Oberon Island of Bruce
Al Rosencratz

"Hold on..."

We looked through the ship's manifest.

"Ok we're opening the portal, prepare for inspection."

"We have provided proper papers and this is an insult to the people of Spain and-"

I sighed.

"Look, the island may belong to us but the world belongs to China, if you want to sail their oceans you have to get their approval and that means going through inpections."

Po frowned, he was one of the inspectors China had watching over our shoulders. It was a pain in the ass but as long as you followed their rules you could make good money. It was easier to get approval to go through our World tree because chinese shipping took precedence, but hey their planet, their choice.

"This is illegal under international law, the freedom of the seas must be respected!"

I felt like ripping my hair out.

"That's on Earth, this is not Earth this is Oberon, just follow the fucking rules."

"I will report your rudeness to the american cons-"

I turned off the radio.

"He's hiding something."

Po's english was pretty good, he was also far from stupid which helped.

"I'm turning this retard over to your boys, he had a chance to comply."

"We will try to be gentle."

The ship went through the portal and stopped before the large iron gate.

"Let us through we are a spanish ship, we paid the toll. we-"

I rubbed my temples.

"You're being inspected before you're let out, you need chinese aproval before you can go sailing."

"The freedom of the seas-"

"THIS ISN'T EARTH!"

Po chuckled and radioed his men. I watched the inspectors go through the ship and then saw the results.

"You're a fishing vessel. You don't have permission to fish in chinese waters."

"The freedom of the seas-"

I looked at Po and shrugged.

"I will talk to this idiot."

I heart a yelp and waited, when I returned the middleaged spainard was placed on a chair. I looked at Po and motioned for him to have this one.

"The chinese government is pretty clear, the only ones allowed to fish on Oberon are chinese citizens. You are stealing from the mouths of women and children."

"We're not-"

"Do not fill this room with lies, you do not have trade goods, all you have are things to fish with."

I shrugged.

"Look man maybe, maybe if you had contacted the chinese ahead of time you could have gotten a deal, maybe paid for a fishing licence."

Po nodded his head.

"Hmm if our people had been compensated maybe this would have been allowed, but you didn't want to compensate us, you just wanted to steal from us and that is unacceptable."

The captain looked panicked.

"This isn't China."

Po frowned.

"Yeah this small little island isn't China, but you know what the water out there is and that's where you wanted to go. You want to go to a Chinese planet, you have to follow chinese laws. You're welcome to visit the island but unless you can make things right we can't let you out there."

"The freedom of the seas-"

Idiot.

"I'm going to leave this room, there are no cameras, or sound eqiupment, anything that happens, well I will trust the inspectors word."

I got up.

"You can't-"

I got out and closed the door, I heard the sound of slapping, Po kept it pretty bloodless, and I waited, then I returned. The captan looked angry Po leaned against the wall.

"Are you going to comply with us?"

"The free-"

Po glared at him and he shut up.

"I'm just trying to make a living."

I motioned for Po who sauntered around.

"So are chinese fishermen. We died and gave our lives for this world, what gives you the right to steal our fish, to-"

My phone buzzed and I looked at the message, I then frowned.

"What was the dynamite for."

The captan went silent, Po's glared at him.

"We don't-"

"We found three cases of dynamite, that wasn't on your manifest."

Po got up.

"I would really like to know that."

The captain shrank into himself.

"Nothing on your manifest is on your boat, you're supposed to be shipping toothpaste where's the toothpaste?"

"It must be a mistake."

I felt a migraine coming on.

"We're not letting you into Oberon proper."

"I paid the toll!"

"Pick som where else and we will send you there but don't ever come back here."

He gave me a look of defiance and Po cracked his knuckles. the captain fled the room.

"You're too soft."

"You didn't rough him up too badly, did you?"

Po shrugged.

"I slapped him a couple times until he stopped his lying, and dynamite?"

I let Po borrow my cell phone.

"Not enough to fund some extremist group, but dynamite fishing on the other hand..."

He sighed in frustration.

"I should have punched him."

"He's Titan's problem now, lets go get lunch."

We put in out time cards and went to the food court, Po looked at me.

"I'll pay."

Po grimaced.

"It's not necessary, I have money for-"

"Rice, I've seen your ration card you need to eat something more then rice and fish."

"Fine, but when the week is over we will go to my mother's and she will show you how noodles are really made."

"Deal."

I stopped at the japanese place, Po crossed his arms and we then went next door to the pizza place.

"Two lunch specials."

I looked at Po.

"Chicken, and Extra Cheese."

"Pepperoni and olive."

We took out salad bowls and carefully filled it to the brim with salad. The goal was to get it to as big as possible to make that one trip worth it. Po beat me again and I stared at his bigger salad. He smirked at me and our silent contest continued.

"So... when you were a kid did you think you'd end up, well here?"

He shrugged.

"I was there when Leviathan attacked Shanghai."

"Really?"

"Yes, I lied about my age, joined when I was 16 and was just good enough to survive basic. They found out after the fight and just let it go. When we got Oberon I asked for a transfer and here I am. After all, someone has to keep you all honest."

I got up, the person who made the smaller salad had to get the drinks.

"What do you want?"

"I think I will try the strawberry fanta with a splash of vanilla coke."

I shrugged and got the drinks Po took a sip and nodded.

"So?"

He took another sip.

"I have made a horrible mistake."

He stoicly continued to drink his soda.

"And?"

"When I was a child, I wanted to become a soldier, mother wanted me to study hard and join the party. Now I inspect ships on another planet and have my own land."

"She stopped complaining?"

"No, she just switched subjects now it is find a girl get married, a man should only be nagged by one woman. To have two nagging me is unbearable."

He took another sip.

"If it's bad I can get something else."

He shook his head.

"I stick to my bad decisions, it builds character, yes. So, how did you end up on Oberon?"

I shrugged.

"I got really into martial arts as a kid and ended up taking a few classes in manderin."

"Which is terrible."

I shrugged.

"It got me the job and it's better then it was."

We ate our salads, and waited for our tiny individual pizzas.

"Why do we always eat here? There are at least 20 restaurants in the World tree."

I shrugged.

"Because only 3 of them are affordable, the japanese place, the pizza place, and Mcdonald's again, and since you refuse to go to the japanese place and the lunch special's decent, here we are."

"We could get chinese."

"You saw what they charge right?"

Po sighed.

"You can get a better meal on the mainland for a 10th of that."

I shrugged, food always seemed to cost more on the World trees.

"Starbucks after this?"

That earned me a non committal grunt as the pizzas arrived, another day on Bruce Lee Island on Oberon, another day on the job.