Two Hundred odd years later, the latest model of Personal Transport Pod™  floats on the edge of a region that has not seen outside interaction since Survey Ship #3141 left. Inside sits two aliens; more specifically two bored teenagers, the universal indicator of something about to go terribly wrong.

“No, I’m not scared. I just don’t want to break the law.”
“But no one’s going to know, that’s the whole point of a no-go-zone! No one else is allowed to be there, so no one’s there to see us”
“Yah, but you seem to be forgetting the fact that that rule also applies to us.”
“Oh, are you scared, you little larva?”
“Yes, of being arrested.”
“But we won’t be, no one’s been in there for years. It’s probably something really cool that’s being hidden, and people are just making up those horror stories to keep us from finding it. Besides, when have I ever steered you wrong?”
“Well, actually-”
“None of that! We’re going and it’s going to be awesome, and that’s the last I’ll hear of it.”

With that, the Personal Transport Pod™ breached the lines of the no-go-zone with no hesitation, entering the outer boundaries of the solar system. After a passing scrutiny of the gas giants and smaller rocky planets, the two trespassers decided to investigate the blue and green orb third in from the star.

“Wow there sure is a lot of debris orbiting the planet. Let’s get closer”
“Maybe we shouldn’t... or you could just ignore me and do it anyways, that works too.”
“Hey, look at that, there’s a bunch of big rectangles. Are those flora or fauna?”
“I dunno, they look pretty well planned. Maybe they’re artificial, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of photosynthesizers down there..”
“What exactly lives here, anyways?”

Almost as if in answer to his question, a black triangle flew up besides the the Personal Transport Pod™. The display screen lit up and a static-filled transmission started to play.

You are flying in protected airspace. By orders of the United States Government, identify yourself or we will be forced to shoot.

“Cool, is that noise from that flying thing? So awesome, I didn't know natural fauna could do that!”
“I don’t think it can. I have a really bad feeling about this, we should probably turn around now-”
As soon as those words were spoken, the Personal Transport Pod™ shook violently.
“Oh crap”

The aliens were forced to land in the middle of New York City. Luckily, during the first contact, one of the teens had the presence of mind to use a translator device on the now obviously intelligent and very scary creatures that were pointing weapons at him. Once the problem of communication was solved, the two got to experience the delight that is governmental bureaucracy for the first time. Soon, after many frantic calls to parents and superiors alike, a meeting was set up between the United Nations and the Union of Worlds.
The UN was horrified that the planet Earth had been essentially galactically blacklisted, and demanded representation. The Union of World wanted to get their two citizens off the planet before  they were killed or otherwise damaged. The two teens just wanted to go home. Eventually a compromise was reached. The Earth gained a lucrative trade agreement with the galaxy at large, the Union of Worlds got the teens back, and the teens got a reality TV show. Everyone was happy.

At least, that's how the news outlets made it seem.  In reality, this trade agreement would set into motion the biggest intergalactic incident in history. And the man that would prove to be integral to this is currently running from the bus terminal to his office; late, and completely unaware of the events that would transpire over the next few months.

As Lin rushes towards the door of his office complex, he contemplates the value of having a roommate. Sure, he could now afford an apartment in a non-terrifying neighborhood, but at what cost? Roy is better than the roommate Lin had in college (and that isn’t setting the bar very high), but he still manages to drive him insane. He leaves dishes in the sink unwashed, knowing that Lin would eventually clean them himself if they sat there long enough. He clomps around the house in the middle of the night and knocks things over. And, as an annoying cherry on top of the sundae of irritation, he lost his phone charger two weeks ago, and he's still using Lin's. This wouldn’t be so bad, except that he'll see that Lin is charging his phone, and then unplug it to charge his own instead. This leads to a dead phone, no alarm, and the current predicament Lin was in. He was late; again. He really needs to... have some strong words with Roy at some point.

