USF Progenitor & Crew: Adventures in Cosmos 01

[#62] Thoughts Before We Embark

Veno relented, "Eh, brah, it's not gonna be heaven when we get there. That's what you guys are thinkin' now, but I swear, there's gon' be something scary, bah!"
"Not," Matt chuckled in disagreement.
"Yeess! There gon' be something scary because we on one space ship with da kine... Mana and Peter," Veno grumbled playfully. "-And Ka'eo and Stavro. There's gonna be one alien monster!"
Matt laughed and said, "No, that's highly unlikely. Think about it!"
Veno chuckled aggressively and said, "No, there's no need think about 'um. Ka'eo going land us on one scary ice planet! What we gon' do there?! We gon' freeze to death, Matt!" Breaking character, Veno laughed loudly with Matt and gave Harrison a good chuckle.
"Oooh, ice? Planet?" Matt laughed, making Veno laugh too.
Harrison argued softly, "It could be a very good time for training and earning a much higher rate of pay, taking the time to lay out standard procedures. You never know-."
"Eh. Bah!" Veno produced, "We on one space ship landing on one planet waaay outside where I like stay. And deez guys is crazy! With deez guys on board... anything goes. I'm right! I know I'm right! If they crazy, anything goes, bah, I swear on my cousin's grave! They going send us to da kine... Stephen King... the Mist! What kine work conditions is that? Eh, now that I think if it, get me off this ship! I like leave!" Veno began acting like he was having an emotional breakdown. He glanced up at them smiling and said, "Nah," breaking character again, cackling with Matt. Veno excitedly and dramatically proclaimed, "I would rather go broke than live through that again!... Nah!"
Matt and Veno laughed.
Harrison explained softly and calmly, "Well, in Stephen King's The Mist, the story went awry because there was a dimensional rift that a team of scientists had opened. It released a bunch of creatures that ended up killing all those people in the town until the survivors were rescued. In real life, now... there's no issue with dimensional rifts that we should have to worry about, knowing all of that high tech gadgetry is more existent near the more populated and human concentrated, civilized areas, for one reason or another."
Matt argued lazily, "Not actually true. Not true at all, Harrison... you liar." Matt chuckled. "They run tests and experiments all the time!... At places like these! Don is right!... Right, Don?" Matt glanced over at Veno and began chuckling.
Harrison paused to think, absorbing the debate. He sighed and went along with what they were saying, giving way to some second thoughts.
"I agree! See, Matt knows! I agree. Matt knows what I'm trying for tell you guys, Harrison," Veno expressed, clasping hands with Matt and fist bumping him. He laughed and continued with a very stern face, "They going use these planets like this one for run experiments on us... like da kine, what is that one movie called?" He looked at Matt with an expectant grin, waiting for him to know the answer.
Matt looked at Veno like he was holding back a smile. Matt answered lazily, "Science fair experiment." Matt chuckled at himself.
Veno wiled, "No, Matt! That's not one movie, bah! Okay, what's that experiment called, then? The one with the... -they made that movie long time ago about that experiment that went wrong-."
"Godzilla!" Matt jumped. Veno and Harrison laughed.
"Nooo! Matt, come on!" Veno expressed, trying not to laugh.
"Sorry, uh... Kong! King Kong!... Versus Godzilla!" Matt answered, laughing, making Veno and Harrison laugh again too. "I don't know! Harrison, what's that movie called?"
Harrison tried to assist, scratching his head quickly, then asking, "What experiments are you talking about? Are you talking about particle acceleration? Dark matter? Real dimensional technology?"
"Yeah!" Veno replied. "Thas the one! Dark matter! When they was discovering new things and then they went discover one whole new side of the galaxy."
"Didn't that happen in Godzilla?" Matt asked jokingly.
Veno dramatically and humorously ranted, "No!... That didn't happen in Godzilla, Matt! You're not helping! That happened in one Stephen King novel! That sh$t's real!"
Matt said facetiously, "Yeah, it's true! I was there!"
He and Veno laughed.
Veno argued, faking seriousness, "No you weren't, Matt. You were never thea! You is one liah!"
Matt kept chuckling to himself, amused by Veno's constantly reactive behaviors.
"No. It's true, though," Harrison acknowledged cleanly. "Scientists figured out way ahead of time that we would be doing things extra dimensionally, like warping around in space, on top of collecting and using dark matter as an energy source once they discovered how to stabilize warp cores. That's when science fiction was actually getting good."
