From: Jason Self Date: Wed, 1 May 2019 12:40:12 +0000 (-0700) Subject: Add 002 X-Git-Url: https://jxself.org/git/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=e4c0a4849457488a19da5f7c01a43d4058102d99;p=sierraone.git Add 002 --- diff --git a/002 b/002 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..18cbeb8 --- /dev/null +++ b/002 @@ -0,0 +1,122 @@ +$-- Copyright (C) 2019 Jason Self +$-- SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later + +Beings on Geptok harvest a liquid from deep in the planet's core. This +unknown element only became known on Earth when it made its way across +the galaxy on the back of a meteorite. Scientists were able to analyze +the trajectory it came from, but no communication has been established +with these beings yet. Due to its far distance attempts to use deep +space telescopes to examine the planet have not revealed much. + +The Geptokians were well aware of the meteorite splitting apart from a +nearby moon. In fact, they pulled the meteor toward their planet, and +in order to prevent the demise of another planet, they sent this +element on a ride to Earth. + +Even though creatures from Geptok were able to get this element on to +the meteorite, they're not technologically evolved enough to have deep +space ships that they could pilot to Earth. Their resources aren't +enough to deliver the rare element directly; they merely saw the +opportunity to send it toward Earth, so they seized their chance. They +will certainly be surprised to find out a ship is on its way to +retrieve more of the cure for Earth's toxic atmospheric conditions. +Yet when we last left the ship sent to Geptok, the crew was spinning +on their own without any idea of which way to go. + +When we last left the crew aboard The Star-splinter, Tomás Alves had +finally admitted to flipping switches that he didn't understand. It's +a miracle that the elements in our universe balance each other out in +a naturally occurring way, but it's even more bizarre that Tomás Alves +passed through the space academy to begin with. In fact, somehow he +was at the top of his class. + +"You're lucky I don't report your frivolous behavior," Bxnak torts at +Tomás. The Ujuian flips switches while searching through the ship's +manual. "Why would you think this ship has a record player on it +anyway?" + +"Well, my dad told me they hadn't made many changes to it since he was +in the academy," says Tomás. "He was always talking about vinyl +records keeping him from being bored on long flights." + +Captain Alves hasn't been playing much music since his wife left the +space station, but with his son gone he thought he would dust off the +old sound system. When The Star-splinter left, Captain Alves sat alone +the first night with the record player playing softly as he looked out +into the sky. However, when The Star-splinter finally responds to his +transmission, he's so relieved that he invites the entire crew of +Sierra One to a party in the Fleet Training Room. + +"Sorry about causing so much panic back home," Tomás tells his father +over the radio communicator. "Deep space comes with consequences. One +of those is temporary space madness." + +"It's okay, son," says the captain. "You've got a ways to go before +you reach Geptok. Try to remain calm and rely on your training when +you find yourself in distress." + +"What training are you talking about, sirs?" asks Bxnak. "If it wasn't +for my quick thinking---" + +"What is that shrill sound?" asks the captain. + +"You'd be out in the vacuum," says Bxnak, "Your son woulda been as +tiny as a grape by now." + +"That's B you're hearing," says Tomás. "Are you there? Hello? Dad?" + +"I had to get away from the receiver," says the captain. "I forgot how +horrible B's voice was." + +"Yeah," Tomás agrees. "It's pretty bad. You should taste his cooking!" + +"Hey," Bxnak says, and he tosses his frilly yellow apron on the +ground. He stamps on the apron with all three of his hoofed feet. "You +know, if you're not nicer to me, you can do your own cooking from now +on." + +"Hey," says the captain, "his voice is much worse over the +communicator. I'm going to have to get off of here. Giving me a +headache." + +"Okay," says Tomás. "We'll call if we need anything." + +"Sure," says the captain. "Call when you reach Geptok. Fly straight, +son. Just like I taught you." + +After the communicator closes, Tomás eats dinner. He cuts into the +eggs benedict, but the green, gooey yolk makes him queasy. "I'm going +to have to scrap this," he says to himself. He takes his plate to the +evacuation chamber. He has the ship express the eggs from the particle +release chamber. Green gooey yolks float like oil on water, as the +ship moves steadily towards Geptok. + +He goes to find the Ujuian sulking in the study. "You're not mad at +me, are you?" Tomás asks Bxnak. "We were kidding about your voice, you +know." + +Bxnak clears his throat before saying, "I know how I sound. My people +might not be the best singers, we might not be able to smell soured +milk when it gets chunky, but we have our good qualities." + +"I'm sure you do," says Tomás. + +"Can't you say anything nice?" says Bxnak. + +"I mean it," says Tomás. "There's something nobody knows about me, B. +Not my dad, or any of the politicians who put together this mission. I +only made it through the academy because you were there. I woulda +never passed the academy if it wasn't for you." + +"What do you mean?" asks Bxnak. + +"I knew you were smart," says Tomás. "So I stole my dad's keys, and I +went in to switch our answers around before our exams were graded." + +"Really?" says Bxnak. "I knew it! All Earthlings are lying cheats." + +"Hey," says Tomás, "I think you're missing the point. I was trying to +cheer you up." + +"Wait until I get back to Sierra One," says Bxnak. "You're going to be +mopping up the floors when I tell them what I know!" \ No newline at end of file