U4: The Space Wanderers

Chapter 12: Entering Planet Ballex

Once the crew woke up, they saw that their destination was nearing. Everyone was stretching out, relieving the stress they've had the day before. All except for Goddard, who was still a tad shaken up from what had happen during the night. Sighlan noticed how distraught Goddard was, so she came up to him and asked him, "Hey kid, something on the mind? You seem kinda worried about something."

Goddard scratched head before replying back. "I'm... I'm alright, I just had a... pretty weird dream." Sighlan solemnly smiled and patted Goddard's head. "Alright, but just remember, we're always here if ya need anything." She then walked over to the control panel and tapped in some coordinates. "A few more minutes and we'll be landing on Ballex, specifically Bovinoville." Xanny then walked up to Sighlan. "What's this Bovinoville ya speak of?" Dirken then interjected. "It's our hometown, Si and I used to live there back when we were younger. It's a pretty nifty city, and it's only a short while away from the planet's capital!"

Sighlan then continued where Dirken left off. "Yeah, it's the place were we grew up, graduated, and started this business of ours. And in the case of this current trip, it also has the biggest fuel station in the galaxy, Stucky's!" Dirken's eyes brightened up with glee. "Oooh, it's been a long while since we last went to Stucky's! Can I get a Stucky's t-shirt Si, can I, can I!?" Sighlan chuckled at Dirken's over-enthusiastic reaction. "Heheh, sure ya can! Just don't buy an entire closet-full like last time..." In the corner of the cockpit was a locker full of old Stucky's t-shirts that Dirken had bought years ago. "No promises~!"

After a few more minutes, the Ultimatum had finally landed, specifically at one of the numerous Stucky's fuel station spots. Dirken excitedly rushed out and ran towards the Stucky's convenience store, leaving Sighlan to tell the plan to the kids. "Alright guys, Dirken and I are gonna go in to buy some fuel as well as grab a few snacks for the next trip. If you want, I'll lend you guys some money so you could get something to eat. If I remember correctly, there should be an old diner down the street that Dirken and I used to hang out at when we were your age. Be back here in about an hour, and have fun!"

Sighlan then left them to go meet up with Dirken at the convenience store. The three kids then headed towards the diner, known as 'Baller Wallace's House of Grub'. As the entered the front doors, the interior was very shiny, with padded stools, checkerboard walls and various knick-knacks hanging all over the place. "Woah, this place is quite knocking, very nice!" said a surprised Xanny. "This is much nicer than the restaurant back in Fillonor." said Hallah. They walked up to the counter and sat in some stools.

A cheery looking old man, covered in wrinkles yet as spry as a teenager, ran up towards the three of them. "Hello yung'ns, I'mma guessing you're new around here. It's always good to have new faces in town! Anyways, here's the menu. Take your time, I'll be around the corner if ya need me." The kids nodded and thanked him. "This place feels fresh, but warm. Kind cozy feeling, you know what I mean?" said Goddard. Xanny and Hallah agreed with him, then the three of them started looking through the menu.

The menu was chock full of various dishes, desserts and drinks of various styles. The variety was mind-boggling, especially for a small diner such as the one they were sitting in. Xanny weighed in on his choice. "I dunno about you guys, but I thinking of getting the Ooey-Gooey Florgal dish. What about you Hallah?" "Hmm, there's a lot to choose from, but I think I might get the Wensleygale Chunk Steak. How's it on your end, Goddard?" The two of them turn to Goddard, who seemed to just stare out blankly.

Xanny snapped his fingers to wake Goddard from his self-induced trance. "Yo, you okay Puffball? You seemed kinda out of it for a second there." Goddard snapped out from his blank stare and noticed Xanny and Hallah looking at him. "Oh, sorry about that, I was just thinking about personal things..." The other two were confused. "Personal things? Anything going on, anything wrong?" Goddard's face twisted, wondering how he was going to describe the personal troubles he's been going through over the past few days.

"I had a weird vision, dream... nightmare? Something happened last night, and now I have no idea what it exactly means. I feel like I have more questions than anything, like... why do I exist? It seems like I feel like I have something important to do, but I don't know what. It doesn't help that I have these odd powers that barely know anything about." Xanny reassured Goddard, patting him on the back. "It's alright, I understand. I felt the same way when my parents used to train me when I was a kid. Trying to learn the power of the doppler felt intense, but also very heavy on the mind." Hallah then continued with her own experiences. "Yeah, I feel that way too. I love my sisters, but being taught to be a hero for whole populations just kinda... gets to you, ya know? It feels very harsh at first, but I know whatever you're dealing with, will become clear to you soon enough."

Goddard smiled, feeling a bit better from what Xanny and Hallah had said. Still, inside he didn't completely understand everything that he was dealing with, but he reassured himself that everything will start eventually making sense to himself soon. "Alright... I guess I'll get myself Sweet Treat Jamboree with a side of Fried Chamoy." The old man rushed around the corner, already holding their orders in tow. "Fine choices! Here's your meals, hope y'all like 'em!" The three of them then started to chow down. The various flavors they experienced were unlike anything they've had before. "Woah... so this is Ballex cuisine... awesome..."