Corporate Galactic - 3. Silyn

Clutching his head with his three fingers, Silyn quietly listened to the board’s drolling rants. He stared into Vyess’ dense skull, wishing the Tyslan male would end his meaningless tirade about increasing security forces across developed galaxys.

Why? What’s the point of sending more patrols when there are nine laser cannons on his planet? The race could obviously defend themselves should pirate invaders come within half a lightyear away. If more patrolling members of the Galactic Army were to be mobilized, the lesser developed worlds need to take precedence. Having heard enough, he raised his hand. “That’s enough, Vyess. I’m sure the board has heard plenty of your concerns. They have all been documented and Gurtol will evaluate them.”

Hissing through his yellow lips, Vyess lifted a claw in protest, but dropped it as Silyn narrowed his green eyes. Once the Tyslan sat, Silyn glanced at his mobile and selected the next item on the agenda. “Lamil, you have an issue regarding Earth?”

The slender, lilac-colored insect clicked her pinchers and lifted her translator box. As her garbled speech went in, the speaker spoke, “As the Galactic Board’s Chief of Ethics, I feel it is my responsibility to address our stance on Earth’s involvement in our union. It was made clear when we discovered their solar system that the planet was an invaluable resource. I have sources inside several of their companies that they are not abiding by our set standards for planet retention.”

“Elaborate, and share your findings if you could.”

With her other arm, she flicked her mobile several times. Silyn’s screen became littered with letters, photographs, and videos. “Our undercover company, NewHorizon, started infiltrating various companies across the planet, but found most issues on the North American and South American continents. There is a provided list of accused companies, along with the evidence of them not utilizing their sun’s energy or the natural wind turbines we established. One in particular, Corezom, has been excavating and burning coal to increase production.”

Silence filled the room as the board reviewed the footage and galleries. Seeing a small clip of an excavation site unsettled Silyn. “Do we know how long this has been taking place?”

“Not precisely, but if I am to make an educated guess from the public shipping logs to the distribution center on their moon, steadily increased product output from Corezom began several decades ago. As a reminder, we enforced the retention in 2968.”

Silyn’s throat rumbled, angered at human arrogance. “How is this possible? Our logs show the Planet Exploratory Team forcing all of their mines and gas plants to be shut down and demolished!”

Gurtol leaned forward, resting her red and hairy arms on the table. “Either they failed to locate some, or new ones were built under their noses. Should I send the PETs down there?”

“Not yet,” Silyn answered. “I want a full diagnostic on the planet’s lifespan to see what damage has been caused. Build an analysis and have it prepared for the teams before they are sent. Gurtol and Lamil, you two will spearhead this. Express the looming concern for their planet’s life. If Earth isn’t damaged, Lamil will speak with their government. If the planet has taken a turn for the worse, Gurtol… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but let them have it.”

The bulky crimson Payot cocked her head to the side, toothily grinning. “Gladly!”

Regretting his choice of words, Silyn muttered, “Don’t go on a rampage. Just threaten them with their agreement with the Galactic. The credit-hungry leaders will fall into place.” He looked to Lamil once more. “Have your specialists talk with the accused companies and see what needs to be done to eliminate their illegal energy usage. Once done, I want you to try again on having Earth’s leadership open their ports for the other races to visit their planet.”

Shaking her head, the pinchers clicked rapidly. “I will try, but they are… hesitant to allow some of the Galactic races on their soil. They are still a timid people.”

“Still?” questioned Vyess. “I stand by my vote long ago; they should not have been invited!”

Lamil’s mouth noisily filled the room as her box translated. “You are ignorant, Vyess! Your race is welcome to change, and move at a very fast pace. Humanity is taking their time just like my people did, so I suggest you be considerate.”

“Typical colonists,” whispered the Tyslan.

Before Silyn could stand to calm the tension, Gurtol’s fist landed on the table. “I move to strike! We are the leaders guiding the Galactic Union, not the separators.”

“I agree,” said Silyn. “Vyess, you do realize you are picking a fight with Lamil? She single-handedly assimilated over forty new worlds into our union, and has yet to have one leave. I recognize Gurtol’s strike motion, marking it your third. If you obtain another, I will personally call for a vote to vacate your seat.”

A whimpering hiss came from the Tyslan. Vyess slinked in his chair, averting his eyes. “I apologize.”

Lamil glared at the male before lifting her translator. “I accept your apology, but try showing some compassion. A union is only as strong as its leaders, and if we don’t stand united, then we will fail. Many worlds depend on us to survive. Remember that, Vyess.”

Seeing the argument settled, Silyn minimized the files and brought up the next subject.

