COLUMBIAD
STARDATE 04.15.21
PRE-HISTORY YEARS
In the Shuttle Bay of the Columbiad, Crewman Hawthorne and Crewman Montgomery were working hard on maintaining one of the Shuttles. It wasn’t long before they saw three new crew members being given a tour of the Shuttle Bay. These weren’t normal crew members, for they were a Reptilian Man, a Humanoid Ant, and a Bird Woman.
Crewman Hawthorne looked at them from afar with disgust. He whispered to Crewman Montgomery, “Look what they let onto the ship! Three Animal Freaks! Now we have to deal with their Kind.”
“You shouldn’t talk like that,” Montgomery replied softly. He kept on working without staring at the new crew members. “It’s against regulations.”
“So what!” Hawthorne barked out, raising his voice. There was anger and resentment in his tone. “Why should I be prevented from speaking the Truth? We all know that Humans are Better than Animals. That’s just how Nature designed us. So what if those Freaks walk on two legs! They are nothing but Mutants, Rejects, Abominations! I can’t even stand the sight of them. Hopefully we’ll get into a space fight and take internal damage, and those Freaks will accidentally Die!”
Montgomery looked at the new crew members and said nothing. They seemed very dignified, confident, and well mannered. Of course their appearance was much different than that of a Human.
Hawthorne continued. “What makes them Better than Us anyway? Terra Command makes them Special Ops, just because they came out of Inner Terra prior to the Columbiad getting ready to embark? Who cares where they came from? I don’t! They’re nothing but Freaks that we can’t trust. We’re better off without them!”
Montgomery wondered what Inner Terra was like. There had always been Legends and Myths, but never any solid confirmation. What Cities lay beneath the Surface? What Technology did they employ? How long have they lived down there? Why come out now, just because the Columbiad is ready to leave? Perhaps I would be able to talk to them at some point…
“Those Freaks didn’t earn their position through hard work and sweat like we did. They don’t even deserve their positions! I bet you they can’t even talk proper English! Can you imagine what they Eat? What they Smell like? How they have Sex? It’s Disgusting!!”
Montgomery turned to his friend. “Just let it go, Hawthorne. There’s nothing we can do about it. If Terra Command thinks they should be on board as Special Ops, then they must have a good reason for it. Remember, we’re just Crewmen. We don’t get to make Command Decisions. Our job is just to Follow Orders. Besides, they seem nice enough. There’s nothing threatening about them. Let’s just finish up here and then head on to Engineering.”
Hawthorne went quiet. But his Mind seethed with Malice, Frustration, Anger, Hatred, and Resentment. He hoped that the day would come when he could get even with those Animal Freaks, in whatever form or way that he could.
I wouldn’t hesitate to do something awful to them, that’s for sure. That would teach those Abominations who is Superior in Life!
AND OF COURSE, IT’S HUMANITY.
