Lonely Sun

[Riobe]

c'est le titre de l'histoire. :LeLudwig:
On m'avais demander de montrer l'histoire dont vouz ?te le h?ro que je suis en train d'?crire. La voici! :yo:

Bon attention c'est en Anglais et ce n'est que le d?but. Je vais aller jusqu'au premier choix et vous me direz si ?a vou int?resse ou pas. Si c'est le cas, j'enverrais la suite au fur et ? mesure. :LeMarkSunstorm:


The brave knight took a step forward, knelt before the old king and received a prize for his courage :
This sword of magical craft is now thine said the old man. May it help thee in thy quest to find the lair of the dragon beyond the woods of the elves. Now join us, we are honoured by thy presence at this banquet. Tough Gabriel had not had such a supper in months, he could not help but think about his next move. The wood had dark and gloomy tales about it, many people had never returned from it and many legends and rumours spoke of ghosts or fairies. He himself had seen strange glimmers in the mist as he gazed towards the deep forest from the watch tower of the eastern road.
Everything was disturbing there. The trees, for a start, were ...

What ? Dark, moss-covered ? No, that is not creepy enough. And… what if there were a lion in the forest ? There is always a lion in chivalry stories ! But how could an animal from the desert live in this damp and chilly forest ? Maybe there was a circus at the castle and the lion escaped when the truck had an accident on the road. No, there were no trucks at this time. Let's drop the lion. In this wood there are wolves. Or better yet, giant snakes ! No, that is stupid. Hmm, let me think...

I tried to relax and to empty my mind of wild pictures of strange men fighting snakes in a forest. I opened my eyes and let the place where I was sink into my mind. Great trees were gently swaying in the evening breeze. They exchanged secrets as old as the world itself, their voices a quiet whisper to those who did not understand them. Colourful birds flew from one branch to another, adding their chirping to the voice of the forest. I breathed in the smell of moist earth and for a spell the soul of the forest spoke to me. The feeling was lost when the creak of a mechanical joint broke the natural pattern of forest sounds. I sighed and looked up at the tall robot which had just appeared.

My apologies for disturbing you, sir. I will have this joint oiled at my next check-up said the Ent, its artificial voice blending perfectly with the bird chatter.
Don't worry. I was leaving anyway. Keep on taking good care of those trees !
Always, sir.
I walked to the nearest path which brought me to the eaves of the forest. I did not want to be late for my fencing class in twenty minutes and still had a long way to go.
I entered a decontamination chamber and patiently stood under the soft purple beams, mentally preparing myself to face what was on the other side of the door.

It hissed open just as the beam stopped. I stepped from the decontamination chamber and joined the flow of people walking down Lantarlie avenue. Most of these people were off-duty and wore casual clothes. Small groups of chattering friends were joking and arguing under the benevolent eye of the Red Shirt currently in charge of security. The steps of hundreds of feet made almost no noise on the soft green plastic tiles of the floor. Silver patterns decorated the translucent walls and informed the passer-by that he was walking down Lantarlie avenue, C5247/674/072. The avenue encircled Lantarlie Forest and many access hatches led trough the transparent hull to the forest paths. Across the avenue were living quarters, much sought after for their enjoyable location.

I was just thinking about making a request for quarters there myself when the three beeps preceding an announcement rang out. As one, all the passers-by stopped and quieted down.
"Attention everybody. This is strategus Elgond speaking. As some of you may have noticed from the navigational computers, the Lonely Sun's course will bring her close to an inhabitable planet. A ship will be launched towards it in approximately three days. We have agreed to send a dozen observers with the usual away teams. The people who would like to go down to the planet must report within three hours to the nearest Exploration Office. Thank you for your attention. May your feet bear you along colourful paths. Elgond out."

As soon as the transmission cut-off sound was heard, everyone resumed their previous activity, and the usual soft rumble of conversation increased to an uproar. Elgond's suggestion was being passionately discussed and a group of young people was already queuing outside the swift-lift that would bring them to the Exploration Office, some 80 km from here.

