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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Science Fiction
- Subject: Ideas / Discovery / Opinions
- Published: 02/11/2013
The Dark Orbits
Born 1998, M, from Golden/Colorado, United StatesThe P.L.A.N.E.T station is the only location in this galaxy that references every intelligent being that resides in it to their perfect planet. P.L.A.N.E.T is an abbreviation for Perfect Living At Nebular Essentials for Terrestrials. We never need to capitalize and include At in our organization, but if we didn’t, the abbreviation would have been P.L.N.E.T station which is much less catchy than P.L.A.N.E.T station. What we do is help beings that come from this galaxy: Haploria, that want to move elsewhere do so.
Like hundreds of others, I work the reception desks. This is where the clients come to receive information about the planet that best suits them. They can also get shuttle tickets and reservations for that planet. We send these clients everywhere that exists in the universe and we have never gotten a recommendation wrong.
There are 4 other humans working here besides me in all of the hundreds of workers. So, in turn, we are a fairly close group. The species with the most workers here are the Gimphians. The Gimphians are the dominant native species from Haploria.
“Regina! Come over here, there’s a male Goldenite here and the system isn’t picking up a suitable planet for him.” This was my friend Bryant who was a Gimphian. He had four arms and cocoa skin like most Gimphians but looked almost like a chimpanzee from Earth-where I came from- besides that. I walked over to see what was going on.
It is very rare that our database glitches out. In the last 12 years, there have only been 7 incidents but every time it ended up fixing itself and working normally. I was one of the workers who got called when the machine wasn’t working properly. Some of us have enormous memory capacity and can basically download all of the places in existence a client could go to.
“Hello sir, there seems to be a small imperfection with Bryant’s computer here, so I will manually find the planet that is perfect for you.” I said with my best smile and helpful voice.
I can’t really explain how I find the planets that clients would be right for but generally, I look at them for a moment and then one just pops up in my mind. This time however, something completely unexpected happened. I came right out and blurted the name of a planet that doesn’t exist. Was it possible to have both the machines and me malfunction? No, it was straight out impossible. Just to check, I glanced over at Bryant’s screen. It said the exact same thing: Recommended planet is Osler.
There is an old space tale that dates back to way before humans even discovered electricity. The story told about one single solar system in the universe. It was supposed to be the only one of it’s kind. Of course all solar systems are unique and separate from one another, but this one told of four planets that orbited a black sun. Many people mistook this for a black hole, but it was in fact a star that had become black over the millennia that it lived. The four planets orbiting this black star were Legron, Mijda, Niand, and Osler. This was called the Dark Orbits
This story may have been true or not, but if it was, a huge super-nova would have blown it away. A star going black is possible only when it’s life span ends and it burns out but doesn’t collapse in on itself. The later result then is that the star begins circulating energy and eventually explodes in a fashion unlike even the largest star’s super nova. This takes very little time after it goes black to happen, so obviously, the solar system would have been annihilated by now even had the tale been true which now I was suspicious of.
“Bryant, I think we need to speak with Mr. Wendal. Make sure to bring this Mr. Goldenite here with us.” I shakily stated.
Mr. Wendal was the corporate manager of this P.L.A.N.E.T location. He was the Gimphian in charge and the one to consult about these types of “non-existent” ominous events. There was a huge elevator that went up to his office in the station.
A daring thought occurred to me. There was a shuttle set to leave from the docks and pass right by the coordinates of where the Dark Orbits were fabled to be located. As I pondered, it became more and more clear that both Bryant’s computer and I both could never miscalculate. One maybe, but both? Even for the most skeptic being in existence this evidence was inexcusable. The elevator was coming loser as I continued thinking. I would grab Mr. Goldenite, push Bryant into the closing elevator, and run to the docks. From there, I could jump on the ship set to pass the dark orbits with my workers ID and go off with the ship. When the time came, I would comondeer a small ship with Mr. Goldenite and go to investigate.
The elevator worked its way down to our level and opened up. There were other workers inside! In this turn of events, I just turned tail and ran with Mr. Goldenite off to the docks leaving a stunned and speechless Bryant behind. He bolted into the elevator and pushed top floor. Bryant was going to inform Mr. Wendal and send out an emergency call to catch me! This only gave incentive to run faster. I was quite fit but Mr. Goldenite was dragging behind and slowing us both down.
The docks were just ahead and in visibility. Right then, the dreaded alarm screamed from every speaker in the station.
“Lockdown the docks! Do not let any workers get into the area! The ships will still leave accordingly for client convenience, but the main doors will be shut down!”
