UNION: “Hi Oceana! You’re wearing that dress you did after you grew human-lady hair! You look very nice today!”
OCEANA: “Thank you, Union. You look nice too, as always!”
UNION: “Uhh, . . . you mean these doctor scrubs? I know I should dress better instead of working all the time. Being the Elder of Sol, the Newtonian Professor, Engedian Star Force Commodore, Medical Doctor, Engineer, Scientist, College lecturer, and . . . you see what I mean! So much work to do . . . but I love it!”
OCEANA: “I know you do, Union! I love that you always seek the energy of the Great Imm Leader to help you. And our people are getting inspired by your story every day. I should know, I saw this for myself 9 Earth-years ago. Let me tell you a story Union . . .
<Nine Earth-years ago, at the Battle of Sirius, the Planet Engedi successfully thwarted the most ruthless plot the Agagan Realms ever devised. They tried to kidnap and enslave millions of Engedian children to serve as technological slaves. But they did not anticipate the heroic actions of a young, unassuming 19-year old medical student who had the right skills at the right place at the right time . . . >
GRAND ELDER NOMAD: “IFS Thunder, this is the Grand Elder. Our fleet has repaired their power drains and come to your aid! What is the status of the Agagans, and how about the children you saved?”
CAPTAIN ECHO: “Your Excellency, it was NOT me who saved them. The cadet assigned to design and invent my ship did the job!”
GRAND ELDER NOMAD <unpictured>: “Is that so? Who is this young cadet?”
CAPTAIN ECHO <unpictured>: “He is Union, of the House of Gimel. I didn’t know this but he has already earned a HUGE amount of doctorates and counting! I was concerned about his health issues, but he held up his end when I was knocked out. He took this invention of his and disabled all of the Agagan slaver ships . . . and he went after the ONE transport that got away. He found them and liberated them all! They’re safe and sound!”
GRAND ELDER NOMAD: “I have accessed Union’s information. Professor Lagrange has told me about this young man. Today, he stands a GREAT HERO in Engedi’s history and he WILL be promoted as the Great Imm Leader is our maker! How is he?”
CAPTAIN ECHO: “He is resting. He was mildly ill during this and suffered some injuries while rescuing that botany class with 13 girls.
<In the medical bay, young Union is asleep when a young visitor named Oceana comes in . . . >
OCEANA: “Hello Cadet Union. I know you’re asleep. I hope you’re OK . . . I really do!”
OCEANA: “Are you OK? I want you to be OK! I want to thank you for saving me and my school friends. I know that my big brother Sneak is your best friend, and I can see why he considers you a brother. I know those other students in your classes picked on you, but they were wrong! I know you likely saved many of their sisters in my class today.”
OCEANA: “I don’t care if others won’t be your friend . . . I’ll be your friend. And I’ll be glad to ask you to be my botany advisor. I love you very much, Union!”
<Oceana kisses Union’s forehead>
OCEANA: “I’ll have to tell you more about this one day . . . ”
<Present Day . . . >
UNION <shocked yet very amazed/pleased>: “You! YOU! It was YOU that said that! I remember having heard that, but didn’t remember everything. I remember . . .
<Nine Earth-years ago again . . . >
CAPTAIN ECHO: “Cadet Union? Wake up!
UNION: “Captain Echo, sir! Are the little girls out of danger?”
CAPTAIN ECHO <smiling and pleased>: “Yes, and EVERY other Engedian children those evil Agagans tried to enslave. You saved ALL of them, Union! Grand Elder Nomad and all of Engedi are cheering for you in the cities and villages on the planet, and you will be promoted!”
UNION: “I am pleased sir! So I’m not in trouble for taking command of the ship while you were unconscious?”
CAPTAIN ECHO: “There are times that breaking the chain of command is necessary. Millions of our children would be slaves of the Agagan realms had you not acted!
UNION: “Well, sir. I know there was one of the girls that thanked me for saving her and her friends. Where is she?”
CAPTAIN ECHO: “She? Which one, I let them out at their mountain village area an hour ago”.
UNION: “Ok, let me go see!”
<Union runs out the back entry door of the IFS Thunder and looks around . . . >
UNION: “She seemed like such a nice girl! I hope to meet her again one day. I’ll have to tell Sneak about this!”
<Present Day . . . >
UNION: “Apparently, that little girl was YOU! And my, you certainly have grown!”
OCEANA: “Well, that’s the story. That girl was ME!”
UNION: “Well, it seems like you might be something EVEN GREATER than a Best Friend!”
OCEANA: “What’s that, Union?”
UNION: “As time has gone on, I’ve become more fascinated by you than ever. You’re not a little girl anymore and we are both grown Engedians.”
OCEANA <wide-eyed and anticipating the next statement>: “What are you saying, Union?”
UNION: “I . . . I LIKE YOU. I don’t know if it’s as much as Mr. Ben and Miss Jessica like each other, but I believe it’s the start of the same thing.
OCEANA: “I thought that’s what you meant. And if you are looking for a ‘girlfriend’ like Humans say, I would love to be your girlfriend!”
UNION: “YES!!! , YES, YES, YES! Well, I’m very pleased. So I guess what we should do is what Engedians call courtship. How about we sit together near the firepit in Mr. Ben and Miss Jessica’s backward. You like that?”
OCEANA: “Oh yes. Maybe we can have marshmallows!”
<That evening at the house . . . >
UNION: “Being the Elder of Sol can be very tiring, but what’s nice is pursuing these curious Human practices such as ‘roasting hotdogs’.”
OCEANA: “Well, I’ll be there to help you every way I can. You should have seen how Sneak reacted to hearing about you and me.”
UNION <laughing>: “Yes, he went on and on about ‘I can’t think of a better man for my sister to like other me!”
OCEANA <smiling>: “Well, it’s nice to not see him on red alert with some of the other guys that took interest in me! Anyway, so we will be moving our colony soon?”
UNION: “Yes. And Eli, Chance, and Sneak have disclosed details about a second Earthnaut saucer to work alongside the IFS Thunder. They want me to command this new ship which is similar to the Thunder but has a larger sensor dome, and we will 5D print it from molecular cloning Earth materials.
OCEANA: “What materials do you think?”
UNION: “Our team members have some good ideas. Something related to Arizona.”
Oceana and Union – First Earthnaut Dating Couple on Planet Earth!
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For the Great Galactic Space Gimmick, we’re the Earthnauts and as always, Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski!!! 🙂
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(DISCLAIMER: The alien characters depicted in this story are fictional, and any real alien with similar names, similar appearance, or similar home planet is highly coincidental. Also, the aliens and some photos used for The Earthnauts stories are used in honor and parody of various works of science-fiction and alien themed literature and media. It is believed that this constitutes legal fair-use. )