The recording starts.
A human male in an Andarian technician's uniform sits squarely in the center of the frame, sitting at what appears to be a desk. The trappings of the room behind him indicate that this is a recreational living quarters. Visible behind him are a sofa, the tops of several potted plants, and a doorway on the right leading to another room. He is smiling at the camera.
"Hi folks! Greg here for another round of Greg Answers. So fun fact: on Earth, it is the month of July, day 27. For those of you on the Galactic time, that's the common Earth calendar month and date. This day is special to me personally because it was the day I was born-- Uh, if you're not certain what that is, go ahead and check out Greg Answers #6 where I talk about human reproduction in-depth. Anyways, in a lot of human cultures, we celebrate the date we were born because, well, we like existing and we like celebrations.
So today, because it's my birthday, we're going to change things up a bit and give a shout out to my home planet, Earth. That is, we're going to take questions specifically from Humans on Earth who might be curious about what it's like to be in space.
For you non-human viewers, please remember that Humanity is still in the Uplifting process, and so the majority of our species has never gone to, and never will go to, space. So if some of the questions seem rudimentary, well, that's why."
He glances down, below the camera. The lighting on his face indicate that there is a screen there.
"So our first question comes from Mackayla, who lives in Ontario, Canada. She says, 'Hi Greg. I am sixteen, and I want to be a space technician like you. How did you get to where you are, and what can you recommend? Thank you.'
Alrighty Mckayla, I learned Andarian tech from one of the Andarian free schools. If I recall correctly, there are about 150 of them spread across North America, though there might be more by now. If you are genuinely interested in coming to space, I highly recommend going to one of those. I don't know if you've looked into them yet or not, but they are entirely free. Zero cost. You don't even pay for books. For viewers who don't know, when the Andarians established the Uplifting Accord with Earth, they set up schools all over the world for Humans to learn about Andarians, the Galactic Federation, and different skill sets that would benefit the upcoming Uplifting to the Galactic Alliance. I started in radar--"
"That's what I am!" shouts a voice from the next room.
"Yeah, that's what X'melborp's job is. He's a radar Technician. I changed over though and now specialize in maintaining systems for faster than light travel. That actually just means they're teaching me to fix anything that breaks. They're also supporting my research projects regarding more efficient fuel usage and energy consumption. That's the cool thing about working with Andarians-- they really want humans to figure stuff out, both because they want us Uplifted, and also because we're new and can notice stuff they don't. That means they'll give you free time and resources to do personal research, provided you share anything you do with them, even if it didn't work.
Anyways, Mackayla, I highly recommend looking into the Andarian schools. If you're having trouble, or need help getting there, shoot me a message and I'll see if I can help." He points at the camera. "That goes to all you Earthlings out there. If you wanna get into space, and you don't mind work, shoot me a message and I'll try to get you on the right track. The Prosperity will be integrated eventually, and they're gonna need human staff.
Next question comes from Alofa in Pago Pago, Tutuila-- and I am so sorry if I said any of that wrong.
She asks, 'Mr. Namanarra, what exactly is the purpose of the Prosperity?'
Great question! So this is a bit of a complicated answer, and it kinda ties into Andarian philosophy. Uh, X'melborp?" he calls.
"Ye-es?" comes the reply.
"Feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong."
"Human Greg, do you mean all the time, or just in this instance?"
"Just for now, X'melborp. . . Anyway, so basically, Andarians want to find and educate all sentient species. Like, that is a gross oversimplification, and there's a lot more to it that ties back to their old religions and history, and modern philosophy, and all that fiddly stuff, but the long and short of it is that they're really excited to meet strangers, and they really want to share information--
"You are correct!" shouts X'melborp from the next room.
"Thanks, X'mel. However, this, uh, to put it simply, has caused some issues in the past, both for them and for others. But these days they're with the Galactic Federation, which actually has a program specifically for finding and Uplifting new species, so the Andarians are all over it. Basically, they're sorta like nerdy missionary exploration hippies.