We were past the main doors already! Because of Mr. Wendal’s priority for the clients, we had been safely able to board the ship.
Mr. Goldenite was just staring at me. All six of his sulfur yellow eyes looked at me in utter confusion. It was easy to tell that Mr. Goldenite wasn’t shaken easily, but was instead somewhat intrigued.
“What is your name sir?” I asked recovering from that sprint from the elevator.
“My name is long and confusing so just call me sir for now. If and when the time comes, I may tell you my real name. So, then, why did you just do that? Is it some kind of corrupted sense of client priority? I know you recommended a planet that doesn’t exist. Is it that?”
I did not expect so many questions. At least, I didn’t expect them in the form of curiosity.
“Sorry, I’m Regina… What? Oh sorry, sorry. See, I couldn’t be wrong, I mean alongside the computer. I just, no. I have no idea why I just kidnapped you and came here.”
The ship’s engines revved into action below us. I realized that I had no idea what the name of the ship was. Out the window, the name was visible: The Osiris Voyager. Then, we were off, set on course to pass our destination.
Sir had been very cooperative. He had scheduled a small passenger spacecraft for us on the day we were to pass the now provoking coordinates. Sir was interested in this little expedition I had dragged him into despite me dragging him into it. I thought this a little suspicious, but who’s complaining? There’s nothing weird about kidnapping a Goldenite and then having him cooperate to the fullest, even be interested. Right, nothing suspicious at all. Maybe I’ll keep my eyes on him.
The way these ships usually work is they send you into suspended animation for the trip and you set when you’d like to wake up. That time was coming near as we departed Haploria entirely. Closely watching Sir climb into his capsule and set the date for when we would need to wake up, I cautiously climbed in my own. Only when Sir had been completely frozen had I done the same. We would be like this for close to 15 years.
Waking up felt weird. I have only ever experienced suspended animation once when I came to the P.L.A.N.E.T station. I vaguely remembered having zero muscle strength in my legs and being very hungry. Other than those two, it was fuzzy. Some protestors say that suspended animation messes with brain cells. It’s completely true.
I wobbled out of my cell that had locked me in for so long only to greet freedom by falling face first on it. I had no memory of feeling so miserable and offset after the first time, so why now? My balance was shredded; my eyes couldn’t see straight, my entire perception of reality was muddled.
There was no time for dallying. Sir was stumbling out of his cell as well with the same result of face planting on the metal floor. I could speak in an unknown gabble, so I gasped “railing” as I looked for support. There was in fact a railing, but I had no idea how close it was. I perceived it as being a few feet away, yet it was just inches. Clocking myself square in the forehead seemed to help rid me of some confusion. I could stand now, but reality was still tunnel vision. Sir and I stumbled miraculously all the way to the hanger where the chartered spacecraft lie in wait. Nobody was there to check us off, so we simply staggered on board and twisted the key.
I was the one with the best balance now, so I took the controls and started it up. Well, there was probably a right way to fly one of these, but I didn’t know it. The ship scraped through the opening and into space where the fabled planet Osler lay waiting.
There was never doubt that Osler was real. If it was just gas, then the entire trip would be for naught.
Space tales are everywhere. One person claims to have seen a man survive a super nova, and there one flies into action. This one, however, was very interesting in that it gave the coordinates of the Dark Orbits. Whoever began telling the tale likely included those to give substance to their claim. Skeptics are everywhere trying to stomp down tales such as this. This one for some reason avoided that for so long without much question. Everyone decided it was false, but nobody really challenged it.
I realized Sir was being very quiet. He was working with the navigation systems inputting the coordinates. Strangely enough, they accepted them and set a beeline for them. Sir stood up and walked over.
“We have close to five minutes before reaching the location of the dark orbits.” He stated blatantly. I could hear a fragment of excitement, however.
When somebody says the lights are getting brighter, nobody else listens. Say they’re getting darker, and everyone looks up to see. That is exactly what happened here. The multitude of stars before us withered drastically. This is usually the sign of a super nova that cleared an area so large, no stars could have survived in the area. Originally, this is what I had concluded, but I started realizing that the darker areas were almost funneling down one path. Around this “path” were some stars: enough to make your eyes catch the funnel, but they were scarce, like humans in the P.L.A.N.E.T station.
“There’s nothing here.” Sir noted, disappointed.
We had reached the coordinates. There was nothing here, but that is what gave me hope. I took manual control of the ship and pointed it nose forward into the funnel. Only when I did this was Sir able to notice the specific lack of stars in the direction I flew the ship.
