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Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 21, 2009 0:44:48 GMT -5
09 March 2190
Dad says this planet is all going to, um, a bad place. He has checked his bank account and has been selling stuff. Mom is getting worried about Dad, but Mom also thinks this planet is rotten. I think we are going to be moving.
I'm kind of scared to leave my friends behind. Not that there is many of them, most of the kids my age are crazy and mean. They think school is a playground and education is a big joke. They aren't ever getting off this dying planet, they couldn't read the instruction manual.
18 March 2190
Dad called a family meeting, usually this means the four of us, but this time Gramps, Gramma, Uncle Robert and Aunt Tish all showed up. Dad said it was time to start making preparations to get off this mudball of a planet.
Then Dad led us in prayer. He never does that. It made me more worried about him. It made me worry more about leaving my friends too.
It seems Dad, Gramps and Uncle Robert have been selling all their stuff and cashing out investments. Dad said something had been for sale cheap and needed some modifications and upgrades. I didn't understand what he was talking about for the longest time. A spaceship?? Yep!
Oh boy.
29 March 2190
Uncle Robert came to tell us that he was leaving in a week to oversee the overhaul of the PIKE'S ROAD. He said this might take a while, it needed extensive renovations.
That means it could be a year or two before we actually pack up for the ship. Can you believe I am saying that?
11 May 2190
UPDATE Via Vid-Call: Uncle Robert reports that the 500X Proton Ion Propulsion Engine is working. Thats the main motor. He said that work on the habitat modules was slow, the work crew was living in the ones that were operational while in space.
The ship looks massive. I thought it was going to be small, I had no idea they were so big. Dad told me the habitat modules were the smallest parts and that air-water-cargo-fuel and other things would make up more than 95% of the ship. When it was ready.
22 December 2190
Uncle Robert is back from space, he called it the "half-time break". He and Dad nodded to each other, I think they are really looking forward to leaving Earth.
My best friend Rhonda Lou says her family is also scared but they have no resources to buy a spaceship. She said there weren't any used vessels for sale anymore, nobody could keep up with demand with so many people wanting to leave.
My other friend April Sarah said that her Mom's brother had bought a tiny ship in Lunar orbit for his family of four to live on. There was no room for the rest of them, unfortunately.
23 January 2191
My 13th birthday! Mom made me a cake but I knew we could not afford to waste any money on a gift. Not that there was any junk being sold I'd actually admit to wanting. With the economy so bad and "controlled", as Dad says, there aren't hardly any toys or kids stuff being made.
My birthday present was to get video of my room, I mean quarters, aboard the PIKE'S ROAD. Awesome! My room even had a tiny window, I mean porthole. Not that it opened or anything.
....
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Post by Attero Dominatus on Jun 21, 2009 3:43:24 GMT -5
3 February 2191
Apparently, I can't take much with me. Uncle Robert talked about how weight, or more appropriately, mass was at a premium in any spacecraft. Something about keeping the spacecraft's mass ratio below a certain number so that its delta-v above two hundred kilometers a second or something, I don't know, but we have been restricted to only essentials and a few personal items.
4 February 2191
Today, I recieved a crash course in how to use a space suit; they don't expect me to do any 'space walks' but it never hurts to be prepared. Thankfully, these suits are not huge and bulky like astronauts of the past had to wear; I can't imagine spending thirty minutes just to get a suit on!
6 February 2191 Zero gravity, or more appropriately, freefall produces a sensation similar to sea-sickness, but the view was worth it! Earth looks soooo beautiful from orbit. Its beauty belies the ugliness of the government that runs it, and thank goodness we lifted off in the landing craft yesterday, as the Terran Union has just slapped new regulations that pretty much eliminate the freedom to buy a spaceship. I overheard Uncle Robert and Dad talk about 'getting the hell out of dodge,' but the airlock closed before I could hear the rest.
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Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 21, 2009 4:10:37 GMT -5
30 March 2191
We are finally cleared to resume our flight path through all of the space stations and derelict ships, some being used as homes. Gramps said it was like a floating junkyard. He said the moon looked like a "trailer park" too.
The Ion Engine was hardly noticeable after a while, just a steady low background hum. It will take months to build up speed, weeks just to get out of Earths gravity well. In about a year we will probably be just starting to turn the ship backwards and slow down. Turning the ship around will be like the halfway mark.
The grown ups were talking about what sort of asteroid we should settle on. Who ever thought we'd end up living inside of a big rock in space? My little brother is always playing his games, never wants to explore the habitat modules anymore.
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Post by Attero Dominatus on Jun 21, 2009 15:27:14 GMT -5
31 March 2191
I never thought you needed to exercise in space! The ship's doctor tells me that your bones and muscles will degrade in freefall because they have nothing to work against, so I and every other person on board spend thirty minutes each day on a treadmill each morning. Other than that, life on a spaceship is pretty dull, and the dry rations are not much fun to eat either.
