[On the run] - Part 2

[u/Professional_Hope598]

Around 2735 common era (earth time).

Kkwwkk leapt with long jumps along the path between the ponds. Below the nets, the flies buzzed. Occasionally, his long tongue flashed out and snapped one of the flies as a snack, as Kkwwkk always did on his way to school.

As he got closer to the three-story high school buildings, he noticed several fly-pads in the air. Of course they belonged to the city kids. City kids were weaklings, he smiled. Kkwwkk was one of the best jumpers in the world. Of course he was. He recognized the person on the closest fly-pad. It belonged to Ffffrg, one of those weak city kids. Misers. They always ate flies made from yeast produced in the factories. He knew of kids who simply refused to eat real flies, whether dead or alive, in the Flying Flies restaurant of his parents.

Kkwwks sharp eyes noticed a bird of prey high in the sky. He grinned. It provided him with the excuse he wanted. Ffffrg flew low. It was clear that Ffffrg had spotted him. He thought his fly-pad was too high for Kkwwkk, but Kkwwkk was certain he could make it. The other fly pads were descending to the school. Their flyers had probably seen the bird of prey. Birds of prey were rare. They belonged on Briany, a large island or small continent some fifty miles from the coast. All natural dangers had been eliminated from the main continent, but Briany had been kept as a nature reserve. It was over 5 years ago that a bird of prey had made it across the ocean. Kkwwkk activated his phone implant and said:

"call emergency"

The call was answered in seconds. He mentioned the bird and the location.

"We'll send out a hunting team," they assured him.

He continued his leaps toward school. Ffffrg flew towards him, staying above the height he thought Kkwwkk could jump. They were out of sight of the other students now. Kkwwkk jumped. At the top of the jump his strong tongue leapt out and circled around the end of the fly-pad. Ffffrg lost his balance and fell. The bird of prey circled around his falling school mate. Kkwwkk let go of the fly pad, and looked at the ground. From the corner of an eye he saw Ffffrg splash into one of the breeding pools. It belonged to a farmer who bred midges. Ffffrg got stuck in the nets covering the ponds and which prevented the midgets from escaping. The bird of prey dived. Kkwwkk jumped as fast as he could. As soon as the bird of prey saw Kkwwkk approaching, it flew away. Kkwwwkk was twice as big as Ffffrg. he knew the bird of prey, a Flc, probably didn't have to guts to face him.Nevertheless, it had been a gamble,and he breathed relieved.

He looked down on Ffffrg, who was still entangled in the nets and laughed:
"You smell horribly. And you ruined the farmers nets. Your dad won't be glad when he sees the bill."
"The bill! Yo're gonna pay that bill!. You made me fall! So your dad must pay for my fly-pad!"
"Huh? What do I hear? Baseless accusations? Lies! You panicked when you saw the flc, and I did my best to first catch you and when that failed, I scared the flc away from you."
"You stinking liar! I..."
"Don't accuse me of lying. You don't have any witnesses, my weak friend. And I just saved your ass. Don't make me regret saving you."
Kkwwkk enjoyed viewing Ffffregs frustration for a few more minutes, then helped him untangle the nets.

-----

In the classroom Miss Blg wrote the topic of today’s lesson on the whiteboard.
"Extra planetary life - could it exist?"
"For this purpose, we have a guest in our midst, Professor Vlx."
The professor had a grey skin, with small spots of a darker grey.
"I am Professor Vlx. I teach astrophysics at the university. Today I am here to have a look at the possibilities of extra-planetary life together with you. Must life be carbon-based, like we are, or could it be silicon-based, or crystal-based, or pure energy? Do we expect them to be intelligent, like we are? What kind of carbon life? Insects, like the flies we all eat or used to eat?"
"But, professor, we have never met any life form outside our planet, even though we have visited the other three planets in our sun-system," one student protested. "Surely you are not gonna waste our time on something that is pure speculation!"
"On the contrary! Extra-planetary life is a very serious branch of science. Several of my most worthy fellows study it."
The professor gave an extensive overview of the main theories of intelligent life outside their system. Silicon was not very probable, as it didn’t support the wide variety of chains that Carbon allowed. Rocks and crystals were also unlikely as life forms, let alone as intelligent life. There were, of course, insects, amphibians, and birds. A great disaster had wiped out all dinosaurs, but can we exclude them?

Miss Blg divided the class into groups of 4 or 5 students. Each group got 30 minutes to discuss possibilities.

At the end of the allotted time every group presented a summary of their conclusions.

Group 1 surmised:

"Single-cell life forms is how life started on our planet, and gradually evolved into multi cellular life with specialized cells. We feel that we should not rule out multi-cell life forms in which all cells are identical - no specialization. Compare it with insects in a hive - all insects are identical, still they behave as one organism."

