Live from Planet Frystar

3. First Encounter with the Narrator

It started two years ago, on a particularly bad day.

Galek Zim had just lost yet another job-his fourth in as many months. The restaurant gig? Gone after he accidentally set fire to a dish that wasn't supposed to have fire involved. The delivery job? Ended when he crashed a hover-scooter into a politician's pet slug. The security job? Well... it turns out you're not supposed to nap in the surveillance room.

So, naturally, when he ended up inheriting the repair showm from his father-in-law, which he named Zim-Tek Repairs, he was pretty sure he was losing his mind when he first heard the voice.

To be clear, Galek did not *want* to inherit a failing mechanic shop on a frozen wasteland of a planet. But when his father-in-law unexpectedly retired, possibly to escape the crushing responsibility, Galek found himself in charge of a business that barely functioned, much like the ships he was expected to fix.

It had been a normal, miserable morning. Galek was hunched over a malfunctioning air purifier, covered in grease, cursing every life choice that led him to this exact moment.

And then, out of nowhere, he heard it.

"And here we have Galek Zim, former failure of many professions, now a struggling mechanic on the frozen wasteland of Frystar-8. He is currently attempting to fix a purifier that, judging by his expression, is testing the very limits of his patience."

Galek froze. His first thought was that maybe his brain had finally quit. His second thought was that his coworkers were messing with him.

He turned slowly to check if anyone was watching.

"...Who said that?"

"Galek speaks, proving that, despite the crushing weight of his existence, he still possesses the will to question reality."

Galek's eyes widened. "Oh no. Oh no-no-no. I've lost it."

He grabbed a nearby hydro-spanner, squinting at it like it might be responsible. "Is this thing messing with me?"

"Ah yes, the classic 'talking tool' theory. A logical leap for someone who once thought he could fix a malfunctioning toaster by yelling at it."

Galek dropped the spanner like it was cursed. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

He quickly held up a hand, as if to justify himself to an invisible audience. "Okay, listen, in my defense, weird things happen around broken machinery all the time! Sometimes a tool gets magnetized! Sometimes a circuit shorts and makes a weird noise! I was just trying to apply logic to-"

"Yes, clearly, logic was at play here."

Galek's mouth hung open mid-explanation. Then, very slowly, realization hit him like a cargo freighter.

His eyes widened.

His breathing hitched.

His whole body tensed.

Then he absolutely lost it.

"OH NO. OH NO-NO-NO-NO. I'M TALKING TO IT. I'M RESPONDING. IT CAN HEAR ME. I'VE LOST MY MIND. THIS IS IT. I'M DONE FOR. I'M GONNA HAVE TO QUIT MY JOB AND GO LIVE IN THE FROZEN WASTES AS A RAMBLING MADMAN-"

"Frankly, this would not be a dramatic shift from his current lifestyle."

Galek grabbed a nearby wrench and threw it across the room. "SHUT UP!"