embarrassed.
"That's disgusting," The Operator muttered under her breath. "Well love, there are some dry things we can wear in the meantime." She pointed to the wall with the robes.
"Please remove your garments and deposit them in the laundrette receptacle for cleaning and decontamination. Please remove all personal belongings and electronic devices first," An unseen robotic voice said. It was unclear where it was coming from. It continued to repeat itself.
"Alright, love, we 'eard you! The Operator snatched a lavender robe, pair of slippers, and a towel from the racks after studying the sizes on the robes and slippers and disappeared into a dressing room. A moment later, she came out. The Operator's hair was still damp and down as she hadn't put it back up into a bun yet. She looked a bit silly in a bathrobe wearing her headset. Her toolbelt was around her waist over the robe's tie-on belt. The message continued to loop demanding the pair change and discard their wet garments.
"I think you'd best change, too, love," The Operator advised. "It'll be the only way to shut up that annoying announcement."
She moved to where she was supposed to insert her soaked clothing and studied the directions.
Amelia sighed again hearing the reply - this time in relief. Although it was short. "ITC?", she asked, she had never heard about it before.
As they went into the loo, Amelia felt amused, seeing bathrobes, bunny slippers and towels. The amusement came with relief too. She wasn't a fan of having her clothes wet and she was a little cold. In her current situation, getting ill would be too much to handle. "Well, at least they are prepared." She said, taking a glance at the launderette. "Oh gods, germophobes much?" She mumbled, feeling like an alien.
The bipedal dog-person didn't surprise her as much. The one she had met previously, at the bar, was doing similar thing... Guess dogs were dogs. She smiled to The Operator. "Dogs will be dogs." She said, making sure nobody else would hear her first. She didn't need to offend anyone. She nodded at her friend's next words. "Yes. I am very glad seeing that."
Another robotic voice slightly destroyed her mood once again, but she couldn't stop a smile when she saw The Operator. "That's a look." She said in a friendly way and sighed. "Yes, I'm going."
She chose a pastel-pink bathrobe and matching slippers. She didn't have anything with her, as her bag with documents, phone and all other stuff, stayed on Earth, with her brother. She quickly changed and went back to the launderette, choosing one next to The Operator's. "Oh, it's in English too." She noticed and read the instructions. "After... What happened with that machine, back in my place, I am scared to push any buttons..." She said and chuckled. Now, when she wasn't soaking, her mood went up again, and even the robotic voice became less annoying. "I hope I won't end up blowing up the building." She said jokingly, putting her wet clothes into the hole and following rest of the instructions.
As they went into the loo, Amelia felt amused, seeing bathrobes, bunny slippers and towels. The amusement came with relief too. She wasn't a fan of having her clothes wet and she was a little cold. In her current situation, getting ill would be too much to handle. "Well, at least they are prepared." She said, taking a glance at the launderette. "Oh gods, germophobes much?" She mumbled, feeling like an alien.
The bipedal dog-person didn't surprise her as much. The one she had met previously, at the bar, was doing similar thing... Guess dogs were dogs. She smiled to The Operator. "Dogs will be dogs." She said, making sure nobody else would hear her first. She didn't need to offend anyone. She nodded at her friend's next words. "Yes. I am very glad seeing that."
Another robotic voice slightly destroyed her mood once again, but she couldn't stop a smile when she saw The Operator. "That's a look." She said in a friendly way and sighed. "Yes, I'm going."
She chose a pastel-pink bathrobe and matching slippers. She didn't have anything with her, as her bag with documents, phone and all other stuff, stayed on Earth, with her brother. She quickly changed and went back to the launderette, choosing one next to The Operator's. "Oh, it's in English too." She noticed and read the instructions. "After... What happened with that machine, back in my place, I am scared to push any buttons..." She said and chuckled. Now, when she wasn't soaking, her mood went up again, and even the robotic voice became less annoying. "I hope I won't end up blowing up the building." She said jokingly, putting her wet clothes into the hole and following rest of the instructions.
Amelia sighed again hearing the reply - this time in relief. Although it was short. "ITC?", she asked, she had never heard about it before.
“The phone company love,” The Operator said pointing at the logo on her uniform. “Intergalactic Telephone. It’s where I work! And so do you if anyone asks. You’re my apprentice and ya just started. First day on the job. Got it?”