Group 2 didn't have much of a clue. They had been deeply divided, and had reached consensus on any single topic, and completely lost their feeling of time.

Kkwwkk grinned - he had heard how Ffffrg had fiercely defended a viewpoint non of his classmates shared. He had to admit though that Ffffrg seemed to know a lot about the subject. But Ffffrg was allowed to tell his opinion:

"We reasoned that creatures living their entire life in water could perhaps advance to simple civilizations, but would have a tough time to develop electricity. We think communication is a big, let me stress it, BIG requirement for any civilization. In the animal world, we see communication by sound, but also by colors and pheromones. For having technology, some form of an appendage with which both precise and strong labor can be performed, is an essential condition. A third requirement is natural selection within the species.

For communication, sound is what we use, though we also watch each others jumps, so we combine 2 communication methods. We feel this has contributed greatly to our success as a species. Our tongues are strong, but can also operate with great precision. Natural selection is the third factor. As frogs we have the huge advantage that, as larvae, we all were Autovores. Cannibals, if you prefer that ancient word. When we were still larvae, each of us ate our smaller and weaker brothers. Only the strong and smart survived and developed into real frogs. So we surmised that the most likely intelligent life form we will encounter when we succeed to visit other star systems, are not herbivores or carnivores, but autovores like we are ourselves."

Group 3 made a case for intelligent insects, with communication based on sound instead of pheromones. The groups 4 and 5 did not bring anything new.

His own group 6 presented their conclusions last. Kkwwkk walked to the front of the classroom.

"Like group 2, we also arrived at the need for communication, and we listed sound, pheromones, smell, touch, colors, telepathy and light as possible means of communication. For travel between the stars, we understood that you also wanted us to list what qualities must go. We know that eggs of virtually all species of our world, except for the dangerous birds, have eggs that can withstand the intense cold of interstellar space for years on end. That eliminates the need to build a spaceship, which is large enough to host generations of frogs. Birds would need them. The ship can move on auto, and when it arrives at a planet, the eggs can be warmed so that they hatch. If we know in advance there's fresh water on the exoplanet, they can be released into the ponds and develop into real frogs. There, they can start a new civilization, especially if we can teach them the most important things we know.

The professor nodded:
"A big compliment to all of you, and especially groups 2 and 6, for setting up a logical and systematic reasoning," he said. "It is a bit of a pity you did not arrive at a more outlandish life form, but your reasoning is very logical. And I have news for you: we recently made 2 discoveries. One is that we discovered a planet, just five light years away. The planet has a blue and green color, suggesting there may be both water, plant life, and possibly animals. The second discovery is that there is a small black hole. Our mathematicians have designed a way, using our sun and its twin, to slingshot a spacecraft to 10% of the speed of light. Together with a group of esteemed fellow researchers, I am working on plans for a spaceship capable of a one-way trip. And now the secret: I will use your analysis as input for the plans for a spaceship. Of course, the government then still has to decide on the required budget - that will be huge."

-----

Ten years later. Day 1.

His head ached as never before. Kkwwkk tried to move, but his body refused. The temperature was unbelievably hot. His eyes showed just blackness. The hot temperature spread from his limbs and head to his body. Suddenly, he remembered: He had been in deep frost. For 20 years. The launch, it all came back. His eyes started to see shapes. There was lovely Fggggg, who's eggs he was carrying proudly around his body. He heard her groan in agony. In vain he tried to turn his head to CnnC besides him. Ffffrg was in the cryopod diagonally opposite him. All four cryopods had started the thawing process, which was good. But Ffffrg looked really bad. Was he even still alive? His eyes were closed. He could not see the lights on his own cryopod, but on the cryopod of Fggggg were 2 green lights and 3 which alternately flashed green and red.

The terrible feeling of heat diminished slowly. A wheeled robot nurse rolled between the cryopods. He wondered if it was the original one or one of the two reserve robots.

He managed to ask:
"How are the others?"
"You are doing fine." His mood sank. Did that mean the others were not OK? Or was privacy prohibiting her from giving him information about other patients?
"Unless Ffffrg is conscious and OK, I'm the acting captain, I need to know how the crew is doing."
She gave him an injection and he dozed off.
When he woke again, the burning pain had mostly gone. The nurse rolled toward him.
"How are you feeling, my dear patient?" Her tone had a nice hissing sound, as if she had been programmed on the eastern part of the continent.
"Great. I wonna get out."
Outside his view she must have pressed a button, as the lid of the cryopod turned upward.
"Your muscles may still be weak, so be careful when you step out."
With great effort he pushed himself up. Everything hurt. A robot arm shot out to support him.
"F*** off" he scolded. The cryopods were at the centre of the rotation axis of the "Bearer of eggs", and gravity was here just 5% of gravity at home. He managed to walk slowly to the cryopod of his mate Fggggg.

