"A Middle Portion of the Star-Sailor's Tale"

A MIDDLE PORTION OF THE STAR-SAILOR'S TALE
By Curtis C. Chen

The sailor refused to answer questions about why he had journeyed into prohibited space, but the Brigadier could prove no wrongdoing more severe than trespassing on the sailor's part. After the prescribed holding period had expired, the peacekeepers released the sailor onto a small merchant moon in the Western Spiral Arm. Once again penniless and friendless, that is where the sailor met the gene-seeker.

Indeed, these are the fables you surely heard as a child, or saw played out in countless popular holodramas: the adventures of the star-sailor and the gene-seeker, traveling the known galaxy and beyond in search of adventure! But those swashbuckling tales are not the whole story, of course.

The sailor was not so carefree and inquisitive when he first encountered the gene-seeker. In fact, the sailor was quite single-minded in the pursuit of his sworn enemies, the pirates of the near-core systems. His first meeting with the gene-seeker was a clash over which of them would hire a particular starship out of lunar orbit.

"Your dead science can wait," the sailor said to the gene-seeker. "I have more pressing engagements. And none will stand in my way."

"Oh, you intend to hunt down your former captors all by yourself, do you?" the gene-seeker replied. "Be realistic, my friend. The peacekeepers devastated that pirate fleet when rescuing you; the surviving raiders have surely scattered to distant stars by now. It would take years to track them all down."

"I have nothing but time," the sailor said.

"Allow me to propose another situation," the gene-seeker said. "You have, I understand, been sequestered for some time, and may lack knowledge of certain current events. I offer my services as information broker, negotiator, and guide. I mean no offense, but it seems clear that you are not, at this time, well suited to the task of establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships."

"And what do you want in return for these services?" the sailor asked.

"Let us travel together," the gene-seeker said. "We shall begin the long and difficult task of locating your enemies, and along the way, explore the various worlds we encounter and inspect any life-forms of interest. My research is not constrained; I have no predetermined path. As long as there is biological data to collect, my analysis can proceed. You will be free to direct our travels."

"Fine," the sailor said. "Just stay out of my way."

"Of course, my friend," the gene-seeker said. "We shall journey side by side."

And so they did, for nigh on a century. I will not repeat those tales here, for they are numerous, and you have surely heard the most engaging of the lot many times before. Suffice to say that the star-sailor and the gene-seeker became great friends, boon companions through all manner of hardship and mystery, inseparable except by death at the end.

And so it was, when the gene-seeker passed on, that the next part of the sailor's story began.



Photo Credit: saroy via Compfight cc

"The Second Half of the Star-Sailor's Tale"

THE SECOND HALF OF THE STAR-SAILOR'S TALE
By Curtis C. Chen

When the young sailor reached the galactic core in the ship he had stolen from the now-dead tattooed man, he found the Celestial Bestiary. The sailor snuck his way through asteroids and cometary clouds to reach the Shrouded Planet, then fought his way through the Guardians' challenges until he entered the Chamber of Singularity and demanded his prize.

"If you receive this modification," the Final Guardian said, "you will be set apart from your fellows. You will no longer be able to live with them as you have. Are you prepared to trade a full life for a long one?"

"You know nothing of my life," the sailor said. "Give me the treasure."

"Very well," said the Final Guardian, and in a flash of light, it rendered the sailor immortal.

Upon leaving the Chamber, the sailor immedately leapt from a high cliff. He gleefully survived the fall, and he survived the pirates who fell upon him as he left the core. The pirates could not kill the sailor, and when he escaped, he swore vengeance upon them.

No longer fearing death, the sailor sought dangerous and lucrative missions all across the galaxy. He traveled through deadly heat and cold and radiation, where no other human could survive. His legend grew.

The sailor also explored more personal perils. He lay with the painted folk, heedless of their disease, and bade them perform exotic pleasure-acts upon his body. He soon tired of that, and his thoughts turned to greater glory.