I stood in the middle of Lantarlie avenue, quite unsure of what to do. I needed inspiration for my books, my solitary meditation in the forest having proven that my poor personal experience was very insufficient for the writing of interesting or consistent stories. But was I ready to leave my friends, my quarters, my very life to face terrifying dangers on an unknown planet?

YES go to 67.
No go to 42.

La mise en page laisse ? d?sirer mais c'est parceque lors de couper coller elle a ?t? d?truite et que je n'ai pas la patience de la refaire

[Darth Nico]

But was I ready to leave my friends, my quarters, my very life to face terrifying dangers on an unknown planet?  
YES go to 67.  
NO go to 42.

? 67
Yeah, of course I was ready. You'd better say that I was growing impatient of kickin' their big bad asses to all these damn monsters !
All what I need in life is a brand old dungeon, wid some good fellow that need to have their heads cut, and a good ol' whiskey, before I go and see da boss of da dungeon and teach him a new definition of pain !




?42
No, I ain't ready for all these fuckin adventures ! These suck man ! These definitely suck ! All I need is a good beer, my television, and a full Macdonalds menu, wid da terrible quarter pound -or as french people say : "Le Big-Mac !"



Voil?, hop, c'?tait une intervention de MJ express : bah, de toute fa?on, ? la fin, tu proposes deux pi?ces pour sortir du donjon : dans l'une, tu gagnes, tu empoches le tr?sor, dans l'autre, tu t'empales contre des stalactites enduits de curare. Simple, non ?




Bon, blagues (nulles) dans le coin, je vais imprimer ton texte pour le lire : en tout cas, dors et d?j?, chapeau pour la performance ! Un livre dont vous ?tes le h?ros en anglais :shock: spadelarigolade !


EDIT
Je viens de lire ton texte. Je r?p?te ce que j'ai mis : !!
C'est dr?le et c'est bien ?crit, et un piquant parfum de naheulbeuckisme r?hausse l'ambiance.
A quand la suite ?
Vite, je vote ? 67 des deux mains !

[Riobe]

Voila la suite. Comme le seul num?ro demand? a ?t? le 67, le voici. :!: :!: Attention c'est tr?s long :!: :!:

67.
For a moment I pictured myself walking back to my dull little life and turning my back on such a fascinating trip. I deliberately shut off the little voice in my head that said ?you might get injured? What if you run short of water or food? It is so much safer aboard the Lonely Sun??

I willed myself forward and joined a group of excited youngsters already planning the journey. The swift-lift opened its doors and we stepped inside. A young woman raised her voice:
?The nearest Explorations Office, please.? The swift-lift beeped its acknowledgement and sprang into motion. The young people chatted the five-minute lift away and tried to frighten each other with horror stories about what could happen to a small group of people far away from their ship. My resolve did not falter and I followed the directions of the swift-lift with a firm step. The lift stop was not very far from the Exploration Office and we joined a group of about forty people waiting outside.

The line moved forward with remarkable efficiency as each person was admitted inside the Office. I began to get anxious as I neared the door and twisted my light grey tunic between my fingers.

The door finally opened for me and I entered the room. Many desks had been lined up against a wall and two or three people were walking along them, answering questions at each desk. The clerk behind the first desk motioned for me to come closer. How old was I? Twenty-seven, I answered.

I was allowed to move to the next desk.

I had to answer several general questions about my profession and my athletic capabilities. Each answer I gave seemed satisfactory and I swiftly proceeded to the end of the line. After a few moments I was admitted in a smaller room.

?Please sit down,? called a middle-aged woman from behind her desk. ?Marona hopes our meeting will bring light.?
?Lian will make sure it does,? I replied, answering her formal introduction.
?I would like to know a little bit more about your motives. Why do you want to go down to this planet??

I could tell at once this was where most of the candidates were eliminated.
?Well, I?m a writer. And I realised earlier that I needed more personal experience to add a realistic touch to my stories. Sometimes I get carried out by my imagination and the result is pitiful. Or I find myself stuck because I just don?t know what happens next. A little adventure could do me good.?

