Author: Donna Drapeau
Original Publishing date: 4/9/01
A coal-black mass clung to the ceiling of the access way. An occasional quiver kept it from disappearing into the shadows. That, and the soft slurpy noises that made the crew members passing below glance up in disgust. After a few minutes, the mass crept from the corner and inched forward, leaving behind him a shiny clean surface with a slight glisten that evaporated in seconds. Its body surged and spread its way along in a rhythmic motion. Each movement sent the gelatinous mass rolling beneath its pebbly surface.
B'Brox grumbled quietly to himself as he inched forward. "Broxy clean this. Broxy clean that. Never 'thank you Broxy for removing post-ingested alcohol and charred synth fibers from the juice bar.' No 'thank you Broxy for squeezing through lavatory pipes and unclogging them.' No-o-o. Stupid bipeds always putting metal gewgaws down plumbing. I'll...I'll give them a tour of plumbing!"
B'Brox shuddered to a halt as his imbedded comm-link gurgled. "What, Floyd?" The link gurgled and chirped excitedly. The sounds were quite melodious but not all understandable to him. "Floyd, Broxy not Sandorian. Try another language." The sound from his link changed to rocks grinding in a mixer. "Floyd needs to work on his accent, but is barely understandable."
"Sentients are so picky," Floyd muttered, switching to Standard. "Commander Darian requests a cleanup in Hydroponics 8. The threads destroyed another pod which crashed into 'Ponics'." "Gee, let me guess. No atmosphere, right?"
"Techs are working on that, but in the meantime, the Commander is concerned about the crop."
"Yeah, yeah. Broxy to rescue. Again."
B'Brox toggled the link off and quickly undulated down the access way. "Bet no 'thank you Broxy' for this, either."
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