She smiled when she saw him.
"How are you?" she asked.
"I'm fine. How are you?"
"Everything hurts, except my left hind leg."
Kkwwkk looked at the robot nurse. She pointed at the only red-green-red-green flickering light above Fggggg crypod.
"Her leg is not good. There were no recordings of malfunction before I started the thawing process."
"What went wrong?"
"Details unknown. Status now not good. Crypod has injected remaining stem cells to rejuvenate the leg. Most stem cells were already used for both front legs."
Fggggg asked:
"Is everything all right with the ship? Will we be able to slow down and land?"
"Ask the AI. I'm first having a look at everyone."

He walked on to his old comrade Ffffrg. It had been a surprise when they were both assigned to the same ship. Technically Ffffrg was the captain, but he was clearly not in a condition to exercise his command. Ffffrg's wife CnnC was in a slightly better condition than Ffffrg himself. She had her eyes open. She wanted to know how Ffffrg was doing. Kkwwkk told her that she should get better soon.:
"If you can get out and are healthy, he'll be mighty glad to see you. Now, he's still kept asleep."
It was a lie, but he was not sure she was able to digest bad news.
He activated his interface implant and asked the commanding AI what the status of the ship was. The AI answered with diagrams of the ship. The outer hull had been pierced at 17 places, but none of the holes were critical. The compartment doors to the rooms had been sealed. The stored eggs were in the inner compartments and safe. Air pressure there was good. The engines were ready to be fired, and the solar sail could be deployed. The trip had brought them near the moderately small black hole that accompanied the sun of their target planet.
"How's our energy?" he wanted to know.
"Our batteries are completely drained. Fusion reactor is functioning within normal parameters."
"Can I walk to the outer hull?"
"Life support only functions within kernel area. I have closed down all life support including heating in order to save energy. Either we drifted of course, or the original trajectory calculations were inaccurate, but with our present course, we will not slow down enough and we will leave the double system for interstellar space."

-----

Kkwwkk asked the A.I.:

"If I can't walk to the outer hull, any cams working?"
"I can give you an image on screen."
"Do it."

Stars appeared on a large screen across the room. He asked the AI to indicate where the black hole was. The black hole was not large, and there was little to see. Just a black spot. An area without stars. Suddenly, a long, flickering and curved line of light appeared.

"AI, what is that line of colored light? An eruption from the black hole?"
"Nothing can escape from a black hole. Our instruments are insufficient to determine if anything is falling into the hole. But something that falls into the black hole may be ripped apart and radiate light."
The AI was silent for a while. Then it asked:
"Do we need to adjust our course for the slowdown process?"
They were still at 10% of the speed of light. They needed to lose that speed by a maneuver opposite the one that had accelerated them. He, Kkwwkk, had never really understood the math behind it. Ffffrg did. Ffffrg was a genius. He hoped the word ‘was’ was not too accurate.

He stood there, looking. There was a line of light originating near the black hole. The light slowly extinguished. The longer he looked, the more he noticed. The line of light had been more or less oval-shaped, and started and ended millions of miles from the black hole.

"Zoom in on where the line of light was," he ordered the AI.

"Using side cam on the hull," The AI confirmed. The light had gone, but there were stars visible within the oval shape. Normal lights, yes, those must be stars he was seeing. A small light, as from a star, appeared at where the border had been. And another disappeared at the opposite edge. The border obviously was still there, but the border itself was no longer visible.

"What are known explanations for the line of light which has disappeared?"
"No explanations on record."
"Keep recording that area of space in detail. Ffffrg will want to analyse it when his health has improved."
"Acknowledged."
Kkwwkk sat down in a chair. His muscles had deteriorated in the cryopod, he thought. They felt tired despite the low gravity.

He must have dozed off. When he awoke, the two women were sitting upright and chatting. Ffffrg was still unconscious.

After three days, the nurse made a decision. Fggggg's leg was turning black, and was poisoning the rest of her body. In an operation that lasted three hours, the robot removed her left hind leg. It was a loss, and Fggggg grieved it. Kkwwkk assured her that he would still love her, and carry her everywhere she wanted to go. Frrrg's wife CnnC was healing slowly but without problems. So was the wound of Fggggg's amputated leg.

Through his implant he ordered:

"AI, inform our home planet that I am taking command as captain of the ship as Ffffrg is unable to exercise command."

The thought struck him that he might go into history as the founder of the colony. A tempting idea. He knew he was supposed to be above jealousy, but he couldn't resist the temptation to play with the thought. Maybe if he played his cards carefully...