After a frantic apology to an apathetic boss, Lin continued on with his day; filing paperwork, editing documents, running errands. It wasn't the most interesting job, but Lin was happy. He was just out of college after all, and he already had a paying job working at the United Nations! Lin could just picture his future in his mind; climbing the ladder, getting a reputable position, and helping the world in a big way. The details were a bit fuzzy, but Lin was sure he was going to do something big with his life. But now he had to get back to work.

A few hours later, Lin office phone rang. Lin turned from his computer screen and snagged the phone out of its cradle. He smiled at the name he saw on the screen.
“Yeah, dad, my  job’s going great!”
An email popped up on Lin’s screen, a revision needed to be made on last weeks reports.
“I’m just so happy I got it, you know a lot of kids had to settle for an unpaid internships so soon after college.”
Three more emails.
“I think I could move up really soon, because I’m working really hard.”
Lin stood up and looked around the expansive office filled with cubicles identical to his, all filled with people just like him. He pinched his cell phone between his head and shoulder so he could shift his potted plant a few inches to the right- in line with his computer base.
“Ok, ok. I will. Tell mom I said hi. Love you. Ok, bye... Bye Dad.”

During his lunch break, Lin walked excitedly to the communal fridge only to find his brown paper bag missing. He turned to find a co-worker holding the object of his search.
“Hey, um, actually, Cynthia? That’s my sand- Oh, ok, I guess you can have that, I’ll just go out and get lunch today.”
“Thanks doll” said the shameless lunch thief around Lin’s carefully prepared food. She opened a bottle with one hand, fished around in her purse, pulled out a pill, and gulped it down with some water. Cynthia followed it with another bite of Lin’s turkey and cheese sandwich.
Feeling the awkward silence, Lin noded towards the woman and smiled.
“Allergies are brutal this time of year, right? I take the 24 hour stuff so I don’t have to worry about it at work.”
Cynthia laughed loudly and patted Lin on the shoulder. He could feel her overly long painted nails through his dress shirt and his skin crawled.
“Oh, no, this isn’t for allergies! This’s Stim-X, one of those new products from the trade agreement. It’s really out of this world.” She tittered at her own joke. “It helps me focus. I’ve gotten so much more work done in the past month I’ve been using it. You should try it sugar. They sell it over the counter at that specialty store down the block.”
 

That night, Lin sat at his kitchen counter. His body was still but his head was going around in circles.
It couldn’t possibly be that bad. After all, dozens of people in Lin’s office had tried Stim-X over the past few months. It was supposed to be just like coffee; a mild stimulant. If he was ever going to move up in the ranks, he was going to need all the help he could get. None of the people using it looked drugged up; they were just more productive, maybe a bit happier. It was so easy to get, just pop into one of the new “space shops” and get it from under the cashier's counter like a Snickers bar. If it was bad, why would it be sold so freely?
Despite all of this reasoning, Lin couldn’t help the faint sense of unease he felt as his eyes moved slowly over the glass of water in one hand and the pair of innocuous pills in the other.
Maybe he shouldn’t.
But even as he lowered his hand, the voice in the back of his head whispered.
There’s nothing wrong with this, those aliens know what they’re doing. They haven’t killed themselves off yet, have they? Just think of what you’ll be able to do. You’ll be working to your fullest potential. Think of what you could achieve, what you could accomplish. You’ll be successful, you’ll get promoted. You're already good. You could be great. You’ll help yourself and then you can help everyone else; the whole world. That’s an admirable goal, isn’t it?
That was all the convincing Lin needed. And with a swallow, Lin set into motion a chain of events with a much wider impact than his desk job promotion.