As they went into the loo, Amelia felt amused, seeing bathrobes, bunny slippers and towels. The amusement came with relief too. She wasn't a fan of having her clothes wet and she was a little cold. In her current situation, getting ill would be too much to handle. "Well, at least they are prepared." She said, taking a glance at the launderette. "Oh gods, germophobes much?" She mumbled, feeling like an alien.
The bipedal dog-person didn't surprise her as much. The one she had met previously, at the bar, was doing similar thing... Guess dogs were dogs. She smiled to The Operator. "Dogs will be dogs." She said, making sure nobody else would hear her first. She didn't need to offend anyone. She nodded at her friend's next words. "Yes. I am very glad seeing that."
Another robotic voice slightly destroyed her mood once again, but she couldn't stop a smile when she saw The Operator. "That's a look." She said in a friendly way and sighed. "Yes, I'm going."
She chose a pastel-pink bathrobe and matching slippers. She didn't have anything with her, as her bag with documents, phone and all other stuff, stayed on Earth, with her brother. She quickly changed and went back to the launderette, choosing one next to The Operator's. "Oh, it's in English too." She noticed and read the instructions. "After... What happened with that machine, back in my place, I am scared to push any buttons..." She said and chuckled. Now, when she wasn't soaking, her mood went up again, and even the robotic voice became less annoying. "I hope I won't end up blowing up the building." She said jokingly, putting her wet clothes into the hole and following rest of the instructions.
“English? What’s that? I’m happy to press it for you, love, if you like,” The Operator offered. Once their laundry was going, the machine produced a “claim code” on a slip of paper. The Operator snatched it up and stuffed it into her belt. “Well this is just lovely. I wonder how long this decontamination period lasts…”
She exited the loo and came back into the main room. The Operator saw a bi-pedal being who looked like he had a red stringy mop for a head. The only facial features visible were two eyes on the top of his head. His entire body was red. It was unclear if he had red clothing on or if he was naked. At least, The Operator presumed he was male.
“‘Scuse me, gob. Do you know how long we have to wait ‘ere til we’re cleared to leave this place,” She asked.
“Oh, it will take hours. Many hours… maybe days. You can’t leave here until you’re cleared by them. Best make yourself comfortable,” The red man said in a bored monotone voice. He shrugged and kept walking.
“Them? Them who,” She asked but the red man kept walking.
The Operator turned to Amelia.
“I”ve had quite enough of this,” The Operator declared. “I don’t know about you, love. I say we slip out of ‘ere. I have changes of clothes in the van. We can call Yoo-nit and have ‘im meet us. Then we can either get to work on that broken phone and clear that work order or find this ‘Missing Persons’ Bureau although I’m not sure how much ‘elp they’d be given my overall impression of this place so far. Or, we can wait around ‘ere for days until ‘they’ tell us we can leave. Whatcha want to do, love?”
The Operator paused to see what Amelia wanted to do next.
“The phone company love,” The Operator said pointing at the logo on her uniform. “Intergalactic Telephone. It’s where I work! And so do you if anyone asks. You’re my apprentice and ya just started. First day on the job. Got it?”
As they went into the loo, Amelia felt amused, seeing bathrobes, bunny slippers and towels. The amusement came with relief too. She wasn't a fan of having her clothes wet and she was a little cold. In her current situation, getting ill would be too much to handle. "Well, at least they are prepared." She said, taking a glance at the launderette. "Oh gods, germophobes much?" She mumbled, feeling like an alien.
The bipedal dog-person didn't surprise her as much. The one she had met previously, at the bar, was doing similar thing... Guess dogs were dogs. She smiled to The Operator. "Dogs will be dogs." She said, making sure nobody else would hear her first. She didn't need to offend anyone. She nodded at her friend's next words. "Yes. I am very glad seeing that."
Another robotic voice slightly destroyed her mood once again, but she couldn't stop a smile when she saw The Operator. "That's a look." She said in a friendly way and sighed. "Yes, I'm going."