"Hoh, and you went read about all that, Harrison?" Veno asked.
"Yup," Harrison said. "Not much else you can do but read when you're doing patrols in the middle of nowhere, where basically nothing happens."
"You worked for the Air Force, right?" Matt asked, not caring about the details. Veno laughed.
"No," Harrison said. "I was a police officer back on Earth for a while, and then I moved on, tired of that life. But then, an agency offered me a contract that I couldn't pass up, so I ran patrols for them, supervising small operations and the sort."
"Hoh, nah! Who went hire you?" Veno asked.
"The Space Force asked me," Harrison informed.
"Hoh, nah!" Veno excited.
Harrison resumed, "They didn't say I would be going to space, making the offer more enticing for me, next to the pay. It was much too early a decision for me to make to get up here, so that's when I was doing more computer work behind the scenes."
"That's why you went never answer my text messages, then," Veno said, pretending to be annoyed. "Nah!"
The three of them laughed.
"How come Space Force never went ask me?" Veno complained playfully.
Matt declared, "They didn't ask me either!" He chuckled.
"Yeah!" Veno said. He sobered in tone, still smiling. "They didn't ask me if I like work for them," he whined lightly. Veno felt somehow excluded. "So, you and me are contract workers while Harrison is straight up Space Force? Ka'eo them too?" Veno asked.
"I told you guys earlier, before we boarded," Harrison said, continuing on, "They have me working with you guys to supervise this mission. The only reason we are all working together is because they reviewed and cross-referenced our histories. The USF is good at rostering."
"So, how come my company never went tell me that our contract was going interweave with the USF?" Veno asked.
"The USF is buying contracts all the time," Harrison explained. "It's not that your parent company didn't want to include you on the deal. It's that it's a normal practice now, and I guess you guys haven't ever worked with the USF before. You see, in space, there are the Space Forces..."
"Yeah," Veno complied. "And?" He laughed, glancing at Matt. Matt chuckled along with him.
Harrison resumed, "-There's the Police Covenant, the mercenary and paramilitary groups who were basically displaced workers from various Space Forces who made big spending cuts or just firing and letting people go... then the cartels who were more or less the same as the mercenaries-especially now-and the corporations for science and space tech, technology and manufacturing companies, satellites system builders-."
"So..." Veno interrupted, mildly intimidated by the reminder of how many groups and factions were part of the giant human web of life. "How come they went interweave our contract with da USF kine instead of...?"
"Yeah," Matt chimed in. "Why didn't they tell us?"
Veno added, "Why is the USF outsourcing to companies like ours?" Veno grinned. "-The company I work for?"
"I honestly don't know why they didn't brief you on the USF side of things," Harrison answered. "All I know is that your companies were designed with the Space Force mission in mind, according to the USF and what they say about uniting and protecting all of Earth's citizens and beyond. They didn't mention Space Force at all in your company memos?"
"They did," Matt said.
Veno tagged on, "No yeah, they did."
Matt explained, "But they didn't tell us that we would be kind of on the USF's payroll this time. That's confusing! I thought that we would be here for our company, not for the USF. Why wouldn't they explain that more clearly?" Matt glanced over at Veno.
"They used to say, yeah?" Veno checked with Matt.
Matt said, "That's what I thought!"
Harrison explained, "Basically, how it is in space, you can assume you're always working for a Space Force or will be working under some space-based faction's umbrella. Whoever is at the top, that's who you're technically working for, and I'm guessing..."
"So, the company is working for them, and they're the client," Veno said, trying to understand Harrison's explanation.
They fell silent for a moment.
"So," Matt began. "The reason why I'm asking all this is... how am I supposed to file my taxes this year, then?" He chuckled along with Harrison as Veno laughed loudly. Matt continued, sounding as though he was half-joking and slightly overdramatic, "I'm serious! How's this all supposed to look on paper? What? The company is going to use separate tax forms and I gotta do alllll the new paperwork myself? Or are they going to add a page on my normal tax form and say I owe the region tax, sector tax, as well as a God dang federal space tax or some weak a$$ Space Force tax? How many people do I owe? Come on!"
Matt, Harrison, and Veno laughed.
"You do your own taxes?" Veno asked.
Matt answered, "Yeah! Doesn't everyone?" Matt chortled. "So, how am I supposed to file my taxes with my company and the USF? There's a section for that?
"Eh! Rememba? They went give us one online lecture!" Veno stated. "They gave us choke emails with all that tax information, you don't remember that, Matt?"
