Sometimes a knomira isn't a knomira. Sometimes, they're just a person whose day has gone so catastrophically wrong, they're at a loss on how to cope anymore. -- Anon Guest
There's a way to tell the difference between arrogance and exasperation. Arrogance acts like the owner of it is the sole centre upon which the universe turns. Exasperation is tired of everything else's [EXCREMENT]. Exasperation is close to tears. Exasperation may also be explaining their problem with the wrong lexicon.
Which is why the phrase, "How can I help you?" is such an open pit trap with such sharp spikes at the bottom.
"I asking at airlock, they sending me Customs. I asking at Customs, they sending me Security. I asking at Security, they sending me Medical. I asking at Medical, they sending me here. Please? How travelling to Maarow from Station here?"
Customs, Medical, and Security was the standard gauntlet at any station and a lot of transit vessels. All the better to contain potentially dangerous biota at the source point. Unfortunately for this cogniscent, they were so new to the Alliance that they had no idea about the time it took on stopovers.
"Transit pass seeing please?" said Informer Dran. He could sense the oncoming trouble for this newcomer. He had confirmation of his fears in the itinerary that came with the ticket. No. Time. For stopovers. No time for the mandatory quarantine passes through each stop. Which might require an overnight rest before the next launch.
This cogniscent was already looking punchdrunk with weariness. They'd already missed their next connection, and had no accommodations for sheltering for rest.
The expected transit to Maarow was already on its way[1].
Oh dear. "You must waiting," began Dran.
"Waiting," whined the travelling cogniscent. "Already being many slow. Stopping here. Stopping there. I being inside hurry. Needing being in Maarow tomorrow."
There was nothing to be done regarding their itinerary. However, the Information Kiosk could be allowed to go the extra sidus[2] for those who were new to things. So Dran looked up any of the truckers or domestic ships also heading to Maarow. Freely available to any cogniscent with a need to travel urgently.
Ah. There. A freighter looking for hitchhikers to take on the journey to Maarow. Dran did a quick check with the freighter asking if they would accept a desperate traveller who was already very, very tired.
Thumbs up emoji. All was well.
"Finding ship helping you. No extra cost." Dran summoned a Security escort and gave the dock information for the freighter. He also passed the exasperated traveller a copy of The Beginner's Guide to the Galactic Alliance.
It would most definitely come in handy for the return trip.
[1] Name that song.
[2] Sidu: colloquiallism of SDU, which stands for Standard Distance Unit. Miles are no longer part of the common parlance.
[Photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash]
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