[Estimated reading time: 18 minutes]

[This is a work in progress.]

LUVOIR-278c

The large planet is a mega-earth, a planet much larger than our own, with the potential surface area some 10,000 times greater than earth's.
Potential surface, though, because LUVOIR-278c is an ocean world, and her surface is hidden beneath miles of water and steam.
Who knows, maybe it's a big diamond at the core, or something.

The world is known as Laan, and its atmosphere is a very close approximation of hell.
It is a world that is being roasted alive by its A-type star, a blue-white ball of hydrogen determined to speed-run through its life and burn out in a mere billion years.
In star terms, Laan does not have long to live.

But it is home, and more, to humans who seek shelter in its vast oceans.

Continue reading →

[Estimated reading time: 13 minutes]

[This is a work in progress.
The title is a placeholder and only refers to the song I was listening to when posting this story.]

First time

My name is Barry, my wife is Cass, and this is the first time for both of us.
We're in the living room of our small house on the outskirts of Seattle.
Cass is sitting on the couch and I'm in the recliner, our usual spots for watching TV or reading, though today we're doing neither.

We both have bright-blue "swimming caps" on our heads.
Twin tangles of wires come out of each cap and snake over too-old carpet to a thick silver case that sits on the coffee table between us.

"We're ready on this side," a tech by the name of Alexis speaks into a phone as she watches over us and the case.
Alexis is standing on the opposite side of the coffee table, facing us, and the three of us form a rough equilateral triangle, with the suitcase smack in the middle.

I look over towards Cass and give her a smile.
I want to go over to her, hug her, hold her in my arms and whisper sweet nothings into her ear, but the tech said we shouldn't be touching at this point.
Something about messing up the connection.

The cap is starting to itch, but we're not supposed to mess with those either.

Continue reading →

[Estimated reading time: 36 minutes]

[This is a work in progress.]

New Digs

It's Monday and the first day working from a new building.
My team was moved over the weekend, our desks and computers transported by men with soft blue gloves and carpet-covered dollies, and placed onto different desks.

I of course forget about the move and initially come back to the old building, only to find strangers occupying "my" cubicle.
So after a brief bout of confusion I shuffle to our new digs and navigate the strange automated elevators that I'll be using from now on.

I circle the floor twice before I finally find my new spot in the far corner, cooped up behind three short cubicle walls and right next to a rather tall and imposing wall.
At this time, only Matt is in, so we say our hellos, make some comments about the new sitting arrangement, and then I start reconnecting all the hardware.

Then, when that's all done, I go on a bit of a sight-seeing tour.
The view from this floor is about the same as in the last building, the kitchen area has the same snacks and coffee, so after a while I come back to the cubicle farm and start work.

Continue reading →

[Estimated reading time: 5 minutes]

[This is a work in progress.]

The whale-song rings in the air, bounces off the bay-side cliffs, and echoes across the water.
The pod has been getting rowdier every day, and today, shortly after noon, they set out on their annual southern pilgrimage.

There is a small crowd gathered to see me off, all of us intimately aware of the whales setting off for ports unknown, and I am overcome with hugs and kisses from friends and family.
My sub is stuffed to the brims with their gifts and well-wishes, from bunches of apples to gallons of milk, a dozen sticks of butter.
And, somehow, an entire ramman, chopped and divvied up into manageable chunks that have been buried in the deepest crevices of the sub.
The whales' pilgrimage is my own, as well.
The first time following a pod, outside of a sim or a virtuality.
My heart is doing laps now.

Continue reading →