Mewter
Smash Master
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,609
Happy reading, guys. 
_______________________________________
"It was long ago the revolution had begun.
"Earth was overcrowded and there was simply no more room to sustain the rate at which the population was growing. Factories everywhere had quickly converted all of their equipment in an attempt to stockpile the most advanced spacecraft they could muster. This became known as the Race for the Final Frontier, and every nation was attempting to secure the solar system for themselves.
"You see, children, the nations were competing for living space; especially those on the nearest planets, which were already terraformed enough through special biological and technological means to allow for human life and a sustainable balanced ecosystem. Each settlement became their own national colony, ours being headed by NASA.
"Once those 8 large planets and their moons were completely occupied, space became less needed. Now, there was a slowdown in migration, and just a decade later, cheap commercial transportation between colonies was established. Everyone had found a home.
"And finally, here we are! Twelve years later!"
Of course we were. We had learned this already all through grade school, starting when we were six years old. You would think it would get boring, listening to the same story, year after year.
Good thing our parents were pretty quiet about it; they must have known how we felt. We? I meant my brothers, sisters, and I, of which I was the second oldest. Our family was a nice one, and a pretty big one at that, once you got around my father, mother, two sisters and one brother. Oh, not to mention my uncle, Jered, who was staying with us until he found a job. This was pretty unusual for our community, seeing as it was encouraged that your families be small.
He was a nice guy, my uncle. When we were at the dining room table, the room seemed to become a bit warmer and less of the chilly place it was at nights, which was good, because the nighttime was getting a bit colder every day. He also had this thing with his dark brown sombrero, which was pretty funny, once you thought about it. He was wearing it more often now to keep his head warmer. Thanks to the terraforming, though, things weren't nearly as bad as half a century ago, when the planet was just an old fossil relic: a rusty, red wasteland.
So, there we were, at the dinner table, picking at our dishes while my uncle went on about and wove an elaborate story about space, and its wonders, which was typical of him.
Sure, we lived on a planet from which we did not originate, but that's not too special. I kept to myself, though. I wouldn't want Dad, who was on the whole pretty calm and kind, to start yelling each of us how we "take too many things for granted" again, just like he did when my younger sister Emily threw a tantrum over not having a replacement pet goldfish for her dead one. I could understand Dad there, though. After all, goldfish were pretty uncommon in these parts.
"... But just as he had predicted, it had indeed "evaporated", and we picked up traces of the radio energy with the Janus as it passed by! I am surprised we had been able to witness such a wondrous...”
“Are you listening, Martin? This is really interesting, so you might want to pay attention. It was Mom, and she had caught me trying to get up and covertly leave the table. “It’s all right, Mom,” I replied, “we learned all this in class.” To this, she got this “fine, but you’re definitely missing out on something” look on her face, so I quickly picked up and left the room.
So, for the rest of the night, they listened to his stories, while I caught up on some much needed sleep.
----------------
The next morning, it was dark as always, as it would be for a couple more hours. I hastily dressed and ate my breakfast as I went out the door, taking a bus to school.
When I finally got off the bus, I headed toward my first class and went inside.
The walls of the classroom were lined with books stacked on top of the shelves of bookcases. Today, as always, we would learn about some old book from the 20th century and quickly forget about it in a matter of weeks... along with some review on the structure of some languages, English, Chinese, French, and Spanish. I liked this class, somewhat. English, French, and Spanish were easy. It was more Chinese that gave me a problem... it wasn’t at all like the others.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Math, science (we discussed Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity and how it related to everyday life), and P.E., were the same as usual. I met with my friends after school and we went out for some hot soup, which was like a retreat from the stinging coldness of the air. There was a woman in a snow coat from our school at the door of the bakery handing out flyers, which we each politely accepted, even though none of us really thought much about it.
When we got to my house, I said bye to my friends and rushed inside. If I wanted to get to my room and do my homework before my sisters got home, then I would need to hurry up and get as much done as possible. On the way to my room, I snatched another look at the blue flyer that was given out. It read "Exchange Student Form for Earth" on the top, in large green letters, all the while touting some dolphins and other oceanic creatures on the borders of the page. Then, I got an idea. I pondered it for a second, but then dismissed it for the time. It would have to wait, anyways, so I put it on the kitchen counter. I had some homework to do.
A couple minutes passed, with only the light, interjected sounds of pencil scratching on paper, and I heard the front door open. There was some shuffling and the thud of a heavy hat being dropped on a rack. Somebody was home. I ignored them.
