11/1/#1
@Fuzzy Thunderbear ...enjoying the story ...
This is a very nice pic by the way...It looks like it should be a Christmas card ...but it needs Lannie in it
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I think she is the one who took the pic so it would be hard for her to be in it too.
-- story time continued - Part 4
The bridge crew did little the next three days but lay around in the tall grass soaking up sunshine while Flannery and his crew worked on the ship. On the morning of the fourth day, Flannery showed up under the apple tree where the Captain sat with Lt. James, intending to report his progress.
"Holy Mother, this is a large tree!" exclaimed Flannery.
Lt. James looked up and said, "You should see the rest of the forest. Easily twice the height of the trees back home. Must have something to do with this low gravity. "
"Oh." Flannery turned his attention to O'Reiley. "Anyway, we've done the best we can, Captain. I suppose it's now or never."
O'Reiley looked up as though he couldn’t care less. "Sean, my friend, have ya never seen such a beautiful place as this? I do wish we didn't have to go. Ah, but bein' the good captain that I am, I suppose it's onward and upward."
Flannery looked quizzically at the Captain, then at James. "What's come over him? He's never been this friendly and peaceable before in his life!"
James, who usually has his nose up against a computer screen, also displayed a look of indifference, but as usual, responded quickly. "Trace elements! Must be. Still, I can't figure it exactly, but there's certainly something here that's put the giggles into everyone. I believe the good Captain has overdosed on fresh air. Even Ol' Callahan pulled off her tunic yesterday and bounced merrily across the meadow, chasing poor Doc. From the look on his face when they returned, I'd hazard a guess that she caught him too."
Flannery scratched his head and thought about the lucky doctor. "I guess I haven't noticed. Me an' the troops have been wearing breathers due to the chemicals we've been molding. We've been on ship's air. Shall we go crank it up?"
They all wandered into the ship and O'Reiley giggled, then pressed his nose up against the intercom. "Ever-body to yer stations! Get yerselves ready fer liftoff! Callahan, you little sweetie, do whatever it is yer supposed to be doin' at a time like this. James, lad, punch a button or two and let's see if this thing goes anywhere."
The ship began to rise slowly. They were just clear of the tree tops, hovering, when a shudder ran through the entire ship, followed by a tremendous explosion that blew the entire lower quarter of the ship into thousands of little pieces, peppering the hill with organic shrapnel. The rest of the ship fell like a rock and buried itself in the hillside so that only the nose-cap and a few feet of fuselage stood above ground.
When the ship had settled, everyone picked themselves up from various piles of junk and crawled around, still giggling like children. Flannery crawled through the hatch and peered up at the Captain, who was sitting in a corner laughing. "You guys are all drunk! You've gone and blown my engines to space dust! What fool idiot punched in hyperdrive while we was hovering?"
"Stow it, ya ole poop!" Callahan peeked over a smoking console.
Flannery fished out his pipe and sat down on a fallen I-beam. "Looks like you've gotten your wish, Captain. We aren't going anywhere now. Not ever. This is home-sweet-home from now on. If you lot sober up, you can help me bury the engine crew - what's left of 'em."
As Flannery disappeared back down the corridor, O'Reiley sheepishly gazed at the remaining bridge crew. "Not such a terrible problem, really. I mean, there's worse places to spend the remaining days of yer life." He stared at the now blank view screens a minute, then asked, "Doc, suppose we ought to thaw the cargo and introduce them to their new home?"
--- to be continued ---
Honest, that's not a gawf course, but my front yard back in Redmond, Orygun.
I had to go knock on the door and ask permission......aw hell no! Word spread across the playground that someone had to go to the house. Kids were all lined up at the back gate, friends were saying their goodbyes, not expecting me to return.......
..just kidding,,,... Just think back to 11/1 2011 ...the numerologists must have had a field day with it.
