In Orbit

As a Iolian laborer glided through space, the outer lining of a planet was revealed though it still blocked the view of the suns beyond it.

The debris and dust particles and small stones flying past reveal the speed at which he was really moving, despite the large planet only seeming to parallax out of the way gradually due to its large size and the great distances from the planet's outer atmosphere the camera viewer really is.

The light of the suns beyond the planet illuminate the outline of the outer atmosphere with their rays and refraction of the light. However, the fiery orbs themselves are not yet visible. Across the speckled space beyond the globe obstructing them spilled the Sagittarius arm of the milky way, bright and pure.

The debris flying past becomes noticeably larger, not in the form of stones or cosmic dust, but rather in that of twisted metal cylinders, crumpled metal plating, and twirling gears.

“Did you see that?” The laborer overheard a voice speaking through the static in the telecommunicators.

“See what? I had my head underneath the console.” Said another voice. “I can't see anything down here and I can't get a good angle with the flashlight.”

The skeletal remains of a large spacecraft begin to glide past him, as he begins to draw closer to it and glide around it. Some of the metal parts were barely attached to the rest of the craft, and he had to catch hold of a metal rod that hurtled towards him.

The light of the suns beyond the planet then glinted in the dark metal plating of the craft, and the white clouds in the planet below billowed across the atmosphere far below it.

“There was a flash. All the lights flashed.”

“Maybe I knocked a wire?”

“Be careful with that!” As the others were saying these things, a vibration propagated across the rickety fragile material of the starship.

Figures come into view flying about the craft. They had jets attached to their boots and their wings, and an oxygen tank that would resemble a diver’s, but only some of them had a full body suit on. These were welding parts on the outside panels. Other’s scaly chests were bare.

“There it goes again. Watch out!” Orange sparks spurted out of one of the broken windows in the cockpit.

“Where is that coming from? I didn’t touch anything that time.”

The traveling laborer flew inside one of these windows where the sparks were not spurting out of. Others figures were inside the craft working on the internal computational apparatuses.

“Are you all okay in here?”

After glancing about the room, he turned toward the computer systems on the opposite wall, the insides of which were coruscating in different colors through the seams.

“Are we?” The others asked.

“Well, do something! Can’t you stop it? Isn’t there a master switch somewhere? Just disconnect the wiring.”

“No, there aren't any wires. It seems they transferred energy wirelessly somehow.”

The sparks became rapidly incited and more intense, and the walls began to glow red hot, not only where the computer system was, but in conduits that revealed themselves by the glowing pathways along the floor and ceiling. Moments later, forceful vibrations racked the entire room, and a sudden impulse nearly knocked them off their feet.

“Guys? What did you all do?” Asked one of the workers welding on the outside of the craft.

The newcomer immediately turned and leapt back to the window and leant half of his body outside to look back. Blue jets were emerging astern the destroyed starship.

Next in Astral Wanderers, Scene 2: Transcosmic Nostalgia