A month later, Lin is curled around his laptop at home on his bed, drinking a hot cup of tea. Steam wafted around his face as he took a sip. Numerous downsides aside, one of the perks of having his own apartment was being able to eat and drink whatever he wanted, wherever he wanted. Lin’s mother would be hunting him down from the other side of the state if she knew how much cream and sugar he had poured into the “perfectly good tea!” that he was drinking on “the nice clean sheets!”.
As Lin put the finishing touches on his weekly report a window flashed onto the screen, obscuring his document. Lin read his older sister’s name, and clicked the accept call button.
The window expanded to show a woman in a lab coat and long black hair pulled into a messy bun.
“Hey, Mei! How’s it going?”
“Still in the lab, but I had a break while waiting for my machines to process their data, so I decided to call my favorite little brother!”
“Yes, I am indeed your favorite and only brother, Mei” Lin replied, deadpan.
“And the only person I know other than myself that isn’t doing anything on a Friday night. Although...” Mei paused and looked down “I see you’re drinking some tea with cream, and on the bed even! I don't know if I want to be witness to your shenanigans.”
“Of course, because you’ve never let a drop of sugared drink pass your lips.”
Lin and Mei both smiled, remembering summer days sneaking around with Mei’s new license in the family sedan; covertly driving to Starbucks and giggling over cookies and frappuccinos.
Lin shook his head and grinned.
“So what are you up to?”
Mei’s easy smile fell.
“Well, I’ve actually been doing some research on that new alien drug Stim-X. Have you heard of it?”
Lin drummed his fingers nervously on his leg, out of sight from the computer.
“Ya, I have.”
“Have you heard it being talked about at the UN?” Mei asked, interested.
“What, like in incident reports? No! It’s not that kind of drug; the FDA wouldn’t let it be sold legally if it were.” Lin quickly assured Mei, but she raised her eyebrows and interjected.
“Actually, the government doesn’t regulate any of the interstellar imports. They left the Union of Worlds to do that. I’ve looked it up”
“Why?” Lin asked hesitantly
“I was curious” Mei said flippantly
“Well, have you been testing it on mice or something?" Lin asked, his brow furrowing in worry.
“Yeah, informally, but I didn’t even need to use the lab rats. I could have just talked to the college interns!” Mei leaned in closer to her computer screen, and continued in a serious voice.
“I mean, I get that medical school is hard, I do! I did it myself, and I honestly can’t say that I would have the restraint to not jump on a legal, cheap, effective, and easy to access stimulant. But something is not right. You can look at the work that they did; the quality did increase for a few months, but then it started getting erratic. Pretty soon their work was consistently worse than it was in the past. The kids that started showing this cycle early have just stopped showing up to work at this point. I can’t know for sure, but I think the drug’s to blame. I mean, my personal assistant, Michael, hasn't been to the lab in the past week! I was getting worried, so I went to his apartment. His roommate had to let me in; Michael couldn't get out of bed. He looked awful; like death warmed over”
“Well maybe he just had the flu...” Lin suggested tentatively.
“No, I know the flu, this isn’t it. I could barely talk to him. He was shaking really hard and his eyes didn’t track. It was like withdrawal. And the rats are showing this pattern too. The effects wear off as their brains get used to it, and they need more drugs than they did at first just to think properly. The rats all crash eventually; they can barely function with the Stim-X even at increased levels, and not at all without. I’m willing to bet that that’s what's happening to my missing interns. This drug is dangerous.”
A voice could be heard yelling in the background. Mei scowled and sighed. At her brother’s questioning look, she replied.
“I’ve got to go Lin, with half my lab assistants and interns out “sick” there’s a lot more that I have to deal with...” She paused, and leaned in closer towards the screen “Are you ok Lin? You look a little pale. You know, I’m sorry I dumped all of this on you, I just needed to vent. It’s not like you can do anything about it; although maybe you could soon?” Her face lit up with pride. “Dad’s told me that you’re doing really well at work! Maybe I’ll have an inside connection in the United Nations soon! You’ll have to finagle me some more grant money- Ok, ok, I’m coming!” Mei shouts off screen “Got to go, Lin. Call me back later ok?”
And with that, Lin’s sister disconnects the skype call, leaving her brother to stare at the black screen in shock. Lin’s hands starting to tremble ever so slightly, but he couldn’t be sure why.
He resolved to tell his boss in the morning. After all, he does work at the UN. Someone there should be able to do something. Lin also resolved to stop taking the stimulants himself after his sister’s worrying call.