?Hmm? I see? would you be willing to write an unofficial expedition log? Of course the members of the exploration team will keep logs but their reports are quite boring. A story by an outsider might prove interesting.?
?Of course! If that is all it takes to get down there, I will gladly do it! In fact a wanted to take notes for my personal use, I will just have to edit them before publishing.?
?All right then. We will keep in touch.?
?May your feet bear you along colourful paths, Marona.?
?And the stars shine in your eyes, Lian.?

Once outside the Office, I walked by the line of people waiting to get in, who gave me the curious looks of people wondering what the officers had asked me. The swift-lift brought me near my quarters and the walk in the familiar corridors helped settle my nerves. The doors to the common area of my quarters block opened.

?May the morning light shine upon your soul, Lian!? my neighbour Deena blurted out as soon as my foot touched the carpet.
?And your heart open to receive its blessing,? I replied automatically.
?So, did you? Did you??
?Did I what? ?
?Did you apply for the expedition??
?As a matter of fact I did.?
?I knew it! So, how did it go? Do you think you?ll be picked??
?I don?t know, Deena. They asked a lot of questions, then they said they would let me know.?
?I?m sure you will go. Oh boy! Try and bring back something for me, okay??
Deena?s enthusiasm made me smile.
?I?ll try, I promise.?

I entered my room and sat at the desk. I pulled the interface hood over my head. For a very short instant I felt a little disoriented, but the computer quickly adjusted to my brainwaves and a second reality added to the room. I focused my mind on it, trying to forget what was around me, and the hood directly sent information and images to my mind. That was a very simple task for me because every child living here was trained to use this device at the same time they learned to read. It took me but a few seconds to find the data available on the mission.

The planet was called Andromeda delta D317TR17. It was a rocky planet with a breathable atmosphere, though oxygen levels were a bit low. There were very large oceans, much larger than any water expanse I had ever seen. The temperature was quite hot, around 40?C on average, so the mission was to land not far from the pole, if the readings taken from orbit were satisfying. The presence of oxygen on such a planet tended to indicate complex chemical reactions and possibly life forms. Yet, no technology had been detected and no great forest had been observed. So the mission had to find out where oxygen came from. The astronomical characteristics of the planet were a lone star system, which is quite rare, a quite elliptic orbit with a 281.2 days period and a slightly pitched rotation axis that created a 20.3 hours daytime.

The expedition ship was the Solar Wind, a new exploration vessel that could reach 0.2, twice as fast as our current speed. In addition, the ship could spread a great sail to benefit from the solar wind near the stars. It was a one-year trip. It would take 4 months to get there, 4 months to study the planet and 4 months to get back to Lonely Sun.
I pulled my mind out of those images, back to reality, and took off the hood. Yet, the images of this strange new world were still in my mind. I could not help thinking of this adventure. It was so exciting! I just could not imagine not being chosen as an observer!

It was too late for me to attend my fencing class so I took a good old book of Kientol to pass the time. Not everyone enjoyed reading books because hoods provide more realistic sensations. Yet, since our biological and chemical technologies allowed us to produce large quantities of paper, everyone could have several books. As an intellectual and a writer, I owned around five hundred books, which was well beyond the average quantity among my people. I thought reading was a very good intellectual training, and a good way not to take the bad habit of letting the computer think in my place. Around 25 o?clock I felt hungry and joined my neighbours in the common area where people usually cooked, ate, played and chatted.

There were four rooms and one common room in each level 2 quarters block. My neighbours were my friend Deena, Starshido, a grumpy old man that came and told us to make less noise every time I had a party with my friends, and Mr and Mrs Sayan, an old couple whose children had moved to an other sector of the ship. Yet, Deena was not there, she was probably sleeping because our cycles were not synchronized. On the opposite side of the circular room Mr Sayan was playing spherical chess with Starshido, and was winning as he often did.

On this side of the circular room, against the wall, was the counter with the sonic dishwasher, the food distributor, the oven and the cooking books and tools. On the counter I found a piece of cake and a note that said ?For Lian. I spared a piece of your favourite cake. Our hero will need all his strength to explore new worlds. Deena.?
I took some bread and some vegetables, and knelt at the oval table in the middle of the room. The cake was really delicious and I enjoyed it, watching the complex moves of the holo-pieces of the game. Mr Sayan had a real advantage but still the game was not over. Should I go and talk to them or should I wait until the game was finished?