"No," Matt replied, chuckling.
Veno said, "Hohoh! Matt! So irresponsible, yeah? Nah." Veno and Matt chuckled, Veno obviously still playing around. Veno continued, "Matt. Our company went send out emails before we started on this job, said something about altered tax forms. I'm actually just remembering this now, that it was saying taxes would be different for me this year. Matt, you don't remember the emails?"
Matt kept chuckling, having nothing to say. Veno laughed, knowing Matt didn't read any of it. "Uh oh," Matt said, laughing in a deeper tone. "Am I missing something?"
"You know why? Bah, it's white people das why! You is the problem, Matt!... Nah!" Veno declared jokingly. "Nah, I'm just joking!"
Matt ran up to Veno and grabbed him from behind, holding him in a wrestling stance, the two of them laughing with each other.
Harrison moved away and went back on his PCD.
Veno tried to break free and shouted, "Eh, wait! Matt! Stop, brah! I'm joking, brah! Stop! I'm trying for work!" Matt pretended like he was going to flip Veno over into the ground, lifting him gently. "No, Matt! Matt! Please, brah! Please!" Veno laughed, then waited as a silent Matt was wondering which way to pick him up. "Eh! Matt! You going regret this, bah!"
"Mhmm!" Matt jokingly accepted, chuckling. He lifted Veno up slowly from the ground.
"Matt! No! Matt!" Veno shouted. "Eh! Enough, enough! I'm not kidding! I stay sore, Matt! And you not Josh, bah! Let go of me! I'm gonna tell Josh!"
To that, Matt cracked up and put Veno down, then ran back to the half wall he was leaning against before.
Veno was sighing profusely like he went through a very difficult time. He shouted, "You lucky I still like be touched like that! Nah, I'm joking! I hate that!" He, Matt, and Harrison laughed. "Thas gay thas why!"
"What's wrong with that?" Matt asked, holding in a laugh.
Veno reacted, "Everything wrong with that! I not gay, bah. Okay? I like work undisturbed!"
Matt and Harrison laughed, watching Veno go back into his PCD as he playfully shook his head in disapproval. Matt and Harrison followed suit, going into their own PCDs.
Harrison added softly, "You can be gay, Veno, that's fine."
Veno chortled, then everyone went silent.
Some seconds later, Matt chortled and said, "I don't know what I'm doing."
"You waiting, bah! We're waiting!" Veno shouted in dramatic jest. "You gotta wait for..." Veno looked up at Matt, smiling. "Wait for Ka'eo, yeah?"
"Yeah, we're waiting for Peter to come back," Matt jabbed jokingly. "And they're going to give us the full briefing."
"Where they at right now? I like have one word with the captain... about your behaviors," Veno joked. He laughed, waiting for Matt's reaction.
"Tattle tale!" Matt returned, scrolling through his work emails. Changing subject, he said, "Why do all my emails look like this?"
"Because... you went grab me thas why," Veno said in pretend annoyance, getting a chuckle from Matt. "Nah. I dunno why. What does the emails look like?"
"They look like they're scrambled. Like the top part is indented wrong," Matt answered. "This is a mess! I can't tell what they're trying to get me to read!"
Veno walked over to Matt and directed him, "Lemme see..." He scanned Matt's screen and said, "See look! Thas why! Matt, brah. You reading your emails from the wrong app."
"Yeah, but I like this app," Matt replied, chuckling.
"I no care, brah!" Veno playfully harshed. "You're supposed to use the company's app. That's why it looks all screwed up." Veno laughed in a patronizing tone. "You gotta change it back to the company app."
"Oh," Matt said. "That explains it!"
"See?" Veno said, satisfied.
Matt responded, "That's why I don't care."
He and Veno laughed.
They went silent, then Matt said, "I think I deleted it."
"What? The email?" Veno asked, going through his own PCD. Veno looked up, laughing, knowing what Matt meant. "The whole company app?" He kept laughing.
"Yeah," Matt chuckled. "How do I download it?"
"I dunno if you can, Matt," Veno answered, grinning at him. They looked at each other saying nothing.
"Whoops," Matt expressed dryly, scrolling his screen more aggressively while chuckling.
Veno laughed and said, "See, thas why, Matt." He sighed and shook his head like he was disappointed. "That's why you gotta be more responsible. Like me."
"Oh," Matt said flatly, chortling to himself.
Alec entered the room with Kanoa and Mana. Alec greeted the room, "Wassup foos!"