"Marty! I'm home!” a gruff voice called from downstairs, “Can you give me a hand?"
It was Uncle Jered! I got up and ran to the door to greet him. He had an excited look on his face, so I asked him what was up. "Nothing!" he replied. "Well, at least nothing until you help me unload some things from the car!"
Together, we walked up to the car and opened the trunk. Inside, waiting, were some jugs of water, and some groceries. "Not just any old groceries," he explained as he turned to look me in the eye. "They’re my groceries! I have a job!" I told him that I was happy for him, and I hoped he would do well. But then, I asked him exactly what he got a job as?
"I have been hired as a Physics Professor at Harlend," he said cheerfully. "It's a job I can finally settle down in, and enjoy." Just then, a bus came in and my older brother stepped out to say hello, by which time my uncle was already having a full-flung conversation with him about his new job at the prestigious school.
Hours later, Mom and Dad came home, along with my two younger sisters. Uncle Jered told them the news while all the rest of us were eating dinner. "Oh! Also," there was a pause, "I thought one of the kids might be interested in this."
It was the exchange student form for Earth which included the transfer from my school to another on Earth, to which I accepted to follow through with because it would be "fun and educational", "the trip of a lifetime!" for me. I fought it a bit, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to accept that it might actually be fun to visit the planet that we came from!
But that time was still three months away, so we still had some time to prepare. The Martian month I was going to leave on was Ondecimber 14th, which was a Martian month, and I was going to arrive on July 22nd, Earth time, which was ironically a three day trip. The registration process, however, was all too complicated and bureaucratized, but we somehow got through it as a family, and raised the money necessary to send me on the trip, with even the youngest doing their share.
----------------
Finally, though, the day came when it was time for me to board the space shuttle. The station was built around a crater some miles away from the suburbs, near the edge of the giant structure called "The Wall", which protected the city from the tough, harsh conditions of the real Martian climate. The station itself was set up somewhat like a very large airport with many subterranean bunkers located near the center of the campus. The technology was also more advanced here. No longer were we surrounded by mid 21st century technology, but we were immersed in pre-22nd century technology. The security was pretty tight but uncomplicated at the same time. Computers screened out those without a pass and scanned you to check your luggage. Almost immediately after that, your bags would be loaded onto the same ship you were boarding and stowed away for the flight. The technology was even more advanced, now. It was like a museum of all the latest advancements.
I stood right in front of the ship, now, waiting in line to enter with the others who were waiting as well. A couple of minutes passed and I was seated in a high seat. I could see my parents and siblings below in the bunker, waving to me. Uncle Jered was also waving, and he was mouthing words I couldn't understand. Don't eat the calzones?
I would be gone one year, I suddenly thought. Time passed, and lift-off was counted. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. We had liftoff! Dust was kicked up around us, a loud-silent hum started up as we moved away from the surface.
This continued for several minutes, until gone was the red, hazy atmosphere, until all I could see out of my window was instead replaced by the cold, deep mysterious blackness of space. Mars loomed large on the horizon, but continued to get smaller and smaller as we distanced ourselves from it. When they thought the time was right, the pilots announced that we could get up and explore the ship, as well as play with electronic gadgets. I got up and looked around. People were seated in their rows, playing, listening to music, sleeping, or dong anything just to occupy their time. I was nervous, and walked toward the back of the ship, where the dining court was, and bought myself some dinner to eat. I sat down and fastened my seat belt to keep myself down from the excitement. Oh, and don't forget zero gravity. There’s that too.
The day never really had a definite sense of ending to it. I would stay up for some time, check the monitors for a peep at how far we'd gone so far, eat, and somehow entertain myself by talking to others or playing a video game with some other kids. This continued for what seemed forever, until there was yet another periodic announcement on our progress through space. Stars, stars, and more stars, until...
Earth! It was a flowing blue marble with scattered bits of white. As we got closer, I could see it more clearly: the blue blankets masking the planet were large oceans, the white swirling accumulations of clouds in the atmosphere. There was brown and green, also, which must have been the land, covered with life in some parts, mountainous or desertous in the others. The whole prospect seemed to have a mesmerizing effect on me, and others too, as people started coming to the windows more often to get a peep at our destination.
I knew what Uncle Jered had said, now. This was his home. Happiness welled up inside of me; this was going to be the trip of a lifetime, and nothing would stop me from making the most of it.
Which is just what I did, “and it has made all the difference.”