***

The last items seemed to have taken too long for Silyn’s comfort. Between Gurtol’s brash solutions and Vyess’ pomposity, he desperately needed a release. Once inside his Ravver, he activated the camouflage on his mobile. No longer was he a governing leader for the Galactic Union. With a slight skin tone alteration and few facial modifications, he was an unrecognizable Pollin male. Sighing, he input the coordinates to a local aura bar.

Silyn needed an escape from his daily stress, and today’s was at an all-time high. Maybe the medium room would be best? Revisiting the lower-intensity pods was usually the answer, but Vyess’ nonsense lingered in his mind. No, medium was needed.

Entering the lobby, he transferred credits for an hour’s stay and aimed for his destination. The pink neon lights throughout the room as Silyn passed the rows of relaxation pods. Gestured by the stewardess, he entered the spacious double-pod and marked the clear door with the occupied light. Unlike the lower-intensity ones, his senses were already settling. Stabilizing his legs, he slowly made his way to the couch. The moment his rear hit the cushion, his muscles turned to goo. He was going nowhere.

Head lax against the tall furniture backing, Silyn rode the high. His cares from the meeting drifted away and a grin curled. Giggling, he shifted further into the sofa.

A notification came from his mobile. Glancing at it through half-closed eyelids, he saw it was a comm-bubble from another pod. Opening it, he answered, “Hello?”

“Looks like you’re having a good time, bub.”

Silyn lifted his head, chuckling as his muscles felt like moving sand. He saw a human in the pod across from him. A human! Seeing one away from their home planet was odd enough, but for one to be in an aura bar was even more strange. “Not to sound like an… what’s the term your race uses? An ass? Not to sound like one, but what’s a human doing off-world?”

The man snickered, nearly falling over. “I left! Made enough credits from under-company gambling and found a job nearby.”

Something felt off with the human, but Silyn’s interest was piqued. “I didn’t know your kind could handle an aura pod.”

“Yeah, it’s similar to pot, but the set-up here prevents any accidents. Came in one day and got hooked! What’s your name, friend?”

Friend? Silyn admired some of humanity’s key behaviors; calling one a friend before even knowing the other’s name. “Nylis. You?”

“Horacio Stinnett. Not very many Pollins around either. I’ve always been fascinated by you guys! So built and… and…” The human fell to his side in a laughing fit. “Sorry man, but it looks like your skin is moving around and shit!”

Silyn raised his hand and focused on the back of it. Recognizing what Horacio was speaking of, he clenched his eyelids and howled. His skin was moving! The deep purple pigment had black smog wavering across in a leisurely pace. When Silyn raised his head, he saw the lights changing colors intermittently. “Sorry, Horacio, but I think you’re looking at the lights wrong. The bar has patterns going through the bulbs.”

Horacio gawked upward for an absurd amount of time. When the man seemed to finally comprehend the point, he pointed and screamed, “Holy crap! Have they been like that this entire time?”

The two shared a hearty laugh. During their conversation, there were times Silyn wanted to slide off the couch and crack up on the floor! A tone came over his mobile’s speaker, then Horacio’s voice. “Damn, my time’s up! Guess I got my five minutes of getting sober left. You’re cool as hell, dude! You mind if we swap numbers and hang out sometime?”

The offer was tempting, but Silyn had a better idea. He put up a finger and paused the call. Paging for the stewardess, he asked her to have Horacio brought over to his pod. She was hesitant at first, but when a hefty tip was mentioned, the stewardess agreed.

Silyn watched as she went to the human’s pod and briefly explained the plan. Horacio’s face lit up with excitement as he was ushered across the aisle. The clear door was unlocked and the human giddily bounded towards the couch, sending both males into another fit of hysterics.

“You so didn’t have to do that! What do I owe for the rest of the trip?”

“Not a damned thing!” shouted Silyn. “I haven’t had this much fun in decades!”

Horacio ran both hands through his hair and slacked his jaw. “Decades? Shit, when were you going to mention you were a geezer?”

Assuming what the name meant, Silyn slapped his knee and wheezed, “I’m not old! Well, not for my standards. Pollins can live for several human centuries.”

“That’s bananas! How do you know so much about us?”

He had to bite his lip. As much as he enjoyed Horacio’s presence, Silyn preferred to keep his profession a secret from the general public. “You guys are the new race on the station. I like to keep up to date with everyone so I don’t end up insulting people by accident.”

The human bobbed his head slowly for several seconds, obviously stoned. “Thanks, Nylis. It’s been a wild couple of months here, but everyone seems pretty chill here. Even though I’m the only human here, I felt welcomed the moment I landed.”

“You’re the only one on the station?” The question was followed by realization. It made sense considering Earth’s ports were barely used for personal travel or migration. Recalling the mission he gave Lamil made him smile. “Maybe that’ll change soon. From what I hear, the Union Board is trying to get Earth more involved. I know several Pollins want to go sight-seeing. Your moon lights up the stars incredibly.”

