Hello all,
This is my submission to the second round of the second season of the Information Finding Channel contest. This is a continuation of the story from my first round, which you can find here if you haven’t read it already. I’d suggest doing so, this won’t make much sense otherwise.
I was planning on finding music to accompany this piece as well, but I couldn’t find anything that fit the mood particularly well. So, I shall just link to the music playlist I listen to while writing, and really doing anything else. I hope that you enjoy it. Instrumental Chill Music Playlist
https://steemit.com/contest/@ifc/ifc-season-2-round-2
Topic: “Laughter”
The crew of Moya prepared themselves for the journey to Europa. Moya had reassured them all multiple times that it would be fine, but everyone was slightly nervous for the journey to start. Moya had tried to explain the warping process again, but without much luck. Advanced astrophysics was not something most people could easily grasp on the first try.
After everyone had some food and wandered around the ship more, the crew reconvened in the command center. There was an air of expectation, and everyone was milling around anxiously. Captain Tina decided now would be as good as any, and got up from the captain's chair to speak to everyone.
“I know that you’re all a little nervous about this first warp drive. I am too, believe me. But I have confidence in Moya. From everything I have learned about physics, which admittedly isn’t as much as I would have liked, what Moya said makes sense. This is going to be an excellent start to our universal exploration. I’m excited.” Tina said all of this, trying to hide the quavering in her voice. She wasn’t terrified, but scared would be a bit of an understatement. Here they all were, trusting their lives to this AI created by beings who had wanted them dead. But, she knew that she had to be confident when addressing everyone, and wanted to pride the role of a fearless captain as well as she could. Hopefully no one would catch on.
“Alright everyone. I think it’s time. Moya…”
“Yes, Captain?” Moya’s glowing sphere appeared out of nowhere, flashing slightly in time to the words.
“We’re ready to head to Europa now. Please, engage the warp system and take us there.” Tina had wanted to say some catchy phrase, like something out of Star Trek, but her nerves were making her all flustered. She was sure that as time went on she’d come up with something better.
“Warp system engaging in 3…… 2…… 1…… Engaged.”
As soon as Moya said engage, the whole ship started vibrating slightly. Everyone could feel a sense of immense power being built up, like there was a field of potential being developed. And then, without any sense of motion, the stars began to stream towards them. Stretching past, becoming lines of light streaking across their viewports as they travelled across the galaxy. Then, almost as soon as they started, they stopped. The stars snapped back into being points of light, but there was still no sense of motion. It was a little disconcerting. But the view out the front more than made up for it.
Source NASA/JPL Image Address
“We have made it to Jupiter, and are coming into orbit around Europa presently,” Moya stated, a little unnecessary as their field of vision was consumed by the gas giant. It was breathtaking. They had all seen pictures of Jupiter, and thought they had some idea of the scale. But here, being in front of it, the majesty of the atmosphere, the beautiful chaos, put to shame everything they had previously seen.
“If you’d all like, you could head on to the viewing platform. It offers a much better view of the planet and its moon. It’s right this way.” A yellow line appeared in midair, gently pulsating balls of light travelling down it to indicate where they should go. Almost everyone decided to follow the yellow ball light, with someone making a comment under their breath about a coincidental color choice for paths. The few who didn’t go made some comment about not having eaten in ages, and made their way to the nearest automated kitchen. Apparently, they felt their stomachs were more important than having a better view of the planet.
Source NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute Image Address
“Wow, it’s so beautiful,” Tina said, mostly to herself.
“It really is,” replied someone standing nearby. Tina rotated, facing the speaker. It turned out to be Boldizar Antalek, a mechanical engineer, known by all as a happy-go-lucky individual who loved to tinker and explore. He always insisted that everyone call him Boldi, saying that his father was Boldizar. “I’d love to explore it, but…”
“Oh, you can,” Moya said, cutting of the end of Boldi’s statement. Moya still had a bit to learn about human conventions involving interrupting people. “I am fully equipped with planetary exploration vehicles, and have a number of shuttle ships that can take you to the surface.”
Tina and Boldi gaped at Moya, and then each other.
