Nothing good ever happened to Garl Jouvari.
Most would say he was a good lad in school, pretty smart, but his head was always in space.
A dreamer and an underachiever wanting to be more than he had the means to.
A star child bound to planet side life by his own inhibitions.
Now in his early thirties, still single and still dreaming of becoming an independent space pilot.
His mind forever out in space, even while doing his daily shuttle delivery run of goods between some of the larger cities in the region.
He had learned that being a kind and helpful person never really got him anywhere, not on this world.
So when the boss called him up to the office after a particularly long shift, Garl expected the same 'ol "Sorry Garl, but we're low on work, and you don't really seem to be happy with this work anyway...".
This being his seventh job in five years, always ending with some poor excuse for being laid off, Garl had come to expect, and on some level accept, living out his days in utter mediocrity down on the planet Nobody-knows-where.
Nothing good ever happened to Garl Jouvari.
- "There's a parcel for you. Delivered by the State Post Office no less."
The boss handed him a thin red parcel. The kind that everyone knew what it meant.
- "I guess somebody bit the dust huh? Ha.. ha... uh....Someone close?"
- "No.", Garl bit off, maybe a bit too harshly. What kind of person starts joking right away like that?!
- "I mean it can't be, I don't have any close relatives, at least that I know of.. Heh.."
Garl opened the parcel and took out the small metal cube, held it up against his temple and watched as the video feed started to play before his eyes.
- "[krrzt recording started] Hello Gary, if you're seeing thi...", Gary? Clearly someone in the the State Post Office had made a mistake.
- "...means They have caught up with me and I'm dead. I've seen to it that She is delivered along with the red parcel."
She? What was this?
- "...now yours to take care of. You're the last one Gary, you must finish what we stated..."
Garl was starting to feel that this was getting way out of hand.
- "...last info I have on Them is in her white box, you know what you have to do. Good bye! [recording stopped krrzt]"
What was this about, was this She some passenger that had come with the parcel.
Garl was starting to feel angry, those incompetent fools over at the SPO would make him have to deal with some poor woman that had come to the city for nothing.
That's the SPO for you, making a mess and then getting you to clean it up.
- "Was there a passenger along with the parcel?", Garl asked the boss.
- "I don't think so, but go out to the hangar and talk to the Post guy, he's still there by his shuttle"
As Garl went over to the hangar he was working out what he would say, how he would explain that it was not his fault and that the SPO had made a mistake getting her here.
He opened the large door to the hangar and was immediately met by a wide sweaty man in an State Post Office uniform.
- "Ah, there you are, jolly good, just need to sign here, here and here.", the man said hurriedly, holding out a manifest pad.
- "What for?", Garl asked as he jotted down his signature while looking around the hangar. There was no passenger in sight.
- "That.", The man pointed towards a small ship parked on the other side of the hangar. A Sidewinder.
- "We didn't get a name for the delivery, but she's all yours Commander....?"
- "Jarl. Gouvari, I... uh.. Sorry, Garl Jouvari.", Garl could hardly believe it, his dream was somehow coming true.
- "Thank you, Commander.", The man pressed a set of keys in Garl's hand, turned around and walked quickly back towards his parked shuttle.
The broad grin that Garl was wearing as he walked towards the little Sidewinder didn't wear off until long after his jaw muscles had started aching, but by then he was already in deep space, heading for adventure.
Nothing good ever happened to Garl Jouvari.
But a red parcel for Gary Something was a start.
