999 OCTILLION SOULS, May 21, 2024
I FLIGHT
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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.16
Legume dreamt of bioluminescent algae. Not the kind that choked the recycled air vats of her home habitat, but the vibrant, living kind that pulsed with an inner light. They swayed in a gentle current, their luminescence painting the water an ethereal blue. Legume swam amongst them, weightless and free. Here, there were no walls, no sterile air, no watchful eyes.
Then, a flash. A monstrous Wugum face, its warty skin glowing an unnatural red, filled her vision. Its guttural roar echoed through the dream water, shattering the serenity. Panic surged through Legume, propelling her awake.
She gasped, chest heaving, the cramped confines of the pod pressing in on her. Charlotte, nestled beside her, stirred with a whimper. Legume reached out, her hand brushing against the down that covered her daughter's head. Relief washed over her – the nightmare was just a dream.
But the memory of the Wugum officer, Zfug, his face contorted in rage, lingered. Were they safe, hidden within the bowels of the Ore Seeker? Doubt gnawed at Legume. This dream, a premonition perhaps? She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself back to sleep, back to the bioluminescent algae and the freedom it represented. But sleep wouldn't come. Instead, Legume was left staring into the darkness, the hum of the pod in the background.
Legume stared out the small, grime-streaked window of the pod. The expanse of space stretched before them, an endless stretch of twinkling stars and swirling nebulae. Yet, it held no comfort for Legume. A frigid, uncaring emptiness that mirrored the hollowness in her gut.
Had she made the right choice? Doubt, a serpent coiling ever tighter around her heart, squeezed the breath from her lungs. Her home habitat, with its sterile routine and suffocating control, was a prison, yes. But here, aboard this Wugum vessel, they were fugitives, stowaways at the mercy of a race known for their brutality.
The image of Zfug, the junior Wugum officer, flashed in her mind. A spark of gratitude flickered – gratitude for his unexpected act of rebellion, for offering them this desperate escape. But it was quickly extinguished by a cold wave of fear. What if they were discovered? What punishment awaited them?
A whimper from beside her shattered the spiral of her thoughts. Legume glanced down at Charlotte nestled against her side. The child's large, trusting eyes held no fear, only a question. Legume forced a smile, the gesture feeling brittle on her face.
"Don't worry, C," she murmured, her voice thick with unshed tears. "Will be safe. We ‘ave to." But the words tasted like ash in her mouth. Safe? Here, in this metal tomb hurtling through the unknown? A lie, a flimsy shield against the gnawing terror.
Charlotte stirred from her sleep, the soft hum of the pod's systems a familiar lullaby. As her eyes fluttered open, she reached for the small holo-tablet beside her.
With a yawn, she powered on the educational app, its interface lighting up with a cheerful chime. The first fill-in-the-blank question appeared, detailing the epic struggles of the Great Galactic War between the Open Earth Federation and the Grand Empire.
"During the initial phase of the Great Galactic War, the Open Earth Federation's primary strategy was to ________," the app prompted.
Charlotte's fingers danced over the holographic keyboard, filling in the blank with "disrupt the Grand Empire's supply lines." She had read about the countless skirmishes, the tactical maneuvers, and the profound sacrifices made in this war that shaped the current state of the galaxy.
doc_T: we switched the point of view here. is that allowed?
cap_mal: nope
The next question followed swiftly, "The Grand Empire's fleet was known for its ________ class warships, which played a crucial role in their early victories."
"Leviathan," she typed, recalling the massive, ominous vessels that had once threatened to dominate the stars.
As she continued through the questions, her mind wandered to the vastness outside the pod. The stars and swirling nebulae, reflections of history's grandeur and tragedies, felt both distant and intimately close. Each fact painted their past - a reminder of the harsh reality that forced them to flee. Yet, Charlotte saw them differently. Each tale, for her, was a warm ember in the cold emptiness of space. It showed their strength, a whisper that even in the darkest times, hope could survive.