captain jurgen shuddered awake
cryo pod cleaning itself up
they glanced at the console
s/he smiled that several years had passed by
curss-sed time
jurgen yawned, “what’s new?”
the time traveller stuttered into view
more spherical this time
pulsating well beyond the starship hull
and into hyperspace
“ssssstop that!” jurgen hissed
the time traveller condensed to a small smoky orb
pulsating with light
electrical arcs casually zapping metal nearby
“better?”
“thank-you.. i prefer this view”
probabilities were mulled
the fate of that blue marble in the balance
“is there still time?” jurgen inquired
“always” the time traveller deadpanned
well
let’s take a look
still burning fossil fuels
stolen like vampires, the blood of the earth
so tragic
when energy is everywhere
a vast, still pool
powering every particle in existence
harnessed by a small, unassuming appliance in each home
“they still draw electricity from a centralized grid?”
“how curious”
‘we thought they’d be pulling energy from the void by now’
both were interrupted by a polite chime from the ship AI
“you might want to see this”, the metallic voice intoned
a sliver of what appeared to be space rock raced around sol
“do we know them?” jurgen inquired
“depends” the time traveller quipped
in some timelines
it really is an odd asteroid and returns to interstellar space
in others..
..the cylindrical ‘rock’ begins to shed velocity
those tall enforcers
were on their way
fear them not, though many may
4D has many escape routes
and they are bound to 3D
though their technology is fearsome
“if you see two more similar star craft,
you will know for sure”
the scene faded
i found myself
sailing down some twisting nether
cleanly through the sky
despite the weather
raindrops large
unaffected
shingles, nails, wood, insulation, gyprock
..a body..
mine!
jump back inside
large bits slightly uncomfortable
howling winds
kitties scared of the lightning
a reassuring pet
a reassuring purr
and all is well
all is well
[.]