The Adventures of Goryx and Xyrog

     "If it's really stuck and you just can't get it..." all the screens fizzle to black, and as the noise picks up again throughout the Hangar, the Space Station speakers screech to life and Jaster's voice echoes across the floor. "Hi folks, this is Space Station HQ speaking, apologies for that unexpected interruption I'm sure none of us need a reminder of that particular episode of Altador Cup history," here she chuckles, "It seems we have a glitching satellite that managed to send out a rogue broadcast but nothing to be alarmed about, we already have someone on the case to get that fixed and we are back to our regular programming here at the Space Station". The screens slowly flicker back to life showing the usual mix of advertisements, timetables for arriving and departing ships and announcements.

     Thanking Gula and placing a few Neopoints onto the cart, Goryx picks up his pace towards the space shuttle. It was definitely time to get that satellite fixed.

     Aboard the shuttle, Goryx initiates the embarkation sequence and inputs the coordinates from the blue disc Kali had given him. As the shuttle begins its automated extraction from the docking bay, the Grundo stands out of the pilot seat and paces back and forth in the tight space, tugging at his left ear.

     This was a small shuttle, made for close-range travel for up to four people. The interior was a marvel of efficiency, every inch of space utilized to its fullest. It had two bunks, a small desk with a computer and a kitchenette - which right now was stocked with Sticky Glob Sticks and Space Floss, Xyrog's favourites. Along the left bulkhead was a row of lockers including the one with four space suits, and taking up the majority of the shuttle was the control deck. As they left the space station behind, Goryx stared through the reinforced viewport. Now all he could see were the stars stretching out before them, a glittering tapestry against the inky void of space. The gentle hum of the engines and the occasional beep from the control panel were the only sounds breaking the silence of their cosmic journey.

     Walking to the desk, Goryx slips the green disc into the display and takes a seat, Xyrog settling around his shoulders like a scarf. Holographic displays flickered to life around Goryx, showing readouts of the ship's systems and their trajectory.

     "No harm in just looking, right?" he whispers to the Nedler. It would take at least five hours to reach the satellite and there wasn't much else to do, he may as well see what else this malfunctioning equipment had been broadcasting across Neopia.

     He could feel Xyrog staring intently at the computer screen as the Grundo opened the first of twelve files. A Brown Gelert is facing the camera, sitting in a sparsely furnished room. The mood is sombre. He begins to speak, "Well, it's not talked about much, Neopian officials like to sweep it under the rug because it doesn't say anything good about our society." Goryx remembers this scene, it's from a documentary on the Neopian Pound, exposing the truth about those Neopets that are abandoned and left at the Pound for years, sometimes even decades.

     "I have been here for what seems forever," the Gelert heaves a sigh, "I just wish more Neopets knew about us". Goryx recalled that for this Gelert at least there had been a happy ending, he had found a home with a family of Gelerts in Neopia Central. The screen freezes, and Goryx taps a couple of keys to try and restart the video, but then it rewinds and images of the Gelert glitch in and out of place. "The disc must be dirty or scratched," Goryx goes to eject the disc but before he can, the Gelert pops back onto the screen, this time the image is crystal clear but his sentences are warped and repeated, "I have been here...been here...for what seems forever...forever...been here...forever".

     The other eleven files are much the same, fragments of video and audio played in a dizzying sequence: "We needed help..." from an old Altador Cup interview, "...stuck here..." from a Neopian Times documentary, "...forever..." whispered by a voice he didn't recognise.

     He noticed something odd. Each clip seemed to be cut off just before revealing some crucial information. It was as if... as if something was trying to communicate, but could only do so through these disjointed pieces of Neopian media history.

     Goryx's antennae twitched nervously. What if this wasn't just a malfunction? What if something out there was crying out for help?