______________________________________________________________________
That's it!
_______________________________________
"It was long ago the revolution had begun.
"Earth was overcrowded and there was simply no more room to sustain the rate at which the population was growing. Factories everywhere had quickly converted all of their equipment in an attempt to stockpile the most advanced spacecraft they could muster. This became known as the Race for the Final Frontier, and every nation was attempting to secure the solar system for themselves.
"You see, children, the nations were competing for living space; especially those on the nearest planets, which were already terraformed enough through special biological and technological means to allow for human life and a sustainable balanced ecosystem. Each settlement became their own national colony, ours being headed by NASA.
"Once those 8 large planets and their moons were completely occupied, space became less needed. Now, there was a slowdown in migration, and just a decade later, cheap commercial transportation between colonies was established. Everyone had found a home.
"And finally, here we are! Twelve years later!"
Of course we were. We had learned this already all through grade school, starting when we were six years old. You would think it would get boring, listening to the same story, year after year.
Good thing our parents were pretty quiet about it; they must have known how we felt. We? I meant my brothers, sisters, and I, of which I was the second oldest. Our family was a nice one, and a pretty big one at that, once you got around my father, mother, two sisters and one brother. Oh, not to mention my uncle, Jered, who was staying with us until he found a job. This was pretty unusual for our community, seeing as it was encouraged that your families be small.
He was a nice guy, my uncle. When we were at the dining room table, the room seemed to become a bit warmer and less of the chilly place it was at nights, which was good, because the nighttime was getting a bit colder every day. He also had this thing with his dark brown sombrero, which was pretty funny, once you thought about it. He was wearing it more often now to keep his head warmer. Thanks to the terraforming, though, things weren't nearly as bad as half a century ago, when the planet was just an old fossil relic: a rusty, red wasteland.
So, there we were, at the dinner table, picking at our dishes while my uncle went on about and wove an elaborate story about space, and its wonders, which was typical of him.
Sure, we lived on a planet from which we did not originate, but that's not too special. I kept to myself, though. I wouldn't want Dad, who was on the whole pretty calm and kind, to start yelling each of us how we "take too many things for granted" again, just like he did when my younger sister Emily threw a tantrum over not having a replacement pet goldfish for her dead one. I could understand Dad there, though. After all, goldfish were pretty uncommon in these parts.
"... But just as he had predicted, it had indeed "evaporated", and we picked up traces of the radio energy with the Janus as it passed by! I am surprised we had been able to witness such a wondrous...”
“Are you listening, Martin? This is really interesting, so you might want to pay attention. It was Mom, and she had caught me trying to get up and covertly leave the table. “It’s all right, Mom,” I replied, “we learned all this in class.” To this, she got this “fine, but you’re definitely missing out on something” look on her face, so I quickly picked up and left the room.
So, for the rest of the night, they listened to his stories, while I caught up on some much needed sleep.
----------------
The next morning, it was dark as always, as it would be for a couple more hours. I hastily dressed and ate my breakfast as I went out the door, taking a bus to school.
When I finally got off the bus, I headed toward my first class and went inside.
The walls of the classroom were lined with books stacked on top of the shelves of bookcases. Today, as always, we would learn about some old book from the 20th century and quickly forget about it in a matter of weeks... along with some review on the structure of some languages, English, Chinese, French, and Spanish. I liked this class, somewhat. English, French, and Spanish were easy. It was more Chinese that gave me a problem... it wasn’t at all like the others.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Math, science (we discussed Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity and how it related to everyday life), and P.E., were the same as usual. I met with my friends after school and we went out for some hot soup, which was like a retreat from the stinging coldness of the air. There was a woman in a snow coat from our school at the door of the bakery handing out flyers, which we each politely accepted, even though none of us really thought much about it.
When we got to my house, I said bye to my friends and rushed inside. If I wanted to get to my room and do my homework before my sisters got home, then I would need to hurry up and get as much done as possible. On the way to my room, I snatched another look at the blue flyer that was given out. It read "Exchange Student Form for Earth" on the top, in large green letters, all the while touting some dolphins and other oceanic creatures on the borders of the page. Then, I got an idea. I pondered it for a second, but then dismissed it for the time. It would have to wait, anyways, so I put it on the kitchen counter. I had some homework to do.
A couple minutes passed, with only the light, interjected sounds of pencil scratching on paper, and I heard the front door open. There was some shuffling and the thud of a heavy hat being dropped on a rack. Somebody was home. I ignored them.
