Grease Monkey #[nn]

In the high-stakes world of Earth’s combat flagship, rookie Cadet Robin Plotnik finds himself paired with Mac Gimbensky, a gorilla flight mechanic who sees engineering as an art form. When Robin quietly tweaks the Barbarian Squadron’s vectoring system, the results surprise even Mac—whose gruff exterior cracks as he recognizes a fellow artist in spirit.

In "The Price," Robin faces a tough choice when his friend Kevin asks him to copy flight coordination software after accidentally deleting his squadron's files. As Kevin’s Hardrider Squadron starts dominating Robin’s Barbarians in war games, Mac notices something off—the Hardriders seem to know the Barbarians’ every move. When the linkup is shut down and the code changed, Robin is left grappling with betrayal, only to be reminded by Mac that loyalty and trust are tested in ways that reveal who you really are.

In "Gorilla Tactics," Robin finds himself caught in a web of workplace absurdity aboard a spaceship where rumors of a terrifying figure named Mac are weaponized by personnel officers. When Robin and Mac team up to retaliate with a booby trap, their prank spirals into chaos—leading Robin to dodge a sadistic dentist, face down a hacker in the Wagering Lounge, and trigger a surprise ambush by the very officers who set the stage.

In "The Gift," Robin finds himself caught between admiration and awkwardness when his crush on the formidable all-female Barbarian Squadron lands him in a bar brawl with Rodgers of the Samurai Squadron. After a rough fight that leaves him battered, the Barbarians arrive—only to shower Robin with attention for standing up to their detractor. Written by an unnamed author and illustrated by an unnamed interior artist, this 12-page story blends humor and sci-fi with a touch of sweet, absurd romance.

In "The Calling," Mac suits up for a tethered E.V.A., drawn by the distant pull of the stars, while Robin quietly shares a collection of imaginative fiction with the ship’s library. When a sudden alert sends the Barbarians into war games, Mac’s tether snags Barbara’s fighter, sparking a tense dogfight that leaves him shaken and Barbara furious. Back at the hangar, Robin, unaware of the chaos, vents about the librarian’s lack of daring—only for Mac to quietly reflect on how different they all are, even in the quiet moments between missions.

In "Rewards," Admiral Stettler's tentative date with Mac takes a chaotic turn when Mac’s mother shows up unannounced, adding pressure to an already tense evening. Just as things seem to be unraveling, an emergency pulls the admiral away—only for Robin’s mom to arrive with even more awkward energy, turning the evening into a full-blown family comedy of errors.

In the quiet hum of a starship library, Kara chafes under the strict supervision of Ms. Anne Thrope—until Robin slips in a stack of forbidden sci-fi novels, sparking a quiet rebellion in the aisles. With every stolen glance at a pulpy adventure, Kara finds herself rediscovering wonder in the most unlikely place.

In "Gorilla Warfare," TV pundit Russ Lipbalm stirs up fear about gorillas going feral, but the real chaos unfolds at a squadron conference where Mac and rival ape Wes Humbarger erupt into a massive brawl—again. As tensions flare, Robin stumbles upon a surprising e-mail revealing the fights might not be what they seem.

In "End of the World," a lone survivor named Peffard drifts in the wreckage of his ship, praying for a sign as Earth lies in ruins after an alien assault. When a mysterious vessel approaches without warning, his own crew prepares to attack—until Peffard steps between them, choosing mercy over vengeance. The story, written by an unnamed author and illustrated by an unnamed artist, hinges on that moment of sacrifice, where one man’s courage might just change the fate of humanity.

In the cramped, humming hangar of the *Grease Monkey*, Major Henniker and his ever-patient aide Rosco conduct a routine inspection—only to find the Barbarians’ crew, while top performers, still falling short of Henniker’s rigid expectations. As the tension simmers, Mac quietly deploys an E.M.P. generator, erasing Rosco’s digital record of the visit with a flick of the wrist.

In "The Rival," a cocky male fighter pilot takes great pleasure in mocking the Barbarians—only to be stunned when he faces off against Barbara in a high-stakes rocket duel, only to discover the truth that he’s her brother. Written by an unnamed author and illustrated by an unnamed artist, the story blends sharp humor with a surprising twist, all in a brisk 13 pages.

In "Rewards Part 2," Admiral Stettler finally gets her long-awaited date with Mac, but even the perfect evening can't escape the chaos of duty. As interruptions pile up and she’s forced to leave the restaurant again and again, Mac remains unfazed—content just to have shared the time, no matter how brief.