I have no idea on what to expect from this funnel. It continued on as we went, giving a sense of confinement. We were confined. There was no way to get back to the Osiris Voyager from where we were. Like boaters after a horrific storm, we were stranded, hoping this path would lead to substance.
There is no way to describe the emptiness in space. It is a vacuum that takes all life and emotions. A monotonous continuation that was once smaller than even an atom expands leaving stars and formations. There are, however, specifically less populated areas of space. One of these is what we traversed across, staggering blindly into oblivion. Oblivion with tell-tale substance.
In this situation that might go on for as little as an hour, or as long as a year, I worried. Sir was uncommonly still. He had no doubts that the dark orbits existed. This aura he gave off just supported my doubt. It also encouraged my hope.
Hours passed before stars began appearing again. With this, the systems on our little ship began beeping. There was an unknown source ahead! Maybe this was the Dark Orbits finally revealing themselves to something again!
Then, dread hit me. The source became identified as a black hole directly ahead. However, the black hole wasn’t pulling us towards it. Instead, we began drifting towards an even larger mass. There was no indication as to what it was, but it had saved us with it’s massive gravity…Gravity that somehow exceeded that of a black hole. The small spacecraft screamed in angry objection, but I pulled it around to the source of gravity.
The reason I know I’m crazy is that there was a planet in front of us. It was completely darkened, but infrared sensors in the ship pointed it out. Now, here comes the weirdest part. I automatically identified it as Niand: the outermost planet in the Dark Orbits.
No matter how great the curiosity of what may lie beyond Niand, we were set to crash with it. As the realization hit me that on Niand, we may not have any hope of survival, I tried desperately to redirect the ship. My efforts were in vain.
I decided to send out one last transmission to whomever may find that we had found the Dark Orbits and were going to die with our discovery. Finishing it quickly, I sent it out. The chances of it reaching something were infinitesimal, but it was better to leave something behind.
First, the ship broke open. Then we were sucked into oblivion on Niand. Then, I closed my eyes and closed off my senses desperately hoping somebody might receive the transmission I sent out. They would come not to save us, but to gratify us and ensure that my discovery with Sir was not without any purpose whatsoever.
I felt nothing when I landed on the rough surface we had descended onto from so far above. These were The Dark Orbits.
The Dark Orbits(JCG Clark)
The P.L.A.N.E.T station is the only location in this galaxy that references every intelligent being that resides in it to their perfect planet. P.L.A.N.E.T is an abbreviation for Perfect Living At Nebular Essentials for Terrestrials. We never need to capitalize and include At in our organization, but if we didn’t, the abbreviation would have been P.L.N.E.T station which is much less catchy than P.L.A.N.E.T station. What we do is help beings that come from this galaxy: Haploria, that want to move elsewhere do so.
Like hundreds of others, I work the reception desks. This is where the clients come to receive information about the planet that best suits them. They can also get shuttle tickets and reservations for that planet. We send these clients everywhere that exists in the universe and we have never gotten a recommendation wrong.
There are 4 other humans working here besides me in all of the hundreds of workers. So, in turn, we are a fairly close group. The species with the most workers here are the Gimphians. The Gimphians are the dominant native species from Haploria.
“Regina! Come over here, there’s a male Goldenite here and the system isn’t picking up a suitable planet for him.” This was my friend Bryant who was a Gimphian. He had four arms and cocoa skin like most Gimphians but looked almost like a chimpanzee from Earth-where I came from- besides that. I walked over to see what was going on.
It is very rare that our database glitches out. In the last 12 years, there have only been 7 incidents but every time it ended up fixing itself and working normally. I was one of the workers who got called when the machine wasn’t working properly. Some of us have enormous memory capacity and can basically download all of the places in existence a client could go to.
“Hello sir, there seems to be a small imperfection with Bryant’s computer here, so I will manually find the planet that is perfect for you.” I said with my best smile and helpful voice.
I can’t really explain how I find the planets that clients would be right for but generally, I look at them for a moment and then one just pops up in my mind. This time however, something completely unexpected happened. I came right out and blurted the name of a planet that doesn’t exist. Was it possible to have both the machines and me malfunction? No, it was straight out impossible. Just to check, I glanced over at Bryant’s screen. It said the exact same thing: Recommended planet is Osler.