“... we…. we could really go down there?” Boldi asked, his awe and excitement very apparent in his speech. They both turned back toward the outer wall of the viewing platform, starting at the moon that had suddenly gotten infinitely more accessible.
“Of course, I just said that. Do I need to increase my vocal volume?” Moya’s response sounded a little confused.
“Oh, no, no. I’m just surprised is all. I didn’t know that would be a possibility,” Boldi reassured Moya. Then he thought about that some more, and realized how odd it was that he was trying to make an AI entity running an alien ship that was currently orbiting Europa feel better about how clear its speaking was. Life sure took some odd turns.
While Moya and Boldi had their interaction, Tina was thinking. With a group this large, planetary exploration could be a little challenging. But, she didn’t want to prevent anyone from experiencing this amazing new adventure. So, she decided to let everyone know, and see just how many people would take this opportunity. She had Moya intercom the rest of the crew, and asked them to come to the viewing platform. Once everyone had gathered, she made her announcement about the news Moya had told them. After the initial excited yelling and laughter calmed down, she had expressly say whether they wanted to head down to Europa’s surface or not. About 20 people had decided they wanted to, some for the sheer thrill, others for wanting to be among the first humans to ever set foot on a celestial body this far out in the galaxy. So, while the rest remained behind in the viewing platform to continue watching the graceful dance of Jupiter’s moons, the 20 explorers headed down to the shuttle bay.
“I’ve loaded up the necessary rovers into the shuttle, and everything is ready to go.” Moya’s sphere told them as they entered the bay. “All you have to do is get into the shuttles, and I’ll handle the rest.”
After the successful warp drive, everyone was feeling a lot more confident with Moya’s abilities, so they filed onto the shuttle, laughing and joking about what they were going to do on Europa. Tina felt this was a good time to do a briefing, as she knew some things about the moon that could prove helpful.
“So, there are some things I think you all should know about Europa. The gravity we’re used to, that of Digita and what Moya maintains on the ship, is about 7 and a half times that of Europa’s. What that means is that we will all feel incredibly light. I want you all to be extremely careful if you get out of the rovers, because we won’t be used to how we’ll move. It is also on average -171℃ on the surface. While Moya has assured me that the spacesuits we will be using will handle this with no problem, the surface will essentially be entirely icy, so just consider this a forewarning. I’d like all of us to pair off, so that it will be two people to a rover. That way we can all watch each other’s backs, and this should be a safe and fun adventure.” Everyone agreed this was a sound idea, and paired off. Tina and Boldi decided to be a pair. After everyone had a pair, they all gathered to the viewports, and watched the moon grow larger and larger as they approached.
Source NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/University of Colorado Image Address
The shuttle smoothly approached the moon, and gently settled on the surface with barely a bump. They all got into the rovers on-board the shuttle, and waited as the ramp slowly opened up. With eyes wide, they all stared out the open door onto the barren, icy landscape before them. They knew this was a momentous occasion, being the first humans to ever lay eyes on this place. As one, the rovers all moved out of the shuttle, Moya still controlling them for now. Boldi was anxiously drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the moment he could take over. The two of them had agreed that he would drive, as he was way more excited to be behind the wheel of the rover than she was. A little version of Moya’s standard sphere appeared on the dashboard, and let them know that they were now in control of the rover. And with a exclamation of excitement, Boldi stepped on the acceleration, shooting the rover off away from the shuttle towards the nearest prominent landscape feature: a slight hill in the distance.
The rover rumbled and jostled over the ground, but the pneumatic seats handled everything perfectly. The two of them were staring all around, their heads practically on swivels as their eyes devoured the first truly alien landscape they had ever encountered. While Europa may have been mostly a frozen tundra, it was covered in pockmarks and odd colorations. The horizon was also really confusing Tina, as it felt so close. It looked as though the ground was drastically curving away from them. They were currently driving towards Jupiter, so they had an amazing background to look at when the terrain began to be less exciting. The constantly shifting colors of Jupiter’s atmosphere was mesmerizing, and Tina and Boldi drove in silence for some time, just lost in the sheer newness of where they were.