I did hear more of Uncle and Dad talk though. Apparently, he is an ex spy or something and some of his friends who still work in the spy agency warned him about some plan to exploit the economic crisis and food shortage to increase the government's power, so kudos to him for getting us out of there before the 'shit hits the fan' as some of the crew members say about the crisis. And to think, at one time I refused to read Atlas Shrugged because of its length. Uncle and Dad are fearful they will eventually try to invade Mars under the guise of 'liberating' them from exploitation or something, which is why we are seeking refuge in this old asteroid mine along with several hundred other refugees.
2 May 2191
I have pretty much gotten used to life inside this collection of pressure vessels, cargo modules and reaction mass tanks strapped to a giant engine. My job is to care for the plants in the hydroponics bay, one of the few jobs that does not require years of training or advanced knowledge in science. Navigators apparently have to be cable to calculate orbits and trajectories in their head in case the computers go down, and that is not even considering the knowledge required to run that big engine! They have gramps working here too, because his mind and body are too slow to the ship, but it's nice to have the company, and it's fascinating to listen to the old war vet's recollections of World War Three and how the war may have been deliberately sparked to collapse the old world order and make just about everybody on Earth in need of a savior, which obviously came in the form of a vastly expanded and re-purposed United Nations.
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Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 21, 2009 15:48:28 GMT -5
03 July 2191
The heating system in one of the other habitats went down. It was evacuated, we had to take a lot of people into our habitats during the crisis. Uncle Robert led the team that found and fixed the problem. Some cheap hose had failed and some exposed wires shorted out when the moisture from the leak hit them.
During the crisis I got to meet a girl named Neda whose family had once fled from Iran to the US and now to the asteroid belt. So I think I have a new best friend. I lost contact with my old friends because apparently the Earth government shut down the Stellar Links to refugee ships likes ours.
UPDATE: Mom made little carrot cakes with red, blue and white frosting to celebrate the old Independence Day. I don't know how she kept it a secret, or got it on the ship!
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Post by Attero Dominatus on Jun 21, 2009 16:22:58 GMT -5
OFF TOPIC:
I saw the video of the real Neda's death through Free Republic, and it was just totally heart wrenching. It takes a real monster to murder a teenage girl in cold blood like that, and I hope the murderer suffers a long and painful death for what he did. I will immortalize Neda in my story as you have done in this story.
ON TOPIC:
04 July 2191 We watched a video of a fireworks display, which obviously was recorded before the third world war, as New York City and that beautiful green statue are no longer there today and there is too much radiation to stay in the ruins for more than a few hours at a time. Fireworks displays were a work of art when properly choreographed like in this celebration, which makes it all the more shameful they were banned for being 'dangerous to children.' Gramps did everything in his power to keep the memory of that great country alive and tell the truth about the freedom it once provided to counter the revisionist history which stated that it was a war mongering expansionist empire that sought to take over the world.
After the video, Neda took me to her quarters and showed me her drawings. She loved cats, and the renditions she made of them were absolutely fantastic! Among the cat drawings was the saber-wielding lion that symbolized pre-islamic Iran, and became a symbol of not only rebellion in that country, but now one of three popular symbols used by freedom fighters everywhere along with the Gadsen flag (the most popular) and Old Glory herself.
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Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 21, 2009 16:48:10 GMT -5
02 August 2191
Did I mention that I had to go to school? The ship has a computer that is preloaded with all sorts of educational material and it knows when we're paying attention. Its just a few hours a day in front of the screen but I didn't know advanced mathematics were so complicated. Some of the engineers can do these problems in their heads, it takes me all day. This particular computer is called Teacher and its also preloaded with information on making everything from greenhouses to ion engines. Its not just us kids who use it, but our logins are restricted.
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Post by Attero Dominatus on Jun 25, 2009 18:03:21 GMT -5
9 November 2191
The ship's sensors detected a massive solar flare, and we were ordered into the ship's so-called 'storm shelter,' a special compartment made of radiation shielding, to protect ourselves from the deadly particles. It was the longest fifteen hours of my life! Neda offered me some paper to draw, but I just don't have her talent and about all we could do was sit and wait once we ran out of things to talk about.
Once it was safe to go out, we received word that the Earth Senate introduced a bill to nationalize the asteroid mines, which we all knew was to declare our refuge and many others property of the state. Uncle told me that it was mostly a protest for now because the government could no longer afford to launch anymore than small payloads into space ever since the economy collapsed, and they would have trouble finding qualified scientists and engineers willing to accept meager pay to build a national space fleet. We all knew they would eventually try to come and get us, though.
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Post by Floyd Looney on Jun 28, 2009 22:25:34 GMT -5
11 November 2191
They turned the ship around and started the "breaking maneuver". So I guess we are about halfway to our destination. Its not large, as asteroids go, but its far larger than the ship. My uncle has been part of the team inspecting and maintaining the boring machines and lasers that will be used to cut into the rock.