So, I guess to answer your question, the Prosperity's purpose is to examine previously discovered planets and monitor them for signs of developing life. This serves two goals; to gather information to add to their databases, but also to ensure that if sentient life does develop, then we'll be the first ones to meet and greet it.
Our next question comes from John from New Zealand. Ah, no city, just 'New Zealand.' He asks:
'Where does the food come from?'
This is actually one several people have asked. We have a conservatory that produces veggies and edible plants, as well as supplies directly from both Earth and Andaria. Andarians don't really need to eat that often, so it's mostly for the benefit of us non-Andarians up here that we have a giant storage unit for food. Tangalorians eat way more than humans do, Velorians eat about the same, and Tremaldians sort of graze all day. A lot of the Earth food still winds up composted, actually, so we can't wait until we're fully integrated and get some more mouths up here.
Next on up: Yareli from Houston, United States. Texas, I'm guessing. She says, 'This question is actually for X'melborp--'"
"For Me?!"
There's the sound of thudding footsteps, and suddenly X'melborp appears in the doorway in the corner of the frame. "You could have just left a comment," X'melborp says. "I monitor all of them--"
"The question is," continues Greg pointedly. "When are you going to-- oh jeez, really?" He looks up at the camera, nose wrinkled, looking half amused and half disgusted.
"When am I what?" X'melborp says. He peers over Greg's shoulder to see the screen. Then, his face splits into a wide grin. "'When will I continue part twelve of the Space Love fanfiction?' Well, I certainly have good news for you, Human Yareli!" He starts shoving Greg aside so that he is more fully in the shot. "I have just completed part twelve and will be posting it tonight! I know I have fallen behind the bi-weekly posting schedule, but hopefully we will be back on track soon! This next chapter will conclude the arc began in the six part Banished sub-series I started and will begin a new arc I am entitling Vanquished. It will--"
Greg tries to shove him away. "Get outta here, X'melborp!"
X'melborp, dense as he is, remains unmoved. "--focus on Tamara and T'xelron as they join the Tangalorian peace accords. It will be the most violent chapter to date, so I warn those of you with delicate sensibilities to proceed with caution!"
"Dude, come on!" says Greg, trying, and failing, to push X'melborp aside. The camera rattles as he bumps the desk.
X'melborp grins and leans slightly towards Greg, not bothering to resist and apparently content to let the human tire himself out.
Greg squirms his way back into the frame and says, "Next question!"
He presses a button somewhere below the camera and a question presumably pops up. His eyes flick across the screen, and he groans. "Seriously?"
X'melborp's grin grows even wider. Again, he pushes Greg out of the way and says to the camera, "The people want to know, Gregory! Thank you, Human Charise from Mel-bur-nay Ay-oo-stah-rah-LIE-a for your wonderful question! Yes, the latest chapter will be cross-posted to my personal website, as well as the blog and the fan work website. I also tried posting it to the Space Love series' official fanpage, but it keeps getting deleted."
"This is the worst birthday ever," Greg says, offscreen.
"Nonsense!" X'melborp says. He gets up and pulls Greg back into frame with a two-armed side hug. "Look, we have enough time for one more."
Greg brings up the next question.
"X'melborp," he reads dully. "When will Winston and Terra-Liax return? They were so great, and they haven't been around since chapter three."
"Human Greg, you did not read by whom the question was asked! Thank you Sandra from Bristall Eggland!" He pushes Greg out of the way, back offscreen. "You have not been the only person to wonder that! My inbox is full to the brim! To all of you wondering that same question, I just have to say: Spoilers!"
"Okay, I want my desk back," says Greg, still offscreen.
"But I believe I have more questions--"
"Nope, go on, shoo!"
Greg returns to the shot. The two scuffle, both reaching for the camera while also trying to hold the other one back.
"Move it, X'mel!"
"Chapter twelve! Updates tonight!" X'melborp says, laughing and keeping Greg away from the camera. "Like and subscribe!"
One of them reaches the camera first, though it's hard to tell who.
The screen goes black.