Part 6 - A new Galaxy
December 26th 2006 11:49
It was a new world and a new galaxy.
“I ain’t, no, no never gonna go hungry - not ever again!” cried Ha Scarra. She collapsed to the ground and her dress billowed about her body. The flames of three suns blazed across the horizon behind her.
“Oh,” said Je. “I could watch that movie another hundred times and never get bored of it.”
“Haven’t you watched it a hundred times already?” sniped La.
“Leave her alone La,” commanded Ru. “She can’t help it if she’s a bit simple. It’s just a shame we didn’t find out before we locked our selves in this beige ceramic tomb with her.”
“It’s a shame I didn’t find out before I married her,” muttered La under his breath, just loud enough for Je to hear. She sat stoically in her chair, staring out the main window. A tear chased its way down her cheek.
After thirty years on board the Beige Bummjob, some tempers were beginning to fray. Bo and Re, so madly in love on DisQuientia, had moved into separate quarters. Ru and Hu were trying their hardest not to talk to each other or fear of starting a fight. And La and Je were slowly killing each other with words.
For the first few years the journey was a fantastic holiday. The ship’s computer took care of all of the work, preparing recycled raw ingredients for cooking, cleaning the floor, walls, toilets, everything. After only 5 years of travel they had come across their first positive signs of the existence of other galaxies. And for a while their excitement grew with the knowledge that they, and Diklickley Bummjob, had been right - there were other galaxies.
Their enthusiasm waned when the found out that the computer had made a mistake in the relative time calculations. Initially it calculated they could reach the new galaxy within 25 years at their current relative speed. A few days passed and it reissued it’s calculations with the amendment that their journey to the new found galaxy would actually take 250 years of relative time.
Angered by the mistake Ru attacked the dashboard with an axe. This caused the computer to reissue its calculations with a further amendment. They weren’t sure if the new calculation was due to the damaged dashboard or merely the spite of the computer. The new estimation of arrival at the new galaxy was 2500 relative years.
Repairs were made to the hardware but the computer insisted another 2500 years of travel. It was shortly after that the boredom set in and the DisQuientians began to lose it.
Hu pulled her chair out and sat next to Je. “It’s OK sweetheart. We’re all as bored as each other. La doesn’t mean anything by what he says. He’s just trying to get rid of some frustration.”
Je didn’t avert her eyes from staring at the blackness outside. “I’m not crying because of what he said. I’m crying because I’m going to be stuck on this bloody ship until I’m middle aged! When we get to where we’re going I’ll be too old to care! We might as well have stayed back on DisQuientia and got blown up with the rest of them.”
Hu rubbed her shoulders and followed her gaze to the window. They pondered this while staring at nothing.
Getting her plate of nibbles ready for the second half of the movie Bo noticed a flashing light on the dashboard. She turned it off and read the accompanying data note on the dashboard monitor. “Hang on a minute,” she said. “That can’t be right.”
“What can’t be right?” asked Re and Ru at the same time. They both hurried over to captain’s chair.
Bo frowned at the dashboard monitor, “It says there’s some sort of thing dead ahead.”
Ru looked at the readout, “It’s not some sort of thing, it’s some sort of anomaly.”
“How many light years?” asked Re.
“Less than one,” answered Ru, hardly able to believe what he was reading.
“Less than one?” asked Bo. “That’s impossible! We’d see it.!” She reviewed the on screen data. “Hang on,” she said, “It’s less than half. No, less than a quarter. No, this can’t be. It’s moving toward us!”
“I see it!” shouted Je. “Directly ahead, a blue shining dot.” She looked around the room, “Does anyone else see it?”
Six sets of eyes scanned space looking for the blue dot; they could all see it now. It grew and grew and got closer and closer.
“Computer, reverse engines, prepare for impact!” shouted Bo as everyone scrambled back into their allotted seats and strapped in.
La offered Je his hand; she reached out and held on tight. “Will we stop in time?”
“I doubt it,” he grimly replied.
The blue dot filled a third of the window.
“Is it solid?” asked Re.
“I don’t know. Let’s hope not,” answered Bo.
“What does it matter?” said Ru. “Even if it’s a gas we’d still be smashed to pieces on impact at our current speed.”
The blue dot filled most of the window.
“Well, it’s been nice having this non-adventure with you all,” joked Re.
The blue dot filled the entire window and Bo screamed, “Brace! Brace! Brace!”