“Yeah, I miss that sometimes.” Horacio reclined and shook his head. “But I can’t see myself going back. Working for those companies is brutal!”

“I heard that as well. What did you do for work?”

“I was a spotter for Dub-O and Zonnima. Zonnima’s supervisors were real strict, and when they found out I was coming in high, they terminated my contract. Thankfully, Oceanic picked me up and noticed I found more faults than when I was sober. After that, they placed me on a prescription for medicinal aura vials.”

Silyn was baffled by the story. For a resource planet that relied on their workers performing well, it made little sense for one company to vacate someone’s position when the solution was a medical prescription. “That’s when you hit the lottery and blasted off the rock?”

“Yep! Haven’t looked back since. Been working in a Payot kitchen for fun. One of the ladies grabbed me off the street and practically demanded information on human food.”

Gasping, Silyn pointed excitedly. “Brythol’s! I’ve seen new menu items there that are similar to your cuisine. So you’re the cause of that.”

Horacio squinted and leaned away from the Pollin. “You really dug into our culture, haven’t ya?”

Not meaning to make him uncomfortable, Silyn waved a hand. “I apologize, I don’t want to seem like a stalker. Humanity fascinated me.”

The human wasn’t buying his story. He widened his eyes and gasped, “Blink.”

“I’m… I’m sorry?”

“Blink.”

Silyn abided.

Horacio gawked and scooted from his seat. “Your eyes changed color! You’re using one of those camo apps, aren’t you?”

What? How could he tell? “I, err…” Unsure of how to handle the new situation, Silyn went with his best judgement and sighed, “Yes, I am. Forgive me, but I sometimes use it when I either don’t want to be disturbed or if it will tarnish my image.”

“Tarnish? That’s kind of a load, dude.”

“Load?”

“Yeah, a load of crap,” Horacio retorted. “First thing I learned here was that aura bars have no negative outlook. What makes you think anyone would look at you differently if you walked out of here wearing your original skin?”

Hazily, Silyn processed the inquiry. The human had a point. Aura bars were clearly legal, and no one ever batted an eye when he walked out. The process was secure to inhibit any drunken customers reaching the general public. So what if he was a Galactic leader? It should be apparent that his position would be stressful to any citizen. “You’re… you’re right.”

Taking a deep breath, he clumsily gripped his mobile and deactivated the camouflage, revealing his natural gray skin. Looking back at Horacio, Silyn slumped. “I would like to apologize for not being myself.”

The human smirked and clapped Silyn’s shoulder. “I totally get it, Nylis!”

“Actually, it’s not Nylis. It’s, uh… It’s Silyn.”

The man blinked several times before pursing his lips into a grin. “That’s clever! Flipping your name. Not gonna lie, Nylis sounds a little better.”

Snickering, Silyn gripped his knee. “I’ll have to tell my co-workers that line.”

“I meant to ask; so what do you do for a living, Silyn?”

Mimicking Horacio’s lips, he grinned. “I’m one of the leaders for the Galactic Union. Just got out of a board meeting that made me want to snap a certain Tyslan’s crinkly, little neck!”

The human cackled and playfully pushed Silyn’s shoulder. “Dude, shut the hell up!”

“I deactivated my camouflage box. Why would I lie now?”

As the pod’s timer rang, Horacio sat in wonder. Silyn contemplated whether he broke the human or not, then questioned himself if they could be broken in such a manner. When the human clenched his hair, he whispered, “You’re… You’re not joking, are you? Oh shit, err… Sir!”

The change in demeanor was humorous, even though Silyn’s high was wearing off. “Horacio, stop. You don’t call me that. You’re my friend now. Just make sure you change my contact name in your mobile.”

Still flabbergasted, the man fumbled for his device and hastily tapped away. “I… you mean that? Friends?”

“Hey, you said it first about an hour ago. How about we head to Brythol’s? I could use one of those things you probably put on the menu. What’s it called? A taco?”

***

It took a while, but Silyn managed to hush Horacio’s nervousness. As soon as they entered the restaurant, several of the Payot women rushed towards the human. “Horri!” Their gallivanting came to a halt as they reached Silyn. One of them, a burgundy-haired Payot stammered, “M-Mister Silyn! It’s… Oh, it’s such an honor to have you return! Do… is our Horri in trouble?”

Silyn chuckled and shook. “No, Brythol. Horri isn’t in trouble. We just met at the nearby aura bar and I’ve learned he’s your inspiration for the menu changes. I’d like to have a few of these tacos with your fietta grinds please.”

With the order taken, the three scurried towards the kitchen, surely causing the clanging of metals hitting the floor. Horacio bit his knuckle as he held in a laugh. “Looks like you’ve been here a few times.”

