The Returning Children
Prolong
March 28, 3090 one light minute away from Pluto.
The headphone suddenly busted with static then it started to clear up. “This is mission control center Pluto. Go? No Go? Over.” I reached down to the switch box on my belt which controlled the mic, flipped it on over to hot mic, and responded softly.
“We are a go! Up linking now. Over.” While I was speaking to Pluto mission control center, I reached out to one of the switch on the panel in between of the copilot and my mircogravity seat, clicked a couple switches to on. Suddenly with no warning, the screen to my left came to life with a bust of static then the screen stabilized then data begun to scroll cross the screen. It was looking good.
Shortly by about one minute later, Pluto mission control center responded that they were just now receiving the signal nice and clear; that the data was looking excellent from what they had seen so far. I tensed up then they begun to announce the check down. “Population is a Go! Over.” The tension in me suddenly released like a compressed spring and I started to work on my checklist.
“Roger. Over.”
“Nav computer is a Go! Over.”
I glanced over to my copilot and smiled a thin smile then spoke “Roger. Over.”
“Life-support system is a Go! Over.”
“Roger. Over.” I responded softly as I double-checked my data that were scrolling cross the screen to my left.
“Com system is a Go! Over.”
I shake my head a bit, that one check was somewhat reducent, but they still intended on doing it. “Roger. Over.”
“Cryogenic system is a Go! Over.”
At the mentation of the cryogenic system I thought a bit about the amount of trust that over thirty thousand peoples was putting on our shoulders. “Roger. Over.” I spoke softly with renewed awareness of the burden that was placed on me and my copilot, I glanced over to see how my copilot was doing and he gave me an thumbs up and grinned.
One thing odd about the Armstrong drive was how they functioned, thought the jump appeared instanious to an outside observer; the observer might notice that the ship had aged sightficaly. An hundred years jump would appear to happen instanious but the odd thing is that the ship would actual physically age an hundred years, including the crew unless they were in hibernation, and guarded by an special field that protected their body from the side effects of the Armstrong drives. However this special field was increditable expensive and norious for breaking down.
“Armstrong drives are a Go! Over.”
I didn’t recolize that I was holding my breath so I let it out slowly and smiled as I whispered into the mic “Roger. Over.”
There was a loud bust of static then it cleared up to the sound of a thousand-control center member clapping, as the com person was announcing, “All systems are a Go! Go! You’re a Go for engaging the Armstrong drives! Good luck to you all and Godspeed! Go! Over!”
My copilot face broke out into a broad grin and responded cheerfully “Thanks you guys have done an wonderful job! We will do our best! Over!”
I looked over to my co pilot and grinned, he responded by grinning and giving me the thumbs up. “Its time!” I almost shout.
“Main power bus one, online!” I spoke as I flipped the switch guard covers off the bank of switches to my right and started to flip them up. Thought in this age touch pad were more effective and quicker in responding, most space craft stayed with old fanshed switches because they were tougher and harder to break, in addition they had the clicking sound that notified the pilot or any crew that some one or they flipped an switch.
“Roger. Over” My copilot responded as he was double-checking the checklist.
“Main power buses two, online!” My copilot spoke as he flipped the guards off his bank of switches and was thumbing them up. Suddenly the screen above the data link screen went alive but remained blank.
“Armstrong Nav computer is online now!” Almost the second that it left my mouth the screen begun displaying complex graphic images and at the bottom of the screen data begun to scroll across the screen as the computer was processing complex mathematic formula for calculating an safe route though Armstrong space.
It takes tremendous amount of processing time and power to calculate routes though Armstrong space because there is also couple of other interesting effects of Armstrong that pilot would desire to avoid. One interesting thing is how the space is kind of compressed and distorted, in some area the Armstrong space is strongly compressed, its usually in regions of high gravity like near stars, or near the galaxy core, and due to the nature of Armstrong drive, if you get too close to these compressed area the effects are usually fatal. Then there is also the effect of distance to time; you make an hundred light-year jump you age a hundred year. No one have been able to find a way around this effect other than using the flaky and norious energy fields that are designed to disable ageing temporary, but they’re norious for not working properly.
After almost fifteen minute of waiting, the screen blanked out and was replaced by six giant glowing green numbers that begun to countdown to the activation of Armstrong drives. My headphone suddenly beeped and I heard the dry monotone voice of the computer announcing, “One minutes left to activation of Armstrong drives.”
Thought it might be more effective to display the countdown only on the screen, however it just presented an sense of rush or panic, it kind of made the pilot think it was an countdown to doomsday, so there were serious efforts to develop vocal interaction between the computer and pilots, thought they almost perfected it. It wasn’t quite good enough to be up to the rigorous standards that space requires so they just scraped the idea and sold it off to civilization productions like personal computers. However there was a few remains of the old program remaining in the space program, one was the monotone voice that the computers used to announce countdown or important information.
