Docking Log 23.45776K.2A
Starport : Seven-Seven Charlie
Starship : 'The Crate Escape'
Planet of Origin : Mars
Crew : 4
Manifest : Freeze-dried Martian Oranges. Atomic batteries. Jetpack replacement parts. Left-handed ray guns.
Addtl Comments : None
Oh yeah. That feeling never gets old. The woosh of ignition as a starship fires up its engines and begins undocking. One of these days I will be on one of those ships. Looking down on Tomorrowland. Watching the planet get smaller and smaller as I
"ATTENTION DOCKING CREW MEMBER WILLIAMS - ASSISTANCE NEEDED IN SEVEN-SEVEN BETA"
Docking Log 23.45779M.4F
Starport : Seven-Seven Beta
Starship : 'Ship Happens'
Planet of Origin : Gaar
Crew : 7
Manifest : Crates..full of smaller crates. Zero-gravity bowling balls. Refurbished Power Palms.
Addtl Comments : We really need a new process to inspect these crates without having to open them.
My cousin had a job on one of these freighters. Ran a circuit between Neptune, Pluto, and then back home. It was a cool ship. She told me stories about the rings of Saturn, what other planet's starships looked like, and the beauty of Metropolis from an eye in the sky. The problem for me was for an eye here on the ground life was so boring. Nothing ever happens on our planet. Sure, there was that Power Palm mystery not that long ago and that huge heist that happened but that was before I was even born. As a kid used to go and listen to Sonny Eclipse sing all about how exciting the Galaxy was. Now I just
"ATTENTION DOCKING CREW MEMBER WILLIAMS - ASSISTANCE NEEDED IN SEVEN-SEVEN ALFA"
77A? That landing bay has been closed for 10 rotations. I tapped my SMART band to confirm. 77A. I guess that
"ATTENTION DOCKING CREW WILLIAMS - ASSISTANCE NEEDED IN SEVEN-SEVEN ALFA"
Mother of Mars I'm going I'm going.
Docking Log 25.41995P.3P
Starport : Seven-Seven Alfa
Starship : No identification present
Planet of Origin : Unknown
Crew : 0
Manifest : 2,189 clocks. All set to IX : I.
Addtl Comments : .........
What? I ran out the back of the cargo hold quicker than an Indy Speedway car running on intergalactic rocket fuel. I looked down at the Docking Log on my tablet. 0 crew. 2,189 clocks. I shook the tablet a few times to make sure it hadn't just froze while rendering the report. Running up the ramp to the cargo hold to make sure I wasn't daydreaming, I now noticed some fog beginning to form in the back of the long narrow space. Nope.
With somehow double the speed I got down to the control station in 77A. Power's off. Great. Slamming my fists on the console I ran to the door separating this specific dock from the pathways back to the rest of the Starport. Sealed shut. Of course. Door panel unresponsive.
I paused for a moment to stabilize my breath on a leaning rail. Remain calm. Nothing interesting happens on this planet.
"That's not true! But yes, you should relax. Take it easy. Thank you!"
You could've heard the scream I let out on Triton Station.
"Ouch! That HURTS! And I don't have ears. Let's turn that volume way dowwwnnnnnnn. Thank you!"
All I could do was slowly turn around and begin to back up.
"Nothing to worry about here, everything is perfectly normal. This is how they reacted to me at University too. Maybe it was the tutu. Williams right? Thanks for volunteering. I am highly mediumly confident this is going to work! Shouldn't hurt a bit."
A humanoid...robot? Was operating some device attached to the control station. Long cables ran back into the cargo hold of the ship.
"You can remain leaning but please don't sit down, I have it on good authority time travel does not work while you're sitting down. And please stand clear of the doors!"
Time travel?
zap brrrzzzzzz ding ding ding moe moe moe zipppppp
"Don't worry, that's all part of the boot up sequence. Here we go!"
Everything flashed before my eyes. Like..everything. And then it stopped.
"Oops that's a little far back. Not even a universe yet. Mind the gap. Behold - the Ding Dang! The Piggy Bank? AH, the Big Bang! Time to go!"
Another quick flash opened up to a bustling old city. Like..really old. I recognized some of the structures though. A 'ferris wheel' towered over the area. Other ancient poorly lit ornate buildings covered the grounds.
"And there we have it! The World's Columbian Exposition - 1893. Ride the first Ferris wheel! Be amazed by the first automatic dishwashers! Have a Jack Cracker! Cracker Jack? I would avoid anyone with two letters in their name."
Was this..real?
"Off we go!"
Suddenly somebody dropped a dishwasher into the reflecting pool I was standing near and completely clouded my vision with water. The kind of convenient thing that only ever happens in theme park holo-videos. As soon as the water dripped away I was now looking at an incredibly dirty and packed field. People behaving just..awful. I think there was music playing but it may have been some sort of torture device from the past.
"Oops, wrong Woodstock!"
With a snap the view was replaced by a gathering much more peaceful and wonderful. Completely different music - this time it sounded more like music - floated into my ears.
"Peace, love, and hair grease. What a historic gathering. Oh, watch out for those hippies."
I'm not sure what a hippy is but a group of people were beckoning me into their cloudy circle. They looked friendly.
"Hold your breath, Williams! Let's go forward, much more forward!"
The cloud quickly engulfed me and just as quick blew away. I was now in a much more sterile environment. A lot closer to the Tomorrowland I called home.
"Would you look at that, Williams. Who is that handsome shuttle pilot with a much more handsome passenger?"
I stood, frozen, as I watched..myself startup the shuttle and undock from Startport 75C. In the rear of the shuttle was the insane robot currently in apparent control of my time and space.
"So, so handsome. And funny isn't he? Funny looking? Yes of course, but the quick wit. How wonderful, yeah?"
Off the shuttle blasted to the stars.
It had been about three weeks since that call to 77A. I had fully convinced myself it was nothing but a dream at this point. There were more bright lights and I had found myself back at the port with no ship, a working control station, and an open door. The memories seemed so real. And so...exciting.
Walking through the streets of Metropolis felt different. It felt like those days listening to Sonny sing about the Galaxy, but I felt that way about my home. It was a good feeling.
I turned the corner toward the Metropolis Science Center. One of the front doors opened up with a gush of wind and a...flash of light. Couldn't be. I peeked in through the doors.
"Williams!"