As the rover crested the top of the hill, Boldi brought it too a smooth stop. In front of them was what appeared to be a frozen lake, but was likely just a large depression in the surface from a long ago meteor strike.
“I want to get out, and have some fun with this low gravity,” Boldi stated, breaking the silence.
“I guess that would be alright. I do think it’d be fun to try it out. Let’ go.” Tina was only slightly worried, but didn’t want to let that stand in the way of getting the most out of this experience. So the two of them clambered, fairly ungracefully, from the rover. Moving was odd, as everything was so much lighter than they were used to. They started walking around, slipping and sliding a bit on the ice, bouncing up into the air with every step. They started laughing and moving more confidently, the thrill of this new experience getting to both of them. The depression they had found was like an ice rink, and the two were skating around, jumping into the air and having a blast. The radio communication system in their suits was constantly transmitting ringing out with their laughter, as the pair kept dancing around on the ice. Tina grew tired, and turned back towards the rover. Boldi however, was just getting started.
He began taking more adventurous leaps, really trying to test out what he could do in this low gravity. He was bounding around, jumping and running like a newborn gazelle.
“Hey, Boldi, you really should be careful. I know you’re having fun, but you don’t want to push it too hard. This is still very new to us,” Tina cautioned him.
“Ahhh, don’t be a spoilsport Cap’n. The gravity is so low here, what’s the worst that could happen? I’ll just bounce off the ground.” With that, he takes off sprinting, and leaps as hard as he can. He sends himself hurtling through the air, for the sheer joy of feeling like flying. He leans forward, traveling horizontally now, covering an enormous distance as he slowly sinks down a though in molasses.
Tina warns him again to be careful with his landing because he’s moving so fast, but Boldi is too busy laughing to listen. In the low gravity, and with Europa’s lack of an atmosphere, there was nothing that was slowing him down. He was zooming through the air, and as he got closer to the ground, he realized his mistake and started to panic. With an effort, he got his feet under him, and touched down gently onto the icy surface.
However, his right leg slid into a near-invisible hole in the ground, and got caught. As his momentum continued carrying him forward, his leg stayed put. In a split second, his shin snapped, the sickening crunch echoing throughout his suit.
Tina heard nothing until Boldi’s piercing scream rang out over the radio. She ran as fast as she could back to the rover, calling out to him over and over, asking if he was ok. By the time she got to the rover though, Boldi was silent. As she started it up, she heard laughter. And not the laughter of joy that had been passing between them so much earlier, but a terrifying, almost manic giggle. Needless to say, Tina was incredibly worried, and called out to Moya.
Once again, the little sphere appeared on the dash, as the rover shot off towards Boldi, controlled by Moya.
“I am aware of the situation. Boldi’s suit has compressed and stabilized the break, and sealed off the bleeding. He isn’t in immediate danger. The laughter you are hearing is because of the suit’s pain reduction system. I’ve programmed them to release nitrous oxide in the case of extreme pain events. I believe you refer to it as ‘laughing gas’; it is highly effective at dulling pain. I apologize for not informing you of this aspect of the suit’s capabilities, I had not predicted this as a possibility.” Moya’s voice expressed some undertones of embarrassment about this, as though somehow failing to predict the future was a deep failure. Tina was relieved to hear this, but was still deeply concerned for her friend.
“Boldi, can you hear me? How are you feeling?”
“Oh, hiiiii Cap’n. I’m ok. I’m feeling gooooood. I’ll just sit here and wait for you to come pick me up. Hehehe….” Boldi once again lapsed into giggling, though it was less terrifying sounding this time.
As soon as the rover makes it to Boldi, Tina bails out and helps get him into the rover. They immediately start back toward the shuttle. On the way, Tina calls the rest of the people on Europa, telling them that there has been a minor accident and requesting that they return to the shuttle as quickly as possible while being careful.
Once everyone got on-board the shuttle, Moya launched it back towards the main ship. While they’re traveling, Tina explains in more detail what happened to Boldi, and checks in to make sure that no one else had any other accidents. Luckily, even though everyone reported lots of slips and stumbles while they had been walking around on the surface, no one else had any injuries.