Harrison continued examining intel in his PCD, glancing up at Alec then back at the intel. "Sup Alec, sup Kanoa, sup... Mana."
"Sup," Mana said.
"Yo," Kanoa said.
Alec and Kanoa went around the room looking at what Matt, Harrison, and Veno were doing on their PCDs. Mana sat down at one of the tables.
Alec checked, "You guys messing around in here?"
"Nope," Harrison replied.
Matt chuckled, making Veno and then Kanoa chuckle.
Kanoa glanced at Alec with wide eyes and a held back smile.
Veno's face went to intense seriousness when he looked at his PCD and said, "Nah, Matt went touch me earlier." He shook his head, side eyeing Matt, then laughed again. Matt laughed with him.
Alec chuckled then said, "Hey, Matt... you can't be doing that inside of this space vessel." He walked closer to Matt and threw his arm around him.
Matt chortled at his PCD, then glanced up at Alec. He and Alec stared at each other, Matt blinking his eyes and holding a slight smile, while Alec looked like the pride of the military.
Matt asked, "Yes?" He opened into a chuckle with Alec.
Alec laughed and said, "I'm just joking." He went and sat down at a lone lounge table.
Kanoa quickly bit his nails then went and sat on a bar stool at the high counter and asked, "What have you guys really been doing over here?"
"This ship is huge!" Alec exclaimed, nodding slowly.
"I agree," Kanoa added.
"It is huge," Matt said.
Veno said, "That's what she said." He nodded then broke into laughter.
"That's what I said," Matt stated. "This ship is sooo big!"
The group laughed.
"Harrison, what have you been up to?" Asked Alec.
Harrison replied, "Oh, you know. Same thing."
"Nice!" Alec reacted.
Kanoa leaned forward on the counter to press a button on a water dispenser, filling up a pitcher.
"So, who decided that we were going to this planet?" Harrison asked. "Was it Ka'eo or was it Peter?"
Kanoa answered, "They didn't say. They picked us up in a transit station and then Ka'eo told us where we're going with him and his crew. So, I guess Ka'eo."
"Right, Mana?" Alec chimed in.
"Yeah," Mana said. He got up from his seat and went to the snack dispenser, looked it over dissatisfied, then went to the meal display to make use of the fabricator. Mana was still somewhat annoyed that there were more people aboard the Progenitor now, but it wasn't so bad with people that he knew.
Alec bobbed his head with the music.
Kanoa filled up a glass of water from the pitcher. "Anyone else want water?"
"I'll take some water," Harrison said, getting off of his PCD and joining Kanoa on a bar stool next to him.
"Me too," Alec said, hopping up from his seat then waiting at the counter.
Veno said, "Hoh yeah, we forget to drink water, yeah?"
Matt laughed and said, "Yeah!"
"We get all dry mouth from the AC and get all into our PCD, ah?" Veno explained. He walked over to the bar counter and said, "Lemme get some water, too, then."
"No, let me!" Matt joked, chuckling again. Matt walked up to the counter and attempted to grab the pitcher from Mana who was pouring himself some water. "Mana, outta the way!"
Mana turned to him and looked at him with a look of 'really?' Matt chuckled to himself while Veno and Alec watched.
Veno smiled and said, "Hoh, Matt. So rude, ah?"
Matt released the pitcher handle letting Mana pour himself water. Matt chuckled and sat on a bar stool, trying not to laugh.
Veno said, "Sorry, Mana. Matt's so rude, yeah?" He glanced at Mana laughing then side-eyed Matt, playfully shunning him.
Matt asked, "Why am I always the bad guy?"
The crew laughed.
Veno said, "Because you irresponsible, bah!"
"Yeah, Matt!" Alec tagged along, pouring himself water.
Matt chuckled and said, "Wow! I see how it is. Thanks Don!"
"Nah, Matt," Veno said, smiling.
"Uh-huh," Matt nodded. "Mhmm. Whatever, Don. Remember what I did!"
"Fine, Matt," Veno chortled. He declared viciously yet playfully, "You the captain, then!"
A chime was heard at the fabricator, prompting Kanoa to say, "Mana, your food is ready."
Matt, responding to Veno said, "That's what I like to hear! Oh, not that." Matt and Veno laughed.
"Yeah, I know. Thanks," Mana told Kanoa, drinking his glass of water and cooling down. Mana walked over to the fabricator release door and pressed a button to open it, then grabbed it out with his water still in hand.