To talk to them now go to 21.
To wait until they have finished go to 25.

Gosh! :shock: this damned program destroyed all my 'mise en page' again. J'ai rajout? plein de saut de ligne qui n'y sont pas normalement pour que ce soit moins dense
Si vous ?tes arriv? jusqu'ici en ayant tout compris alors vous ?tes bon en Anglais . Bon, la suite est d?j? disponible, l'attente sera donc moins longue cette fois. :roll:

[Darth Nico]

Tu peux nous donner le paragraphe 42 si tu veux, mais ? mon avis, il est moins int?ressant.

Tu as pr?vu combien de ? en tout ?

[Riobe]

tu as pr?vu combien de paragraphes

j'en sais rien. Au d?but 67 ?a me paraissait bcp :shock: , mais maintenant que j'ai commenc? je crois que je vais bien le d?passer.

Tu peux nous donner le paragraphe 42 si tu veux, mais ? mon avis, il est moins int?ressant.

Que Nenni monsieur, le 42 fait embrayer sur une enqu?te et des manipulations sur avec entre autre des services secrets 8) , les dirigeant du vaisseau :roll: , des conspirateurs :x , une nouvelle technologie de piratage informatique :P , un enl?vement et bien sur un t?moin g?nant : le h?ros

N?anmoins tu as choisi le 67 et il te faudras donc aller jusqu'au bout de cette voie avant d'en recommencer une autre

[Darth Nico]

Que Nenni monsieur, le 42 fait embrayer sur une enqu?te et des manipulations [etc.]"

Ah bon excuse-moi :oops:
Je vois que tu as pr?vu 2 aventures tr?s diff?rentes au sein du m?me livre.
Je suis bien eu.
Mais tu as raison : j'irai au bout de l'aventure sur la plan?te, maintenant que je suis engag? sur cette voie !!! 8)

J'ai d'ailleurs lu le paragraphe 67, et maintenant,
je choisis le paragraphe...

[roulement de tambour]

21 ! (go and talk to them now)
TA-DAM !

As an intellectual and a writer, I owned around five hundred books, which was well beyond the average quantity among my people. I thought reading was a very good intellectual training, and a good way not to take the bad habit of letting the computer think in my place.

Ah merde, moi c'est diff?rent : je ne lis que les 5 m?mes livres de Husserl depuis des mois (avec de timides excursions vers d'autres auteurs sans rapport avec ma ma?trise) et j'ai cess? de penser par moi-m?me depuis que des centaines de smileys pullulent dans ma vie.
Je perds le langage, et je ne sais plus dire que et !!





[b]Ow y? !

[Riobe]

Faut quand m?me dire qu'avec une journ?e de 30h et une esp?rance de vie de 150 ans ils ont un peu plus de temps que nous pour lire et faire du sport : bananeviolet: (? moins qu'il ne pr?f?rent faire de plus longues parties de jdr et passer plus de temps ? jouer en r?seau, holo r?seau bien sur, ou ? discuter de leurs parties )

Au fait, Anlor ?crit l'histoire qui part de 42 et moi celle de 67, donc c'est bien ma partie que tu lis . (enfin c'est elle qui corrige car tout le monde n'a pas la chance d'?tre n? en Angleterre tout de m?me )

Bon, tout cela mis ? part voici la suite : le no 21
(l? il va falloir que je me grouille d'?crire la suite car tu lis plus vite que je n'?cris )

Well, as a matter of fact Mr Sayan really was wining the game, so I would not disturb them much by going to the sofa behind the table and chatting with them. As I sat, Starshido gave up and congratulated his opponent on his excellent tactics. It seemed to me that my moving next to them gave him a good reason to give up and avoid a complete failure. He was in a better mood than usual.

