"Ship? You there, Ship?"

"Yes, David."

His bare feet are propped up on a metal panel as he reclines, naked except for a pair of shorts. A lukewarm cup of Morning-Vite in hand, he takes a sip and says "It's getting cold in here, again."

"May I suggest a more suitable selection of clothing?"

"Sure, go ahead, but raise the temperature by two while you're at it."

"Yes, David, making venting changes as ordered."

He puts his feet down and stands, no longer even hearing the hollow echo of each footfall. He takes one last look at the wide-screen, nods to the 180-degree view of the infinite stars rushing towards them, and turns, exiting the view room.

"Ship, you ready with last nights scores and highlights?"

"Would you like audio only?"

"No, wait till I get to control." He meanders down the passageway, passing by numerous closed doors. "But I do have a few trades I want to make. Three-way trade, the Raptors, Kings and Hornets. Hornets get Brown and Richards from the Raptors, send Davis to the Kings, Kings send Marrow and Little to the Raptors. Also, a straight up trade, the Grizzle and the Mavs, Hopkins for Baron. Got it?"

He stops, kicking a lever near the wall. A section of the floor slides back, revealing a round tube with rungs leading down.

"David, Hopkins was not an active player during the 28-29 seasons. Do you wish him added to the list of active players?"

"Uh, no. Just scrap that trade, but go ahead with the other."

"Do you want these changes effective for last night's games? Estimated revision time: seven minutes."

"No, effective this morning. And first up, hold the highlights, let’s have a few whole games. Who did the Sixers play?"

"The Pacers"

"No, not that one, let me guess, Sixers by nineteen?"

"Fourteen"

"How about the Rockets?"

"They played at Utah."

"Ok, let’s start with that one."

"Would you like to begin the mornings' exercise before watching?"

"No, I do not want to begin the mornings' exercise before watching, just get the goddamn game ready, ok?"

"Yes, David"

He enters the vid room, sits down in a large, padded chair. It tilts back, and his feet are again placed up on the control panel.

"Alright, start Rockets game from zero. Skip the player intros. Show on all screens."

Six screens activate, flat panel, only millimeters deep but each over three feet wide. They are arranged three across and two high. Each screen shows a different view of the basketball court. A single running dialogue accompanies the action, describing the events transpiring.

"Ship, starting today, reactivate random player injury scenario. But, hold on. First, let's make a wager."

"You wish to gamble, David?"

Laughing, he says "Heh. Yeah, let's gamble. Prior to the injuries, pick who'll win the title. Do not factor injuries into your calculation. If you win, I'll exercise daily, every day. If we're both wrong, it stays at five days a week."

"And, if you are correct, David?"

"Three days. Made your pick yet?"

David’s heart beats once, then a second time. "I have made my selection."

"I'll take the Hawks."

"Yes, David"

"Guess that means you didn't pick them."

"No, the Bucks will defeat the Sonics."

"OK. Well, start the injuries scenario. But don't tell me anything. Let's start first round playoffs tomorrow. We'll have the finals in a week, and settle it then."

He sits his now empty cup beside the chair.

"Ship, mute the audio."

"Is that all, David?"

"Record transmission to Earthbase, carbon copy to Alphabase."

He straightens up in his chair, looking at the single black spot located on the panel in front of him.

"Transport Mary Seventeen, freight DR478IBT Earthbase to Alpha colony. Daily status report for day three hundred and seventy-eight. All cargo is intact. All biologicals intact and in positive cryogenic suspension. Ship drives operating at spec. Current speed is 47 Vaach per second. Ship AI functioning at spec. Pilot..." He smiles, looks at the game progressing on the vidscreen. "Pilot functioning at normal capacity. End transmission."

He sits back in his chair, the feet once again up on the panel.

"What the hell happened back there, Ship?"

"I do not know, David."

"No break in the silence, no signal at all? Nothing form Earthbase or Alphabase? Nothing?"

"No signal of any kind."

"What the hell could have caused both Earth and the colony to go silent at the same time? Have you run any further simulations?"

"No new information was extrapolated. No known natural phenomena could be responsible. No known human action likely to have caused complete transmission blackout."

Staring straight into the single black camera lens on the panel, again he quietly says, "What the hell happened back there?"

He stands up, walks over to a wall panel several feet away. Reaching inside the small refrigeration unit, he removes a single container of cold water. He sits back down, resumes his former position in front of the six video screens.

"Ship, turn the audio back on."



All content found in this site, unless otherwise indicated, is © Chad Everett 1999.
Use of any image or text is strictly forbidden.