Present Past: Bump In The Road [Episode 227416]

by Kender

Mankind had been in space for only a relatively short span of time in the face of what had gone on in the universe, but the race had managed to accumulate a great deal of material in orbit of its home world. Perhaps this came from the wasteful nature some saw as being inherent to the species, but then again, there was always going to be bits and pieces left behind in the experiences of life. Besides, with the advancement of human technology, there were pieces of equipment that wound up being rendered obsolete even if their designers had made them so that they could function for long periods of time.

That meant that humanity had a lot of junk in their skies.

It really wasn't something that most people tended to worry about though, as many didn't think about the little things that were lost in the vastness of outer space. To them, there was so much room out there that the discarded bits were merely dismissed. Those who knew about what sort of dangers such things could be were reassured that were such things not only watched out for, but that there were 'Space Debris Departments' out there with their own vessels, collecting everything that would really be a threat to life and property. Such people might have merely been outer space garbagemen, but their work was a much needed service as the orbits around Earth became more crowded and traveled.

However, not even those who considered such debris to be so important problems could be aware of every little bit out there. Some things were merely simply lost items, like screws or metal panels. Unfortunately, there was also troublesome items like fuel tanks and power panels that could seriously cause problems for those out there.

And as a seemingly harmless chunk of metal and mechanical bits disappeared in a flash of light and energy, it was clear that such material was certainly still a danger.


As soon as Sosuke saw the light, he knew that something was wrong. Not only was it the wrong time of day for any reflected sunlight to show a glare, but there were no vessels around them that could have caused such a flash. There were plenty of possible reasons, but he dismissed the more placid ones as they were not of his concern. Right then, all he cared about was the safety and security of the Lunarian vessel.

Kurz obviously shared his concern, but wasn't about to treat the likely threat the same as him. "What the hell was that?!"

"Not sure," Mao growled back. "Could be a leftover thrust unit."

"Which just blew up right next to our visitors' car!"

"Don't you think I know that?!"

He heard the conversation, but Sosuke didn't feel like joining in. It would have been a pointless distraction at that moment, and he knew that even the speakers were not really paying much mind to what they were saying. Rather, they were merely vocalizing their immediate reactions and throwing out ideas as they prepared for any following problems.

Watching the Lunarian shuttle shook from the ripples of force from the explosion, he scowled knowing that this could cause problems. What this would do to relations between the aliens and his superiors was the problem for the politicians. His concern was the safety of his charges, who were the passengers on that small vessel. Something, or possibly someone, had nearly taken a hit at them, and he kept a watching an eye out for any more dangers waiting to strike.


"This is it?" asked one of the shadowed figures.

Leaning back in his chair, the one who'd told them of the blast before it happened seemed to steeple his fingers. "Exactly. Anything more might have been seen as something more than coincidence."

"And this won't be a problem?"

"Not for us. We get to see what they'll do in this sort of situation, and they will most likely treat it as an accident involving some leftover propulsion equipment or such."

By the way that the shadowed men were holding themselves, it was clear that more than one of them couldn't help agreeing with the conclusion, while:

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(Posted Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:32)


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