Junkman is Awake by D.A.Sanford - HTML preview

First voyage and watching imps in zero gravity

This is the time that Vannessa has waited for these many years tied to that lonely dock. She could only anticipate while she was being refitted. Now the mooring lines have been released. Her biggest thrill is that she is at the controls.

It has never been strange to her all the time since activated. Running everything through electronic commands, she just never thought about it but this time she can actually see it as the people see it.

Sure, she got camera input, she still does. She heard the verbal commands, she still does but to see it the way Jacob is seeing it is the biggest thrill she has had. Almost a good sensory overload but when he grabbed her hand and told her that she was doing fine, she almost shut off the human program.

We started slowly. The dock area had a low speed zone around it. I understand but since Jacob lovingly described his pickup, I really wanted to do a burn out but a limit is a limit. He has told me that once we got out of the planet system, he needed to see what it took to get us from stand still to warp. This is going to be fun.

I have not flexed my old new bones in a very long time. The thrill of just being able to move is indescribable. I have gone from depression, wanting to be torn apart to the acceleration of just moving under my own power. Indescribable.

The ones they are calling gods of all have told me the coordinates of his old world. Jacob still cares for it and wants to clean up the space around it so they can go back to a normal life. They explain that he was killed by space debris in that old life.

Maybe, I’ll try to surprise him. I’m going to scan for that pickup. They gave me the location on that world.

First my shake down. I have waited long enough. We are sitting together in the control room. We have told our guests to sit but we were told that the imps cannot be injured. This would be a good experience for them.

We are clear of the system. I truly am in the open void, I’m free. I turn to Jacob and tell him.

“Thank you. You have opened my cage, groomed my feathers and threw me up into the air. Now watch me fly.”

We were at warp speed in seconds. I could see, with my cameras, the imps laughing while plastered against the bulkheads. The only thing is, some are plastered against the wrong wall.

Twisting and turning. Going through the systems. Almost like it was planned, a sensor alert sounds. There is a derelict craft. You can tell that it has traveled a very long time but it is relatively intact.

With my arm, I was able to grab it and bring it into the sorting area. After the sensors determine that it is safe, we go and look at it. The imps have taken a disc from the outside of the craft and are throwing it. There were a bunch that turned into dogs and were playing fetch with it until it broke.

“This has traveled a long time.” Jacob tells us. “The old wired circuits. This was sent out from what may have been an isolated part of the galaxy. They sent it out to say, here we are.”

“Really a naïve belief because there are some bad people out here.” Richard tells us.

“I feel that this needs to be on display as a reminder of what we do. Salvage the lost and making the best use of it. Vannessa, would you please have this taken to my work shop. Our first project needs to be stabilizing it as is. Restoring it to new would be a dishonor.”

I gather the broken disk and now everything is moving to my workshop.

The shake down is finished other than the one thing the boss wants to see how his fellows do. He can travel without a ship. It is in his power and he wants to do that instead of using a door. His fellows use that door but he wants to see how they react to being in space. First step is to see how they react to being weightless. I want to warn them but the boss wants to see just what they come up with to solve the problem.

Jacob shrugs his shoulders and asks me to shut off the gravity in that room.

Now we have a room full of imps trying to propel themselves with no results. Some look like they are trying to swim. Others are walking but I could tell that a few have joined hands and are changing shape. They are throwing out lines to the others. Once they all are joined, they form what can only be described as an octopus.

A whole bunch of eyes in a big ball of teeth. There looks to be at least twelve tentacles. Each have eyes and suction cups. A few are used to hold it down while the others are propelling it along. They open the door and immediately start breaking down back to their individual bodies.

They look mad but the boss is applauding them. He has Vannessa turn the gravity back on.

“My fellows, I needed to see if you would find a way to get around in zero gravity. You adapted and found a way around. Now I will tell you why I needed to find out how you would react.”

His appearance changes. He now has a undulating cape and a glow around him. He disappears and we see him outside just floating. Then he is back inside. The imps are amazed.

“Like in the game and in actual tasks, you will be tethered to me. This cape and that glow will envelope all of us. We all will be able to breathe in space. I want a couple to go with me to the outside. You saw my cape you will copy it.”

A mated pair comes forward, he tells them that the tether is done. They form the capes and the three are outside.

First the two are fumbling but they calm down. It’s a male thing. One imp goes to the outside of the window and grabs his junk and jerks them at the insiders. Then, to the applause of his fellows, he mates with his mate. The boss lets them just to show the others that it is that safe.”

Vannessa has seen others mate in her old cruses but now she is wondering if this solid body can do it. It would depend on Jacob’s feelings.