After what seemed only to be, a short period the computer announced once again, “thirty seconds remain to the activation of Armstrong drives.” I reached out to my copilot and griped his hand, we both smiled tightly as the computer droned on and on.
Suddenly the computer quit talking then it announced again in its dry monotone voice “Warning. Prepare yourself for activation of anti-aging fields to be activated. Warning. Prepare yourself for activation of anti-aging fields to be activated” I could feel the warm fizzy feeling that one get when they’re inside an anti-aging field, this reminded me of my first Armstrong jump, while I were servicing my duty aboard the USN Scorpio.
Suddenly the ship begun to rumble gently and I suddenly froze up in panic then I remembered that it was just the ship gaining up its infernal energy required to rip an hole in the very farablic of space and time, to slip though, into the higher dimension that we mere moral called Armstrong spaces. The burden of over thirty thousand souls was starting to weight heavily on my shoulder, I begun to wonder what if this jump went bad. But then I reminded myself that I wouldn’t even be around if the jump went bad, That was an very sobering thought.
Suddenly the computer announced again “Five second remaining.” The gentle rumble of the ship begun to increase, time seemed to slowdown for me, Four seconds remaining… Three… Two… Time’s up.
There was no explosion, no flash of light, no, nothing, just nothingness; the ship simplely disappeared without a trace. Five-kilometer long colony ship, billion of ton of mass, thirty thousand peoples… Five hundred light years was covered in a blink of the eye. Five hundred years into the future the ship hurled within a blink of the eye. It aged five hundred years in the blink of the eye. It was so distant of a target that no signal would reach Sol and her fellow colonies until 3590 at the earliest. The very first multiple hundred years jump that humankind had ever done, a small step for humankind, a giant leap for human.
The very final message that Sol would ever receive before the ship vanished was a soft strained cry that suddenly cutoff. This was the very last message that humankind would ever receive from the ship for they would descend into a long and bloody civil war between Sol and her colonies that would last for linearly centuries and end with the devastation of Terra.
stories list
Prolong: There you have it my third rewrite and i finaly got it finished in an way i am staifyed with, whatch u think of it massing around 1,500 i think too lazzy to check word count
chapter one: this is chapter one its massing about 3,478 words
Prolong
March 28, 3090 one light minute away from Pluto.
The headphone suddenly busted with static then it started to clear up. “This is mission control center Pluto. Go? No Go? Over.” I reached down to the switch box on my belt which controlled the mic, flipped it on over to hot mic, and responded softly.
“We are a go! Up linking now. Over.” While I was speaking to Pluto mission control center, I reached out to one of the switch on the panel in between of the copilot and my mircogravity seat, clicked a couple switches to on. Suddenly with no warning, the screen to my left came to life with a bust of static then the screen stabilized then data begun to scroll cross the screen. It was looking good.
Shortly by about one minute later, Pluto mission control center responded that they were just now receiving the signal nice and clear; that the data was looking excellent from what they had seen so far. I tensed up then they begun to announce the check down. “Population is a Go! Over.” The tension in me suddenly released like a compressed spring and I started to work on my checklist.
“Roger. Over.”
“Nav computer is a Go! Over.”
I glanced over to my copilot and smiled a thin smile then spoke “Roger. Over.”
“Life-support system is a Go! Over.”
“Roger. Over.” I responded softly as I double-checked my data that were scrolling cross the screen to my left.
“Com system is a Go! Over.”
I shake my head a bit, that one check was somewhat reducent, but they still intended on doing it. “Roger. Over.”
“Cryogenic system is a Go! Over.”
At the mentation of the cryogenic system I thought a bit about the amount of trust that over thirty thousand peoples was putting on our shoulders. “Roger. Over.” I spoke softly with renewed awareness of the burden that was placed on me and my copilot, I glanced over to see how my copilot was doing and he gave me an thumbs up and grinned.
One thing odd about the Armstrong drive was how they functioned, thought the jump appeared instanious to an outside observer; the observer might notice that the ship had aged sightficaly. An hundred years jump would appear to happen instanious but the odd thing is that the ship would actual physically age an hundred years, including the crew unless they were in hibernation, and guarded by an special field that protected their body from the side effects of the Armstrong drives. However this special field was increditable expensive and norious for breaking down.
“Armstrong drives are a Go! Over.”
I didn’t recolize that I was holding my breath so I let it out slowly and smiled as I whispered into the mic “Roger. Over.”
There was a loud bust of static then it cleared up to the sound of a thousand-control center member clapping, as the com person was announcing, “All systems are a Go! Go! You’re a Go for engaging the Armstrong drives! Good luck to you all and Godspeed! Go! Over!”
