Chapter 1: Introduction
Every uniformed worker passing Reginald Whitley's maintenance cart looked right through him as if he didn't exist. Some people glanced over at the man before glancing away and moving on. Most didn't even bother. "A grease stain on gray carpet would get more attention in this intergalactic station than the guy who cleans it." the hard-working janitor of Space Station Zeta thought to himself.
The empty hollowness felt in stark contrast to the lively station, a final outpost for those people who wished to venture out into the unknown reaches of space.
But even if the casual ignoring was the usual at the station, it felt particularly heavy for Reggie today.
Being a janitor at Station Zeta was no easy job, but he was no stranger to long working hours. With the station being newly built, the place always had its share of unexpected issues: lights flickering at odd moments; strange noises coming from ducts and walls; occasional water leaks.
Despite all that, he'd always enjoyed the serenity in the quiet of his job— until recently, when the tensions in the space station became palpable.
As he went through the communications room, Officer Tala Rivera, the Filipino woman who was currently on shift, called out to him as he went through disposing of the trash.
"Hi, Reggie! I just wanted to say thank you for getting the cleaning done in our area so quickly last week. The place looks great!"
A warm smile crossed Reggie's face. "No problem at all. It's always a pleasure to help out with communications." It was nice to know that someone appreciated the hard work that went into maintaining the station.
Besides Tala, there was only one other person on the station that seemed to have any regular interaction with Reggie, an orange-skinned alien security guard name Zara.
Zara was one of the newest guards on the station, assigned to protect the more high-ranking crew members. She had long, graceful tentacles instead of hair, pale glowing eyes, and a curvaceous but muscular figure. She walked with an intimidating gait, and her species seemed to always be in a state of heightened alert. Zara had made it clear from the start that she was not there to make friends.
As Reggie was making his way down the corridor, he saw Zara coming towards him. He knew she would not waste time on pleasantries, so he simply stepped aside to let her pass. But as Zara walked by, she paused and looked down at Reggie with her luminescent eyes.
"The floors seem cleaner than usual," she said in a low voice. "Did you do something different?"
From her tone, the janitor was unable to discern if Zara meant that as a compliment or complaint. Still, Reggie couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment at his extra efforts getting noticed. He nodded.
"I've been trying out a new cleaning solution. Seems to be working quite well, don't you think?"
Zara stared at Reggie for a moment longer before continuing down the hall. Though brief, it felt like progress between the two of them. Still, he now needed to go in and clean up the Captain's office. The Captain of the station worked strange hours, so Reginald was never certain if he would be going to an empty room or if the arrival would be treated as an intrusion.
As the doors to the office opened, he heard Captain Hector Alvarez chatting with someone on his comm, and Reggie did his best to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible.
"And what about the transfer, then? Any updates?" asked Alvarez. "I can't say I'm thrilled about being stuck out here with these backwater spacers, but it seems there's no avoiding it."
Reggie tried to keep his mind on his work, but the captain's words cut deep. He'd always known Captain Alvarez had a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but clearly, the issue ran deeper than he thought.
"Of course, I understand, Captain," came the reply. "But I'm afraid there's been no movement on that front. You know how slow the higher-ups can be."
A pause. "Yes, yes, I know," Alvarez said with a heavy sigh. "But what about the workers? Any chance of getting a better batch of them sent over?"
Another pause. "I see." Inferred the captain, "Well, it's hardly surprising, I suppose. Nobody worth bringing on would want to come out here anyways."
Reggie did his best to maintain a neutral expression and keep his head down while he cleaned the room. Captain Alvarez continued his call, paying no mind to the worker in the same room.
Reggie didn't want to draw any attention to himself, especially not when the captain was in such a mood.
It wasn't all that uncommon a feeling—the crew of the space station was often an isolated bunch, and even with the constant coming and going of ships passing through, there was always an undercurrent of tension.
It was almost a relief, then, when he finished cleaning Captain Alvarez's office and was able to leave and continue his rounds. There were always the more mundane tasks that required attention, like maintaining the air filtration systems and recycling facilities.
These tasks served as a welcome distraction from the interpersonal issues among the more privileged crew members. Reggie found solace in the knowledge that, without his work, the space station wouldn't be able to support such a large collection of diverse species.
Heading up to the recreational area, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the ease and camaraderie with which the off-duty officers and scientists mingled.
As Reggie worked in the background, collecting and disposing of waste, he overheard snippets of their conversations—talks of distant exoplanets and new research findings, stories of exciting space exploration missions, and even whispered secrets that made his cheeks flush.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. Not for the wealth or prestige associated with the positions they held, but for the unspoken acceptance with which they were treated.
Reggie sighed and collected the last of the waste bins, heading towards Dr. Chamber's lab.
As he entered, he noticed the room was in disarray, with papers and equipment strewn about. Reggie shook his head and began to pick up the mess, carefully organizing the papers and returning the equipment to its designated area.
As he worked, he couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity about the contents of the lab. Dr. Chambers was a brilliant scientist, but she was also known for her abrasive personality and short temper. However, Reggie's eye was drawn to one specific device, inexplicably left out for anyone to use.
It was a small, metallic object—sleek, rectangular, and pulsating with a faint glow. The more Reggie looked at it, the more intrigued he became.
As he picked it up, he noticed an inscription on its side: "Infinite Possibilities." Frowning, he looked over it, seeing what appeared to be a set of buttons similar to a recording device. Absentmindedly, he set the device to record, and when nothing felt different, he joking said, "This lab should really just clean itself."
As soon as he said that, his eyes widened as the device made a soft beeping noise, and suddenly, the mess began tidying itself in an almost magical way.
The equipment returned to its proper place, the papers floated up to where they belonged and even the smell of the room seemingly freshened. Reggie watched, a mix of surprise and delight on his face.
The ramifications of such a device in the hands of anyone could change the entire power dynamic of the station. If it could clean a lab, what else could it do?
As he thought about the possibilities, he could feel a newfound sense of power and excitement bubbling up inside him. It was as if this device had opened up a new world of opportunities – ones that were never in his grasp before.
Reggie looked around, making sure no one else was in the lab. He couldn't wait to test out the device's full potential.
Quickly, he spoke into the device, "Nobody besides Reggie pays attention to or has any interest in this device. Dr Chambers won't even notice or care if he takes it out of the lab with him." Then, nervously, Reginald Whitley slipped the device in his pocket and exited the lab, his shift finished early thanks to the device's power.