There is an old space tale that dates back to way before humans even discovered electricity. The story told about one single solar system in the universe. It was supposed to be the only one of it’s kind. Of course all solar systems are unique and separate from one another, but this one told of four planets that orbited a black sun. Many people mistook this for a black hole, but it was in fact a star that had become black over the millennia that it lived. The four planets orbiting this black star were Legron, Mijda, Niand, and Osler. This was called the Dark Orbits
This story may have been true or not, but if it was, a huge super-nova would have blown it away. A star going black is possible only when it’s life span ends and it burns out but doesn’t collapse in on itself. The later result then is that the star begins circulating energy and eventually explodes in a fashion unlike even the largest star’s super nova. This takes very little time after it goes black to happen, so obviously, the solar system would have been annihilated by now even had the tale been true which now I was suspicious of.
“Bryant, I think we need to speak with Mr. Wendal. Make sure to bring this Mr. Goldenite here with us.” I shakily stated.
Mr. Wendal was the corporate manager of this P.L.A.N.E.T location. He was the Gimphian in charge and the one to consult about these types of “non-existent” ominous events. There was a huge elevator that went up to his office in the station.
A daring thought occurred to me. There was a shuttle set to leave from the docks and pass right by the coordinates of where the Dark Orbits were fabled to be located. As I pondered, it became more and more clear that both Bryant’s computer and I both could never miscalculate. One maybe, but both? Even for the most skeptic being in existence this evidence was inexcusable. The elevator was coming loser as I continued thinking. I would grab Mr. Goldenite, push Bryant into the closing elevator, and run to the docks. From there, I could jump on the ship set to pass the dark orbits with my workers ID and go off with the ship. When the time came, I would comondeer a small ship with Mr. Goldenite and go to investigate.
The elevator worked its way down to our level and opened up. There were other workers inside! In this turn of events, I just turned tail and ran with Mr. Goldenite off to the docks leaving a stunned and speechless Bryant behind. He bolted into the elevator and pushed top floor. Bryant was going to inform Mr. Wendal and send out an emergency call to catch me! This only gave incentive to run faster. I was quite fit but Mr. Goldenite was dragging behind and slowing us both down.
The docks were just ahead and in visibility. Right then, the dreaded alarm screamed from every speaker in the station.
“Lockdown the docks! Do not let any workers get into the area! The ships will still leave accordingly for client convenience, but the main doors will be shut down!”
We were past the main doors already! Because of Mr. Wendal’s priority for the clients, we had been safely able to board the ship.
Mr. Goldenite was just staring at me. All six of his sulfur yellow eyes looked at me in utter confusion. It was easy to tell that Mr. Goldenite wasn’t shaken easily, but was instead somewhat intrigued.
“What is your name sir?” I asked recovering from that sprint from the elevator.
“My name is long and confusing so just call me sir for now. If and when the time comes, I may tell you my real name. So, then, why did you just do that? Is it some kind of corrupted sense of client priority? I know you recommended a planet that doesn’t exist. Is it that?”
I did not expect so many questions. At least, I didn’t expect them in the form of curiosity.
“Sorry, I’m Regina… What? Oh sorry, sorry. See, I couldn’t be wrong, I mean alongside the computer. I just, no. I have no idea why I just kidnapped you and came here.”
The ship’s engines revved into action below us. I realized that I had no idea what the name of the ship was. Out the window, the name was visible: The Osiris Voyager. Then, we were off, set on course to pass our destination.
Sir had been very cooperative. He had scheduled a small passenger spacecraft for us on the day we were to pass the now provoking coordinates. Sir was interested in this little expedition I had dragged him into despite me dragging him into it. I thought this a little suspicious, but who’s complaining? There’s nothing weird about kidnapping a Goldenite and then having him cooperate to the fullest, even be interested. Right, nothing suspicious at all. Maybe I’ll keep my eyes on him.
The way these ships usually work is they send you into suspended animation for the trip and you set when you’d like to wake up. That time was coming near as we departed Haploria entirely. Closely watching Sir climb into his capsule and set the date for when we would need to wake up, I cautiously climbed in my own. Only when Sir had been completely frozen had I done the same. We would be like this for close to 15 years.
Waking up felt weird. I have only ever experienced suspended animation once when I came to the P.L.A.N.E.T station. I vaguely remembered having zero muscle strength in my legs and being very hungry. Other than those two, it was fuzzy. Some protestors say that suspended animation messes with brain cells. It’s completely true.
I wobbled out of my cell that had locked me in for so long only to greet freedom by falling face first on it. I had no memory of feeling so miserable and offset after the first time, so why now? My balance was shredded; my eyes couldn’t see straight, my entire perception of reality was muddled.