?May the galaxy be your guide,? he said. ?May space be your garden,? I answered. While the spherical chess board silently withdrew into the small table, Mr Sayan looked up upon me and asked:
?So, you have applied to join the expedition, haven?t you? I have spoken with Deena after you came back.?
?Well, I must confess that I made up my mind a little fast,? I answered, ?but I do think it is a good opportunity to learn things I cannot find in books, and experience real adventure instead of just imagine it.?
Mr Sayan smiled at me and addressed Starshido.
?As I told you just before, you sometime need to take risks and give up your advantage to win what you did not expect.?
?Actually, I cannot imagine what this expedition may bring to a paper-back writer like you, Mr Antekril,? said Strarshido, now staring at me, ?but I do think that experiencing the reality and the danger of the galaxy will bring you back from your dreams of prehistoric times. Who knows, maybe will you decide to have a real job when you return from this mission. Anyway, you are young and travelling can only do you good. If you don't do this kind of trip now, you never will.?
For just an instant I thought of giving him a blasting answer, but retaliation does not bring peace so I chose a gentle answer.
?I have heard that you have been an explorer yourself, Mr Strarshido.?
?That is true, I explored the Quenestrian Ring some twenty years ago, but I am getting too old for this so I am in charge of the food supply of the expedition.?
?It is quite unusual to send so many observers, isn?t it?? intervened Mr Sayan.
?Yes it is, Eo!? quickly answered Starshido. ?As always you see the flow in the crystal. I will explain the problem to you but you must swear not to repeat it to anyone!?
?I swear it on the ship!? said Mr Sayan.
?So do I,? I added.
Starshido then told us there was an old rivalry between Strategus Elgond of the middle sector and Strategus Isilshur of the ship front. Yet, both Elgond and Isilshur were working on this expedition project. The two supported a different list of expedition members. Elgond chose them for their psychological stability, and Isilshur chose them for their skills. The argument lasted for days when at last the seven other strategus decided to vote to put an end to this. Isilshur put forward that every crewmember he had chosen had passed the highest diploma of the spaceship academy and that they had undergone psychological tests there, whereas Elgond pointed out some violent and impulsive tendencies which had been detected in some members of Isilshur?s crew during their years of duty. Isilshur refused to admit this because he thought it would be a victory for Elgond, so he charged Elgond with insulting the academy. Eventually, Isilshur?s list was chosen, but the number of observers was raised to give Elgond some guarantee.

?I fear I will not be chosen,? I sadly said, ?I am not important enough compared to those high level people.?
Starshido looked deep into me and Mr Sayan stood lost in thought for one moment. It was him who eventually broke the silence:
?Don?t have such a bad opinion of yourself, Lian, you are a clever and cultured man, I have heard of your very good results at the virtual maze contest.? This was a tournament that took place once a year in the middle sector, the contestants wore hoods that sent contradictory information to the brain and created a kind of virtual maze of colours and sensations. The goal was to get out of the maze as quickly as possible. I finished third two months ago.

?This is only a stupid game, nothing in common with exploration!? burst out Starshido.
?Yet, it proves how stable Lian is. He must have an excellent self-control to acheive this,? replied Mr Sayan. He was right; sometimes Deena compared me to an android. I didn?t like when she spoke of me like that, our people had had so many issues with earlier thinking machines.

?Well, you are right, Mr Sayan, that?s an important quality for an explorer. I wish every crewmember were like this,? said Starshido.
?What do you mean?? I asked.
?Well, I don?t mean to speak ill of anyone,? answered Starshido, ?but the second pilot Saazen Enam is really the wrong man to go on such a trip. He is violent, ill tempered and overconfident. Not to speak of the second officer Jael Kishin, always ready to take advantage of any situation. I think the only things she can be interested in are her own profit and power. Those who graduate from the academy today are nothing but mindless conceited young idiots! Strategus Elgond was right, half the crew is not reliable. Were not captain Thyl and his first officer Mael Peak, I would think that Isilshur has chosen his 21 crewmembers at random!?
Then I remembered that Starshido had served many years under the command of Elgon, so he surely was not very impartial when he spoke of the crew.

?Calm yourself, Mr Starshido,? gently said Mr Sayan, ?after all space travels are good occasions to learn as you said.?
?You?re right Mr Sayan, everyone has his chance, even you, Mr Antekril,? said Starshido. ?After all, so few people are interested in leaving the ship today? That young generation is really not worth ours.?
?Let them prove their worth,? answered Mr Sayan. ?Well, I don?t mean to be rude but it?s quite late, gentlemen. Let your dreams be bright!?
?May yours become true? I answered.
Go to 65.