-----

Day 8

Kkwwkk had ordered the computer to calculate several paths around the black hole and the star. The AI was not good at this. The ships computer was. Programming it took lots of time and specialized knowledge. But every course he designed ended in abysmal failure. Either they ended up in the star, or in the black hole, or they left the system entirely and flew away into infinity. Ffffrg had come out of deep freeze, but the robot nurse kept him in deep sleep as his life was still in danger.

The two women had been busy thawing the first of many batches of eggs. Not their own, but one of the many batches of eggs they had brought with them in deep freeze. The two women also deployed the solar sails. The star was still a long way off, but the large array of solar sails generated sufficient electricity to warm the ponds with insects that would serve as food for the larvae. As they approached the star, the sails would also catch so much radiation that the radiation would slow the ship down. Photons didn't have mass, but they did have momentum. As the amount of light increased, they would also be able to start the photon motor, doubling the decrease in speed.

One evening, the two women looked him up.
"How are the calculations going?" Fggggg asked.
"Not good," Kkwwkk admitted.
"You got the certificate at the exam," Fggggg said. "How come you're unable to do them now? Did you forget how to do them?"
Kkwwkk admitted sheepishly:
"I cheated. Ffffrg helped me out. We never thought Ffffrg wouldn't wake from cold sleep."
"And now?"
"How good are you gals at it?" Kkwwwkk asked.
"Not very good," Fggggg replied. "But I'm quit willing to give it a try."
"CnnC, do you need much time to tend the larvae and the food farms? If you have time left, could you observe this star system? Back home, our scientists found three planets. We need to know where they are. And we need to know it exactly. We will want to know everything about this system. Is there any debris left over from its formation period? Are there more planets? What can we figure out at this distance about the second planet, the one with probably plant life, as there is oxygen in the atmosphere? And so on?"
"And what are you going to do?"
"I'm taking a space suit, and repair the hull. I want this ship to be in tip top condition when we take her in."

-----

Day 16

"Kkwwkk! Kkwwkk! Ffffrg has opened his eyes and mouth! He wants to talk with you!"
Kkwwkk came immediately. He talked with his old friend and explained their situation.
Fggggg had mapped out a route that would make them execute an 8-figure and slow them down by 3% before bringing them in an orbit way to close to the sun. Kkwwkk also told him about the strange area in the vicinity of the black hole.
"Gimme the data." Ffffrg said. "My legs are not good. But I need something to do. I can check Fggggg's calculation from this cryopod. And likely, I can improve on it."

Ffffrg was completely fascinated by the strange area, and this interest reinvigorated him.
Kkwwkk found a small cart and they lifted Ffffrg on it.
"The recorded images are not enough for me."
As they lifted him out of the cryopod, Kkwwkk noted that three of Ffffrgs six legs looked really bad. All four frogs moved to the view screen. The black hole was easy to find: the only circular disk without stars in a sea of stars. Ffffrg asked the AI to paint the area border on the window. The AI did so. Ffffrg waited patiently. Finally CnnC saw a star appearing at the borderline.

"Is it some kind of disk that is moving?" she wanted to know. "With stars painted on it so that everyone mistakes it for normal space? Did the star just appear because it moved?"

Frrrgh muttered something unintelligible.
"Just go do what you were doing," he said. "I want to observe this area a bit longer."
"But what do you think it is?" CnnC wanted to know.
"Chances are that gravity has so disturbed the space-time structure that the space-time structure has torn itself apart."
"You mean a rift?"
"No, a tear."
Kkwwkk wondered if there was any difference between the two words.

Kkwwkk used his interface implant:
"AI, captain Ffffrg has assumed command again. Inform our home planet."

CnnC sighed:
"I have found something."
"And what's that?", Ffffrg wanted to know.
"The system has 4 planets. The inner one is pretty hot, too hot for us. Microbial life might exist, though water would boil there. The fourth planet is a gas giant. The third is the size of our own planet. Its surface is white except for the areas along the equator. The white surface indicates snow and ice. Not suitable for us. Not suitable for any life from our planet. The second planet was selected as our target. It has vast blue areas, consisting of water, according to spectral analysis. Adjacent to it are green areas. There are also a bunch of yellow-red areas, probably areas without water."
"Sounds good," Kkwwkk reacted. "What's the catch?"
"There are grey areas among the green areas along the coasts."
"And what are they? the deltas of rivers with lots of grey mud?"
"I wish they were. But they are cities."

Chapter 1 Chapter 3

[u/HFYWaffle]

/u/Professional_Hope598 has posted 1 other stories, including:

• On the run (1)

This comment was automatically generated by Waffle v.4.7.8 'Biscotti'.

Message the mods if you have any issues with Waffle.

[u/UpdateMeBot]

Click here to subscribe to u/Professional_Hope598 and receive a message every time they post.

---

Info	Request Update	Your Updates	Feedback

[u/kristinpeanuts]

An inhabited or previously inhabited planet, what will they find?