There was no time for dallying. Sir was stumbling out of his cell as well with the same result of face planting on the metal floor. I could speak in an unknown gabble, so I gasped “railing” as I looked for support. There was in fact a railing, but I had no idea how close it was. I perceived it as being a few feet away, yet it was just inches. Clocking myself square in the forehead seemed to help rid me of some confusion. I could stand now, but reality was still tunnel vision. Sir and I stumbled miraculously all the way to the hanger where the chartered spacecraft lie in wait. Nobody was there to check us off, so we simply staggered on board and twisted the key.
I was the one with the best balance now, so I took the controls and started it up. Well, there was probably a right way to fly one of these, but I didn’t know it. The ship scraped through the opening and into space where the fabled planet Osler lay waiting.
There was never doubt that Osler was real. If it was just gas, then the entire trip would be for naught.
Space tales are everywhere. One person claims to have seen a man survive a super nova, and there one flies into action. This one, however, was very interesting in that it gave the coordinates of the Dark Orbits. Whoever began telling the tale likely included those to give substance to their claim. Skeptics are everywhere trying to stomp down tales such as this. This one for some reason avoided that for so long without much question. Everyone decided it was false, but nobody really challenged it.
I realized Sir was being very quiet. He was working with the navigation systems inputting the coordinates. Strangely enough, they accepted them and set a beeline for them. Sir stood up and walked over.
“We have close to five minutes before reaching the location of the dark orbits.” He stated blatantly. I could hear a fragment of excitement, however.
When somebody says the lights are getting brighter, nobody else listens. Say they’re getting darker, and everyone looks up to see. That is exactly what happened here. The multitude of stars before us withered drastically. This is usually the sign of a super nova that cleared an area so large, no stars could have survived in the area. Originally, this is what I had concluded, but I started realizing that the darker areas were almost funneling down one path. Around this “path” were some stars: enough to make your eyes catch the funnel, but they were scarce, like humans in the P.L.A.N.E.T station.
“There’s nothing here.” Sir noted, disappointed.
We had reached the coordinates. There was nothing here, but that is what gave me hope. I took manual control of the ship and pointed it nose forward into the funnel. Only when I did this was Sir able to notice the specific lack of stars in the direction I flew the ship.
I have no idea on what to expect from this funnel. It continued on as we went, giving a sense of confinement. We were confined. There was no way to get back to the Osiris Voyager from where we were. Like boaters after a horrific storm, we were stranded, hoping this path would lead to substance.
There is no way to describe the emptiness in space. It is a vacuum that takes all life and emotions. A monotonous continuation that was once smaller than even an atom expands leaving stars and formations. There are, however, specifically less populated areas of space. One of these is what we traversed across, staggering blindly into oblivion. Oblivion with tell-tale substance.
In this situation that might go on for as little as an hour, or as long as a year, I worried. Sir was uncommonly still. He had no doubts that the dark orbits existed. This aura he gave off just supported my doubt. It also encouraged my hope.
Hours passed before stars began appearing again. With this, the systems on our little ship began beeping. There was an unknown source ahead! Maybe this was the Dark Orbits finally revealing themselves to something again!
Then, dread hit me. The source became identified as a black hole directly ahead. However, the black hole wasn’t pulling us towards it. Instead, we began drifting towards an even larger mass. There was no indication as to what it was, but it had saved us with it’s massive gravity…Gravity that somehow exceeded that of a black hole. The small spacecraft screamed in angry objection, but I pulled it around to the source of gravity.
The reason I know I’m crazy is that there was a planet in front of us. It was completely darkened, but infrared sensors in the ship pointed it out. Now, here comes the weirdest part. I automatically identified it as Niand: the outermost planet in the Dark Orbits.
No matter how great the curiosity of what may lie beyond Niand, we were set to crash with it. As the realization hit me that on Niand, we may not have any hope of survival, I tried desperately to redirect the ship. My efforts were in vain.
I decided to send out one last transmission to whomever may find that we had found the Dark Orbits and were going to die with our discovery. Finishing it quickly, I sent it out. The chances of it reaching something were infinitesimal, but it was better to leave something behind.
First, the ship broke open. Then we were sucked into oblivion on Niand. Then, I closed my eyes and closed off my senses desperately hoping somebody might receive the transmission I sent out. They would come not to save us, but to gratify us and ensure that my discovery with Sir was not without any purpose whatsoever.
I felt nothing when I landed on the rough surface we had descended onto from so far above. These were The Dark Orbits.
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Kevin Hughes
07/25/2019Well done JCG,
What a fun read. Lots of imagination and a few large bends in known physics too. LOL
Smiles, Kevin
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