She chose a pastel-pink bathrobe and matching slippers. She didn't have anything with her, as her bag with documents, phone and all other stuff, stayed on Earth, with her brother. She quickly changed and went back to the launderette, choosing one next to The Operator's. "Oh, it's in English too." She noticed and read the instructions. "After... What happened with that machine, back in my place, I am scared to push any buttons..." She said and chuckled. Now, when she wasn't soaking, her mood went up again, and even the robotic voice became less annoying. "I hope I won't end up blowing up the building." She said jokingly, putting her wet clothes into the hole and following rest of the instructions.
“English? What’s that? I’m happy to press it for you, love, if you like,” The Operator offered. Once their laundry was going, the machine produced a “claim code” on a slip of paper. The Operator snatched it up and stuffed it into her belt. “Well this is just lovely. I wonder how long this decontamination period lasts…”
She exited the loo and came back into the main room. The Operator saw a bi-pedal being who looked like he had a red stringy mop for a head. The only facial features visible were two eyes on the top of his head. His entire body was red. It was unclear if he had red clothing on or if he was naked. At least, The Operator presumed he was male.
“‘Scuse me, gob. Do you know how long we have to wait ‘ere til we’re cleared to leave this place,” She asked.
“Oh, it will take hours. Many hours… maybe days. You can’t leave here until you’re cleared by them. Best make yourself comfortable,” The red man said in a bored monotone voice. He shrugged and kept walking.
“Them? Them who,” She asked but the red man kept walking.
The Operator turned to Amelia.
“I”ve had quite enough of this,” The Operator declared. “I don’t know about you, love. I say we slip out of ‘ere. I have changes of clothes in the van. We can call Yoo-nit and have ‘im meet us. Then we can either get to work on that broken phone and clear that work order or find this ‘Missing Persons’ Bureau although I’m not sure how much ‘elp they’d be given my overall impression of this place so far. Or, we can wait around ‘ere for days until ‘they’ tell us we can leave. Whatcha want to do, love?”
The Operator paused to see what Amelia wanted to do next.
Amelia looked at The Operator at first confused, but then realized that the language for sure was called differently here. "Uh, English is the language I speak... We call it on the Earth like that at least", she explained.
She sighed seeing claim code and was actually too, wondering, how long would it take. She took her slip of paper and wend after The Operator, not willing to stay alone in this crazy place. Amelia blinked a few times, trying to process what kind of a creature was that red person, but hearing her friend's question, she became all ears. The answer they got left her speechless. She gasped and bit his lip. "DAYS?" she whispered, "It must be a joke... Or a bad dream... We can't possibly get stuck here for days..." She mumbled, loosing all hope. She felt defeated by this system. Not working system? Badly working system? It was hard to tell.
The Operator's words were like a balm for a soul. Amelia nodded eagerly. "Of course I am for slipping out there! Let's get Yoo-nit and go do your... I mean, our job!" She was all for screwing the rules and getting free from here. Then, she realized one thing. "Wait, so the Bureau is located on this planet? Oh my... I... I don't know if I want to go there now. What if we get stuck in another line for hours only to be told it was wrong line because our paper was green not yellow or something... Let's... Go do the job first." She hated to be fifth wheel, but she had little hope they would help them here.
She sighed seeing claim code and was actually too, wondering, how long would it take. She took her slip of paper and wend after The Operator, not willing to stay alone in this crazy place. Amelia blinked a few times, trying to process what kind of a creature was that red person, but hearing her friend's question, she became all ears. The answer they got left her speechless. She gasped and bit his lip. "DAYS?" she whispered, "It must be a joke... Or a bad dream... We can't possibly get stuck here for days..." She mumbled, loosing all hope. She felt defeated by this system. Not working system? Badly working system? It was hard to tell.
The Operator's words were like a balm for a soul. Amelia nodded eagerly. "Of course I am for slipping out there! Let's get Yoo-nit and go do your... I mean, our job!" She was all for screwing the rules and getting free from here. Then, she realized one thing. "Wait, so the Bureau is located on this planet? Oh my... I... I don't know if I want to go there now. What if we get stuck in another line for hours only to be told it was wrong line because our paper was green not yellow or something... Let's... Go do the job first." She hated to be fifth wheel, but she had little hope they would help them here.
Amelia looked at The Operator at first confused, but then realized that the language for sure was called differently here. "Uh, English is the language I speak... We call it on the Earth like that at least", she explained.