Unfortunately, neither of those things came to pass.

“I'm sorry Lin, but there's nothing we can do. Even if you had proof that what the Union of Worlds is shipping here is dangerous, which you don't, I still couldn't do anything about it. It would be an intergalactic incident, and that's out of my jurisdiction. Plus, the higher ups want to keep up good PR involving the aliens. They don't want any riots, you know?”
Lin tried to plead his case with his boss “But shouldn't we at least investigate further?”
“I really am sorry Lin, but my hands are tied. Why don’t you just get back to work.”

“I can’t believe he won’t believe me!” Lin muttered angrily as he stomped out of his boss's office. He caught sight of himself in a glass dividing wall and stopped short; his red face and twisted expression shocked him back into reality. Lin ran a shaking hand through his hair, then continued on through the public lobby.
“What am I going to do, that drug is going to end up killing people!” Lin groaned. In his exasperation, he didn’t notice the woman heading towards him. He bumped into her, spilling her notebook to the ground and sending himself stumbling back.
After scrambling to pick up what she’d dropped and stuttering out apologies, she gave him a curious look, and asked if something was wrong. Lin explained.
He got very involved in his explanation; he was glad to finally have someone take him seriously. He was so involved, in fact, that he didn’t even question who the woman was, why she was there, or why she whipped out a recording device not far into his impromptu rant.
Once Lin finished with a weak “And, you know, I guess I can’t do anything about it, but I still feel like something should happen, right?” the lady kindly reassured him and patted him on the back a bit awkwardly before jetting away.
Lin continued on his way as well, feeling a twinge of remorse at venting at that poor unsuspecting woman.

The next day, when all of the papers and news channels of the world were screaming about killer drugs and citing his name, Lin felt a bit less sympathetic.

Back again in his boss’ office for the second time in as many days, Lin pulled on his collar anxiously. “But how can I be responsible for this; I didn't know she was a reporter!"
"Regardless of your intentions the world news now thinks that you have been personally investigating Stim-X for its dangerous side effects.”
"But I wasn't! And even if I was, why should I have to be the one to go in front of the trade regulator of the Union of Worlds?”
“Well, Lin, you said you wanted to do something big to help the world, just consider this a promotion!” said his boss with a mean smirk.
“I just wanted to get some regulations passed, not become a diplomat! I’m not even trained to do this”
“Lin, I’m sorry, but my boss said we need you to do this. She said that the public wants a resolution; and what the public wants, the public gets.” He pauses to consider something “You should probably go pack a bag or something, your rocket leaves in two days”

Lin shifted nervously in his seat as an alien series of clicks and whistles echoed through the space shuttle. He adjusted the universal translator he had been given around his ear, and a mechanical female speaker interpreted.
~to your left you’ll see the Capital Space Station. Please be sure to follow all instructions from personnel, and enjoy your visit.
As the station gets larger in the view screen, the indistinct blue gleam of millions of solar panels gave way to a massive spoked wheel, and the thousands of tiny shuttles flying around it. Against the featureless backdrop of deep space, the size is hard to discern, but his travel guide says that this marvel of cooperative engineering is larger than some planets. 
The air locks hiss as the shuttle enters. Lin shuffles through the double doors, trying to not rub shoulders with the aliens moving past him. Apparently, the shuttle he had taken was the space version of the commuter rail. This interesting fact practically translated into Lin being left standing confused in the entryway as experienced workers pushed by. Lin pulled out the digital map of the Capital Space Station. It was a bunch of concentric circles connected together by a central hallway. He had only a vague idea of where he was supposed to go, but he knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere by standing still, so Lin walked forward tentatively.
Sterile, buffed steel lined the hallway; with bright, almost clinical lights flickering in orbs lining the walls.  If Lin were to look through a door, the impersonal public walkway would give way abruptly to offices and personal quarters, decorated to appeal to it's occupants culture and personal tastes. The Capital Space Station hosted everything from rooms filled to the brim with a strong acid giving off an unearthly glow to a room boasting both 10 times the earth's gravity and some of the most beautiful tapestries in the galaxy. Unfortunately most doors are locked with windows tinted for privacy; so these alien marvels remain unrevealed, and Lin continued on through the metal hallway unaware.
Eventually, Lin reached what appeared to be the room he was looking; the office of the Intergalactic Trade Regulator. Lin gathered his courage, and walked through the door.

