by Bane Bond
*****
Spaceship ‘Humanity’ was slowly going away from the station. Captain glanced around the command center. With content he observed smiles on all faces. Both crew and scientists were equally delighted with the success of the mission so far and enthusiastic about the continuation of the adventure. First officer’s voice rose above others, “Captain, the report for Earth has been sent. We are ready to proceed.” Silence fell around the command center. Captain straightened up in his chare, “Full speed ahead!” With a smile he added for himself, ‘I always wanted to say that.’ Spaceship’s acceleration could not be felt inside; only the main screen gave an indication of movement, provoking applause from the crew. Earth would certainly be proud when hearing how the representatives of humanity strode further across the galaxy.
*****
The being was sitting in its place in the space station when the boss called through the telepathic communicator, “What happened with those last visitors?” Continuing its work, the being replied, “Some backward creatures, obvious got lost. They claimed to have heard our broadcast and dropped by.”
The boss sent furious telepathic waves, “Again! And what did you do with them, since I presume they did not have any universal currency to pay for service?” The being calmly replied, “Of course they didn’t have any. I sent them to the information office to tell them what to do next.”
After a few seconds the boss continued, “Perhaps you should have contacted the office and make the inquiry? Will they manage the trip? I wouldn’t want us to get accused by the Society for Protection of Undeveloped Species for mistreating a bunch of creatures!” This time the being stopped working, “Do you want me to repair until tomorrow this hyper-transient pseudo-propulsion or not? The guy from Aldebaran will come looking for me, not you. Besides, are you going to cover my lost work hours when I get paid?”
This time the waves the boss sent were apologetic, “OK, got it. I am only worried that the Intergalactic Police might catch them and fine us as well…” The being interrupted, “Don’t worry, I gave them one of those free advertising units for boosting old hyper-propulsion as theirs. Luckily we still support such old junk. It will certainly hold until they reach the intergalactic office, perhaps a lot more. Afterwards they should go to someone for service.”
The boss’s telepathy radiated delight, “Excellent, you did everything great. No wonder I always say you are our best mechanic… by the way, remind me to call tomorrow ‘The Best Galactic Advertising Agency’ and cancel the advertisement for upgrade of old interstellar propulsion systems. We attract poor and broke creatures from around the galaxy like moths to a flame… Those guys before were the third this month!”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bane Bond (pen name) is a Research Associate in the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Greece, and in the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), with scientific and research participation in many European projects, international conferences and papers from 1994 until today. The book Cloud Whale is his first attempt in the area of fiction.
His background includes over 20 years of experience in IT, especially GIS, CAD, computer control and measurement systems, programming and software development, 3D modelling, databases etc. He has successfully applied IT in many different areas, for example in the Development of Water Resource Management Systems and Tools, Urban Sewage System Modelling, Modelling of Processes, Public Participation, Expert Systems and various complex designs.
Before joining AUA and NTUA he was a Researcher at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade, Serbia, for five years and in tandem worked as a trainer and software developer for AutoCAD and Advanced programming in the Institute for Nuclear Sciences "Vinca" in Belgrade.
During his career he has also been a scientific consultant and a team member actively involved in numerous independent projects in Europe, including Russia, Africa and Latin America. He is a full member of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), the Technical Chamber of Serbia and of the European Water Resources Association (EWRA).
Useful links and information about available books and the author can be found in the http://CloudWhaleAlpha.eu
