NEPTUNE. The least populated and most sparsely explored of the Jovian planets. Only recently has major settlement of the region begun, and then only by bands of pirates, huddling far from the Sun's meager light at the outer reaches of the ecliptic. Little is really known of this region, but the WSN has heard rumors of weird sightings. We now have an eyewitness account of such a strange happening out here at the edge of space.
Nicky Tolumen is the pilot of the S.S. Kip Brannigan, a "survey" ship operating out of what passes for a Station in Neptunian orbit. "I seen it a few times when we skim the planet to hide in the upper atmosphere during reconnaissance," says Mr. Tolumen. "Our sensors never show anything outside. But, I only sees it when I've been in the Chair for a few hours. And only when I'm alone on deck." He lowers his voice to a raspy whisper. "Sometimes she waves to me. I'm pretty sure it's a she." He frowns, "The other guys all laugh at me and say it's the coolant. Sure, I like the red stuff as much as the next guy. I swear, though, I don't do no drinkin' at my station. And I seen her. Dead Sober. I seen her."
When asked what exactly he has seen, Mr. Tolumen pulls a worn piece of paper from his jumpsuit. "Here, this is her!" Below is a first look at what haunts Nicky Tolumen during his turn on third shift.
Yes, Mr. Tolumen is regularly visited in the upper layers of Neptune by some sort of Mermaid Astronaut.
What could she want? Is she the last mermaid survivor of the Starcrash Catastrophe? A product of bezerk regenabots? Genetically engineered by Pod Generator Platforms? Could she be nothing more than a coolant hallucination? No one knows. But out here at the edge of everything, you cannot help but wonder: What else could the depths of the Solar System hold?
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