Looking back, Lin didn't know why he thought this meeting was going to go well.

"You can't do this, people are dying!" Lin pleaded with the red alien.
"Oh no no no, I believe you are missing the point, Mr. Ambassador." The politician sneered in a deep voice that could be heard over the universal translator "I am not the one trading with your planet, I only enforce trade regulations between members of the Union of Worlds. Your planet didn't pass our standards for admission. You'll need to police yourself.”
"But I've looked through your laws, this drug is illegal in the Union of Worlds, and it’s manufactured on one of your planets. So you won't give it to your people, but it's ok to sell it to mine?”
"I'm sorry, but I am afraid there is nothing I can do.” The alien began to turn away.
"Wait, no!” Lin stuttered, then hardened his expression in resolve “You drew us into this mess, and didn't give us any assistance, any warnings of what this drug could do.  We can't police this ourselves, it’s too big! Our "trading partner" has flooded the market with drugs and they won't take no for an answer. You are going to destroy us if you don't do something."
Lin's face blanched rapidly as the politician stood and towered over him.
"Well, if you are such an inferior species that you cannot hold your own with galactic forces, then no one will mourn your loss." He sat back down primly.  "I believe we are done here. Please feel free to direct further comments to my secretary, and enjoy your stay on the Capital”.

Lin exited the room shaken.

What am I going to do now? I thought this was just going to be a quick fix! Mei says Stim-X is really dangerous; how can they justify selling it to us? This isn’t an oversight, he just honestly doesn’t care. I don’t know what to do! I can’t- I can’t help here, I can’t do anything...
Lin backed into the wall and slid down. Thankfully he had managed to wander into a deserted hallway, so no one noticed the human wrap his shaking arms around his legs. With his head buried in his hands, Lin contemplated running home.
He almost did, but he thought about what his boss had said. Although he had said it sarcastically, this really could be his chance to make something of himself and do something truly good for the world. Lin smiled, his resolve strengthened.
As he went to stand up with renewed vigor, the room spun around him and he had to catch himself with quivering arms before he fell to the floor once again. Lin did manage to stay upright, and continued down the hallway with a bit less vigor the second time.
His resolve to do something remained unshaken, but Lin decided to find some more Stim-X before anything else. After all, he could do no good if catatonic, and according to Mei he still had a few months left before the serious symptoms of use set in. He felt sick to his stomach at the hypocrisy between his ideals and actions, but he just couldn’t stop. After this fiasco was resolved, then he would figure something out for his drug “problem”. As his mother always said, one battle at a time.

As Lin’s rented Personal Transport Pod™ landed on the grimy surface of the planet, he felt a sense of unease, but shrugged it off as he looked around the alien world. After all, this world was known for its illegal drug production, he wasn’t expecting it to be the most classy place in the galaxy. The atmosphere was suitable for humans, so Lin didn’t wear a suit, but the slight lack of oxygen left him light headed.
Looking around, Lin saw that the buildings were close together, with intricate patterns of masonry decorating the fronts. According to his computer, these designs were like signs on Earth; they told pedestrians what each building contained. Lin found one that seemed to be like a bar and entered.
The hydraulic door slid open, and Lin was immediately bombarded with a cacophony of chattering voices and a loud thumping rhythm that seemed to be music. Lin took a stool at the bar and stared confusedly at the indecipherable menu before just giving up.
Through conversations with the other patrons, Lin hoped to find someone to “hook him up” and then get out quickly. No such luck. He mostly got sucked into conversations about pets and the inter-galactic stock market. I guess some things are universal. This is why I don't like going out!
Just when Lin was about to get up and leave, an alien approached him. He looked like he had a human skeletal structure, but with 2 extra sets of arms under thinly stretched black skin. He looked like a giant bug. Lin drew back quickly.
Through a rather spotty conversation with his universal translator, Lin learned that Mr Scary-Bug-Man (who had not provided an actual name) had approached him because he recognised Lin as a human, Apparently his planet was well known in these parts because it was a booming new market. Lin was a bit ashamed that he was so transparent, because the alien immediately guessed why he was lurking around this disreputable establishment. He gave Lin an address across town with a promise that he would find what he was looking for there.
Lin resolved himself to go. As he got back into his Personal Transport Pod™, he thought that if it were this hard to get Stim-X in the first place, he never would have gotten into this mess.

