Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business Whatever Happened To... Fruit Boy!

“Unidentified spacecraft- please acknowledge.”

“Repeat: This is Ion Tappen, piloting the U.P. registered runabout Paranama, requesting clearance at Mardru Main Spaceport.”

“Unidentified spacecraft, you are not authorized for landing at Mardru Main Spaceport. Repeat: you are not cleared for landing at Mardru Main Spaceport. Please re-route to Sandbox. Prepare your navicomp to receive co-ordinates.”

“Mardru, this is Ion Tappen, piloting U.P. registered runabout Paranama. Acknowledging reroute, navicomp ready to receive new co-ordinates. What is the problem down there?”

“Unidentified spacecraft, do not disembark at Sandbox. You will be met by immigration and customs officials. Repeat: do not disembark.”

Ion recognized the turquoise uniform and fauxsuede softboots of the immigration and customs S.P. After all, they were similar to what he himself wore.

The first S.P. escorted Ion away from his cargo rucksacks. The second S.P. began rummaging through them.

“Let me explain something to you,” the first S.P. began, settling himself next to Ion. “Mardru is an agricultural world, one of the most prosperous in the United Planets. Agriculture is wealth here. That’s why we can’t have off-worlders bringing in unregistered and uninspected exo-flora with strange genomes and unknown diseases.”

“I know all this,” Ion replied. “I was raised on Mardru. I’m a Mardran citizen. I’m a well-known Mardran citizen.”

“Well, ‘well-known Mardran citizen’, if that is what you are, you ought to know that you need a passport to return to Mardru, right?”

Ion reached into a pocket and produced his passport. S.P. #1 gave it a perfunctory glance.

“Whoever sold you this- whatever you paid for it, it wasn’t worth it. Like I always say, there’s nothing like Mardran holo-security; and this is nothing like Mardran holo-security. By the way, whoever programmed those U.P. codes into your runabout did a bang-up lousy job as well.”

“Take a look at this,” the second S.P. interrupted. “He’s carrying Banyo, Lotus Fruit, Terran Gingo, Martian Zo'Ok, Atrian Itty, Barometz, Arcumbers… I can’t believe it. Is this Sea Sancha?”

“We’re going to need to confiscate your entire cargo, Mr. Tappen, if that is your real name. You are not to leave this ship. You are not to start your engines. Someone… with more authority… will be here shortly.”

Ion Tappen waited. About two hours later, the hatch opened again. A heavy-set man, perhaps in young middle-age, entered the cabin. His blonde hair was beginning to thin noticeably. He wore a uniform Ion had never seen- a lime-green jumpsuit, decorated with a large tree. The newcomer slowly circumnavigated the ship’s cabin, intense green eyes carefully examining everything.

“You’re not a smuggler. No secret compartments, no sliding panels. Still, your identification is all wrong. But you seem confused, disoriented, rather than dissembling. Let me see your hands… ah, that ring- non-functional, I expect? The ring explains it all.”

The stranger casually took a seat across from Ion.

“This is your story- correct me if I am wrong. You took this ship from Mardru, to tryouts with the Legion of Super-Heroes. When you revealed your powers were plant-based, you were summarily rejected. You had brought with you a wide variety of plants, in order to demonstrate the usefulness and complexity of your powers. You were not given even a chance to demonstrate what you can really do. You were surprised at this rejection. After all, you had been solicited by the Government of Mardru, and vetted by the United Planets. You were given that ring as a pathetic souvenir. Disconsolate, you set a course back to Mardru. Along the way, you experienced some turbulence. For a moment, you believed your instruments were malfunctioning, but you were soon able to reset your course. This much is obvious from your costume, your cargo, your faulty identification, and the de-activated Legion flight ring you wear. The ‘L’, however, is stylistically anomalous.”

The green-clad man scratched his chin.

“I believe that what has happened is that you have been accidentally transported to another dimension. An alternate universe. Parallel world. This isn’t the Mardu you know.”

He extended his hand. He was wearing a similar flight ring, but with an ‘S’ inscribed instead of an ‘L’. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ral Benem, Planetary Champion of Mardru, and member of the Legion of Substitute Heroes. You can call me Chlorophyll Kid- er- King.”

“Chlorophyll…?” Ion shook the proffered hand tentatively.

“King. Chlorophyll King. Sorry, I’m in the middle of re-branding.”

“On my world,” mused Ion, “the Benem Farms cover nearly 10% of the surface of Mardru.”

“8.8%, on this world, actually,” replied Chlorophyll Kid/King. “And we are divesting ourselves of our sea-farms. And you are?”

“Ion Tappen of Mardru, also known as Fruit Boy.”

“And your plant-based super-power?”

“I have the ability to accelerate the ripening of fruit.”

Chlorophyll King stood. Reaching into a pouch by his side, he pulled out a small seed. “Like this?” he asked.

The seed immediately sprouted, then grew rapidly into a large vine. Flowers blossomed and fell away; a large Brier Tomato ripened on the end of the vine. It was about the size of a basketball.

“No, no, not quite like that,” Fruit Boy replied, astonished at the size of the fruit. “I need a piece of… of unripe fruit to start with.”

Chlorophyll King reached over to a different part of the vine, plucking a green, ordinary-sized Brier Tomato. He handed it to the younger man. Instantly, the green turned to yellow, then red flushed across the surface of the fruit. Chlorophyll King took it back, and then took a bite.

“Outstanding! Ripened to perfection! I could never produce such an excellent fruit. My powers are all about size and rapid growth, not quality. How did you gain this amazing ability?”

Smilingly, excitedly, Fruit Boy explained, “As a young boy, I was accidentally infected by a bacterium which had been genetically modified to produce hyper-ethylene gas. It took me years to learn to control my powers. But how did you gain your amazing control over the growth of plants?”

Chlorophyll King looked momentarily abashed. “When I was four, I fell into a vat of super-fertilizer.” He paused. “Yes, my origin story is literally a load of crap.” He smiled ironically.

“Well, I, for one,” offered Fruit Boy, “fully understand why you have been named Planetary Champion. But what is to become of me?”

“I can vouch for you,” Chlorophyll King offered. “Perhaps we can work together, as co-Champions of Mardru, until we can find a way to return you home.”

Fruit Boy shook Chlorophyll King’s hand once again, this time enthusiastically. “I would be honored,” he said.

Ninety minutes later, the anomaly wore off, the Universe re-set, and Fruit Boy found himself, with his ship and cargo, back on Mardru-Prime.

[Yes, I know that there is a Ral Benem on Mardu-Prime who joined McCauley's Wanderers in the Threeboot. I am just assuming that Fruit Boy has never heard of him. It's a big Galaxy.]

What a nice story!

I think you mean Lightning Lord's Wanderers, not McCauley's? But in any case, this was quite well-done and having Fruit Boy never hear of his reality's Ral Benem makes sense.

I also liked Ral complimenting Ion on the quality of his ripened fruit. A clever way to show that their powers have quite different uses and implications.

I also like how Ral managed to figure out so much just by observing Ion's clothing and ship. Very nice story.