In "Exchange Day," Robin swaps shifts with Kevin, only to find the Hardriders’ maintenance a chaotic mess. While Kevin is locked in a storeroom in the Barbarian hangar, Robin dives into fixing months of neglect—effort that Mac secretly shields with a video scrambler to keep their sabotage plans hidden.

In "Grail Time," Mac looks back on his rookie days aboard the ship, when a mix of awkward charm and starry-eyed ambition led him to bond with Reg, report to Barbara, and secretly admire Admiral Stettler. As Reg watches him spiral into a reckless, feeling-driven phase, he calls it Grail Time—the moment when impulse rules and every choice is fueled by emotion.

In "Separation," Jo finds herself adrift when her friend Kara bonds with Jeff during a Virtual Reality movie experience—only to fade into the digital story unfolding on screen. The film follows a dolphin, gifted with heightened intelligence by the mysterious Benefactors, who chooses to reject the leap into human understanding, knowing it will forever isolate him from both species.

In "The Long Road," Jo finds herself caught between duty and loyalty when she learns her classmate Kevin is about to be arrested for rigging war game outcomes. Sneaking into the restricted wagering lounge to warn him, she witnesses the consequences of bending the rules—only to realize that the ship, with all its rigid order, has become her true home. The story, written by an unnamed author and illustrated by an unnamed artist, quietly explores the weight of belonging in a world where the right path isn’t always the easy one.

In "The Way of Art," Jo and Mac find themselves drawn into a surprisingly profound conversation sparked by a graphic novel titled *Where Do I Sign?*—a fictional biography of Ishmael, the first mentally-accelerated gorilla. As Ishmael grapples with the weight of his species’ past and the chaotic voices of both humans and apes, he seeks peace in silence, only to discover that connection and history are not so easily escaped.

In "Rewards Part 3," Mac’s well-meaning friends accidentally turn his date with Admiral Stettler into a chaotic comedy of errors when they flood him with cold remedies—unaware of the dramatic confession that follows. After collapsing mid-romantic moment, Mac wakes to find a note from the admiral, hinting at a future rendezvous that leaves his next move very much in question.

In "Politics," Robin tries to confess his feelings to Kara over dinner, only to realize she's already committed to Jeff, leaving him heartbroken. Meanwhile, the squadron braces for another round of office drama when the no-nonsense Major Henniker announces his run for commander.

In "Stalemates," Mac and Robin try to host a peaceful visit between their dads—Garvin and Richard—but the moment the two political operatives arrive, the house becomes a war zone of competing slogans and escalating pranks. As their antics spiral, the dads unexpectedly team up to sabotage Major Henniker’s campaign for squadron coordinator, discovering a surprising kinship in their shared love of mischief.

On a day when artificial gravity keeps failing across the station, the crew of Grease Monkey finally gets around to voting—only to find their choices upended by a surprise third-party candidate. Richard and Garvin are stunned when their picks fall short, while Major Henniker’s landslide victory leaves Mac utterly horrified.

In "Upheaval," Henniker shuts down the wagering lounge and corrals the remaining gamblers, while Barbara tightens control over Robin, Mac, and her pilots to keep them safe from the fallout. With the lounge closed, Jeff loses his chef's job and, despite Kara finally seeing his true feelings, they both decide to return to Earth. For Robin, the ship—once a refuge—no longer feels like home.

In "The Best of Times," Robin's world cracks when news of squadron disbandment hits—especially after Kara's departure leaves him reeling. When he impulsively launches into space without a suit, Val's quick thinking and a daring rescue save him, sparking a chain reaction that forces Admiral Stettler to rethink the entire command structure. The story, written by the team behind Grease Monkey, captures the raw mix of loyalty, chaos, and quiet defiance that defines the Barbarians.

In "Rewards Part 4," Mac and the admiral share a quiet moment on a park bench, their romance unfolding amid the chaos of military life, while Robin and Barbara lead a squadron inspection of a new bomber prototype. Tensions rise as the young designer bristles at Robin’s criticism, only to find himself unexpectedly drawn to Barbara—whose blunt assessment of the craft as "a dog" echoes his own doubts.

In "End of the Tunnel," Robin finally gets a moment to breathe when Mac quietly pulls him aside for a rare retreat—just music, a cushion, and the vast quiet of the stars above. The next day, even in the midst of chaos, Robin carries a calm that feels earned.

In "Barfly," Robin finds himself caught between worlds after overhearing Mac and the other apes critique humanity during their weekly beer night. Mac reassures him that such moments are just a release, and urges Robin to follow the bold example of Linnaeus—the scientist who first placed apes and humans in the same family. As Robin reflects on how he already treats Mac like kin, a quiet moment of connection settles between them.