"English," The Operator repeated again. "Hmm, now that's a funny word, love. I wonder why they call it that where you're from? I've been to every corner of the galaxy an' all points in between. Never once have I 'eard Basic called that before." She gave a shrug.
She sighed seeing claim code and was actually too, wondering, how long would it take. She took her slip of paper and wend after The Operator, not willing to stay alone in this crazy place. Amelia blinked a few times, trying to process what kind of a creature was that red person, but hearing her friend's question, she became all ears. The answer they got left her speechless. She gasped and bit his lip. "DAYS?" she whispered, "It must be a joke... Or a bad dream... We can't possibly get stuck here for days..." She mumbled, loosing all hope. She felt defeated by this system. Not working system? Badly working system? It was hard to tell.
The Operator's words were like a balm for a soul. Amelia nodded eagerly. "Of course I am for slipping out there! Let's get Yoo-nit and go do your... I mean, our job!" She was all for screwing the rules and getting free from here. Then, she realized one thing. "Wait, so the Bureau is located on this planet? Oh my... I... I don't know if I want to go there now. What if we get stuck in another line for hours only to be told it was wrong line because our paper was green not yellow or something... Let's... Go do the job first." She hated to be fifth wheel, but she had little hope they would help them here.
"Now, you're talkin' love! I'm perfectly fine with fixin' that phone and buggerin' off this miserable planet personally. I doubt these blokes 'll be much help anyway," The Operator said. She took a few minutes to dry her hair and put it back in a bun. She gathered her things and looked around. "Let's just try'n walk out of 'ere. Just act like you belong and doin' what yer supposed to..."
The Operator exited the room and looked back in the waiting area. There were no signs of any guards. There were a few droids and representatives, but they were busy with people in the lines, directing them to the wall with the forms or pointing them to which line to stand in. The Operator casually made her way to the nearest exit.
Encounters:
1) They make it outside with no incident
2) A guard grabs The Operator by the arm right before she exits and asks where she thinks she going
3) Someone who doesn't appear to be an employee or security stops them
4) They get outside, but a security droid stops them
5) They make it out, but The Operator crashes into someone who gets angry and causes a scene
6) Someone approaches the pair and says they look like they need help
"English," The Operator repeated again. "Hmm, now that's a funny word, love. I wonder why they call it that where you're from? I've been to every corner of the galaxy an' all points in between. Never once have I 'eard Basic called that before." She gave a shrug.
She sighed seeing claim code and was actually too, wondering, how long would it take. She took her slip of paper and wend after The Operator, not willing to stay alone in this crazy place. Amelia blinked a few times, trying to process what kind of a creature was that red person, but hearing her friend's question, she became all ears. The answer they got left her speechless. She gasped and bit his lip. "DAYS?" she whispered, "It must be a joke... Or a bad dream... We can't possibly get stuck here for days..." She mumbled, loosing all hope. She felt defeated by this system. Not working system? Badly working system? It was hard to tell.
The Operator's words were like a balm for a soul. Amelia nodded eagerly. "Of course I am for slipping out there! Let's get Yoo-nit and go do your... I mean, our job!" She was all for screwing the rules and getting free from here. Then, she realized one thing. "Wait, so the Bureau is located on this planet? Oh my... I... I don't know if I want to go there now. What if we get stuck in another line for hours only to be told it was wrong line because our paper was green not yellow or something... Let's... Go do the job first." She hated to be fifth wheel, but she had little hope they would help them here.
"Now, you're talkin' love! I'm perfectly fine with fixin' that phone and buggerin' off this miserable planet personally. I doubt these blokes 'll be much help anyway," The Operator said. She took a few minutes to dry her hair and put it back in a bun. She gathered her things and looked around. "Let's just try'n walk out of 'ere. Just act like you belong and doin' what yer supposed to..."
The Operator exited the room and looked back in the waiting area. There were no signs of any guards. There were a few droids and representatives, but they were busy with people in the lines, directing them to the wall with the forms or pointing them to which line to stand in. The Operator casually made her way to the nearest exit.
