My Diary

2002-11-09

Woke up. Ate. More paste. Used the bucket. Watched the stars.

It's weird. Two days ago, I didn't know such a thing as a starship existed. I never believed I would see one, or leave Earth's atmosphere. Here I am, hundreds of light years from home, barrelling along at ludicrous speeds towards an unknown destination and I'm still bored out of my mind. MTV generation, no doubt.

Occasionally it occurs to me that I ought to be scared. I don't really know why I'm not. Did all the science fiction get me so accustomed to the idea of aliens and space travel and strange new worlds that I was half-expecting something like this to happen?

Hmm.

The ship doesn't know when we're going to arrive. Apparently star G19457611 is our final destination and we're making some stops first. I asked it where we're stopping off, and it said ---- yes, you guessed it ---- that I'm not authorised for that information.

Pah.

[break]

Passed a nebula. They're not as pretty close up as they look in the pictures. It was just a big fuzzy cloud around a star, only just bright enough to see.

Disappeared behind us on the left.

[break]

Repeat that, please.

I am not receiving any communications from planetary traffic control. I have run a diagnostic of my communications systems. They are in perfect working order. Visual confirmation indicates that none of the relay stations are in position. I have run a diagnostic of my navigational systems. They are in perfect working order. This planet's proximate traffic protocols contraindict uncontrolled flight. I may not proceed further without traffic control or a valid override code. Do you have a valid override code?

I don't.

This destination is a critical stage in my mission profile. Unless this target can be attained, my mission cannot be completed. Mission contingency plans indicate a return to base unless further instructions can be supplied. Do you have any further instructions?

What are my options?

You do not have clearance to change my mission profile.

What is this planet?

I am currently in the vicinity of G19457611-C. It has the colloquial name of [untranscribable].

Where is the closest place where you could get an authorisation code to let you land here?

A valid authorisation code can be obtained from the traffic control systems on [untranscribable].

If you do not have a valid authorisation code, I shall proceed with the contingency plans.

Where are you going?

I am proceeding to my home base.

How long will it take to get there?

The estimated journey time from this point is 0.27 temporal units.

What will you do when we get there?

I shall land and await further instructions.

[break]

Well, that was exciting.

A couple of hours ago things started happening. The ship decelerated and stopped. Then we made a slight course correction and accelerated again. About five minutes later we approached a star. I think the ship slowed right down ---- for a while nothing seemed to happen apart from the star steadily getting brighter.

After a while it started showing a visible disc and was casting noticeable shadows inside the ship, and we stopped and made another course correction. Now we were pointing at a little speck of light that turned out to be a planet.

Unfortunately, when it seemed to be about the size of the moon, and about the same colour, the ship stopped again, hung motionless for half an hour, and then it started talking to me. I managed to get most of the conversation recorded above.

So now we're on our way again; to this ship's home base, wherever that is. I think 0.27 temporal units is about a day.

My watch says it's 0119. I wonder what time zone Gurglecough was in?

[break]

Something's just occurred to me.

The ship was expecting to be met on that planet. It kept talking about traffic control. If I was a high-tech space civilisation, traffic control would be pretty high up on my list of important services. And there wasn't any. The relay stations, whatever they are, weren't even in position.

I wonder what happened?

I'm also wondering about the planet. I don't know if Gurglecough had life or if it was just a rock, but it looked awfully moon-like. No green or blue.

I hope this ship's base is in better state. I hate to think where it might take me if it doesn't get a good reception there.

[transmit]