“I ain’t, no, no never gonna go hungry - not ever again!” cried Ha Scarra. She collapsed to the ground and her dress billowed about her body. The flames of three suns blazed across the horizon behind her.
~Intermission~
“Oh,” said Je. “I could watch that movie another hundred times and never get bored of it.”
“Haven’t you watched it a hundred times already?” sniped La.
“Leave her alone La,” commanded Ru. “She can’t help it if she’s a bit simple. It’s just a shame we didn’t find out before we locked our selves in this beige ceramic tomb with her.”
“It’s a shame I didn’t find out before I married her,” muttered La under his breath, just loud enough for Je to hear. She sat stoically in her chair, staring out the main window. A tear chased its way down her cheek.
After thirty years on board the Beige Bummjob, some tempers were beginning to fray. Bo and Re, so madly in love on DisQuientia, had moved into separate quarters. Ru and Hu were trying their hardest not to talk to each other or fear of starting a fight. And La and Je were slowly killing each other with words.
For the first few years the journey was a fantastic holiday. The ship’s computer took care of all of the work, preparing recycled raw ingredients for cooking, cleaning the floor, walls, toilets, everything. After only 5 years of travel they had come across their first positive signs of the existence of other galaxies. And for a while their excitement grew with the knowledge that they, and Diklickley Bummjob, had been right - there were other galaxies.
Their enthusiasm waned when the found out that the computer had made a mistake in the relative time calculations. Initially it calculated they could reach the new galaxy within 25 years at their current relative speed. A few days passed and it reissued it’s calculations with the amendment that their journey to the new found galaxy would actually take 250 years of relative time.
Angered by the mistake Ru attacked the dashboard with an axe. This caused the computer to reissue its calculations with a further amendment. They weren’t sure if the new calculation was due to the damaged dashboard or merely the spite of the computer. The new estimation of arrival at the new galaxy was 2500 relative years.
Repairs were made to the hardware but the computer insisted another 2500 years of travel. It was shortly after that the boredom set in and the DisQuientians began to lose it.
Hu pulled her chair out and sat next to Je. “It’s OK sweetheart. We’re all as bored as each other. La doesn’t mean anything by what he says. He’s just trying to get rid of some frustration.”
Je didn’t avert her eyes from staring at the blackness outside. “I’m not crying because of what he said. I’m crying because I’m going to be stuck on this bloody ship until I’m middle aged! When we get to where we’re going I’ll be too old to care! We might as well have stayed back on DisQuientia and got blown up with the rest of them.”
Hu rubbed her shoulders and followed her gaze to the window. They pondered this while staring at nothing.
Getting her plate of nibbles ready for the second half of the movie Bo noticed a flashing light on the dashboard. She turned it off and read the accompanying data note on the dashboard monitor. “Hang on a minute,” she said. “That can’t be right.”
“What can’t be right?” asked Re and Ru at the same time. They both hurried over to captain’s chair.
Bo frowned at the dashboard monitor, “It says there’s some sort of thing dead ahead.”
Ru looked at the readout, “It’s not some sort of thing, it’s some sort of anomaly.”
“How many light years?” asked Re.
“Less than one,” answered Ru, hardly able to believe what he was reading.
“Less than one?” asked Bo. “That’s impossible! We’d see it.!” She reviewed the on screen data. “Hang on,” she said, “It’s less than half. No, less than a quarter. No, this can’t be. It’s moving toward us!”
“I see it!” shouted Je. “Directly ahead, a blue shining dot.” She looked around the room, “Does anyone else see it?”
Six sets of eyes scanned space looking for the blue dot; they could all see it now. It grew and grew and got closer and closer.
“Computer, reverse engines, prepare for impact!” shouted Bo as everyone scrambled back into their allotted seats and strapped in.
La offered Je his hand; she reached out and held on tight. “Will we stop in time?”
“I doubt it,” he grimly replied.
The blue dot filled a third of the window.
“Is it solid?” asked Re.
“I don’t know. Let’s hope not,” answered Bo.
“What does it matter?” said Ru. “Even if it’s a gas we’d still be smashed to pieces on impact at our current speed.”
The blue dot filled most of the window.
“Well, it’s been nice having this non-adventure with you all,” joked Re.
The blue dot filled the entire window and Bo screamed, “Brace! Brace! Brace!”
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