My Name is Telchurak

"Five, Four, Three, Two, One, BLAST OFF!" 

I watched as the space ship sped away into the dark abyss speckled with starlight. Everyone in the room cheered as the rocket gradually grew smaller and smaller until it was completely hidden from sight. We were finally finished.

For years, the top scientists of Jupiter had been working hard to develop a new, energy saving fuel. King Skeovib - King of Jupiter - had "banished" them to the moon Amalthea, which was mainly used for scientific discoveries. They were not allowed to leave under any circumstances until this fuel was completed. The fuel was needed to help with the war on Neptune. It would boost the power of a rocket ship, helping it to arrive at its destination faster. This new rocket fuel could be a game-changer in the war. After two years of research and experimentation, our scientists perfected the fuel, which would be used immediately to help with the war efforts.  

Although I was also sent to Amalthea because of the rocket fuel experiment, I am by no means a top scientist. I work for Galaxy Intelligence - Jupiter's secret service organization. I was brought to Amalthea in order to guard the laboratory, meaning that any rocket that got within a 50 mile radius of Amalthea had to be disabled. 

Our Colonel glamorized the mission, when they first were looking for recruits, and unfortunately I bought into it. For two years I did nothing but stare at the sky watching for rockets. Nothing else. Just stare. The only excitement was when the occasional projectile happened to venture too close to our work base. If any rocket looked suspicious, we disabled it and sent it away from the planet. Then we were right back to staring at the sky.  Additionally, King Skeovib wanted as few people involved in the project as possible, so there were only two shifts, each being twelve hours long.

That's why we all gazed at the completed rocket, some scientists with tears pouring down their cheeks. I only watched the rocket for a few seconds, before settling near the celebratory food tables. Yes, it was impressive, but the feeling of relief was overwhelming. Now, I could collect that enormous paycheck that kept me going all those months- 1,000 moles of crystallized Ammonia. But the best part of it all was that each employee would receive a three months vacation, with pay. I was looking forward to that holiday in Thebes that I had planned half-way into our mission, or as I would call it the appalling commission of monotony.

About a half an hour after blast off, Colonel Snight entered the room.

"Hello everyone. We have some important news," he announced in an official manner. "The blast off was a success. The mission has officially been completed. King Skeovib has received the fuel and has given you all permission to leave. Thank you for your dedication to your planet and King. You will be leaving 6 o'clock in the morning." Everyone in the room erupted into thunderous applause. When it had died down, he finished with, "Get a good nights rest and enjoy your extended vacation."

After many hours of flying, I finally reached the mainland. A hover car drove me from the rocket port to the city in Jupiter where I lived. The hover car drove up to my apartment, and I leaped out. I raced to my front door while the hover car sped away. Excitedly, I opened the front door and stepped into my front hallway. I set down my bags and flopped onto the nearest couch. As I closed my eyes, exhaustion permeated every muscle in my body. I could feel myself spiraling into a deep sleep.

Riiiiinnnngggg!! I jumped off the couch, startled. I grumpily answered the phone.

"Hello, Telchurak. This is the Johsin speaking. We need you to be at headquarters in one hour - 3 o'clock sharp," the voice commanded. A loud click punctuated those words. I fell back onto the couch, and sighed in frustration. Why are they calling me in when I just got a three month vacation?  There was no use arguing, though. I could lose my job if I didn't. Slowly, I got up and got ready to go to headquarters.