     "Well I'll be spaced. I think Kali was partially right. I think someone might be using the satellite to send a message for assistance," Goryx said to no one in particular. By this point, he had watched the files through about five or six times. He shook himself and picked Xyrog up from his shoulder, holding the Nedler in front of his face, "That's ridiculous, right? Tell me I'm being silly, one too many Gormballs to the head. That Mynci was making absolutely no sense, I'm just tired, right?" Xyrog looked at him and then back to the screen, woofing softly with unease.

     Goryx pulled up the satellite's specifications on his tablet. "Let's see... X47-Q telecoms satellite, launched in Year 6, equipped with a quantum entanglement communication array and a self-sustaining fusion power core. How could something like this be compromised?" He scratched his head, puzzled by the mystery.

     Looking down at his investigator watch that his parents had given him as a graduation gift, Goryx realises that he's been watching and re-watching the files for the past two hours. Getting up with a groan he stretches his arms overhead and walks over to the pilot deck, checking that they are still on course. "I think that Mynci has put some funny ideas in my head, I just need to have a quick Blooky nap before we reach the satellite". Setting the shuttle to full autopilot and alert mode he crawls into one of the bottom bunks, Xyrog curling up underneath and attempts to fall asleep. He slowly drifts off with the videos playing like a reel in his head, the words "help me" echoing in his dreams.

     The sound of incessant beeping coming from the control deck wakes Goryx with a start. He leaps out of bed and rushes over and sees that the satellite has just appeared on the outskirts of the shuttle's scanner. Fifteen minutes to approach.

     Goryx, almost tripping over the Nedler sprawled on the floor at the foot of the bed, shakes Xyrog awake and heads to the lockers with the space suits. The suits are upgraded versions of those used during the Resistance. The familiar black and blue colouring with silver trim, though his didn't come with a jetpack or blaster, instead it had a spacebelt with all of his tools and zipline with a mini air-jet valve to allow for navigating in space. They were tight and finicky, definitely not fun to get in or out of. Finally, after a triple check that all of the zips were zipped and clasps clasped, Goryx slides his space goggles to sit atop his head. The navigation screen blinks, big orange numbers indicating t-minus two minutes. Not allowing himself to think of the conclusions he had jumped to before his nap, he walks up to the main porthole and stares out into space, "Sorry you can't come with me buddy, I wish you could," he murmurs, absentmindedly running his hand down Xyrog's back in short, nervous pats, "We really have to get you a special space suit made. Next Day of Giving, I promise".

     Listening to the clock tick down the seconds, Goryx sees the satellite coming into view: A large, white circular structure with the green glow of the power core shining through its central void out of the four supports extruding from the main body. Squinting his eyes, Goryx leans in close, "Wait, what's..." he doesn't have a chance to finish his sentence as suddenly the ship goes dark and the emergency beacon starts wailing. The main power shuts down as the shuttle swaps to backup power supply in an instant. Goryx races to the pilot seat, desperately running the usual system checks through the control panel. "What's happening?! We weren't hit, the ship's hull seems intact..." The transponder screen flickers to life in front of him as does his personal tablet.

     The Gelert from the documentary clip is displaying from all screens on the shuttle, "I have been here forever..." it swaps to Captain Fonnet "We needed help," and then a new clip of Gorix, the Grundo Resistance fighter who together with Cylara brought down the evil Dr Sloth. "He betrayed us, he wasn't helping Kreludor, he was hurting them". Gorix was talking about Parlax, a former Resistance fighter turned spy for the enemy. The beacon was still screeching and the voice-over in the shuttle repeating "Urgent: Main power deactivated" creating a cacophony of sound on the small shuttle. Goryx wasn't sure what to do, he could see the satellite a few hundred metres away out the porthole, and had a better view of what he'd glimpsed just before the power outage. Goryx's eyes widened. The strange mass clinging to the main power core seemed to defy classification. It wasn't like any space debris he'd ever encountered. It reminded him of ancient Kreludoran legends about cosmic entities that drifted between worlds, collecting knowledge, and it was moving…

     To be continued…