Galaxy Joyride

How many more could fit and still breathe? Spock set out to hook some more customers, but these wierdos didn’t appear to be selling anything.

The "displays" included some old movie posters, and a glass case full of Star Trek collectibles, even an old metal lunchbox. They also had some hokey old computer equipment with signs like "gravity adjuster," and "navigational directory." Uncle Skeeter might have gotten a kick out of this, but I was ready to move on.

Spock reappeared. "Please sit down. We will now start the film," he said. "Everyone must fasten their seatbelts before we can proceed." The old guy walked the aisle, checking our seatbelts, just like a movie stewardess in a disaster movie. The greaseball needed to be told again.

"Please watch the television monitor," said Spock. Our eyes shot up to a TV hung over the driver’s seat. The lights flickered and died, leaving us in the total blackness of outer space. After a pause, the old guy began to speak.

"Your home planet will no longer be the Earth. You are being relocated to another planet in the next galaxy for the advancement of mankind."

Donald Vasquez laughed out loud. I wouldn’t have chosen him to relocate with, I know that.

"Where’s the movie?" asked the one with the baseball cap. I’d never seen him before, but he was cute. I thought he must be new in town. I found out later he was only visiting his cousins, the Millers; them, I knew.

"There is no film," said Spock. The lights came on and hurt my eyes. The bus had vanished, leaving us in a round room, in what looked like a real intergalactic vehicle.

"What the-"

"Do not be alarmed. Everything will be explained to you. When we arrive on your new home planet, you will each be given a one-year course of training to assimilate to the new environment. You will be very contented there, and will not miss the Earth at all."

I pawed at the seatbelt holding me down, but it wouldn’t budge. "It would be futile to attempt escape. There is no atmosphere beyond this chamber," Spock said.

A beautiful green planet came into view on the monitor. I felt calm inside.

Now, my one-year internship is finished. I will tell details of that internship later on. Now my assignment is to travel back to the Earth to recruit more humans. We will need many more of them to colonize Amborella.

After this experience, purple lipstick didn’t seem so important.