Chapter 18: I am Neon (SOTU)

=Chapter 18=

“The Sci lead of that station down there wants to know if you feel any conscious thoughts emanating from down there?” The question came from the Karthaninan commander, one of the first of its kind in command of a science cruiser and was directed at the Saresii in a light green cat suit. Her hair almost white, with only a hint into the softest blue cut in a page boy style with fringes down to her big also green eyes. She sat with crossed legs in one of the un used mission specialist seats towards the back of the spacious bridge. She closed her eyes in apparent concentration.“There is a Holdian deciding if he should have more nuts or perhaps tasty human crackers for lunch. A Saran MD still wondering how she should formulate her final report...and there are is a number of other minds quite active and one in a deep resting state. All minds are however of known species. I am not going to probe into the minds of these individuals of course. However there is nothing even remotely new or alien emanating from this world.”

To Terran humans Karthanians had an uncanny resemblance to sea horses. Sea horses with powerful looking legs and two arms that featured nimble fingers that started where humans had their elbows. The Commandant said.“Figures, that what all the reports say all along. Let’s pick up the scientists so the tech crew can shut down Stormrider station. A freighter of the Army Corps of engineers might already be on its way to pick it up.”

-Shirrocco Planet-

It did not have a clear idea how long it waited. The concept of ‘was’, ‘is’ and ‘will be’ was still not clearly defined. Chiefly of course it had no reference point to a steady reoccurring event that would have helped dividing the flow of time into meaningful increments.

However it was certain it was, compared to its long existence a very short time.

No new ‘Not it’ had emerged from the stationary source of pain. It had removed itself close enough to feel it but far enough so it would not cause real discomfort.

It happened again and without warning. A new source of pain descended from the above. A direction it now new existed. It was so fast, that it could not move out of its path. The pain intense and it felt as if it lost some of its very essence to the pain. The new source united with the stationary one. Remained for a very short period in his estimation and then left, luckily this time the path to the above was directed away from it.

-Stormrider Station - Command and Control-

The Holdian actually stood in the seat of one of the Vari- form chairs before the station main console and spoke via intercom to the remaining personnel. We are now going to shut everything down, but the gravo anchor, the GalNet terminal and basic life support and go to sleep mode. Please be on the main deck and ready for departure.”

He turned his head .“Stormrider AI, everyone accounted for?”

“Yes Chief engineer Garner. Fifty members of the station support personnel have assembled on the Hangar deck. All three station shuttles are ready for departure.”

“Well then I be on my way as well. An Army Atlas should pick you up in ten days or so.”

“Have a save trip Chief engineer Garner. I will commence sleep mode once you have arrived at the Hangar deck.”

The Holdian physically keyed his authorization code and proceeded to the hangar himself.

The lights turned off behind the engineer, and all but a few wall board lights illuminated the once bright lit corridors.

Moments later the three shuttles left and rendezvoused with a science cruiser in orbit.

-Shirrocco Planet-

It had noticed the three ‘Not-its’ separate themselves from the still stationary source of pain and disappear on the same path the bigger painful one had during a period of ‘was’.

Still the little one had not returned and shared thoughts with it.

It looked so much forward to another period of shared thoughts. Because of the realization that there might be another ‘it’ a new concept dawned. The realization that it had been alone and being alone was not as enjoyable as being not alone.

-SII Brontosaur - Orbit Shirrocco planet-

The SII Brontosaur was one of three Tiny Tim freighters that had arrived in the Aplarox system. These 25,000 meter long giants were among the biggest space ships ever built. They were the largest freighters in existence. They were originally designed to haul large prefabricated segments of Gigamon stations that made up the famous Union bridge from the M-0 galaxy to the Andromeda galaxy. Many of these giants were over 2000 years old, countless times refurbished and modernized of course.

These three however were of the latest series. SII Corp was the only civilian entity owning more than ten thousand of these giants.

Each of the ships that had just arrived hauled a completely assembled floating refinery on their open cargo hold decks. Their operating crews already inside

These enormous five thousand meters in diameter MolGas factories resembled disc shaped spin top children toy.

The SII Brontosaur lumbered into orbit, her size became truly apparent as she passed behind one of the smaller moons of the gas planet.

The moons of Shirrocco planet belonged by Union law to their mother planet and now to SII.

Tractor projector towers, each powerful enough to manipulate many million tons of mass lifted the first refinery of the cargo deck and dropped it into the planet’s atmosphere.

-Shirrocco Planet-

Even though it could not be certain, it was sure it had waited a considerable time already. The stationary pain had been there unchanged. Without the small one to reappear, so it had decided to go back and check on the original ones, the one it had moved away from.

it didn’t move as fast as when it fled. Moving fast was tiring.

Again it had no real reference points to estimate how much time had past, how far or how fast it was moving, but it eventually had gone back far enough where it was just beginning to feel the original ‘Not-it’. There was only one now and it felt exactly like the other one.

The source of pain suddenly begun to intensify and it moved slowly away while the ‘not-it’ begun to move upward and slowly disappear.

Then it was completely gone.

Again it waited to see if it would come back.

It could not tell how long it waited and when it decided to move back, it was not able to find the other one either. Even though it was fairly sure it had moved long enough to reach the other source of pain. The one that originated the little one that shared thoughts.

There was nothing that warned it.

The pain was back. The sensation was so intense it erased all thought. The last thought it was aware of was a sense of regret. It felt deprived of the chance to think more thoughts together with the other one and contemplate new concepts together. Then all thought ceased.

-Floating Refinery, Shirrocco One-

Durk Garner turned away from the master control console and faced the Shiss. “Tether cable for space lift extended, Mr. Hzzzagthy. Intake ducts on stand by. We are good to go.”

“Alright,” said the remote presence avatar of director of SARP.” fire her up.”

The Holdian, wearing his new SII Energy Inc. uniform passed his small paw like hand over a row of initiator icons. A thousand meters below main control, metal plates rotated away from huge openings and turbine pumps spun up to speed. Enormous quantities of atmospheric gases were sucked in, filtered, separated and processed.

A few moments later the first slug containers filled with liquefied and molecule compacted MolGas begun their long journey up the space elevator tether, to be collected by robotic drones and stored in an orbital depot. Ready to be sold to the first customers that would soon come.

“Mr. Hzzzagthy, Shirrocco One is now online and producing fuel.”

“That is a reason to celebrate. I am also very glad you accepted our offer, Mr. Garner. I was just told by our president himself how impressed he is by your efficient work. He wanted me to make sure you are adequately compensated and instructed me to increase your salary by ten percent.”

The little Holdian engineer felt very appreciated.

The Shiss said. ” To honor the Union scientist that lost his life on Shirrocco, we also decided to rename the refinery. It will be known as Refinery Chimeer.”