Pas de choix cette fois ci

[Darth Nico]

Avec une journ?e de 30h  et une esp?rance de vie de 150 ans  ils ont un peu plus de temps que nous pour lire  et faire du sport ...

De qui parles-tu ?
Des voyageurs du Lonely Sun ?
Des smileys qui pullulent sur le forum ? : bananeorange:
Des Nains Punks mont?s sur tatou multicolore ?

l? il va falloir que je me grouille d'?crire la suite car tu lis plus vite que je n'?cris

C'est normal remarque. Je suis impatient d'avoir la suite chaque fois, mais prends quand m?me ton temps. Ou alors fais d'une pierre deux coups : tu utilises ton rapport de stage sur le terrain pour d?crire la plan?te hostile et myst?rieuse sur laquelle notre h?ros va s'aventurer.

[Riobe]

Vous ne l'attendiez plus :LeLudwig: et pourtant il arrive enfin
le numero 65

Attention, c'est carr?ment long et j'ai peur que le style ait un peu perdu le niveau initial :ohoui: . Enfin on verra. Au fait si vous trouvez certaines choses obscures dite le moi :LeMarkSunstorm: !

65

The walls and ceiling automatically lit up as I closed the door between my room and the common area. My book was still on the grey table, next to the library under the bed on the opposite corner of the room. Kientol was really my favourite writer. How could a man have such imagination! I decided to have a good sonic shower, dress for the night and finish my book in bed. The green floor made almost no noise as I walked to the closet next to the bathroom. Casual clothes, sports wear and my writer uniform reminded me of what I may leave soon. I took a night suit and swiftly closed the door. It was no use thinking about that now; I?d better enjoy the night. Yet, standing in the light yellow sonic shower, trying to relax, I couldn?t help thinking about the chat I had just had. This mission really seemed to be - special. No, that was not the right word. There was something odd in all this. Well, maybe it was just my writer?s imagination that created this feeling. I finished cleaning myself and left the bathroom. The light adjusted as I climbed up to bed with my book, and eventually turned off five minutes after my getting asleep.

The ceiling light woke me up at 5 the next morning. I put my book on the shelf in the side of my bed, and climbed down to my desk between the bathroom and the library, eager to see if any message had arrived during my sleep. Among the mess of papers, pads and optical chips that covered it, I saw the blue glimmer that informed me a digital letter had arrived. I lifted a panel of the desk, went around it and sat in front of the desk. I closed the panel and moved all the stuff that covered the screen. It rose as I activated it and confirmed that the message came from the Explorations Office, whether it was good news or bad.

It was good news! I knew it! I had been chosen as an observer. Yet, it said I was to report to the Explorations Office in a little less than 1 hour. The letter had arrived at a quarter past 27, just after I got asleep. I dressed up in a hurry, got a quick breakfast and rushed into the nearest lift. I made it just in time. The man I was supposed to meet didn?t even look at me, he just told me with a cold voice that I had to pack up and inform my superiors I was leaving so they could find someone else to do my job. I was expected in Milrock?s star port at 22.
?What am I supposed to take with me?? I asked.
?I don?t know! Anyway, exploration is no galactic tourism and there is not much room in a ship! Don?t take your whole quarters with you, just take what is necessary.?
I stood looking at him from above without saying a word until he eventually stared at me and barked ?What are you waiting for??
?Well, I don?t know, something like ?congratulations? or ?may your feet bear you along colourful paths?. You remember, just a few polite words.?
?Congratulations! Now get out, I have work to do!?
This meeting left me in a very bad mood, so I decided to enjoy a good walk along the streets. How can people be so irritating, I wondered, still thinking of my last interview. This trip had not taken a good start. My path took me not far from my friend?s Senare quarters, so I decided to pay her an unplanned visit. What would she think of my going on an exploration tour? I entered the common area of her block but couldn?t go further. Her door was closed and she didn?t answer my calls. In addition, she lived in level three quarters so she had only one neighbour and he was absent so there was no way to know anything about her schedule. What was going on? She had not left her quarters for days and now she did not answer. Maybe she was asleep; maybe she eventually decided to go out for a walk; or maybe she didn?t want to see me but there was no reason. I suddenly thought there were some days when one should stay in bed. In the end, I decided to go to the Dokdoi pub where my friends often gathered. I wanted to give them some pieces of star before I left, which meant I wanted to say goodbye.

