I wish I could get that far. I live on less than $900 disability a month. publication is a luxury I cannot afford.
SUNFISH
PRELOGUE
If you do not mind being confused about who the people in this story are, when and where they are, do not read the prologue.
PROLOGUE
These people are from a world called Shoon Ba (family world). The unzi` race are a young people. Slower of growth than us and longer of life, they are slow to anger and quick to joy.
By our standards they are a stout and strong, average 5’4” to 5’8”. For them the climb up the evolutionary ladder began in the sea as a carnivorous turtle in shallow tropic seas. The primary food source was mollusks, bivalves and crustaceans. Either pried from rocks or dug from under them. As a result they have a spine ridge between the shoulders to anchor the arm muscles, much the same as a bird’s keel bone for flight muscles. Strong legs are of course a great help in this endeavor.
Many kinds of trees grew along the shore and in tidal swamps. Climbing the trees was done to escape predators, then they started to eat the fruits and nuts growing there. Later they spent as much time in the trees as they did in the sea, leading to the loss of their shell.
Climate change caused the sea to retreat in one direction and the trees the other. This left the unzi` standing on the ground. Here begins the road to civilization.
The unzi` skin is smooth small plates like a nonscalor reptile. Most are earth tones from dark brown to dark olive, mostly sand to light olive. A few have red and orange, even fewer have blue and purple.
This mission is a retirement cruise of the ship. The torg (captain) is using this easy mission to contemplate his retirement. The mission to study the recent find of a brown dwarf just over a light year from the home star. A simple mission this study of the nearest neighbor.
BROWN DWARF
Torg Disnor (sky seer) is sitting in his command chair onboard the explore ship Gornor (far seer). Getting bored in orbit around the brown dwarf. “While scientifically interesting the only redeeming feature of this place is the closeness to our home star.”
Shea (cloud) the knuu parr (science officer) speaks up. “Torg you may find it more interesting if we landed in the star.”
Torg, “Absurdity beyond all” pause “you are too boring for this to be a joke. What have you found?”
Shea, “A space station of some sort floating in the outer layer of the star.”
Torg, “Show me,”
Shea, “See, here it comes around again. The station appears closer to the surface on every orbit. This is the first orbit we see it clear enough to make a report on it.”
Torg, “Should we get stuck on or in there, there is no chance of rescue.” On the comm link, “La Tau, (good hill) meet me in the conference room, now.” To Shea, “Refine data for this landing.”
In the conference room, La Tau, “Yes torg, what is so urgent?”
Torg, “Can you spare enough power to the shields and still make a safe landing in this star?”
La Tau, the chief engineer, is taken aback by the question. He knows the torg is not one to amuse himself at the crew’s expense. La Tau, “I would like a pair of tentlori` (tendays) to study it.”
Torg, “Good, you have a pair of orbits. Shea has the data you need.” With that La Tau salutes and heads for the control center.
Six tlori` later La Tau and Shea are working on the calculations when the station comes over the horizon again. This time it is above the surface of the star. As they pass over the station a tractor beam grabs and pulls them down to the station.
La Tau to the engine room, “Stop all engines, divert available power to the shields.”
Torg, “Status”
La Tau, “A tractor beam is pulling us down to the station. Shields are holding. We will make it to the station. After that who knows?”
“Torg to all hands. We are being pulled into a station floating in the star. Expedition teams man up take necessary precautions. This is what we live for. May the Great Explorer bless our mission.”
The crew responds, “To the next hill!” (Meaning to go or see beyond) The Explore Service motto.
The landing team hurries into the control center taking up their posts. They run through equipment checks while keeping an eye on the approach to the station. As they near the station an airlock door opens at one end. The crew is awed by the size of the station, that of a medium asteroid, 120 stad x 22 stad x 47 stad, (1 stad = ¾ mile). The airlock door is half a stad across. Six lock chambers are passed through, gradually increasing the air pressure. The last door lets them into a large chamber full of ships. The chamber is the full width of the station, but is only 15 stad across.
Landing crew reports start. Environmentals, “Air pressure 86% normal, composition, pure argon.
Scopes, “We are moving toward another door on the other side of the chamber.”
“Landing gear checked and ready.”
The torg is pleased with the promptness and calm of the landing reports. The torg's satisfaction does not go unnoticed by the crew.
Scopes, “Approaching door, door opening.” The ship passes through another airlock chamber.
“Landing field sighted, final approach.”
Other watch standers, “Landing gear deployed and locked.”
“Radiation, below Shoon Ba normal, safe.”
“Atmosphere, 97% normal pressure. Normal breathable mix, 1% lower in oxygen than Shoon Ba norm.
“No sign of life not even microbes.”
“Gravity, 92% normal.”
