It’s flash fiction Friday again(ish)! (Timezones are hard for Australians) I’ve been thinking a lot about space since hanging out with @snobbysnekboi at the NASA museum exhibit so let’s try a space story! This is part one of a bigger story that should hopefully be uploaded later tonight. I’ll link it when it’s done (it’s supposed to get horror-y so, don’t read the second part if you’re not into that)
As always, a big thanks to @cawolters for organising Flash Fiction Friday and to @pen-for-sword for hosting this week!
Prompt: Living Sacrifice
Words: 770
Part two: Here
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The Blue Danube Waltz crackled over the stereo as Toby ambled into the eating quarters. There was no need for the grain to the audio – technology had come much further than that – but the constructed imperfections made it all the more human. A little less empty. His appearance was met with playful groans from fellow station members. They never appreciated his situational jokes. Not even giving them time to wear out their novelty when they’d first left the Earth’s orbit. Or, at least, that’s what they claimed. Toby saw the hidden smiles when they rolled their eyes at his Alien movie poster, quoting the famous line ‘In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream’. One piece of his vast collection. Thousands of kilometres from Earth and full access to media, who wouldn’t take the opportunity to make as many references as possible? Jules gave him a Look which he deflected with a lazy shrug, a grin, and a ‘mornin’’. They should have scheduled their own music before him if they wanted to listen to something else. Making use of the time his spaghettios took rehydrating, Toby arched his back, listening for the satisfying Pop! of his spine. Holly joined him, rifling through the various packets for the ever-precious coffee powder.
“We’re nearly out.” She murmured, carefully spooning the coffee into her cup, mindful to keep enough for a better-than-terrible cup tomorrow as well. “Remind me to ask Hasley to print more later. That machine hates me, I swear…”
Toby hummed in acknowledgement. “Where is Hasley anyway? Isn’t her sleep cycle pretty much the same as ours?”
“It was, but she’s working with Miguel on something now. I think they’re on Russian time until it’s done.” Holly looked to Jules for confirmation.
“Yeah. They’re working with scientists from the Magadan time zone. For the most part, we’re not going to be spending many hours with them for a while.”
“Hmmm. I guess it’s a good thing to get a lil… space from each other every once in a while.” Toby laughed at his own joke. Shameless. In one fell swoop, he was alone with just the hisses and hums of the station to keep him company. A ding and breakfast was ready.
The food was okay. It was always okay. All of it was half-decent at best. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great either. It was lacking, a microwave meal after home cooking. Toby was probably the only one who didn’t really mind. He’d liked tinned foods and packet meals since as long as he could remember. Miguel struggled through the first few months. Good food was good life. It was a part of his culture and his being. Now, they were all used to the mild disappointment at each first bite. It was just a sacrifice that had to be made. A counterbalance both for furthering the reaches of knowledge and to experience the majesty of a place that makes playthings of the universal laws the Earth holds so dear.
Space travel, he had learned, came from sacrifice. It was the scaffolding of the achievement. From the animals that tested equipment where rescue was never part of the plan, to the lives of men forfeit to miscalculations, to the long stretches of isolation that a screen alone could never really quell. He was incredibly lucky to be able to make video calls, talking to his earth-bound friends and family in real time, he knew that well. But, as comforting as their voices may be, pixels could never replace the warm comfort of soft skin. Birthdays and anniversaries celebrated for an hour before the call timed out. Before work had to be continued. Before life got in the way. This was the longest mission yet. The furthest distance travelled. The truth they tried to hide in the back of their minds was that, even if they return home one day, their loved ones would not all be there to greet them. Sometimes, after a long chat with her parents, Holly would tuck herself away and cry. Their youth faded a little more each time she spoke to them.
Toby mulled over his unusually heavy thoughts as he ate, staring out of the clear, thick panel window. He made constellations of the connect the dot stars. Creating stories they might have been given if they had danced across inhabited lands. It was different, but it was exciting. Everything around him, it was all untouched, unseen, unexplored. Flashes of pinks and greens swirled into nebulas in the distance. The road to space was paved with sacrifice but, honestly, he couldn’t deny the pay-off.
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Stay tuned for part two!
@cawolters, @pen-for-sword, @inkovert, @snobbysnekboi, @kainablue, and @i-rove-rock-n-roll
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