The pub was as quiet as usual and I immediately spotted my friends Telia and Jael. It was the end of the day for them since our cycles were very desynchronised. Yet, they seemed to be eager to talk to me.
?The morning light shine upon your soul Lian!?
??And your heart open to receive its blessing, Jael! How was your day?? I answered.
?Well, it was as boring as a whole day trying to debug a stupid program can be!?
Jael ordered three unsweetened balawe from the waiter.
?What about you, Lian?? asked Telia. ?Are you still working on the revolutionary plastics of the core during the 4th millennium??
?Actually, I was working on the rebellion of the plastic technicians of the aft sector in the year 4237.?
?And now you gave it up to have more time for your prehistoric fiction. You know that if it does not have the success you expect you could lose the advantages you earned with your Chronicles of Dellan moons, don?t you?? said Jael.
?I think you were right to give up such a theme and write your own stories,? quickly added Telia.
?Well, actually that?s not what I have decided.? I answered. I made them wait for a few seconds before I added ?I?m joining the expedition as an observer. I?m leaving tonight.?
It took them some time to recover from the blow.
?You? you don?t mean you are giving up everything and going away from us for one year, do you?? asked Telia.
?I do! I think this is the best way to know what the meaning of life really is. Anyway I have no inspiration for my fiction and my historical document seems really pointless to me.?
?We?ll miss you, Lian. I assume that, in the end, everyone has to follow his own path,? said Jael. He was quiet and serious yet each gesture he made reflected his sadness.
?Actually, I am glad I have found you here. I wouldn?t have left without giving you your pieces of star. I?ll really miss you two.?
We drank our warm balawe slowly and silently. There were no need to talk to explain what we were feeling, nothing to say now that everyone knew it could be our last meeting, and no place for words in those deep silent instants. Each look, each movement was a long sentence, a cry, a memory.
?Well, this is it!? eventually sighted Telia. We all stood up and I looked at them deeply.
?Let the evening glow light your way until our next meeting.?
?May the wait not last,? answered Jael.
I was so lost in thought that I lost myself on my way back to my quarters. So I used the self-control we all learned when we were children, to calm down, empty my mind, focus on reality and try to expand my consciousness to my whole spirit. Then, I brought logic into my thoughts and the solutions came to me easily. I had turned left on Semilian street instead of going straight on. Then I had passed two streets and turned right and ? yes now I remembered my whole path. I just had to get back to my room and pack up.
I took my old grey bag in the closet and began to choose which clothes to take with me. I had been given this room for one year but I would easily obtain to keep it a little longer so there would be no need to move all my stuff. I took my digital pad on the desk and two optical chips among the mess. I tried to tidy my room but there was not enough time left so I gave up at twelve. I used my computer to book a seat in the HST to Milrock that left at a quarter past fifteen. Then I had lunch with Deena who had come back from her job to give me her pieces of star and some cookies she had made for me. I wrote some letters for my neighbours and the friends I had not met this day. Then I finished packing up and closed my door. I went to the Lantarlie station to take the high speed tube.
By chance, Milrock was just nine hundred kilometres away, so it just took me two and a half hours to get there. I arrived by seventeen and had plenty of time to visit the city and the star port. I had never be in a port of this importance. The whole Lantarlie forest couldn?t have filled the gigantic shipyard. One could walk for hours without retracing one?s steps. This was one of the three shipyards capable of assembling interstellar range spaceships. Yet, no such ship was in construction, there were only small range ships and a few planet range ships. I wondered where the Solar Wind was. Hundreds of people could work there, but there were just a few bees at work. This place probably looked like a hive when all technicians were at work in their black and yellow suits. The large shining machine tools at rest made me think of a frozen jungle of wonder trees with jewels shining along their delicate veins. As the roof, some hundred of meters above, was closed, the soft light came from the big floodlight people called shining trees. I spent all afternoon strolling around and I forgot to eat, so I went to the exploration centre tired and hungry.