Once Lin came to the building he had been told about, he began to have second thoughts. The new area was dirty and run down; the beautiful stone mosaics cracked and shattered. It was cold without the light of the planet’s star.
Lin was tired and he hadn't had any Stim-X for days, so his hands were beginning to shake continuously. Nonetheless, he cautiously walked into the building. The hallway seemed to be in better condition than the outside of the structure. Lin stopped outside a door. He could hear voices.
With hands trembling from a combination of withdrawal and fear, Lin took out his translator, making sure to silence it. What scrolled by on the screen filled him with a sense of dread. An illegal arms trade in distant worlds like Earth, and... a plan to take out the Union of Worlds!
At that tidbit of information, the translator slipped out of Lin’s hands and fell to the scuffed metal floor with a clatter. His heart leapt to his throat as all of the voices cut off, and footsteps approached him. Lin was paralyzed with fear as a long appendage wrapped around his torso and lifted him up into the air.
One alien picked up his translator and turned on the speech function, and then began to talk.
“Look who we have here. Someone got a bit noisy. What do ya say, you think we should kill him? The boss said no one was supposed to know ‘bout the plans.”
“Nah, it’s not even worth. This’s a human, and he’s shakin’ pretty hard. I bet he’s hooked on somthin’. He won’t do nothing, will ya?”
Lin shook his head frantically, muttering no no no. Apparently the translator said as much, because he was soon dropped, and the two thugs walked out past him, not even sparing him a backwards glance.

Once Lin managed to haul himself off the floor and sprint back to his Personal Transport Pod™, he thought long and hard about what to do. He was sorely tempted to just forget the entire incident, but his conscious wouldn't let him. What happened to his dreams of being a hero, and saving peoples’ lives? That was why he took such a low level job at the United Nations; he wanted to help people. Stopping this would definitely be helping a lot of people; but Lin never really realized how much danger would be involved in heroic behavior. But he would do it anyways; he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t.
Once that was decided, the question now became: what exactly should he do? Lin couldn’t tell the government on Earth, they didn’t have to necessary infrastructure for interstellar communication. The best he could do was send the space equivalent of a handwritten letter, and hoped it arrived sometime this century. Lin couldn't just call the Union of Worlds either; no one would believe him. His presence there was seen as a joke, or a publicity stunt. As that politician had showed him, Lin held no real power. The irony of being in essentially the same position he was in back on Earth didn’t escape him. This time Lin resolved himself to taking action. Exactly what he was going to do was unclear, but he was going to do something!

Once Lin got back to the station, he stepped through the disconcertingly still air locks, and walked into the dimly lit hallways. He felt the prickling of dozens of eyes as he moved onward. He passed unmolested through doors usually heavily guarded, and eventually made his way to the Union of Worlds’ leader’s office.
Lin heard a chillingly familiar deep voice demand complete control over the galaxy. He also caught that there was a fleet of armed space ships waiting for the command to start destroying the station. Lin looked towards the open door whose ledge was the only thing hiding him from the aliens inside. His hands shook, a chill ran up his spine, and Lin shuddered. He clenched his fists in a futile attempt to still them.

Lin steps forward.