As soon as they board, a robot aid with a wheelchair-like device comes up to the shuttle, and assists Boldi in getting in, all while he’s laughing to himself still. The robot wheels Boldi off, with Tina following close behind. The rest of the people that had gone to Europa went their own ways, to describe the experience to those who had stayed behind.
Once the group makes it to the medical bay, the robot gingerly picks Boldi up, and puts in a chamber, that seals shut over the top of him. Tina turns to Moya’s sphere, and asks what is going to happen to Boldi now.
“This healing chamber will handle all aspects of fixing his injury, and can handle any illness or injury any of you may receive. It is a hyperbaric chamber, with extra oxygen to speed healing. The robotic systems will scan Boldi, determine how badly he is injured, and apply anesthesia if necessary. They will then set the break, and radiate the area with specific frequencies of light and vibration. This will force the stem cells in the area to kick in, and essentially repair everything that was damaged such that there will be no indication anything ever happened. It’s extremely lucky for you all that my previous masters spent so much time studying human physiology.” Tina scoffed. She wouldn’t call it lucky, as that research likely had involved abduction and probing.
As Moya had been describing the healing chamber, it had gone to work on Boldi. Just as with normal scanners, the machine passed over Boldi, a beam of light shining down. It slowly went from head to toe, and then made a second and much slower pass over his broken shin. A small robotic arm then snaked out from the top of the chamber, and pushes into his leg a little above the massive purple swelling where the break is. That arm retracts, and another three come down to the break. With the scanning beam starting back up again, oscillating back and forth over the break, the three arms go to work. Two of the arms grasp each side of his shin, on either side of the break, and smoothly pull it apart. The third arm adjusts the positioning of each side, and then the two allow his shin to come back together. The whole process took less than a second, the arms operating with utmost efficiency.
As these arms retract, another new arm comes out. This one heads for the center of the bruising, and shines out a light, of a warm and calming color. The arm moves back and forth over the injury, bathing it in this healing light. It does this for several minutes, and then gently moves forward and presses into Boldi’s leg. It then repeats its movements, sliding all over the injury. As this is happening, Tina can visibly see the swelling and discoloration dramatically reduce. After a few more minutes of this, there is no longer any sign of the injury.
“Wow. That is amazing. Boldi, how do you feel?” Tina asks, seeing that Boldi is looking around and appears more alert.
“Surprisingly, totally fine. In fact, better than fine. I feel great. No pain at all.”
As he says this, the chamber opens up. Boldi sits up, and goes to stand up, but hesitates.
“Moya, are you sure I’m good to walk? I know it doesn’t hurt, but I don’t want to re-injure it.”
“Yes, you are fine to walk. Your leg is 95% healed, and shall finish the final healing process tonight as you sleep. It is more than strong enough for walking, and in fact will be stronger than your other side because all previous damage you have caused to your shin has been healed.”
“Well alright. It almost sounds like me breaking my shin was a good thing,” Boldi says, with a hearty chuckle. He has always felt that the best way to deal with problematic situations is to respond with laughter. It puts you in a better mood to handle things. “So Cap’n, thanks for taking care of me out there. I’m sorry that I scared you, and made you deal with this problem. I’m sure that wasn’t what you were hoping for on the first voyage of our ship.”
Tina reached out, and put her hand on his shoulder. “You’re right Boldi, it definitely wasn’t something I was wanting to happen. But, I do feel a little more confident after having dealt with this situation. And while I may not have your sense of humor, I’m sure someday I’ll be able to look back on today and laugh about it.”
Boldi laughs once again. “Just ask Moya to dose you with a little bit o’ that laughing gas, that’ll definitely do the trick.”
Tina gives him a gentle push, and then turns to leave. “Are you coming? We’ve got to figure out where we’re heading next. There’s a whole universe to explore out there you know. Maybe we can find a planet with an atmosphere of nothing but laughing gas, and we’ll just have a grand old time there.”
She walks out of the medical bay, the sound of Boldi’s laughter echoing behind her as he catches up.
To be continued
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