Christmas Comet: Space Static (Part 1)

Story time!!
I decided to give my wonderful coauthors a story for Christmas.
Don't worry, this won't be an epically long story. In fact, it's just a short story.
This story has a lot of random references to things my coauthors would get, but I think anyone would still be able to enjoy it. ...I would hope...if not, I've failed as an author. Keep in mind this is only the second draft.
Ah well.

Enjoy. ^_^


Christmas Comet: Space Static (Part 1)

December 23, 2118

Misteamy McBacon sighed in boredom. Sure, she expected to have a lot of free time aboard the space station, but this was ridiculous. Aside from the daily logs and occasional contact from Earth, she didn’t have any more work to keep up with. Missy, for so she was often called, had completed all her reports about a week ago and the boredom was getting to her. Normally there were at least three crew members aboard the space station, ICEE, at any given moment. Due to an emergency at home, George Happi went back to Earth with his brother, Lucas, aboard the last cargo ship two weeks ago.

In an effort to entertain herself, Missy picked up a pen and drew on the back of one of her field reports. What at first started as an absentminded doodle turned into a sword with extravagant detail. Missy put down the pen and sighed again. Flipping the paper over, she glanced over the report. Two names stood out amid all the data: Anastasia Darksaber and Sonus Blueray. They were the two currently on separate data-gathering missions on planet Academia’s moons. Missy looked up through the glass at the foreign planet.

“I hope those two are ok. It’s almost Christmas, but they’ve barely had any direct contact with Earth since summer solstice. I’m sure their families are worried. I wonder if I can get through to them, now that the weird storms have passed.”

Missy turned on the transmitter and said, “ICEE to Blueray, do you come in?” Only to be met with static, she tried again. “ICEE to Darksaber. Come in, Darksaber.” The next few moments of static were just as disappointing the second time around. “I guess they’re not there.”

Just as Missy was about to turn off the receiver, a faint voice came through the static.

“ICEE, Blueray. Do you read me?”

Recognition gracing her smile, Missy replied, “Darksaber, this is ICEE.”

“Any word from Blueray yet?”

“None.”

As soon as Missy spoke, a second voice breached the receiver. “ICEE, Darksaber, this is Blueray.”

Happy to hear from her friends again, Missy replied, “Blueray, Darksaber, this is ICEE. I read you both loud and clear. What took you two so long?”

“Blueray, this is Darksaber. How goes the mission?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call sector 17 a potential vacation spot. How about you?”

“Oh, you know, a few storms and gear malfunctions here and there. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Missy opened an unfinished report and started jotting notes down as she asked, “Darksaber, what’s your position?”

“3.333.”

“Blueray, what’s yours?”

“3.141 and closing.”

Missy stopped writing and turned her full attention to the receiver. “Wait, you’re not returning to the ship, are you?”

“Of course, I am,” Sonus replied. “Darksaber is coming too. Christmas is almost here! If you think we’re going to let you spend Christmas in deep space by yourself, you better think again. Isn’t that right, Annie?”

Darksaber’s voice chimed in. “That’s right. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

“Well, you almost did… before I reminded you what day it was.”

“At least I remembered your birthday.”

“Only because I put a sticky note in the cockpit before you took off.”

“Wow, seriously?” Missy asked, almost sure that cabin fever had gotten the better of her.

“Yes,” Sonus Blueray replied.

Missy shook her head, still trying to fully comprehend what was really happening. “No, I mean. Did you two really plan to be back by Christmas?”

“We sure did!” Annie’s high-pitched voice sounded like it was filled with glee.

“What about the missions?” Missy insisted. “Houston won’t be happy about this.”

“Relax. Sonus already cleared it. We’re just taking some time off.”

“We’ll be back in our sectors before you know it,” Blueray assured Missy.

Missy sat back in her chair and thought everything over. “Wow, I can’t believe you guys did this just for me.”

“Well,” Annie started. “Sonus convinced Houston to give us a break for Christmas back in the summer. After experience with the first year, he knew we would need it. We just thought it would be cool to not tell you… and surprise you later.”

Despite whatever unkindness the statement might have implied, Missy knew Annie meant well.

“Something along that line,” was Blueray’s hesitant supplement. The conversation then went back to another communication clash between Sonus and Annie.

“Why couldn’t you get them to give us the same sector, Blueray?”

“I wasn’t going to try my luck after the alien incident,” he replied, referring to the time Annie crashed a makeshift spaceship on Earth and the media declared it a UFO cover-up.

“Hey, that was a creation of pure awesomeness,” was her rebuttal.

“Sure it was. I’ll tell you what; I will go to your sector if you handle all the paperwork in mine.”

“Can’t you just ask for a transfer?”

“Why don’t you?”

“Ok, ok, that’s enough,” cut in McBacon with a serious tone. “I declare Christmas break officially in session. That means no more mission talk until after you two go back to your posts after Christmas. Clear?”

“Roger that.”

“Roger, Roger”

“Good. ICEE out.” Missy turned off the receiver and started preparing for the two incoming spacecraft. Although Missy ended transmission sharply, she knew Annie and Sonus wouldn’t think anything of it. Ever since their days together at the academy, the two have argued over petty things, though always in jest.

Missy went straight to work reorganizing and “cleaning” the station. Although she already reorganized out of sheer boredom, Missy went around checking the quarters and labs with an excited bounce in her step. Christmas was on its way, and even though she couldn’t be with her family, she could be with her friends.

“It sure beats spending Christmas alone.”


~ SMS ~