Chapter 27 Walk It Off

"I'll wait here," said Granny, as Dustin shut the outer airlock.

"Why?" he asked, suspiciously as he changed back to his 'normal' form.

"Why did you choose this form?" she asked, looking him up and down.

"Well, it makes me look human, so I blend in well, and it has protective qualities against most anything that wants to hurt me."

She nodded, looking him up and down. "I suppose it's only natural that you would want to look like your father."

"What?" he asked, turning to look at her.

She shrugged. "I'll stay here, because most humans object to my race. I don't want to cause you too much trouble with your new friends."

"You knew my father?" He wasn't going to let that one go. How did she know his father?"

"Well, your father was the king of your people… Don't you think it would be odd if I hadn't, given the fact I've been trying to help them?"

He shut his mouth and swallowed his next questions. She was right. It would have been odd if she hadn't. Shaking his head, he chose to give that one up for now.

"Why do human's not like your race?"

"We were well known for causing mischief. Some of my kind visited their home world when they were young and caused all sorts of trouble tearing into planes during some world-wide war. It caused all sorts of stories to pop up about us."

"So, what will you be doing while you wait here?"

She grinned. "Good! If you hadn't asked, I was going to find myself something to do. But since you asked, I think I'll just find a nice corner to sleep off the calories I just consumed."

With a sigh, he turned to join the others. They weren't his friends, but he didn't feel like arguing with her. She gave off the impression that she was far older than him, and if what she had told him was true, she was.

"Ah, Dustin! Good timing! We were just getting ready to fire up the engines to see if it has finished syncing yet. Find what you were looking for?"

"Since I wasn't sure what I was looking for, I guess so."

"Fair enough," Walter laughed, turning back to his console.

Sitting down, Dustin wondered if these people were really what they seemed. It was odd to think there were those not involved in some plot concerning his people. They claimed they were searching for his people, but why?

Watching Walter, he thought over the story he had told him back on the human station. Walter had said that the Josagn were taken care of during the Josagn war with the Uz'En helping them. The only help he had discovered was the scientific experiments they had been conducting on the science vessel he had blown up. Either this Walter was lying to him, or he was wanting something from him. There was no way he was helping get him back to the planet Olivia and Jake were on just out of the kindness of his heart.

"Hey, Walter," said Dustin, after a moment. "Have you ever heard of a Gooblen?"

Walter's head snapped up so fast, Dustin tensed automatically.

"Why do you ask?" His voice was very strained.

"They were mentioned in one of the articles I was reading, but I couldn't find any information about them. I was hoping you had some."

"Oh," the relief was evident on his face. "They're some of the most awful creatures in the galaxy. Trouble always seems to follow them, and they absolutely love to take things apart. It's an obsession with them. They're also almost impossible to kill. For a moment I thought you had found one. I must admit my heart almost stopped."

Dustin thought back over his newly unlocked memories and had to agree with Walter's assessment. They always seemed to have some disaster happening, and Granny had loved acquiring things to take apart. It didn't seem odd to him, because he had enjoyed the help getting parts to work on his PED. Though, the trouble often had to do with the parts that she acquired. It would be interesting to see how they faired with her on the ship. Maybe he should keep an eye on her, to keep her from disassembling the ship.

"The engine is synced. We can jump whenever you want, Captain."

"Great. I've calculated the jumps and we should be able to get back home in about five. Our engine fuel can only handle three before it will need to be replenished, but there's a human outpost near there, that we can probably trade for some fuel from." Walter leaned forward, typing directions into his monitor, and before Dustin could say anything more, they had moved away from the station.

The jump was very smooth, and he barely had a chance to glance out at the solar system they were in before the next jump commenced. While the ship turned, to prepare for the next jump, flashes started to light up the screen.

"Shit!" screamed Walter, jumping forward and typing furiously. The ship was rocking as the meteoroid swarm pummeled their side. The ship went to jump before he could finish typing and then everything seemed to explode into bright lights.

When Dustin opened his eyes next, he was staring up at an alien sky, filled with stars he didn't recognize.

(EVOLUTION COMPLETE.)

(WELCOME BACK DUSTIN, YOU REALLY NEED TO STOP ALMOST DYING.)

"What happened?" he groaned, sitting up and looking around. The area was nothing but rock. He could barely see a smoking ruin in the distance. Familiar green ears popped up, and Granny's face appeared over the top of a boulder.

"Oh good, that device of yours works."

He pulled himself up and looked around. There didn't seem to be any life other than the two of them, for miles. On the horizon, he could see the edge something, but it was too far to tell what.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked rubbing his head. He didn't really have a headache, but he kind of felt as if he should.

"I would guess micro meteors. It's really hard to see them until they're right on top of you."

He nodded thoughtfully. He could barely remember seeing them flashing across the screen right before everything went crazy.

"Do you know if the others made it?" he asked, starting towards the ship remains.

"They had on their suits when I came looking for you. The ship lost atmosphere pretty quick when those things hit. I imagine they're going to try and blame me for this." She shook her head in annoyance as they walked towards the smoldering ruins.

"Why don't I remember any of this?" he asked, scanning the area for life.

"Oh, that's because one blew your head off."