The Machinist Child
You decide to continue approaching towards the sphere, yet nothing seems to be happening. Mora opens all communications channels, sending messages but no one seems to respond. You begin to worry as food rations will only last maybe a week or two, waiting outside this sphere could lead to certain doom.
“Garen…something’s coming through on one of the channels. It’s a bit distorted, but I think it’s someone from the sphere!”
You nod and activate the button to communicate with the channel.
“This is Garen Koda of the science vessel, Montezuma. If you can hear us please know that we could use assistance as we have lost all propulsion systems. Do you copy?”
A strange metallic voice is heard, probably due to the communication interference, causing a distortion.
“I copy Mr. Koda! Oh my yes you must be in a tizzy out there all alone with no way to move your ship! Must be the ion field Sphoros disperses. It’s quite massive you know! I will lock onto your ship with a tractor beam and pull you inside Mr. Koda!”
“To whom am I speaking?” You ask, curious that he did not say.
“Oh dear! How rude of me! You’ll have to excuse me I’m not used to dealing with humans! My name is Prinevo; I am a scientist in the great city of Ultropolis that you will soon behold! Oh I’m so excited, please hold on Mr. Koda, you will soon be landing at my lab, I’m looking forward to meeting you in person!”
The ship jolts and rocks as a tractor beam locks on, dragging the ship toward a large port hole which begins to slowly open. Radiant light emerges from this opening. Mora looks at you wide eyed.
“‘Not used to dealing with humans’? What the hell?”
“I’m assuming our rescuer Prinevo is a robot, yet he talks like a person. Don’t go all alien conspiracy on me now Mora. I’m sure the people inside here have developed a little differently than the rest of the galaxy, there is bound to be some differences.” Mora scowls at you.
“I hope he’s a friendly robot…” She mutters.
As the Montezuma enters the sphere the scientists are all crammed into the cockpit with you looking out the window to see what lies inside. Silence grips the entire crew as you view what’s within. A sun surrounded by a couple planets, one a gas giant. The surface of the sphere looks like a habitable planet covered in oceans, deserts forests and cities. The surface area of the sphere must be more than a hundred million Earths. A population of over a trillion could probably live very comfortably and spaciously on the surface of the sphere. This is easily the grandest thing you have ever beheld. Dr. Wun is the first to speak.
“An entire solar system within…incredible!”
The grandeur of the situation wanes as you become curious about how the sphere functions.
“But Dr. Wun, How is this even possible?”
Mora groans.
“The sphere would drift while the star remains stationary, eventually there would be a crash into the star and about the issue of grav-”
“Gravity, yes yes Mr. Koda. No need to be so skeptical, we are seeing all this with our very eyes in the present! See those large black, rectangular prism shaped structures peppered on the surface?”
Right as he mentions it, you do notice them, ornately designed as if they were of great importance. Blue neon light pulses on the surfaces of the structures.
“I’m guessing those are some sort of advanced propulsion devices to prevent drift and also expel gravity on the surface of the sphere.”
Dr. Jacobs, another archaeologist chimes in.
“They could also be what creates the atmosphere within the sphere, terra formers perhaps.”
“Yes yes Dr. Jacobs, an excellent hypothesis!”
The ship eventually lowers toward a massive city, Ultropolis. Tall, rounded skyscrapers litter the skyline as strange ships fly into and out of the city, some as small as people. The ships may look strange but the Montezuma must look downright weird to these people, you’re an outsider here, you think.
That thought worries you. A stranger in a strange new land. You’re in charge of security so you better make sure everyone is safe once they exit the ship. As you stand the ship begins to lower past some of the metallic blue chrome skyscrapers. Mora gives you an inquisitive glance.
“Mora I want the crew outfitted with mobile shields at all times, set to the absorb setting. Grab a neuron beam rifle for yourself, to everybody else stay in tight formation and ALWAYS remain behind myself or Miss Flenn here unless otherwise noted!”
“I’ll get right on it Garen. Come along doctors let’s get you all outfitted.”
The science team sighs in annoyance. They never really care about safety precautions, an annoying trait.
You enter your quarters in sync with the feeling of the ships landing gear coming out, beginning the landing sequence. You grab your HAM pistol first, then your palm sized mobile shield which you latch onto your belt and activate, setting it to the absorb option. You rarely set it to deflection mode due to the high chance of friendly fire. You lastly strap on your wrist computer, punch in the code and activate a holographic projection of your wife and son. You always do this before a mission, it’s become a ritual for you and you’re not even sure why. Mostly you just miss them. The projection shows your wife smiling and laughing, chasing your son who is jumping and rolling on the ground to avoid her catching him. Then your son stands and runs toward-
Mora’s voice interrupts your sentimental moment over the com speaker.
