The Rain on Different Worlds

HOME-Chapter One

Earth has its own senses. That which we observe every moment without a second thought. From the blood we taste in our dehydrated mouths to our food, the metals of earth readily reminds us of Earth. And that we shall embalm ourselves within Earth when we are done. When our bodies are readily old, worn out from the toils of labor and the tribulations of human error, nature beckons us home. Back to dust that enrichens the soil for new generations of reincarnated stardust. Through follies we learn all too quickly just how we aren’t so different from other life. That beyond our intelligence and honest curiosity-are we in fact, a higher order of being? Surely, we're still of flesh, bone, and mistakes. That we specks are simply aware of our accidental existence and that had we not existed, the universe would have merely shifted towards similar scholarly beings. But does that mean we are alone? Do our richly experienced selves have no equals? I refuse to believe that. We did not believe that for all our history having told stories of beings beyond reach either godly or of uncanny resemblance. Statistically it is highly unlikely. The human experience says otherwise. It is why I journal. To digest what occurs. There must be someone if not something beyond. Are cosmic sensories really so unknowable? Wet granulated sand freshly deposited amongst the slippery salty rocks. The cool breeze on a hot summer day. Humidity that covers you like a warm wet towel-heavy, heated, and moist. Surely these cannot be overly specific? Can they be repeatable experiences? Humidity exists elsewhere and surely breathable atmospheres. I suppose I will find out.

Star Streaks- Chapter Two

To stars to dust to face fears we must. I say this mantra as I double over. My contorted face was glued to the window. I had to force my head away from the window to write. As space and matter bubbles, I travel a lightyear per 10 minutes. A bubble glancing upon spacetime. Agoraphobia tells me there's too much. Claustrophobia commands me to pace. I-instead-freeze. I couldn't help but watch with anticipation and gut-wrenching awe. It was hard to look away but now I'm rooted in this spot. A seemingly endless plane ride. The threshold has been reached as the ship is far between the stars and pure black seeps in. There is now nothing but cosmic fabric. I am becoming familiar with this state as the ship gains momentum, its speed continues to increase in the space between stars. Earlier, I was fascinated by the readings as the ship swung from the stars. It's one thing in theory or from probes but to live through it? I envied the first captain knowing she would experience the first multiple object jump maneuver and see our entire solar system while I slept in my stasis pod. Now it maintains an energy efficient speed, storing the rest in devices similar to those used to store energy in particle accelerators. A few strange gravitational deviations in the readings but I'll look into it after I check on the engineering crew and check in with the other ships. Red flashes? A proximity alarm!

Proximity- Chapter Three (Partial)

Disaster averted. The computer gave a strong gravitational field warning and the ship lurched to a quick jump at escape velocity just in time to not get caught by the tidal forces. A stellar mass black hole. Too dangerous. Their tidal forces are much more violent than a supermassive black hole. Although it was once a star the readings indicate it was 25 times the parent to Earth and had collapsed and condensed into one of the many stellar mass black holes in our galaxy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

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