Rigged and Ready - the full story to read
- Trevor Watts
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
RIGGED AND READY
There’s a ship lies rigged and ready up in orbit.
She’s vast. The size of a village, the shape of a tangled tube with knobs and antenna all over it, thrusters, comms dishes, and one tiny, but mightily-powered drive unit somewhere near its centre of mass.
Today, the Spirit of Kolonia will set flight. Heading for New Pleasley, 137 light years away. A three-year journey for a colony ship. Then all that struggle and reward of creating a new living planet. Wonderful new lives for all those aboard. Except a bare minimum crew who would return the ship here when the colony was established and stable.
We’ve come to look around the outbound port, and then to see her off. It’s been a long day, and a busy one: it’s been years since we were last here, seeing a ship off. Some things we remember so clearly, others have changed. It doesn’t seems so bright here now. Not so clean and shining. ‘Maybe it was a good time in ’54. Not enough time and cash for a brush-up nowadays?’
We stood at the panam windows in the private lounge – private for we repeat offenders, as they jest. A drink or two while we waited along with a few other couples. Yes, the lounge isn’t its previously pristine self.
**
She rose at last, the Spirit, silently easy away from her grapple-berth. She performed a single full turn, slightly twisting. Precising herself in the specific direction for New Pleasley, 137 light years away.
A tinge of sadness as we watched, our five children aboard, partnered-up with same-age youngsters for marriage partnerships. They’d do well. We’d brought them up well over the past twenty-four years – resilient and resourceful, intelligent and hard-working. They would love their new lives.
Poised… any second now… A static flash, and the Spirit disappeared.
‘That’s it.’ Mitri said. ‘We’re on our own again.’ She turned away from the black-view window. ‘Four generations of children we’ve sent into the Universe now.’
‘Okay,’ I almost slumped. It was always a wrench, letting your family go. ‘We going to have a few drinks tonight? A few days resting up around here?’
‘Naturally; we’re entitled. Shall we start on the replacements tonight?’
Trevor Watts - New-Classic Sci-Fi - from the Lighter Side
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