“Landed, stable, all landing parameters optimal. Standing down landing stations.”
From the officer of the watch, “All hands set normal ground stations. Uninhabited planet watch standards apply.”
Down in explore team one ready room, “We are in a space station, in a star and we set uninhabited planet stations. This was not in the field manual.”
“By the Mother Sea! This should get the Torg and this crew a new ship.”
“We all wish! This is a fine old ship, but she is just about worn out. Quiet, here comes the first.”
Team One First (Sleequee), “Good afternoon team. As you are aware we have what appears to be a fairly normal exploration. From the landing visuals I see that we are next to a small city. To start with we will use ground cars to map, measure and record visuals.” A hand raises, “Yes Soonge.”
Soonge, (fire) “Why not use airsleds, they are faster?”
Sleequee, (speed-fish=barracuda) “Because the station is providing ground cars.”
Soonge, “Wait a ahn (minute), if this station is uninhabited, then how is it doing all these things?”
Sleequee, “That is what we have to find out. It is almost like the station it self is alive, or at least self aware.”
In the control center the watch stander hits the all call switch, “Incoming brace for impact.” Then small machines, sounding like millions of insects, cover the ship. “All clear, scanning for damage. No damage, the ship is clean. Appears to have been a decontamination procedure.”
Back at the ready room one the first responds, “Events like that are why we must be vigilant and calm. This is like nothing we have seen before.”
Gos`na, (long arm) ship’s Explore Master, “Explore team one your transport awaits.”
Outside a line of ground cars await. Small 4 seat, 4 wheel, and cargo box vehicles. As the team breaks up into pairs the first 6 cars turn blue, line up at the ramp. The rear seats fold into the floor making the cargo boxes larger. The rest of the cars break into 2 groups of 6 with the 3 extra cars disappearing into the city. One group of cars turns green the other orange.
Sleequee, Team One/Blue First, “Explore One here, it appears that we are Team Blue. Mark your uniforms appropriately”.
The team proceeds to set up their equipment to record and measure everything they see. Units 2 & 3 get out some tape and number their cars. The station responds by numbering all the cars.
Sleequee, “By the Mother Sea! Our first written reference, the numbering system, thank you units 2 & 3.”
Voosl (snow) of unit 3 whispers, “When those numbers appeared I thought the first was going to stretch our hides for sails.”
Mank (cliff) of unit 3, “Be careful, this place responds like a living thing."
Barf me! The formatting escaped.
SUNFISH
PRELOGUE
If you do not mind being confused about who the people in this story are, when and where they are, do not read the prologue.
PROLOGUE
These people are from a world called Shoon Ba (family world). The unzi` race are a young people. Slower of growth than us and longer of life, they are slow to anger and quick to joy.
By our standards they are a stout and strong, average 5’4” to 5’8”. For them the climb up the evolutionary ladder began in the sea as a carnivorous turtle in shallow tropic seas. The primary food source was mollusks, bivalves and crustaceans. Either pried from rocks or dug from under them. As a result they have a spine ridge between the shoulders to anchor the arm muscles, much the same as a bird’s keel bone for flight muscles. Strong legs are of course a great help in this endeavor.
Many kinds of trees grew along the shore and in tidal swamps. Climbing the trees was done to escape predators, then they started to eat the fruits and nuts growing there. Later they spent as much time in the trees as they did in the sea, leading to the loss of their shell.
Climate change caused the sea to retreat in one direction and the trees the other. This left the unzi` standing on the ground. Here begins the road to civilization.
The unzi` skin is smooth small plates like a nonscalor reptile. Most are earth tones from dark brown to dark olive, mostly sand to light olive. A few have red and orange, even fewer have blue and purple.
This mission is a retirement cruise of the ship. The torg (captain) is using this easy mission to contemplate his retirement. The mission to study the recent find of a brown dwarf just over a light year from the home star. A simple mission this study of the nearest neighbor.
BROWN DWARF
Torg Disnor (sky seer) is sitting in his command chair onboard the explore ship Gornor (far seer). Getting bored in orbit around the brown dwarf. “While scientifically interesting the only redeeming feature of this place is the closeness to our home star.”
Shea (cloud) the knuu parr (science officer) speaks up. “Torg you may find it more interesting if we landed in the star.”
Torg, “Absurdity beyond all” pause “you are too boring for this to be a joke. What have you found?”
Shea, “A space station of some sort floating in the outer layer of the star.”
Torg, “Show me,”
Shea, “See, here it comes around again. The station appears closer to the surface on every orbit. This is the first orbit we see it clear enough to make a report on it.”
Torg, “Should we get stuck on or in there, there is no chance of rescue.” On the comm link, “La Tau, (good hill) meet me in the conference room, now.” To Shea, “Refine data for this landing.”