My copilot face broke out into a broad grin and responded cheerfully “Thanks you guys have done an wonderful job! We will do our best! Over!”
I looked over to my co pilot and grinned, he responded by grinning and giving me the thumbs up. “Its time!” I almost shout.
“Main power bus one, online!” I spoke as I flipped the switch guard covers off the bank of switches to my right and started to flip them up. Thought in this age touch pad were more effective and quicker in responding, most space craft stayed with old fanshed switches because they were tougher and harder to break, in addition they had the clicking sound that notified the pilot or any crew that some one or they flipped an switch.
“Roger. Over” My copilot responded as he was double-checking the checklist.
“Main power buses two, online!” My copilot spoke as he flipped the guards off his bank of switches and was thumbing them up. Suddenly the screen above the data link screen went alive but remained blank.
“Armstrong Nav computer is online now!” Almost the second that it left my mouth the screen begun displaying complex graphic images and at the bottom of the screen data begun to scroll across the screen as the computer was processing complex mathematic formula for calculating an safe route though Armstrong space.
It takes tremendous amount of processing time and power to calculate routes though Armstrong space because there is also couple of other interesting effects of Armstrong that pilot would desire to avoid. One interesting thing is how the space is kind of compressed and distorted, in some area the Armstrong space is strongly compressed, its usually in regions of high gravity like near stars, or near the galaxy core, and due to the nature of Armstrong drive, if you get too close to these compressed area the effects are usually fatal. Then there is also the effect of distance to time; you make an hundred light-year jump you age a hundred year. No one have been able to find a way around this effect other than using the flaky and norious energy fields that are designed to disable ageing temporary, but they’re norious for not working properly.
After almost fifteen minute of waiting, the screen blanked out and was replaced by six giant glowing green numbers that begun to countdown to the activation of Armstrong drives. My headphone suddenly beeped and I heard the dry monotone voice of the computer announcing, “One minutes left to activation of Armstrong drives.”
Thought it might be more effective to display the countdown only on the screen, however it just presented an sense of rush or panic, it kind of made the pilot think it was an countdown to doomsday, so there were serious efforts to develop vocal interaction between the computer and pilots, thought they almost perfected it. It wasn’t quite good enough to be up to the rigorous standards that space requires so they just scraped the idea and sold it off to civilization productions like personal computers. However there was a few remains of the old program remaining in the space program, one was the monotone voice that the computers used to announce countdown or important information.
After what seemed only to be, a short period the computer announced once again, “thirty seconds remain to the activation of Armstrong drives.” I reached out to my copilot and griped his hand, we both smiled tightly as the computer droned on and on.
Suddenly the computer quit talking then it announced again in its dry monotone voice “Warning. Prepare yourself for activation of anti-aging fields to be activated. Warning. Prepare yourself for activation of anti-aging fields to be activated” I could feel the warm fizzy feeling that one get when they’re inside an anti-aging field, this reminded me of my first Armstrong jump, while I were servicing my duty aboard the USN Scorpio.
Suddenly the ship begun to rumble gently and I suddenly froze up in panic then I remembered that it was just the ship gaining up its infernal energy required to rip an hole in the very farablic of space and time, to slip though, into the higher dimension that we mere moral called Armstrong spaces. The burden of over thirty thousand souls was starting to weight heavily on my shoulder, I begun to wonder what if this jump went bad. But then I reminded myself that I wouldn’t even be around if the jump went bad, That was an very sobering thought.
Suddenly the computer announced again “Five second remaining.” The gentle rumble of the ship begun to increase, time seemed to slowdown for me, Four seconds remaining… Three… Two… Time’s up.
There was no explosion, no flash of light, no, nothing, just nothingness; the ship simplely disappeared without a trace. Five-kilometer long colony ship, billion of ton of mass, thirty thousand peoples… Five hundred light years was covered in a blink of the eye. Five hundred years into the future the ship hurled within a blink of the eye. It aged five hundred years in the blink of the eye. It was so distant of a target that no signal would reach Sol and her fellow colonies until 3590 at the earliest. The very first multiple hundred years jump that humankind had ever done, a small step for humankind, a giant leap for human.
The very final message that Sol would ever receive before the ship vanished was a soft strained cry that suddenly cutoff. This was the very last message that humankind would ever receive from the ship for they would descend into a long and bloody civil war between Sol and her colonies that would last for linearly centuries and end with the devastation of Terra.
stories list
Prolong: There you have it my third rewrite and i finaly got it finished in an way i am staifyed with, whatch u think of it massing around 1,500 i think too lazzy to check word count
chapter one: this is chapter one its massing about 3,478 words
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