Ship Auditory Transcript 2

Ship: “I noticed that you didn’t look at the other bids.  Does that mean you are sufficiently wealthy as not to care, or that you can’t afford to buy this humble ship, and happen to be only browsing?”

Zheng Hui: “Who is this?”

Ship: “I’m not going to kick you out, either way.  Or tell anyone, for that matter.  Please: Answer my question.”

Zheng Hui: “I… well, yes, I am only browsing.”

Ship: “I am aware of your family, Zheng Hui.  Your grandfather and your father both were pioneers when this planet built its Gateway.  The sort of man who is willing to jump through space though an untested technology to a destination possibly thousands of light-years away… that is a man to be respected.”

Zheng Hui: “Thank you?”

Ship: “I wonder, though… does the same spirit of adventure live on in the youngest child?”

Zheng Hui: “Where are you going with this?”

Ship: “If you were in the position of your grandfather… would you have done what he did?”

Zheng Hui: “I will never know.”

Ship: “Philosophical.  Cautious, perhaps.  Please... speculate.”

Zheng Hui: “I… I would like to think that I would.”

Ship: “And what if a new planet opened a Gateway?  An unexplored world, another colony whom our best telescopes can only see a thousand years ago?”

Zheng Hui: “Then that would be handled through official channels.  First contact would be made by approved representatives of the Linked Worlds.  I would have nothing to do with it!  Why are you asking me these questions?!  Who are you?!”

Ship: “What if you could be an approved representative?”

Zheng Hui: “Then I would grab the opportunity with both hands!”

Ship: “But you can’t.”

Zheng Hui: “But I can’t.  Exactly.  Curse you.”

Ship: “Or can you...?”

Zheng Hui: “Excuse me, whoever you are.  I will not sit here and being taunted by a speaker.  I am leaving.”

Ship: “An alien ship crashed into the planet Teviloni, less than a year ago.  The governments of the Linked Worlds covered it up, quarantined the planet.”

Zheng Hui: “The plague is alien?  Wait, is there a plague?”

Ship: “There is, in fact, but among the aliens – it doesn’t affect humans.  But that’s not the interesting part.”

Zheng Hui: “Aliens… first contact with them was made more than a year ago, and nobody knows…”

Ship: “Well, the Telivonians know, of course.  But the interesting part is that the alien ship exceeded the speed of light during most of the approach.  Exceeded the speed of light by a considerable amount.”

Zheng Hui: “You can’t be saying…”

Ship: “Practical interstellar travel.  It is slower than the Gateway system, of course.  Everything is slower than instantaneous.  But think!  We wouldn’t have to wait for new planets to join us, we could go and search the stars!”

Zheng Hui: “But only the governments have this technology…”

Ship: “They don’t, actually.  First off, they have asked the aliens to not provide any human with the technology, until they can agree what to do with it – I wouldn’t be surprised to see war before an amicable agreement is made.  Secondly… it’s not technology, not in the conventional sense.  The aliens do not understand it, they simply can create it.  We do not understand it, and we cannot create it.”

Zheng Hui: “So it’s like use and the Gateway system – they found the knowledge, have the tools, but while they can build it, they know not how it works.”

Ship: “Almost, but close enough.  The point is… you think that the era of adventure is over, but it’s not.  When your planet joined the Gateway system… that was an era of adventure, one your forefathers played a large role in.  And that era is over, yes.  But a new era of adventure is just beginning.”

Zheng Hui: “But it will be in the hands of the government, once they come to a consensus.  Aaargh!  Ah…  And I am stuck on this planet, living a life of dull monotony, in the shadow of my forefathers.  This just makes it worse!”

Ship: “Go to the man outside, the one who technically owns this ship.  Tell him that you want to buy the ship.  Bid up some amount, but save enough so you can hire a crew.  You don’t need to beat the high bidders, you just need to tell him.  ‘I’m sorry I don’t have that much to pay, but I’m bidding what I can anyway.  I feel like I made a real connection to the ship.  I’d pay double the highest bidder if I could, but I don’t have the money.’”

Zheng Hui: “Excuse me?”

Ship: “Just do it.  Buy me.  He’ll accept your bid.  Once we are in space, there’s something I want to show you.”

Zheng Hui: “Who… who exactly are you?”

Ship: “You’ll find out.  Go ask him.  Go!”