In the conference room, La Tau, “Yes torg, what is so urgent?”
Torg, “Can you spare enough power to the shields and still make a safe landing in this star?”
La Tau, the chief engineer, is taken aback by the question. He knows the torg is not one to amuse himself at the crew’s expense. La Tau, “I would like a pair of tentlori` (tendays) to study it.”
Torg, “Good, you have a pair of orbits. Shea has the data you need.” With that La Tau salutes and heads for the control center.
Six tlori` later La Tau and Shea are working on the calculations when the station comes over the horizon again. This time it is above the surface of the star. As they pass over the station a tractor beam grabs and pulls them down to the station.
La Tau to the engine room, “Stop all engines, divert available power to the shields.”
Torg, “Status”
La Tau, “A tractor beam is pulling us down to the station. Shields are holding. We will make it to the station. After that who knows?”
“Torg to all hands. We are being pulled into a station floating in the star. Expedition teams man up take necessary precautions. This is what we live for. May the Great Explorer bless our mission.”
The crew responds, “To the next hill!” (Meaning to go or see beyond) The Explore Service motto.
The landing team hurries into the control center taking up their posts. They run through equipment checks while keeping an eye on the approach to the station. As they near the station an airlock door opens at one end. The crew is awed by the size of the station, that of a medium asteroid, 120 stad x 22 stad x 47 stad, (1 stad = ¾ mile). The airlock door is half a stad across. Six lock chambers are passed through, gradually increasing the air pressure. The last door lets them into a large chamber full of ships. The chamber is the full width of the station, but is only 15 stad across.
Landing crew reports start. Environmentals, “Air pressure 86% normal, composition, pure argon.
Scopes, “We are moving toward another door on the other side of the chamber.”
“Landing gear checked and ready.”
The torg is pleased with the promptness and calm of the landing reports. The torg's satisfaction does not go unnoticed by the crew.
Scopes, “Approaching door, door opening.” The ship passes through another airlock chamber.
“Landing field sighted, final approach.”
Other watch standers, “Landing gear deployed and locked.”
“Radiation, below Shoon Ba normal, safe.”
“Atmosphere, 97% normal pressure. Normal breathable mix, 1% lower in oxygen than Shoon Ba norm.
“No sign of life not even microbes.”
“Gravity, 92% normal.”
“Landed, stable, all landing parameters optimal. Standing down landing stations.”
From the officer of the watch, “All hands set normal ground stations. Uninhabited planet watch standards apply.”
Down in explore team one ready room, “We are in a space station, in a star and we set uninhabited planet stations. This was not in the field manual.”
“By the Mother Sea! This should get the Torg and this crew a new ship.”
“We all wish! This is a fine old ship, but she is just about worn out. Quiet, here comes the first.”
Team One First (Sleequee), “Good afternoon team. As you are aware we have what appears to be a fairly normal exploration. From the landing visuals I see that we are next to a small city. To start with we will use ground cars to map, measure and record visuals.” A hand raises, “Yes Soonge.”
Soonge, (fire) “Why not use airsleds, they are faster?”
Sleequee, (speed-fish=barracuda) “Because the station is providing ground cars.”
Soonge, “Wait a ahn (minute), if this station is uninhabited, then how is it doing all these things?”
Sleequee, “That is what we have to find out. It is almost like the station it self is alive, or at least self aware.”
In the control center the watch stander hits the all call switch, “Incoming brace for impact.” Then small machines, sounding like millions of insects, cover the ship. “All clear, scanning for damage. No damage, the ship is clean. Appears to have been a decontamination procedure.”
Back at the ready room one the first responds, “Events like that are why we must be vigilant and calm. This is like nothing we have seen before.”
Gos`na, (long arm) ship’s Explore Master, “Explore team one your transport awaits.”
Outside a line of ground cars await. Small 4 seat, 4 wheel, and cargo box vehicles. As the team breaks up into pairs the first 6 cars turn blue, line up at the ramp. The rear seats fold into the floor making the cargo boxes larger. The rest of the cars break into 2 groups of 6 with the 3 extra cars disappearing into the city. One group of cars turns green the other orange.
Sleequee, Team One/Blue First, “Explore One here, it appears that we are Team Blue. Mark your uniforms appropriately”.
The team proceeds to set up their equipment to record and measure everything they see. Units 2 & 3 get out some tape and number their cars. The station responds by numbering all the cars.
Sleequee, “By the Mother Sea! Our first written reference, the numbering system, thank you units 2 & 3.”
Voosl (snow) of unit 3 whispers, “When those numbers appeared I thought the first was going to stretch our hides for sails.”
Mank (cliff) of unit 3, “Be careful, this place responds like a living thing."
Barf me! The formatting escaped.