“It’s a guilty pleasure. The fietta beats anything the Union caterers drag out. But what was that before they saw me? A few of them flocked to you as if you were their mates!”

Shocked, Horacio hummed a disapproving tone, “Believe me, they’ve tried. I still have to remind them on a daily I’m not into the ladies.”

“That is the one thing I found curious with humanity. It’s strange to see individuals in a race have preferences to their males or females, and sometimes both. Is it psychological or is it fated, like the Tyslans?”

Horacio shrugged and said, “It’s something each human just… knows, I guess. I always liked guys. How about you?”

Silyn smiled. “Pollins are somewhat similar. We are naturally attracted to those that interest us, regardless of gender.”

Together, they sat in a brief silence. Tapping his foot, Horacio whispered, “So… did this just turn into a date?”

“I suppose it did.”

“I interest you?”

Reaching across the table, Silyn daringly covered Horacio’s hand. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed, Horacio. I genuinely can’t. Consider me interested.”

The man palmed his cheek, but before he could speak, Brythol brought out platters. “Fietta tacos for two! Did you need a seltzer, Horri?”

“Make it two, Bryth.”

As the owner departed, Silyn examined the food. It was both foreign and familiar. He smelled the tantalizing meat and recognized the leafy vegetables, but seeing it stuffed in a standing shell was confusing. How was it to be eaten? Was he to turn his head to the side during the bite? Watching Horacio grab one and tilted the taco, Silyn recognized the tactic. Pinch the shell and tilt the odd sandwich!

He mimicked the motion and bit down. The textures were encompassing and pleasant together. Silyn made a mental note to explore human cuisine. Their meal did not last. Both men were silent, curious of what the other would do next.

“So, what’s next on the agenda?”

Momentarily confused, Silyn nearly thought he was back in a meeting. Seeing a skittish smile on Horacio’s cleanly shaven face, he reclined. “I probably need to head home. Lamil probably finished half of the assignments I gave her this morning. She’s a busy Antiam.”

Whistling, Horacio set his glass down. “Aren’t they all busy? Brythol hired one and didn’t last a week! He came in, scrubbed every tile in this place and said we couldn’t keep him busy enough.”

“No, they don’t do well in small businesses. Lamil is a queen among her people, so she translates her work with the Union as growing her portion of the Galactic. Her speech tactics are almost unstoppable.”

“You should have her talk with Earth then.”

“I did, but I’m sending her back again. Some… things came up.”

Horacio chuffed, “Let me guess… we went back on our word on something?”

“Yes, actually.”

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Silyn could see the visible distaste as Horacio kicked up a foot onto his knee. “Not a big surprise. Humans in power are fickle and two-faced. I’m probably not someone to take advice from, but keep us on a short leash.”

Regardless of the human’s meager status, Silyn took the opinion. “I will keep it in mind. I’m free around this time every day; would you like to meet tomorrow for dinner?”

“I’d like that.”

***

After bidding farewell, Silyn went home. He slipped into more comfortable clothing and aimed for the office. Once the gel-filled chair molded to him, he laid his mobile on the connection pad and sorted through Lamil’s new messages.

The Antiam had kept herself busy! She and Gurtol received the planetary analysis, and it didn’t look appealing. The report came back grim. Pinching his forehead, Silyn continued through their assessment. As instructed, Gurtol took charge and berated the human leaders, informing them of their world’s health.

Earth needed emergency relief. Any progress the PET provided when the initial mines and plants were shut down was obliterated. The use of illegal fossil fuels rendered the planet’s core in dire straits.

Checking the board’s mobile signatures, Gurtol and Lamil were still on Earth. Silyn issued three PETs activation orders, as well as arrest orders for any company found guilty of using non-Galactic approved means of energy generation. His fellow board members were sent new directives to cooperate with the human government in recalibrating company guidelines and management.

Were all humans this arrogant? Silyn leaned back in irritation. The Galactic should have been a gift to the race. Technological advancements were provided with little charge. The planet was evaluated, something the inhabiting people couldn’t do on their own. Even with the proper procedures to keep their world alive, they failed. Everything given to them had been nearly squandered!

Yet Silyn’s mind reverted back to Horacio. Why was this one different? The being was full of laughter and positivity, only to deviate when his fellow man was brought up. Horacio seemed to have an issue with his own species! Words he used from earlier echoed: brutal, fickle, two-faced.

Does humanity not understand the concept of common welfare for others? Are they truly willing to kill their planet in the search for power and money? Is… is it even worth the resources to save such a civilization?

Thinking of the one human he had met, Silyn sighed. “There has to be more like him.” Typing a few messages, he approved and ordered another retention plan.