"Mana, what'd you get?" Kanoa asked.
"Yeah, is the food on this ship any good?" Alec asked.
Matt chuckled and added,
Mana said, "Meat patties with vegetable combo. And yeah, it's pretty good."
"Hoh, imitation crab, ah?" Veno said, grinning. "Nah," he chuckled.
"Nah, nah nah nah, nah nah nah," Matt poked at Veno.
"You're so d$cks, brah!" Veno shouted playfully, getting a laugh from Matt, Alec, and Kanoa. "Let me talk story!"
Mana said dryly, "It's uhh... lobster thermidor, but it's... genetically..."
"GMOs," Harrison gave.
"Lobster thermidor! Not!" Veno exclaimed.
"Yeah! Lobster thermidor patties!" Mana said, raising his eyebrows and taking another bite of his food.
"Everything is all GMOs now, yeah?" Veno asked, laughing. He gulped down half of his water and exhaled like it hit the right spot.
"Oooh, thirsty boy," Matt said playfully.
Veno laughed, "Quiet already, Matt."
Matt chuckled and licked his lips like a cat.
"Yeah, it's GMOs, but it's still healthy. Like, it's not fake, or as fake as it was before," Mana detailed. "GMOs are a good thing now, or we would be f$cking starving."
Veno acknowledged him saying, "Hohoh f$$$ck that." He downed all his water. "I no like starve on one space ship, brah. I always said that."
"Hey, where all the chicks at?" Alec asked, smiling and looking like he was nervous.
Kanoa smiled at Alec and said, "They're still getting ready."
Veno and Matt laughed.
Veno said, "I like try that... GMO lobster thermidor. Lemme try." Mana held up his plate as though to offer, but Veno politely gestured no and said, "Thank you, though."
Veno chortled nervously and went up to the meal display to order the same of what Mana was having. He asked Mana, "Which one is the one you went get? I don't see it on the menu. Lobster thermidor patty."
"Choose the popular items list and then press the first one," Mana said.
"Oh, that one." Veno said, following Mana's directions then pressing the 'finalize order' button. Veno asked, "Okay, then it says 'meat patty with veggies,' but how come it doesn't say lobster? I want to know I'm getting lobster!"
Matt said, "Hey, that's mine!"
Everyone turned to look at Matt, the room silent.
Matt ranted jokingly, "How come I didn't get any? That's not fair!"
Kanoa wheezed a laugh while everyone else stayed silent. Veno was grinning, waiting for someone to say something.
Matt laughed, "I didn't know everyone was going to just stare at me! Geez!"
"Yeah, it's not yours that's why!" Veno asserted playfully.
Veno and Alec laughed.
Harrison sighed, going back on his PCD to read more, enjoying the casual feeling with the group, but knowing he needed to prepare for the upcoming expedition.
Veno grabbed his food from the fabricator and took a bite. He started to laugh and said, "Brah, this is bomb! So good, that!"
"Good, right?" Mana chuckled.
"Bugga is onolicious, lidat!" Veno smiled, taking another bite, then he shouted humorously, "But it's not lobster thermidor, you liar!"
Mana, Alec, and Kanoa laughed.
"How much do we owe?" Matt asked. "Oh, it isn't really lobster?"
"No!" Veno shouted.
"So it's imitation lobster?" Matt asked jokingly.
Kanoa, Mana, and Alec laughed.
Veno shouted again, "No! It's one normal beef patty!" He laughed out loud. "Ho, this f$cka had me going-had me in the first half, not gonna lie!"
The crew laughed.
Veno chuckled. Holding a grin, he said, "You one liar, Mana. F$ckin' lobster thermidor. Liyah!"
Veno, Matt, Alec and Mana laughed.
"So, it's not lobster thermidor," Matt chuckled.
Alec laughed and said, "I was gonna ask. Lobster thermidor patties sounds hella expensive!"
"And all packed into one dense meat patty!" Veno concurred, chuckling. "Can you imagine that? Hoh! That's a lot of lobsters."
Matt laughed uncontrollably.
"Why you laughing for?" Veno asked, continuing to eat his meal.
"That's a lot of lobster!" Matt repeated, still laughing.
The crew laughed again.
Matt calmed himself and asked, "So how much do we owe?"
"It comes out of our meal time pay," Kanoa answered, clearing his throat. "We're each given, like, so many hours of pay for food, and then whenever we use the fabricator and snack dispenser, they draw it directly from our account."
