999 OCTILLION SOULS, June 28, 2024
II THE BOX 6
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TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:The following information is derived from Information Seed 40 and received by the Gravitational Wave Observatory. I and AI performed a frequency analysis on it. IE edited certain parts to make them more 'readable'. (He might have overdone it.) Please feel free to comment.6
The air of the 123rd Floor Swiss Building Bank felt colder than usual. Petra’s heart hammered a nervous rhythm against her ribs. Today was her third visit.
The metallic voice of the robot attendant echoed as she swiped her access card. "Safe deposit box number 127, Petra?"
Petra swallowed. "Yes, please."
The metallic door hissed open, revealing the rows of identical metal boxes. Reaching for number 127, she felt a strange sense of anticipation. This wasn't a simple box; it was a promise whispered in cryptic fortune cookies and fascinating zero-gee ball cards.
cosmos_boss: cheeseburgers and coins
With practiced ease, Petra tucked the magic box under her arm and hurried into a secluded corner booth. Her fingers flew as she opened it. Seconds later Petra produced a fortune cookie, its cryptic message promising "Great Fortune Awaits the Curious Mind." Beside it gleamed a zero-gee ball card.
us_gwo: baseball cards and chocolate bars
Petra devoured the cookie. The message fueled her curiosity, while the zero-gee ball card was always a gamble. Was she supposed to ask many questions? Was that expected from a curious mind? Today's card featured Cyrai, a legendary zero-gee ball player from the Bandung Centauri B system, her fluid movements captured mid-air as she performed an impossible maneuver.
luo_ji: why not ice cream instead of fortune cookies?
A grin spread across Petra's face. Cyrai's moves were notoriously difficult to master, but Petra spent hours practicing in the virtual zero-gee training rooms at school. Perhaps, with enough dedication, she could achieve similar feats someday.
Carefully, she caressed the card, a pang of longing tugging at her heart. This secret treasure, hidden within the confines of a safe deposit box, was a thrilling escape from her life.
With a final lingering look, she closed the box.
7
The carnival lights glittered like scattered stars as Petra bounced excitedly in line with her friends – George, the chubby boy with a perpetual grin and hands full of snacks, Dinah with her cybernetic, her voice bubbling with infectious laughter, handsome Valentino, the quiet but observant one, and big Da Shi, with twin braids. Today was Trilsday, and the monthly Wavej Ball Challenge was their prime target. HAPPY TRILLIAN’S DAY! a bright banner said.
uk_gwo5: like St. Patrick’s Day but different somehow
Each contestant received a ball, its surface swirling with nebulas of color. The challenge? Use your Wavej skill to keep the ball hovering perfectly at about eye level for ten seconds. Easier said than done.
As they reached the front of the line, Petra took a deep breath, focusing on the cool weight of the ball in her hand. She closed her eyes, picturing the orb suspended effortlessly. With a gentle push of her will, she launched the ball upwards. It wobbled precariously, threatening to careen off course.
Petra gritted her teeth, picturing the ball in an invisible cradle formed by her focused mind. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the seconds ticked by on the giant holographic clock. Eight. Nine. Ten! The buzzer blared, and the ball settled gently into her waiting hand. A whoop of triumph erupted from her chest as the announcer declared her the winner, her friends showering her with celebratory high-fives.
“Way to go, Petra!”
“You’re a champ!”
“Happy Trilsday!”
Petra’s friends had no trouble keeping their balls up either.
As they walked away, Petra, still buzzing from her victory, posed a hypothetical question that hung heavy in the air: "What if there was a button that could destroy a whole empire in the galaxy, just by pressing it? Would you do it?"
George scoffed. "Nah, that's crazy, beh! Nobody wants to destroy anything. There'd be chaos!"
He doesn’t want to answer, Petra thought.
Dinah, her brow furrowed in thought, chimed in, "Maybe if they were really bad, like, enslaving planets bad. Suns and moons, but even then..." her voice trailed off, the weight of the question settling in.
Slaves? The Bears and the Grand Empire take slaves…
Valentino said, "Maybe it shouldn't be up to one person. Maybe there should be a council, to talk it out first. A referendum."
By St. Trillian, that wouldn’t laboris. I would have to explain too much. And Frank asked me to be discreet. Too late for that now!
Da Shi, who usually had a witty retort, was silent for a moment, then spoke barely above a whisper. "What if it wasn't an empire, but someone you cared about, beh? Would you push the button if it meant saving the galaxy?"
potus: I would
Petra hadn't meant for things to get so heavy, but the question lingered in the warm carnival air. The ball in her hand felt less like a game prop and more like a symbol of a future filled with difficult choices. Could she sacrifice someone she loved?
malek_I_am: a psychological experiment gone wrong