“Defend your galaxy! Join Galaforce!” it was encouraging. “Protect your galaxy from the scourge of the universe!”
“Galaforce?” Zac repeated. “There’s no such thing.”
It was as Zac was saying these last few words that the source of this voice came in sight. It was a short, bald man with big toes. He had plenty of hair on the rest of his body though, it wasn’t hard to miss this as he was only wearing underwear.
“This is so such a thing!” the little man screeched. “I should know. I am only a Lieutenant Commander!”
“Really? That’s interesting,” Taylor said, then he turned and pulled a face at his brothers that said ‘yeah, right, he’s just a crazy old nutter’.
“It’s true. See?” the man pointed to the band of his undies. “It says ‘Galaforce’, and there are my rank stripes.”
“Okay, see, now I’m scared. We’re looking at some old guy’s undies,” Isaac shuddered.
“Ahh, good point,” Taylor agreed. “I think we should go now.”
“No! No! You can’t go!” The man yelled. “You have to join Galaforce and defend your galaxy from the evils of other galaxies.”
“Our galaxy is fighting another galaxy?” Zac asked.
“Yes! Many of them!”
“Wow. Must be a tough war. Especially considering we haven’t even traveled to Alpha Centuri yet,” Isaac grinned.
“Maybe you haven’t, mere Earthling, but Galaforce has.”
“Then why do you want us? We can’t even fly a plane,” Taylor pointed out.
“Details, details! We will teach you! You will be better paid than you have been in your life! Your will have skills that will -”
“Where do you come from?” asked Fred suddenly.
“Fred!” Isaac, Taylor and Zac complained - they had been having fun teasing the funny little man.
“Albertane, of course.”
“Albertane?” Zac repeated. “I made that place up.”
“Uh huh, yeah sure.”
“Do you think we’re hallucinating?” asked Taylor.
“Hyperventilating?” suggested Isaac.
“Letting this big-toed, bald man sitting here tell us about the sky?” continued Zac.
“How can this be happening?”
“I don’t know, but I suggest we get out of here, before Motherbird and Babybird show up and start talking about Court TV and copying in colour.”
“Traitors!” shouted the man as the brothers left. “Galaforce will not forget this! You can not expect Galaforce to do it’s part for you, if you will not do your part for Galaforce!”
“Just keep moving,” Isaac murmured. “Pretend you can’t hear him.”
Fred stumbled over something. He picked it up.
“Hey look at this,” he said.
“A yellow walkie talkie,” Zac said, staring as if it would just up and bite him.
In a quick movement, Zac took it from Fred’s hands and pegged it at the man, who was hopping mad. Seriously, he was hopping. The walkie talkie, which was yellow, hit him square on the head and knocked him over.
“This is Motherbird, calling Babybird,” crackled a voice.
The boys didn’t hear any more because a rather noisy bus drove by them.