Close, but no Cigar! 3
27 Jun 2019Marlfan1
You ever watch any of that old Earther TV show, "The Simpsons"? The family would take a trip in a ground vehicle; father, mother, son, and daughter. Invariably as soon as they pulled out of the driveway onto the road a chorus would begin from the back seat: "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?". <whimper>."No, ma'am, not yet ma'am, just 40 more jumps...35 more jumps...32 more jumps...27 more jumps..." <whimper>. I am beginning to think my old fighter pilot may have known something I didn't when he quit and walked away. Lord, help me please! I don't want to push her out of an airlock, I really don't...much. I mean, that would be bad, right? <sigh>, ok.
At least finding all these new places I've never been before is kinda neat! Lots of scanning and mapping. Just imagine all the credits I'm wracking up! Almost ever system I jump into can be honked, scanned, and mapped. Finding all kinds of geologicals too. Jump 38 of 43 even gave me a biological! What the hell is a brain tree? Weirdest tree I ever saw. Lots of raw mats too! I'm maxed out on quite of few of them now.
"Hey, lady! We're here! There ya go, the Heavy Metal Planet in all its' glory." "You want me to what?" "Hmmph! Ain't happenin' sister! That's what those 6 flunkies you brought with you are for. I'll open the cargo bay, but I ain't luggin' no science equipment no where!" I'm your pilot, I fly things. I even let you go out in the SRV with me to see some of the geos and the biological, but I ain't your servant!"
Three days! Three days we orbited that huge freakin' ball of rock! All the while she's measurin' and probin', and scannin', and analyzin'. "Fly me over these coordinates". "Take me over the poles." "Orbit directly over the equator, and go slow!" Yada yada yada. Do this do that. Fly here, fly there. "Give me access to your Covas so I can use your mainframe to process the data." I can't tell if my DBX, Cricket, is laughing at me, or cursing me out. They are alive you know, your ships. They know whats going on. They see what you do when no-one else is watching. Half the time when ole Jimeny here starts breakin' down, I think he's doin' it on purpose to get back at me for some slight or other.
"Alright Commander, I'm done. We can go." "Remember, I don't like to be scanned, so watch it!' "I'll be watching you."
"Yes ma'am. As you say ma'am." I got somethin' you can watch. "I'll be real careful ma'am, no worries."
Hey, look! An Orca just popped in. Popular little planet, this is. <HOONNNKKK>
"Commander! Were we just scanned, AGAIN!" Perfect.