Pencil-Pushing-Shop-Stewards
22 Jul 2020Nud
"туалет вышел из строя" the man said, "он сломан!" poking a scarred finger at the CMDR's chest in front of him. "Look mister - I'm just trying to find the message drop-off. I've been looking for 2 hours." Said CMDR NUd, "Is this the Grabil Citizen Party Hall? The Shop Stewart at the Serda Office told m..."
The man pushed him out of the doorway - and NUd looked at him quizzically. "это зона бедствия там Comrade" the man said - his expression changing to a look of such deep disappointment and embarrassment that NUd somehow forgot what the Pencil-Pushing-Shop-Steward at the Serda Office had even said. "Aw... well... I'm... sorry Comrade" he managed to stammer out as the hatch slid shut.
Dejected, NUd leaned against the closed hatch and slid down to the floor. "Well shit - Norbit," he thought to himself, "you've been running messages between every got-damn Union in the got-damn Greater Mannite Volume for 3 months and you still can't even tell the damn difference between Russian, Spanish, or Portuguese much less speak a word. Impressive."
He sat there, rubbing his temples and attempting to remember what the Pencil-Pushing-Shop-Steward at the Serda Office had told him - and whether he said up the ladder at the Galnet news kiosk or down. A whistle blew, and the workers of Polyakov Station filled the corridors, chatting happily after a successful 6-hour shift. It was Thursday - the start of a fresh weekend.
NUd smiled pleasantly at the scene. "I love this though. God help me I do" he said quietly to himself. He closed his eyes, returned to rubbing his temples, and continued:
"He said 'this is one all the way down from the bigwigs NUd, I need you on it for this one. Once you exit the hanger and hang a right. Don't go into the bazaar unless it's Wednesday..."
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"Uh... Mr. Uraster?" pipped a voice at his ear.
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"On Wednesday's they clean the life support on section 5 so you'll have to double back and..."
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"Norbit Uraster?"
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"...the hall will be around from the Galnet News Kiosk just go up and..."
--
"HEY JACKASS!"
Norbit Uraster opened his eyes and looked at the small child poking him in the neck. "What the fu- HEY that hurt! - what do you want kid? and call me NUd will ya? Rhymes with Mud but I'm not thank god" he said.
After giving his neck a final jab, the girl jumped back and popped off a salute. "Well Comrade Urast...Comrade NUd sir. Comrade Glenn at the Citizen Party Hall," she said, "he saw you land and they know I can get around these corridors real quick so when you didn't show up they told my friend Bonny to tell me..."
"Say no more little Comrade - and, uh, at ease" said NUd, returning the salute as he eased up from the floor, "I was just about to head there myself - I'll let you lead the way."
They walked quietly along the empty corridor - the hum of Orca's taking off for weekend pleasure junkets the only sound. Breaking the silence, the girl asked "Comrade, why do you go by NUd? Why not just go by your name?" They made a left at the Galnet news kiosk. NUd smiled again, "you'll have to tell me your name first though."
"Ugh - my name is Angela" she said rolling her eyes.
NUd paused and said "well, Angela, to answer your question: I like NUd better than any other name." "D'uh!" she said, "but why do you like NUd? You could have chosen fucking *anything*!"
"Hey now," said NUd with a chuckle, "they teach you that kind of language in a fancy Empire Grammaticus?"
Angela stopped and turned to face him - "*I* didn't go to Grammaticus. *I* Went to a CIU Liberation School - All The Power To All The People!" NUd chuckled again as she raised her fist.
"Alright Comrade Angela, before we get all the power to all the people we need to get all of you and me to the Citizen's Hall." They continued down the passageway for a minute or so when Angela repeated her question "Why NUd?"
"Because that's what my momma called me" NUd said. "Besides how'd you like to go through life as a space commander named Norbit? It doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of the capitalists when it pops up on the scanner you know? What did your momma call you? Angie? Angel? Angus?"
"My Momma called me Ange before... before she left." Angela bared a strained smile and stared at the hallway signs as the pair silently passed by. NUd knew that silence - it was a silence that covered many a small mining town in the gulleys and hollows of Garuttii - before the CIU came at least. He thought about the old Garuttii - the corporate towns, the company script, the guards, the snap of broken elevator cables, and the crack of laser rifle shots through the night.
NUd finally looked up - "hey I think I know where we're at - the light of this hallway seems familiar!"
"Yup! The hall is right here" Angela said, pointing to the large door in front of them with "Sacco & Vanzetti Memorial Citizen's Party Hall" in neon letters dancing in the rafters above, "it's pretty easy to find with all the signs on walls."
NUd looked at the arrow on the wall reading "профсоюзный зал" - the same arrows he'd seen all across the station for the past four hours - and said "Huh."
NUd turned to the left to see his ship - the Joe Hill - on the platform. "Finally back Comrade? We had her ready to go hours ago" the hangar attendant said by the access hatchway. "Huh" NUd said. Ignoring the attendant, he turned back to the Union Hall door. He rubbed his temples and wished for every Pencil-Pushing-Shop-Steward at the Serda Office to meet an early grave.