Current Events > Current Events: One Step Beyond (a crappy fanfiction)

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Condensation beaded on the insides of the tin can. It pooled and welled obscenely. It dribbled weightlessly and ran, forming lakes and rivulets on the coldest surfaces closest to the wafer thin metallic skin that defined the difference between outer space and the inside of this fragile, barely ballistic projectile. It was a hydrosphere in microcosm, a water cycle more suited for a planet, rather than some tiny metal bottle shuttling back and forth between the inner and outer solar system. It must be said though, liquid water does not play well with the internals of spacecraft. Normally something as elementary as humidity would not be an issue, but the capsule was barely a spacecraft, it was a bargain basement skiff meant for intrafleet manoeuvres. It was a tender, and it was tired. It was operating well beyond the limits of the manufacturers established tolerances. Oh, it had seen some aftermarket modifications, but those were mainly in regards to its fuel capacity. It was a bootlegger vessel. Cheap to obtain, and relatively cheap to replace, both vessel and crew. The cargo, for what it was worth, was the most expensive part of the entire enterprise. Enough that, should this voyage founder on the jaggedy rocks of enough oxygen, enough fuel, a space worthy vessel or the almost inevitable user error, the cargo could be eventually recovered.

Kim Seonga was running on pure nervous tension. Nervous tension and multiple applications of a caff bevvy. They were the sole crew of The Postulate. They hadnt slept since theyd breached the heliopause. They were on the red eye burn from beyond the Kuyper belt to an inner solar station. A few days of agony for a pretty good payout. It had been a good ride, but The Postulate was an old bird. Kim preferred to drive stick rather than let the simulated intelligence take the helm. Kim had already spray painted the stainless steel head a number of times with caff fuelled airbrushing. In zero gravity that gets grim quickly. Kim was at the point they were feeling a bit jittery.

The drooling ulkheads were a worry, but what was starting to really get on Kims trifold pecs were the unbroken transmissions from ERFF. ERFF was a silly joke that had become deadly serious a few years back. The transmissions had been funny at first, if a little bit on the nose. Some bloviating shunt with strange facial cilia gurning and gesturing intensely. There were no takers for that, thankfully. Then came the music and the music videos. They were weirdly infectious, in a galaxy that hadnt developed any immunity to earworms. The contagion spread at the speed of light, then once they caught on in another inhabited system they would start to spread again.

Kim was close enough to the source that Kim was getting it fresh, give or take 35 years. The tenders high gain antenna was picking up transmissions from ERFF.

We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it (say it)
Inside, we both know what's been going on (going on)
We know the game and we're gonna play it

Kim gave a quick shriek of horror and thumbed the tune button. That particular transmission had shut down whole solar systems.

Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody

Nope. Kim spent a diverting few minutes skipping through frequencies until they gave up and stuck on a recording they took on a run far closer to ERFF.

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Kim had no idea what either dogs or horses were, but something about this transmission had *resonated*. They could vibe with this. They leaned back in their pilot harness and guided their skiff toward port.

Meanwhile, in the cargo hold, a particularly fat rivulet of condensation met with an exquisitely designed lock that had been designed to automatically counter 10 to the power of 390 different intrusion attempts, but had, in its own high concept way, been so overdesigned that said intrusion attempt countermeasures failed to take into account basic humidity. Within a very, very sturdy cargo container, something began to rattle and hum.

Self pity post

Kakapo posted...

Self pity post

i know how that is

Bump