Titan- Prison Planet

Green Slugs and small talk.

Date 07-02-2385

Tuesday morning we got a brand new slug replacement and he looked like a twelve year old. He was cherrypicked from a kitchen crew and was originally chosen to replace Sandoval at the guidance testing range.

Turns out he has a fear of heights. Setting up the test instrument required making manual adjustments off of platforms and lifts at great heights.

The next day he was sent to my office with a handwritten note that read: He's useless in my department. If you don't want him then maybe they'll take him at the mines. They could always use a small worker to set charges in the tighter spots. The slugs name is Tri Jon Choi. We decided to rename him Jitters. You'll find out why soon enough.
The note was signed by Slick.

It was starting to annoy me that Slick was starting to send all his problems to me lately. Today we were running through a simulation on a new program and I didn't have time for distractions.

"Jitters" was sitting down in the hall with a reader book. His leg was unconsciously bouncing slightly as he swiped through the pages at an incredibly fast rate as his eyes scanned each one from top to bottom methodically.

"You actually reading that ?" I asked.

His leg stopped moving the second his concentration was broken.

"Uh...Yes. I speed read through a book a day. It's good for the mind."

He looked out of place here among hardened criminals in a military research facility. I began to wonder if some Boy Scout troop was missing one of their own.

"How long have you been here on planet?"

"About a year now. I started in the kitchen as a cooks assistant but when they found out I had a degree and  a guy from GRD had me reassigned to the testing crew."

"Slick?"

"Yes that was him."

"Well I'm your new boss. I'm Bridge Pease. You had a degree in what? Jitters."

"Aerospace Engineering. And Mr Pease please don't call me Jitters I didn't like that nickname. Just call me Tri."

"OK Tri and you can call me Bridge. Soo... Aerospace Engineering huh? That sounds interesting. But then ....... just what did an Aerospace Engineer do to end up here? Just what are you in for?"

"Uh...Do I have to say?"

"If you'll be working for me I want to know."

"Uh... I stole a fighter spacecraft- the Bushwacker 907."

"The secret one no one's supposed to know about? You're kidding! It's got to be the most heavily guarded next generation fighter on Earth."

"It was until I stole one and flew it to Mars. Turned out it was a sting and my buyers were undercover government agents, just pretending to be part of the Brotherhood. They arrested me on the spot once I landed."

"I'm impressed! I didn't know that could be done."

"Neither did they. They expected me to fail and arrest me on Earth but I was able to get it out of spaceport unharmed."

I looked him over. From the outside I could see how he could fit into any average high school class picture. It must be his babyface that threw everyone off.

"Well you don't strike me as an interplanetary Industrial spy."

"I'm not, I was just in it for the money. I was to get 500,000 credits upon delivery. But it was a set-up from the start."