"Oh, so, it just went charge Mana for my meal?" Veno laughed excitedly, lowering the patty from his mouth. Matt, Alec, and Kanoa laughed with him.
Mana answered, "No, because every time you select something from the menu-."
Kanoa intervened, "When you submit the order, it automatically scans your finger print, and then it charges to your account."
Veno said, "Hooooh, naaaah!" He chuckled. "That's right! So it just wen charge me at checkout, then. But not Mana?"
Matt and Alec laughed.
Matt suggested, "Mana, I think he wants you to pay for his patty."
Mana threw back, "I'm not paying sh$t, okay?" He scraped up his veggies and ate undeterred.
Matt laughed again.
"It doesn't give a receipt, though?" Alec asked. "This whole time, I thought we were drawing from like a ship potluck."
Matt laughed again, making Veno laugh.
Mana said, "No. It gives a receipt, but individually. The system keeps track. It doesn't take it from a group pay system."
Veno said, "No yeah, our company, that's what they do. But we no have one fabricator over there, I guarantee you that's why. They make us use our own credits or they potluck it like Alec was thinking. They're cheap because they only get so much supply, yeah? We don't have that machine right deya, bah. You guys is sooo lucky!" Veno chortled.
"Well? Guess what, Veno. The United Space Force does," Alec declared, laughing with Veno and Matt.
"United Space Force gets everything," Veno said, going from an angry face to a happy face. "Our company only gives us scraps," Veno said, glancing up at Matt. The two of them laughed together.
Alec asked, "What company hired you guys?"
The room went silent. Mana got up from his seat to throw his plate into the burner.
"Wow," Matt said.
Veno, Alec, and Kanoa cracked up.
Kanoa added humorously, "Yeah, who would hire you guys?!"
Veno said, "Hey, who are you to ask?"
Alec and Harrison went ohhh!
Veno, Kanoa, and Matt laughed.
Mana said, "I'm going back to my room. See you guys."
Veno reacted, "Oh okay, shoots den, Mana! Hey, no get lost!"
"Yeah!" Matt added. "This is a biiiig ship!"
Mana replied to Veno, "Yeah, I won't."
"Goodnight, Mana," Kanoa and Harrison said.
Alec said, "Night, Mana!"
Matt said, "Okay, goodnight, Mana!"
"See ya," Mana said, exiting the room. Mana kept his opinions in, but he was thinking to himself, they're getting old. He headed back to his living quarters to spend some time alone and prepare for the upcoming mission, thinking about going up to the command bridge.
"Wait, when are we dropping in on the planet?" Alec asked. "I've been wanting to know."
Veno replied, "When Ka'eo says-."
"And Peter!" Matt reacted.
"Yeah!" Veno said, clearing his throat from eating. "When Ka'eo and Peter says. And Mana." He laughed, scrounging up his veggies.
"Where they at? Peter, Ka'eo, Max...? And what are they doing?" Alec asked.
"Wouldn't you know better?" Matt asked Alec, sounding catty.
Veno laughed and said, "Wouldn't you like to know!"
Alec laughed, making Matt chuckle. Matt clung to a more serious role suddenly, for some reason.
Veno felt like Matt was beginning to target, playfully of course.
Alec responded to Matt, "Well, if you think I know better, then I probably do know better."
Kanoa laughed like he was having trouble inhaling.
"They're going to brief us first," Harrison informed. "Before we drop in. To answer your question, Alec."
Veno said, "How you know that?"
Harrison began, "It's standard-."
Alec interrupted, "Yeah, how do you know that, Harrison? You're brand new to the ship!"
Kanoa answered for him, "Because he works for Star Force. I mean, Space Force." Kanoa chuckled breathily.
Matt laughed at the newly introduced 'Star Force' meme concept and patronized in jest, "Oh, Kanoa!"
"It's the United Space Force, not the United Star Force!" Veno scolded lightly, chuckling. "What the hell is that?!"
Matt asked facetiously, "What's Star Force? I wanna try that! That sounds way cooler! What do you guys think?"
The room went silent for a moment.
"Yeah, what da hell is Star Force?! Sounds meeaan! Way better than Space Force!" Veno joked, breaking the silence. "Space Force sounds old! We want Star Force!"
"Yeah!" Matt played along.
They laughed out loud together in the lounge area, continuing discussions and debates, while Peter, Ka'eo, Max, and Stravros were up on the command bridge doing similarly. The next step in the mission was clearly up to them, if not USF Command.