Missing Connections
19 Oct 2022Sagacious Panda
Shaking his tail, the large dog playfully chased the children. Children, who were dressed in pastel-colored furs and gloves, had already red cheeks and noses from the cold, playing outside of the farm up in the mountains. The view was spectacular. You could see the valley just under your feet opening its arms feeding millions of trees, and animals, and the village settled next to the river.The sky was bright, the wind was chilling, and the grass was crunchy under the leather boots.
The girl with purple and yellow flowers in her long-braided hair was running fast chasing the other two boys. They were loud, joyful and a spectacle to enjoy for their grandparents.
An old man was sitting on the porch of the cute farmhouse, under a heavy green blanket, drawing slow and steady smoke from his volcanic stone pipe. His wife was watching the children from the kitchen window, preparing a honey & pumpkin pie with her daughter. She had a sunburnt face, with lines carved by time and full life, deep green eyes still burning with energy. Her daughter was singing while helping her mother, knowing every moment they are together shall be cherished, remembering herself out there playing with her brothers many seasons ago.
For generations, everything was just like this. Only faces, names, and seasons changed. Elders passed, and babies born.
Life is peaceful and calm.
The older boy had a stick in his hand, waving over his head while running and making sure the large mountain dog stays out of reach. A game that was as old as these farmlands. For a second when he looked over his shoulder the boy tripped and fell, still laughing.
Other kids caught up with him. The girl stood a little back and put her hand on the dog’s head.
The small girl thought she saw a bird fly above her head. She looked up to see it and…
…something unthinkable happened. As if everything was a dream, a wake-up call.
Dark grey and orange clouds started to cover above. As if the blue sky was boiling milk, it poured and grew. They saw a giant flash on the far west beyond the mountains, and another one almost right above the valley…
The girl raised her hand and tried to cover her eyes, her thumb completely blocking the sun, but the brightness was washing over them from all directions.
Long after the valley, mountains and everything in it vaporized the explosions could be heard but no one was there to hear them.
Over millennia several times enhanced and recovered recording stopped with the flickering time stamp –2044
“Thank you ICE, that was quite enough,” Pan said while wiping his tears
“There are various more edits and corrections we can do to provide AI mixed sound if you…” ICE started explaining and Pan interrupted
“No ICE, this is more than I can endure”
Bella also sniffed and cleaned her nose and her throat to find her voice
“So, you are saying these are…”
“Yes, Bell.”
“But how is it possible?”
Pan stood up and walked inside the ship, reached out to the second important device after life support, and poured himself coffee.
“Father of the family was visiting Cambridge that month. With their eldest son. I think a library of sorts. The city had some form of protection and they survived. When this happened the farmhouse security feed managed to transfer some of this to him.” He drank some of the warm blackness to continue
“And it turns out they stored this in that library, for future generations. My parents, when they went after the generation ships, had this with them. How I don’t know yet. How it ended up in the curious memory of ICE, I have no idea either…”
“…and we are going where then Pan?” Bell asked nervously.
“My parents went to learn more about the generation ships, which were launched after WWIII. But their last transmission is about Hawking’s Gap. Bell, I really don’t know what happened to them. But I can’t put my mind at ease. Something doesn’t add up.”
“…So?” Bell encouraged him to finally get to the point
“So, we are now out for exploring, maybe we will discover something worth our trouble and hopefully, reach the last known position of my parents.” Pan hesitantly finished his train of thought and avoided looking at Bell directly.
“ICE, how much of this plan you are aware of, and how much of it did you share with Jeanie?” Bell asked abruptly.
“Miss Garcia assisted us to prepare Manhattan and provided us with some route-related data Bell” ICE replied
Bella bit her lip and looked straight into Panda’s eyes.
“We must watch our back Pan, not here, not in the void, but once we are back in the bubble. Promise me that you will make sure of that Boss” Bella said seriously.
Pan felt a relief wash over himself. Smiled widely and said “ICE, please play the voice recording of my last conversation with Miss Norah, just the relevant end bit please”
“Norah…?” Bella said
ICE broke in :
Norah “…it is clear Pan, no worries but I am serious about Randt.”
Panda “I know Norah, I’m just asking you to shadow our usual suspects. Timing of all can’t be a coincidence, you know.”
Norah “Just make sure, you return safely and with something more tangible. I didn't burn my bridges with the Federation for nothing. I’ve lost enough, you also did!”
After a pause Panda, “I miss her too. If there is something to be found, I will bring it”
Norah “And I can speak about all this to Ran after you leave, right?”
Panda “You can trust him with your life, I do. Just don’t let him choose booze for you, he has terrible taste”
ICE stopped playing the recording
Panda was grinning nervously at Bella’s surprised face.
“It would be great if you’d give me all this to absorb while we are in bubble Pan.”
“Would you make a different decision?”
“No, I’d treat Norah better”
“She’ll do fine. She is a rock.”
Bella thought about it for some time and without asking permission started checking something on Panda’s console.
A couple of minutes later she turned with understanding on her face
“Fuck you all! She is...”
“Yes, Amy’s sister”