?Your evening be pleasant. May I help you?? gently asked the woman at the information office.
?I am Lian Antekril. I am here to join the expedition as an observer.?
?Oh! Mr Antekril! You are the last to arrive but you are not late yet. You are expected in the briefing room BR12. Take the lift to the second floor. The briefing room is the second door on your right. Your feet bear you along colourful path.?
?And the stars shine in your eyes.?
I entered the room with my travel clothes and my back pack.
There were around fifteen men and women in the room.
?Terniel hopes our meeting will bring light,? the exploration officer greeted me from the rostrum on the opposite side of the room.
?Lian make sure it does,? I answered, ashamed of my appearance.
?Please, Mr Antekril, put your bag down near the door and come have a seat. The briefing is about to begin.?
I shot a quick look at the other observers. There were six men and five women. Two men were wearing their official clothes. One of them was a tribun, the other one was a judge.
The crew would be split into three shifts working ten hours a day. Of course, for important manoeuvres, two or all three shifts would have to work together. Each observer had to learn a new speciality chosen by the captain in order to help the crew. Four of us would be assigned to each shift. The Solar Wind would accelerate for one month, keep her speed for one month and decelerate for two months in reference time, which is Lonely Sun?s time. But because of the relativity effects due to the high speed of each ship, our trip would last less than three months to us. We were to study the planet, its two satellites and its star for four months in reference time, a little bit less than five months to us. Eventually, we would come back to Lonely Sun four months in reference time from then with a different acceleration/deceleration cycle which would be calculated according to the position of Lonely Sun and her course by the computer of the Solar Wind. This ship was currently taking her last test not far from our ship with her new crew. They would be back tomorrow morning, and, if she passed the test, Solar Wind would have her tanks refuelled and would be ready to go in two days.
We received temporary quarters and had our basic space survival training completed with intensive lessons. I made friends with Cyrlaniel, a kind fair-haired brown-eyed girl with a bronzed skin and the typical accent of the far aft sector. She was a young sketcher. Yet she told me she already had an excellent style in her quick drawings. I also spent some time with Teebow Tery, a young ecology engineer who hoped his terra-forming skills would be useful to us. He seemed to be a really nice guy who was always smiling even when he had troubles doing the survival exercises.
We eventually met the crew. The captain was a tall, brown-haired, dark-eyed man. He probably was seventy-five years old so he was middle aged. He seemed strong and self-assured to me. On his right stood a calm brown-haired blue-eyed man, who probably was seventy. On his left was a charming mid-sized woman with dark eyes and dark hair. She was probably around fifty. All three were wearing deep purple suits. The captain addressed us.
?I am captain Thyl, in command of this expedition. This is my first officer Mael Peak,? he said, designating the man on his right, ?and this is my second officer Jael Kishin,? he said, designating the woman. ?Each of us will be in command of one shift. I expect you to obey quickly to any order of ours for the safety of the expedition. You have been selected for your skills, your health and your psychological stability, so I do hope our meeting will bring light. I am going to assign you to your shifts.?
A while later, we were three left with no assignment : Mr Utalubro, an old geologist, Cyrlaniel, and me.
?Mr Utalubro, I?d like you to join the second or the third shift, and you Miss Cyrlaniel you should join the first or the second shift, but I?m having trouble assigning Mr Antekril. You have an impressive range of skills for a writer. I have read you practise several sports, you won mental contests and that you?re interested in history. Yet we cannot teach you everything in so little time so I?d like you to choose a speciality among those : the advanced use of space armoured suits, the advanced use of computers or advanced mind and body co-ordination which is sometime very useful in exploration. So what do you prefer??
Space armoured suits go to 55
Computers go to 7
Mind and body co-ordination go to 33

He bien Nico, vers quelle voie vas tu t'orienter?

Allez, je planche d?j? sur la suite!

[Darth Nico]

Merci !



Je vais aller lire ce paragraphe et je te donnerai mon choix.

:LeLudwig: