Starbound: A Space Odyssey 25 The Harsh Reality 1

"Urgh..." Lenny groaned while trying to get up from the teleporter's floor, "I really, really hate teleporters."

"Stop whining and put yourself together." John rolled his eyes.

"Well..." Lenny dizzily stood up, "At least I don't look ridiculous all bandaged up like that."

John was still using the bandages covered in a medicinal salve.

"Shut up, and let's go."

"Okie dokie."

John and Lenny were about to leave the shop when they heard the owner calling them from behind.

"Hey, the human and Novakid! Aren't you forgetting something?" The woman lifted her eyebrow and stared at them.

"Ow, right..." John took the Retriever from his inventory and gave it back, "Here..."

"Thanks, have a nice day."

John waved goodbye and left the shop. They were greeted with quite a sight. The Shopping Complex seemed more bustling than before.

"What happened here?" John asked in wonder, "There is a lot of new people here... At least triple the amount that had before..."

"Yeah..." Lenny also surveyed the place.

"We go see what happened later, we need to find Penguin Pete."

John and Lenny left the Shopping Complex and walked toward the Shipyard Shop at the back.

John was soon able so to see the middle-aged man with orange hair in the distance, "Hey, Pete!"

"Oh!" Penguin Pete exclaimed in surprise, "What happened to you ?" Pete saw that John was all bandaged up and some of the bandages were colored in red with John's blood.

"The Lunar Base 12 was..." John then explained what happened in the Erchius Mining Facility.

"Ohhhhhh... That was quite a fight." Pete commented, "And Clark? Did you saw him?"

"No... He... We weren't able to find him." John said.

"That's fine." Pete waved his hand, "That guy's luck was always the best. I don't think he died that easy."

"So... My ship?"

"Oh... Right... I had finished the fixing of everything. The piece that is left is the FTL engine that needs the Erchius Crystal."

"Here..." John handed over a box that contained 20 Erchius Crystals.

Penguin Pete opened it and glanced at the crystals, "Now this is some good stuff. Look at the glow..."

"Can you make the engine now?" John asked.

"Yeah." Penguin Pete snapped away from his fixation over the Erchius Crystals, "It will take one full day to complete."

"That's fine, I can wait."

"Yer should look around. There more shops and entertainment businessman at the subterranean of the Shopping Complex."

"Okay... Ow, by the way, what's up with the Ark Outpost? Why are there some many people around here?" John asked what he had been wondering all this while.

"That..." Penguin Pete hesitated a little, but still spoke, "The ban had been lifted. Newcomers are welcome now."

"They weren't?" John confusedly asked, "What about me and Lenny?"

"It is because yer is a Protector. Remember, weren't yer wearing the Terrene Protectorate's blue Protector uniform when yer first arrived here?"

"Yes... It's true..." John remembered that he only changed clothes when he decided to wear Pete's armor.

"Well..." Penguin Pete awkwardly scratched his chin, "I can't speak about this, but Esther know a lot about it, yer better ask her."

"Alright... I'll go find her..." John turned around and was about to leave when he heard Pete.

"Yer better go to the Shopping Complex. Esther left the Ark Ruins a few minutes earlier and went to the Office on the last floor of the Shopping Complex."

"Alright, thanks..." John thanked Penguin Pete and went find Esther.

"You go find her." Lenny lazily said, "I'll go take a look at the unground facilities." He left as soon as finished speaking.

John entered the Shopping Complex and took the elevator to the last floor.

"Can I help you?" John was greeted by a purple male Hylotl with large three eyes the moment he entered in the Administration Office.

"Ah... I'm looking for an old woman with gray hair..."

"Oh..." The male Hylotl looked at John, "You're looking for Esther Bright?"

"Yes." John strangely looked at the Hylotl, [They know about her?]

"She is talking with the Administrator Itsuki right now, could you wait a few minutes?" The male Hylotl politely said with a professional smile in his face.

"Sure..." John agreed, but then he realized something, "Wait... Administrator Itsuki? Wasn't Tepei the Administrator?"

"Well... Tepei was-"

"Oh, dear..." The male Hylotl was interrupted by Esther who just left the Administrator's room, "I thought I had heard your voice, looks like I was correct." She gently smiled.

"h.e.l.lo." John politely greeted her.

"Come in, dear. I and Itsuki want to talk with you." She invited John to enter the

John entered the room after Esther.

The moment he entered the room he saw the beautiful, pale blue female Hylotl behind the big Administrator's table. John didn't take a careful look at Itsuki before, but now that he did he saw that even for human as himself, he couldn't help but admit that she was a beauty.

Her three crimson eyes locked at John, "h.e.l.lo again, John Connor." She stood up from the big chair and extended her hand in greeting.

"h.e.l.lo... Administrator Itsuki." John shook her hand. He couldn't help but feel a ticklish sensation when he touched her scaled hands.

"Oh?" Itsuki slightly exclaimed, "You heard about the news already?"

"Partially. The secretary told me that you became the Administrator."

"Yes, that's correct." She weakly chuckled, "I'm the Administrator now."

"What happened to Tepei?" John curiously asked.

"He was arrested." She said with a wide and friendly smile on her face.

"Arrested?" John glanced at Itsuki, "Why?"

"Because of corruption, and attempt of murder." She calmly said.

"Corruption? Murder?" John remembered the bad vibes that Tepei emanated from his body.

"Yes. He didn't pay a lot of taxes of the Universal Hylotl Government and also stole a lot of products from the Letheia Corporation." Then she glanced at John, " As for the attempt of murder... It was against you."

"Me?" John was shocked, "But when-" He stopped speaking when he remembered something, [That guy in the Lunar Base!?]

"You probably met with someone that tried to kill you when you were at the Lunar Base 12, right?"

"Yes." John didn't try to lie since they already know that we went there. If he lied they would find out in no time after a short investigation.