“Garen get to the ramp, we’ve landed on some sort of small platform on the surface and it looks like Prinevo is already out to meet us. Looks like you were right; he’s no alien…Pity.”
“Garen…something’s coming through on one of the channels. It’s a bit distorted, but I think it’s someone from the sphere!”
You nod and activate the button to communicate with the channel.
“This is Garen Koda of the science vessel, Montezuma. If you can hear us please know that we could use assistance as we have lost all propulsion systems. Do you copy?”
A strange metallic voice is heard, probably due to the communication interference, causing a distortion.
“I copy Mr. Koda! Oh my yes you must be in a tizzy out there all alone with no way to move your ship! Must be the ion field Sphoros disperses. It’s quite massive you know! I will lock onto your ship with a tractor beam and pull you inside Mr. Koda!”
“To whom am I speaking?” You ask, curious that he did not say.
“Oh dear! How rude of me! You’ll have to excuse me I’m not used to dealing with humans! My name is Prinevo; I am a scientist in the great city of Ultropolis that you will soon behold! Oh I’m so excited, please hold on Mr. Koda, you will soon be landing at my lab, I’m looking forward to meeting you in person!”
The ship jolts and rocks as a tractor beam locks on, dragging the ship toward a large port hole which begins to slowly open. Radiant light emerges from this opening. Mora looks at you wide eyed.
“‘Not used to dealing with humans’? What the hell?”
“I’m assuming our rescuer Prinevo is a robot, yet he talks like a person. Don’t go all alien conspiracy on me now Mora. I’m sure the people inside here have developed a little differently than the rest of the galaxy, there is bound to be some differences.” Mora scowls at you.
“I hope he’s a friendly robot…” She mutters.
As the Montezuma enters the sphere the scientists are all crammed into the cockpit with you looking out the window to see what lies inside. Silence grips the entire crew as you view what’s within. A sun surrounded by a couple planets, one a gas giant. The surface of the sphere looks like a habitable planet covered in oceans, deserts forests and cities. The surface area of the sphere must be more than a hundred million Earths. A population of over a trillion could probably live very comfortably and spaciously on the surface of the sphere. This is easily the grandest thing you have ever beheld. Dr. Wun is the first to speak.
“An entire solar system within…incredible!”
The grandeur of the situation wanes as you become curious about how the sphere functions.
“But Dr. Wun, How is this even possible?”
Mora groans.
“The sphere would drift while the star remains stationary, eventually there would be a crash into the star and about the issue of grav-”
“Gravity, yes yes Mr. Koda. No need to be so skeptical, we are seeing all this with our very eyes in the present! See those large black, rectangular prism shaped structures peppered on the surface?”
Right as he mentions it, you do notice them, ornately designed as if they were of great importance. Blue neon light pulses on the surfaces of the structures.
“I’m guessing those are some sort of advanced propulsion devices to prevent drift and also expel gravity on the surface of the sphere.”
Dr. Jacobs, another archaeologist chimes in.
“They could also be what creates the atmosphere within the sphere, terra formers perhaps.”
“Yes yes Dr. Jacobs, an excellent hypothesis!”
The ship eventually lowers toward a massive city, Ultropolis. Tall, rounded skyscrapers litter the skyline as strange ships fly into and out of the city, some as small as people. The ships may look strange but the Montezuma must look downright weird to these people, you’re an outsider here, you think.
That thought worries you. A stranger in a strange new land. You’re in charge of security so you better make sure everyone is safe once they exit the ship. As you stand the ship begins to lower past some of the metallic blue chrome skyscrapers. Mora gives you an inquisitive glance.
“Mora I want the crew outfitted with mobile shields at all times, set to the absorb setting. Grab a neuron beam rifle for yourself, to everybody else stay in tight formation and ALWAYS remain behind myself or Miss Flenn here unless otherwise noted!”
“I’ll get right on it Garen. Come along doctors let’s get you all outfitted.”
The science team sighs in annoyance. They never really care about safety precautions, an annoying trait.
You enter your quarters in sync with the feeling of the ships landing gear coming out, beginning the landing sequence. You grab your HAM pistol first, then your palm sized mobile shield which you latch onto your belt and activate, setting it to the absorb option. You rarely set it to deflection mode due to the high chance of friendly fire. You lastly strap on your wrist computer, punch in the code and activate a holographic projection of your wife and son. You always do this before a mission, it’s become a ritual for you and you’re not even sure why. Mostly you just miss them. The projection shows your wife smiling and laughing, chasing your son who is jumping and rolling on the ground to avoid her catching him. Then your son stands and runs toward-
Mora’s voice interrupts your sentimental moment over the com speaker.
“Garen get to the ramp, we’ve landed on some sort of small platform on the surface and it looks like Prinevo is already out to meet us. Looks like you were right; he’s no alien…Pity.”