Planet B Page #3

After hundreds of years in space, the Gaia's mission to find a New Earth won't last much longer.

• Science fiction

								


BUFFET: —I don’t understand.

PAGE: Like this- look, my badge. If we’re spinning, we see the stars, like this fork, moving, we feel gravity. This way becomes down. If we aren’t spinning, if the stars hold still… we shouldn’t feel gravity. There is no down.

BUFFET: What does that mean? Wh- what, not only are we not moving, we’re… we’re stuck? We’re feeling gravity when we shouldn’t?

[static, heavy breathing]

BUFFET: What the f*ck does that mean, Captain?

PAGE: I don’t know.

[end transmission]





Personal Diary, Jenn Page, date 08012456- 14:14
Transcribed Recording

I’m at a loss. I truly don’t understand how… how it’s possible. 

[sigh, static]

I saw, today, with my own eyes, the stars outside the window stop. Completely. They held still. Just… points in the blackness. I had to keep calm. Someone has to keep calm. We’ve shut all the windows with blast doors, and Eve had some small memo that went out to try and keep a panic at bay, but I don’t know…

[shuffle, static]

When I was a girl, I always wondered what I would do if I ever got to be Captain. Then I became captain and it was all just… keeping calm. When the cloth ran out, I pretended that I had a solution and I…. pretended like that until a solution actually came up. Then the population boom and the food shortage… I just... Pretended again. Then something came up that looked like it would work. Readapting the hydroponics and switching to corn instead of wheat. It worked.

There was a point when I thought about turning the ship around and heading back to Earth. Just giving up. Thinking… there is no New Earth. Maybe we try again on our home planet, better this time. But the reports are… [sigh] incredibly final from Earth. Completely desolate. Our ancestors took half of Earth’s remaining water supply when we left, there’s nothing back on Earth. The only potential base of operations might be Earth Command, somewhere in a bunker, but…[sigh, static crackle]... they’re likely gone. Unresponsive, at least.

[heavy breathing, static]

I don’t think something is going to come up. I- [sobs]- I don’t think there’s a way out of this. I don't even know what… what this is. Are we lost? Are we… are we being pulled into orbit by some larger star? Are we all somehow dead? I… I have no idea.

[static crackle]

Eve… I mean, Commander Buffet… God, it’s so weird to call her Commander now. She was just a teenager, only yesterday it feels like. Am I that old? Anyway, Eve, she’s trying not to panic. I’m just as scared as she is. Glad she can’t hear me say that. 

[shuffling, chair moving, static]

Eve and I are the only ones right now with windows, at least ones that aren’t covered in those rolling blast things. I’m just trying to avoid looking out of it, but I’m scared to close it, too. Someone has to deal with this… reality. Even though it doesn’t feel real.

[static crackle]

When I look out there, I can almost see the corners of the ship. I suppose… someone will have to put on a suit and go out there. Maybe it really is an engine problem. Maybe this is all in my head. I hope so. I really, really—

[static, thumping]

Computer, get First Commander Buffet on the line, now.

[beeping, tapping, heavy breathing]

Buffet, are you there? Do you see what I’m seeing, out the window? You’re in your office? Look. Look now. Do you see it? What is that?

[screaming, over speaker]

Buffet, stop screaming. Remain calm. Commander Buffet. Stop. Look at it.

[static, crosstalk]

I don’t know either.

[crosstalk]

— burning?

[static, thumping, crosstalk]

—not possible–

[screaming]

—stop that—

[crosstalk, unintelligible]

—what do you mean?

[unintelligible, sobbing over speaker]

—-not stars?


[end transcription]




Engineer’s Report, date 08012456-15:56

Yesterday, at approx. 17:00, the stars’ ordinary rotation outside of the Gaia were visually observed to halt completely. 

-This might indicate physical malfunction in the ship or engine, causing disruption to standard rotation. No observable phenomenon has occurred which might halt or disrupt standard centrifugal or forward motion.

-Physically, the following observable phenomena should have commenced: sensation of weightlessness, immediate affront from exterior object or body which caused the halt, tear to hull from exterior body to be indicated on ship’s sensors.

-None of these phenomena were observed. The visual phenomenon remains only evidence of engine malfunction.

At time of report, new visual phenomena has been discovered by Captain Page, detailed below.

-Stars are growing larger, visually.

-Stars are gaining grainy quality.

-Stars are gaining reddish rims.

-Stars appear to have “burning” visual signifiers.

As of yet, it is impossible to draw any conclusions. Further observation is required. 
This report to remain sealed until further notice.

Signed, 
Lead Mechanic Noah Walton




Status Report to Earth Command, date 08012456- 16:19
Transcribed Recording

WALTON: Is it on?

PAGE: Yes, that little green light on the side, it’s transmitting. Trying to, anyway.

WALTON: God only knows if we’ll hear anything back. Worth keeping it on.

PAGE: I don’t think Earth can hear us. Even if they could, what… [static, sigh] what would they do? Tell us to stay calm?

WALTON: On the off chance something can hear us, and help, I’m keeping it on.

BUFFET: Maybe something can hear us.

PAGE: [chuckles] You and Buffet. Hopeful youngsters.

WALTON: I doubt anyone’s out there. But what harm could it do? At the very least, if everything falls apart, we’ll have some kind of recording of all this. Some future ship can pick it up and know we lived.

[chuckles]

BUFFET: You’re already past- tense, Noah. Lived? 

WALTON: Let’s just focus on the issue. I see… I see the cause for concern. Shutting the windows was a good idea. We can deal with… whatever this is without a panic.

PAGE: How is the rest of the ship handling this? I’ve been cooped up in here trying to think of something.

BUFFET: Likewise. Aside from meals… I’ve just been pacing a hole in my office floor.

WALTON: Well, out there… Not good. No one knows why the windows are shut. The few people who saw outside when it happened, they’re starting to talk. It’s a wild conspiracy nest. Everything from alien abduction to prophecy… fortunately, most people are ignoring it, assuming what we need them to assume. [sigh] That a slight malfunction is cause for alarm, but not panic. Most people think we shut the windows in case of a leak. That’s fine. We can deal with that sort of… disappointment. If we survive this, though, you’re losing your job, Jenn.

PAGE: Good. 

BUFFET: What do you suggest our next move be?

WALTON: Suit up. Go out. See what’s happening. 

[unintelligible, crosstalk]

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