"Marty! I'm home!” a gruff voice called from downstairs, “Can you give me a hand?"
It was Uncle Jered! I got up and ran to the door to greet him. He had an excited look on his face, so I asked him what was up. "Nothing!" he replied. "Well, at least nothing until you help me unload some things from the car!"
Together, we walked up to the car and opened the trunk. Inside, waiting, were some jugs of water, and some groceries. "Not just any old groceries," he explained as he turned to look me in the eye. "They’re my groceries! I have a job!" I told him that I was happy for him, and I hoped he would do well. But then, I asked him exactly what he got a job as?
"I have been hired as a Physics Professor at Harlend," he said cheerfully. "It's a job I can finally settle down in, and enjoy." Just then, a bus came in and my older brother stepped out to say hello, by which time my uncle was already having a full-flung conversation with him about his new job at the prestigious school.
Hours later, Mom and Dad came home, along with my two younger sisters. Uncle Jered told them the news while all the rest of us were eating dinner. "Oh! Also," there was a pause, "I thought one of the kids might be interested in this."
It was the exchange student form for Earth which included the transfer from my school to another on Earth, to which I accepted to follow through with because it would be "fun and educational", "the trip of a lifetime!" for me. I fought it a bit, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to accept that it might actually be fun to visit the planet that we came from!
But that time was still three months away, so we still had some time to prepare. The Martian month I was going to leave on was Ondecimber 14th, which was a Martian month, and I was going to arrive on July 22nd, Earth time, which was ironically a three day trip. The registration process, however, was all too complicated and bureaucratized, but we somehow got through it as a family, and raised the money necessary to send me on the trip, with even the youngest doing their share.
----------------
Finally, though, the day came when it was time for me to board the space shuttle. The station was built around a crater some miles away from the suburbs, near the edge of the giant structure called "The Wall", which protected the city from the tough, harsh conditions of the real Martian climate. The station itself was set up somewhat like a very large airport with many subterranean bunkers located near the center of the campus. The technology was also more advanced here. No longer were we surrounded by mid 21st century technology, but we were immersed in pre-22nd century technology. The security was pretty tight but uncomplicated at the same time. Computers screened out those without a pass and scanned you to check your luggage. Almost immediately after that, your bags would be loaded onto the same ship you were boarding and stowed away for the flight. The technology was even more advanced, now. It was like a museum of all the latest advancements.
I stood right in front of the ship, now, waiting in line to enter with the others who were waiting as well. A couple of minutes passed and I was seated in a high seat. I could see my parents and siblings below in the bunker, waving to me. Uncle Jered was also waving, and he was mouthing words I couldn't understand. Don't eat the calzones?
I would be gone one year, I suddenly thought. Time passed, and lift-off was counted. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. We had liftoff! Dust was kicked up around us, a loud-silent hum started up as we moved away from the surface.
This continued for several minutes, until gone was the red, hazy atmosphere, until all I could see out of my window was instead replaced by the cold, deep mysterious blackness of space. Mars loomed large on the horizon, but continued to get smaller and smaller as we distanced ourselves from it. When they thought the time was right, the pilots announced that we could get up and explore the ship, as well as play with electronic gadgets. I got up and looked around. People were seated in their rows, playing, listening to music, sleeping, or dong anything just to occupy their time. I was nervous, and walked toward the back of the ship, where the dining court was, and bought myself some dinner to eat. I sat down and fastened my seat belt to keep myself down from the excitement. Oh, and don't forget zero gravity. There’s that too.
The day never really had a definite sense of ending to it. I would stay up for some time, check the monitors for a peep at how far we'd gone so far, eat, and somehow entertain myself by talking to others or playing a video game with some other kids. This continued for what seemed forever, until there was yet another periodic announcement on our progress through space. Stars, stars, and more stars, until...
Earth! It was a flowing blue marble with scattered bits of white. As we got closer, I could see it more clearly: the blue blankets masking the planet were large oceans, the white swirling accumulations of clouds in the atmosphere. There was brown and green, also, which must have been the land, covered with life in some parts, mountainous or desertous in the others. The whole prospect seemed to have a mesmerizing effect on me, and others too, as people started coming to the windows more often to get a peep at our destination.
I knew what Uncle Jered had said, now. This was his home. Happiness welled up inside of me; this was going to be the trip of a lifetime, and nothing would stop me from making the most of it.
Which is just what I did, “and it has made all the difference.”
______________________________________________________________________
That's it!