Flight of no Return.

Folder:

Bern's Prose.

The few people at the spaceport did not really surprise me, I am chief test pilot for all new spacecraft at the firm of Moongans Aerospace Company. This flight has been wrapped in secrecy ever since the first plans were drawn on the drawing boards. A new motor fed on quarks direct from any sun system in the universe supplied fuel for the new engines.

There was nothing about the ship that suggested speeds above the speed of light. A huge funnel shaped object was perched on top of the spaceship. The funnel shape was run on a track that ran all around the ship it was on top at take off but once in space it positioned itself to catch the heaviest stream of quarks being emitted from whatever sun system we happened to be passing through.
As test pilot I was alone on board. I went through the check list gave the OK signal to ground control and tipped the main power switch. Even I was not prepared for the thrust that pressed me back into my pilots seat. Unknown to me the ship had been prepared to take off at its highest speed. I had no control over the ship whatever. Huge deflectors pushed all forms of rocks, ice and other junk that flies around in space out of the ships way.

I as a Pilot have never felt so out of things as on board this ship. I had nothing to do. I could not steer the ship all was in control of the ships computer that thrummed and gave off strange sounds every few minutes or so. I tried to stand up but soon found that I was completely strapped in to my seat.

Time passed with my spinning through one galaxy after the other. Travelling at or above the speed of light I found that instruments were of no use whatsoever. Time had no meaning. The Computer at fixed times pushed a cooked meal out of a slot. Drinks every hour or so appeared from one of the innumerable slots. I could not really tell because my watch seemed to be spinning around in its case, with me wondering how long it would be before the watch flew apart. It certainly was not made for this tempo that the ship was going through.

What seemed like an hour or two I was released from my pilots seat and headed to a door marked toilet. Some wag had painted Gentlemen only on the door. A quick, very quick wash to relieve myself have a quick wash and back to that awful seat that I was now beginning to hate.

How long my journey took I have really no idea. The voice when it came startled me. From out of the blue this message came out of the loud speakers. “Congratulations you have passed every test. You may switch off main control and leave the spaceship.” Something I wanted to do ever since I boarded this monstrosity of a spaceship. The spaceport was now full of people from high-ranking officers to members of the Government. A military band played the National Anthem.

My first question was what year have we? The answer two thousand and sixty five, this could not be, I looked at my wristwatch another surprise according to my watch I had been on the spaceship flying at speeds over the speed of light all in a half an hour.

A face approached me, a face that I knew all to well it was my psychiatrist from the school of space aviation. His words to me congratulations you had the right attitude for this work of Piloting and I knew that nothing would or could put you off from the work that you were supposed to be doing. The real flight is tomorrow in a week’s time. This time you will be in complete charge the computer will only take over if there is a real danger to the ship.

My next move was to a bookshop where I bought all of the books that I had wanted to read but had no time to do so. Armed with my new books and a couple of dozen videos and films I presented myself at the spaceport ready for this my real adventure.

On this trip I was not alone men and women from all of the known sciences were on board. I now had the chance to walk around and see what my new command consisted of. The ship was huge and after an hour of walking around I was pleased to get back to my pilots control to wait for the signal to take off. The signal came and I went through my checklist. Speaking over the ships system of loud speakers I told all that were taking part in this flight to hold on tight or go to their sleeping quarters and strap themselves in for take off. The signal came and I pushed the motor button and listened to the throb of quarks being heated and sucked into the greedy motors a slight jerk and we were out in space deep in space the shields protecting the ship had come on automatically. My pilot’s chair had no straps to strap me in and I was completely free. At each new system or galaxy a few scientists went to the planets to look for any thing that could be useful to earth. My watch acted like a normal watch and I found that travelling at or over the speed of light did not affect the inside of the spaceship. New ships are being planned and information is daily being sent back to Earth by the computer. Owing to the stops at some new planet I expect this trip will be a lot longer than my first trip, I could even be an very old man when we do finally get back to home base if we ever get back this could be a flight of no return.