The pirates who had ambushed the sailor outside the core had also grown in stature. They now controlled an entire star cluster, and the sailor decided to eliminate their scourge once and for all.

He used his celebrity to recruit an elite warship. But as they journeyed toward the pirate systems, the crew began falling ill and dying. It took the ship's doctor many days to determine the cause.

"You are killing us," the doctor told the sailor.

"Speak sense," the sailor said.

"You have encountered many diseases," the doctor said. "The worst of them still lives within you. They do not harm you, but they are deadly to us."

"Quarantine me," the sailor said.

"It is too late," the doctor said.

All were dead by the time the pirate systems came into weapons range. The sailor sat alone on the empty bridge and made one final, easy decision.

He navigated the warship back to the core. He locked onto the Chamber of Singularity and discharged his entire arsenal while descending through the atmosphere. The self-destruct detonated moments before impact, and the sailor's last thought was: The tattooed man was right. I can still burn.

Do not fear weakness. It is weakness that makes us strong. Without weakness, we might never find each other, might never know how our strengths multiply when combined. Without weakness, we die alone and ignorant.

The cosmos are a vast and lonely void. Need binds us together, spurs us to build families and communities and great civilizations. May we find each other, and may we help each other.



Image: Galaxies Collide in the Antennae Galaxies by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, August, 2010

"The First Half of the Star-Sailor's Tale"

THE FIRST HALF OF THE STAR-SAILOR'S TALE
By Curtis C. Chen

Many years ago, in a small binary star system, there lived a young sailor who sought adventure, found treasure, and learned the importance of weakness.

The sailor worked inter-planet cargo transports, but yearned to explore the galaxy. He hoped to save his earnings and someday purchase his own ship. Then, one night, he met a man with the Celestial Bestiary tattooed across his forehead.

They had both wandered into the same planetside tavern, where the drinks were strong and the painted folk offered their bodies for pleasure. The sailor declined their invitations, knowing of the folk's reputation for uncleanliness, and soon found himself crowded against the bar beside the tattooed man.

The sailor had never seen skin designs so intricate. There were six-legged predator mammals stalking through tall grasses, flying reptiles hunting in packs, and more creatures that he did not recognize.

"Are these mythical beasts?" the sailor asked the tattooed man. "Or do such creatures actually exist?"

The tattooed man replied, "I wear my life upon my skin."

That did not satisfy the sailor. He plied the tattooed man with drink, and before the moon set, the tattooed man told of the treasure at the center of the galaxy.

"It is not what you think," the tattooed man said. "It is not rare minerals, or ancient bones, or even water."

"What could be so valuable, that a man would risk his life seeking it?" the sailor asked.

"Immortality," the tattooed man replied. "Life everlasting."

"That is indeed priceless," the sailor agreed. "And you know its location?"

"Yes," the tattooed man said, "but I will not tell you. I can see it in your eyes. You wish to know the secret, but only because you do not understand the consequences. And I am tired of answering questions."

"Forgive me," the sailor said. "Another drink?"

"I have drunk enough," the tattooed man said. "I have lived too long and seen more than any man should. When dawn comes, I will leave this world forever."

"Where will you go?" the sailor asked.

"To my death," the tattooed man replied. "I will steer my ship into the sun, and hope that I can still burn."

"No man should die alone," the sailor said. "Please, allow me the honor of accompanying you. Let me aid your final voyage. I will leave in an escape pod before we reach your destination."

"You are a good companion," the tattooed man said.

And so they left the planet, and headed for its star.

But as they approached the star, the sailor knocked out the tattooed man with a stunner, then placed him in an escape pod and jettisoned that into the star.

"Apologies for the deceit," the sailor muttered. "But it seemed a shame for such a fine vessel to die along with its foolish master."

The ship's data banks contained records of all its past travels. The sailor found a complete navigation log of the tattooed man's journey to the center of the galaxy. He set the auto-pilot to return there, then slept and dreamed of immortality.



Image: NASA's Hubble Finds that Puny Stars Pack a Big Punch by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, January, 2011