"Dami it!" Nancy couldn't resist herself from saying.
Nancy typed furiously on the keyboard and glanced at the screen again. It's been five seconds since she sent the probe signal out and it still hasn't returned. A good five seconds! She is sure that computers are not this slow even in the twenty first century. And this is the twenty third century, where it seems as if the computer have a pre knowledge of your command and will execute the moment you finish it.
"Still not back?" Nancy heard a teasing voice from her back. She sughed and turned, intending to cut whoever dares interrupt into pieces with her mouth.
"What fucking acient Earth lover dares..."
The words stuck in her throat. The 'Acient Earth lover' is none other than Nicole, her colleague who is in no way acient. Mainly because she just might ask her for help now.
"Still havent overcome your hate for Earthlings?" Nicole asked putting on a mock parent scolding face.
"Normal Ocsart habit I guess." Nancy replied.
Being a citizen of Ocsart, it isn't abnormal to hate Earth citizens. Infact, it has become a norm and tradition to hate Earth citizens.
"To hate all except themselves?" Nicole asked, smirking.
Nancy smirked in return. Nicole wasn't lying. Of the three plenets cutrently inhabited by humans, Tremor, Earth and Ocsart, Ocsart is friendly with non other than Ocsart. In defence, Nancy will always say that it is not entirely their fault, having gotten their freedom with their blood after being teamed on by negroes and caucasians, on can't expect Asian to just go about hugging Earthlings and Tremors*[1] who were mostly Negroes and Caucasians. That was precisely the reason Ocsart was founded and developed.And why she couldn't understand what she is doing on Olympus, a spacestation owned by Earth, as a Interplanetary liaison Representative. Especially as she always managed somehow to find herself in the networking section of Olympus. An more especially as the Olympus network seems to be the most annoying network in the universe.
Nancy looked at the screen again. Still blank. She sighed. She must ask the Acient for help it seem. But in the past few days , she has gotten used to it.
"Nicole please can you help me with tracking the probatry signal?" Nancy asked.
"You finally asked. I thought you will never ask." Nicole replied." You know the normal process don't you?"
Nancy groaned. She knew it alright. They have to go to the central control room and start tracing all their activities the old fashioned way. From the day's start. As if that is not enough, the have to pass by Section 3, since the normal route through the hallway connecting modules have been closed off, which mean another lovesick lecture from Mozart. She packed her digital wafers containing her information and permits, just incase the security decides to pick on her, clipped her light pen to her belt and trudged grudgingly behind Nicole. She can already tell the day is going to be another hell.
"So...you still havent told me what's up with Ocsart and Earth" Nicole began as soon as they were in their way.
Nancy groaned. She is right. This is going to be one hell of a day. Ever since Ocsart willingly volunteered to help Earth with the new space station Olympus out of no reason, with no visible tangible benefits and suddenly sent her as Interplanetary Liaison Representative, Nicole have been borthering her. She will never understand that Nancy is an ordinary military officer, with no privy to the things happening at the top, just obeying orders. Of course she won't. She is just a normal worker on Olympus and not a military officer on some assignment.
"I already told you I dont know" Nancy said.
"Of course you don't" Nicole's voice was sarcastic.
"Oh! Sorry I forgot. I do know something." Nancy's voice was equally sarcastic but Nicole was too curious to notice.
"I always knew. Now spit it out"
"You already know."
"I do?" There was a look of 'You are joking' on Nicole's face.
"Of course you do. If you know I know something then you must know what I know" Nancy replied accusingly.
"I know nothing!" Nicole was quick to defend herself.
"That means I also know nothing." Nancy's voice was triumphant. Only then did Nicole understand the whole saga. She felt like an idiot. Something she discovered Nancy have been making her to feel lately.
"You are going to make me regret being friendly with you forever aren't you?"
If there was one thing Nancy hates about her friend Nicole, it is that she thinks Nancy wouldn't be able to do anything without her. The fact the she is partly right somehow made Nancy hate it even more. Her first day on Olympus had been hell. As the supervisor and head of the team of people Ocsart sent, she is always having keeping her team from trouble. Being ferim Ocsart, they find it hard to ask Earth citizens for help, so she is pretty much the one doing all the work. Which is where Nicole comes in. But that doesnt mean she cant find her way about. The problem is that Olympus as a space station is an experimental model and so is vastly different from the one they or she is used to.
The team were sent to complement Earth's workforce.
"Nicole. Can you confide a secret to me? About planet Tremor and this Olympus business?" Nicole asked.
"Sure. If I know it."
"You can't not know it."