Encounters:
1) They make it outside with no incident
2) A guard grabs The Operator by the arm right before she exits and asks where she thinks she going
3) Someone who doesn't appear to be an employee or security stops them
4) They get outside, but a security droid stops them
5) They make it out, but The Operator crashes into someone who gets angry and causes a scene
6) Someone approaches the pair and says they look like they need help
rolled 1d6 and got a natural 3.
Note: Results
As The Operator pushes open the door and starts to exit, a 3-foot-tall green, fuzzy, bi-pedal duck person in a maroon bathrobe runs up to them. "Wait sir or ma'am! You can't go out there! It's not permitted!"
The Operator whirls around surprised, but the duck man turns to Amelia. "Excuse me your excellency, but your handmaiden is about to try to exit the building and it's not been cleared. I do suggest you stop it before it gets you both into a lot of trouble," it says. Based on the duck's voice, it sounds like it might be male. Clearly, he is not clear of the correct pronoun or way to refer to the Operator and apparently believes she is Amelia's employee or servant.
The Operator whirls around surprised, but the duck man turns to Amelia. "Excuse me your excellency, but your handmaiden is about to try to exit the building and it's not been cleared. I do suggest you stop it before it gets you both into a lot of trouble," it says. Based on the duck's voice, it sounds like it might be male. Clearly, he is not clear of the correct pronoun or way to refer to the Operator and apparently believes she is Amelia's employee or servant.
Amelia opened her mouth, but instead of saying anything, she just sighed. She at first wanted to explain it was from the country - England, but was it? She didn't know much about language history, she didn't study it. Instead of talking nonsense, she just noted it was called 'Basic' here. She had to remember, if she wanted to blend in. It seemed she was going to stay in this crazy world a little bit longer than she thought at first. Maybe she would really have to start her life anew here.
Amelia nodded eagerly, agreeing with everything The Operator said. She couldn't imagine them being helpful as for now they were anything but that. She dried her hair too. It was relatively short, so she didn't make The Operator wait for her. She helped with what she could, offering she could take some things and took a deep breath. She was nervous and excited. Thrill of doing something probably illegal somehow got to her and she was willing to accept the challenge. They could always play lost if someone caught them, right? She was pretty good at acting like damsel in distress, when it would help her achieve her goal or avoid consequences.
Everything went smooth, at least until they got to the doors. No guards was a bit surprising, but maybe all the funds went to printing colorful sheets and folks checking the colorful sheets? They were so close, so close... Oh no.
A rage burnt inside Amelia and she really wanted to punch the ducky-thing in its... beak? The rage quickly changed into surprise though. Excellency? Handmaiden? 'It'? "How rude," Amelia thought, but she decided playing around would be the best here. She sent a quick glance to The Operator and smiled sweetly to the duck person. "Oh, thank you kind comrade, we got a bit lost. Mary, darling, let's go find some place to wait." She said, coming to The Operator and grabbing her arm and delicately dragging her back, away from the duck person, fake, sweet smile still on her face. "Let's find another exit." She whispered to The Operator, hoping nobody would hear.
Amelia nodded eagerly, agreeing with everything The Operator said. She couldn't imagine them being helpful as for now they were anything but that. She dried her hair too. It was relatively short, so she didn't make The Operator wait for her. She helped with what she could, offering she could take some things and took a deep breath. She was nervous and excited. Thrill of doing something probably illegal somehow got to her and she was willing to accept the challenge. They could always play lost if someone caught them, right? She was pretty good at acting like damsel in distress, when it would help her achieve her goal or avoid consequences.
Everything went smooth, at least until they got to the doors. No guards was a bit surprising, but maybe all the funds went to printing colorful sheets and folks checking the colorful sheets? They were so close, so close... Oh no.
A rage burnt inside Amelia and she really wanted to punch the ducky-thing in its... beak? The rage quickly changed into surprise though. Excellency? Handmaiden? 'It'? "How rude," Amelia thought, but she decided playing around would be the best here. She sent a quick glance to The Operator and smiled sweetly to the duck person. "Oh, thank you kind comrade, we got a bit lost. Mary, darling, let's go find some place to wait." She said, coming to The Operator and grabbing her arm and delicately dragging her back, away from the duck person, fake, sweet smile still on her face. "Let's find another exit." She whispered to The Operator, hoping nobody would hear.
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