They plan to start nearly as soon as we arrive. Later many parts of the ship will be taken apart and used in the asteroid. It will be a much smaller ship when they get done but the inside of the rock should be pretty comfortable. After the cutting they say the dust will be blown out into space and then lasers will make the rock surfaces almost as smooth as glass to minimize any dust in our new home.
Even with dozens of families and hundreds of people there will be plenty of room left for future expansion inside of the asteroid. Several large chambers are planned for hydroponics and growing food, as well as purifying water and other things. All I know is that I will be spending plenty of time raising gardens once we get there.
"The old man" Gerald Reynolds, the writer who contributed enormously to the funds to buy and equip this ship has died. I now understand that my uncle Robert is the third highest ranked person in the crew.
My little brother seems to have a knack for electronics. It took a while but he actually managed to fix a broken toy computer. He was very pleased with himself and our parents made me act like I cared too. He's either going to be an engineer like uncle Robert or a software guy like Dad.
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Post by Attero Dominatus on Jul 1, 2009 17:01:48 GMT -5
11 November 2191
Gerald's Funeral consisted of a traditional funeral ritual followed by releasing him out the airlock as quickly as we could because his remains are a potential biohazard to the ship's crew. His body will fly throughout the solar system until it hits something or is consumed by the sun five billion years from now when it swells into a type of star called a 'red giant' whose radius will reach out to Mars.
From what I heard, things have gotten really bad on Earth. Starvation and disease have become rampant and civil unrest has become very common in cities, and there has been mention of martial law and shooting, but we only know this because Uncle Robert has been eavesdrops on whatever government and military communications he can pick up. This is exactly what the government wants, Uncle Robert tells me, because it gives them the excuse to establish iron-fist rule under the moniker of 'peace.'
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Post by Attero Dominatus on Jul 2, 2009 15:49:22 GMT -5
27 November 2191
Happy birthday to me! Well, it was not much of a celebration,, but we celebrated it as best we could. Neda drew a picture of a large black cat wearing a steel helmet with Viking horns for me, and told me a very strange and funny little backstory about him. 'Zot' was a guardian who fired bolts of lightning at those who would do evil.
Unfortunately, the celebration was marred by a sudden failure of the ion drive. Apparently, one of the carbon electrodes that ionized the propellant was destroyed by spall from a micrometeorite impact, and a eight hour space walk was required to repair the damage. They used the opportunity to train all of us who never did space walks how to do EVA in case we would all be needed, and I will say that it is scary to say the least!
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Post by Floyd Looney on Jul 4, 2009 4:02:33 GMT -5
28 November 2191
The problem with the Ion drive means we didn't keep braking for half a day and this means we could actually miss the window at the destination. This means they have to readjust our course and plot the way to get back to our rock, I mean our new home. It could add days to the trip, but hopefully not too many.
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Post by Attero Dominatus on Jul 21, 2009 17:51:44 GMT -5
2 January 2192
We have had to shed mass to make up for the loss of thrust in addition to altering the course. Everything non essential was cast off into space so we can brake a little harder. All but the most essential spare parts went, and so did the spare space suits, which weigh about two hundred pounds each, or one hundred kilos as most spacers would say. At least with an ion drive, you do not have to shed much because the thrust is so slow and the trajectory change needed at this point was very slight.
On the plus side, we passed by Mars today! We closed within one earth-moon distance of the red planet, whose gravity was used to assist in steering us onto the correct trajectory for our new home. It was truly a beautiful view.
That also means it takes twenty minutes for a signal to reach us from Earth, not that there is much I like to hear about now. Things are just getting worse and worse on Earth. Apparently, wealth redristribution is not enough for the government down there. Now they are implementing nazi-like population control policies that include forced abortions and sterilizations, and execution of the sick and old under the guise of 'euthanasia.'
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Post by Floyd Looney on Jul 21, 2009 18:46:28 GMT -5
Jan 5 2192
The target date is June 12. That is when we should have arrived at our new home, a home in the rock. Apparently they need to bury a new type of explosive deeply into the thing. When it blows up it should become a very large bubble. The molten inside will harden as it cools and will be thick enough to keep us safe from radiation and anything small that hits it.
I have also learned through my uncle that awaiting us are the first two unmanned launches carrying everything from soil to food for us while we are growing our own. I help out with that onboard the PIKE'S PEAK but we can't grow nearly enough to feed us in the small hydroponics lab. We will have all the room we need in the bubble once its been made.
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Post by Floyd Looney on Aug 17, 2009 21:46:47 GMT -5
Jan 28 I tried to see the asteroid by telescope but it looked just like a bright dot, sort of like seeing Mars from Earth orbit. I couldn't make out anything at all much less details. My Uncle assured me that it was big and that it would be perfect for our new home.
Its just a matter of months now. The anticipation is driving everyone a bit nuts if you ask me.
[[did we ever name her little brother?]]
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