With one big yawn, Noah stretches his arms out wide as he awakens from his slumber. "That was one awesome dream" he reminisces, tracing the thoughts & images that played in his mind all night. "I used to believe dreams were more engaging than reality" he thought to himself as he got out from the single bed he slept in, dressed out of his pyjamas & not a pair of blue jeans & a red t-shirt before stepping out of the blank bedroom. "But that was before I was abducted by an Alien" he concludes this thought while walking into a large cabin resembling the bridge of a ship, there are two rows of dashboards with flickering lights & seats resembling office chairs, but the centerpiece of this place is the gigantic windows to the cosmos. This sparkling canvas stretches from wall to wall like a tapestry, filling Noah's eyes with deep wonder & increasing thirst to explore each star system every time he sees it
???: "Morning Noah"
Noah takes his attention off the incredible display as a unique voice resembling a young lady speaking in a singsong nature greets his presence, stepping closer to one of the flashing consoles his eyes perk up seeing the captain of the space vessel. Sitting on one of the swivelling chairs at the centre of the bridge is a being in the shape of a Humanoid female with long purple hair & a shapely chest wrapped under a skintight suit
???: "That is the correct greeting, right?"
She asks, turning her head slightly to give Noah a nod & grin. The reality of a gorgeous extra-terrestrial woman giving such a pristine smile with her dark blue lips & sparkling magenta eyes, this very sight causes the boy's cheeks to glow red but he attempts to hide it with his forearm as he sits at one of the chairs. "I can't have her seeing me blush again" he tried all he could to shake this feeling off before she got a look at his face but this didn't stop memories of a prior moment between the two from flowing like an avalanche.
The woman with skin the colour of purple orchids sitting two spots from Noah is no Human, this woman who goes by the name Siani is an Alien. An Outworlder to the Earthling boy who catches several curious glimpses while she faces the console with great intrigue. Slurping away at her funky red drink she keenly reads the catalogue of symbols that look completely foreign to Noah,
From the moment he was abducted, he has been fascinated by her most defining physical feature which is those two insect-like antennas protruding from her head. Their unique shape & the way they smoothly drift like plants in a coral reef. "I wonder if she's noticed me staring at her antennas, I should just ask her what they're for" he considers while catching glances at those forehead aerials. Not wanting to be rude he hides his curiosity despite wanting to know what purpose they serve for days now, since the evening he was snatched from Earth
Siani: *loudly slurping*
Braking his train of thought is Siani's noisy sips of her crimson liquid, as the drink within the small cylindrical container reaches depletion the slurping becomes more frantic until her magenta eyes check to see that
Siani: "I'm empty! Damife!"
She shouts a small slur in her native language in frustration due to seeing that the tiny tub is depleted
Siani: "Noah, could you get me an extra please? I left some 'uman meals in the food store for you"
Turning to Noah with a mischievous grin & cunning eyes, her antennas angled toward him like a second pair of eyes watching him
Noah: "Umm sure captain"
Quickly responding, he gets up & heads to the food store at a brisk pace but before he exits the bridge he stops. "It's been too long, I must ask her"
Noah: "Oh by the way I meant to ask…"
Turning back to Siani, he cannot allow the curiosity to build up any further. His chest begins to pound as a tinge of anxiety for what the answer could become present in his mind. Nevertheless, he takes one deep breath ahead speaking
Noah: "What do those antennas do?"
He asks her with a deep look of determination & serious tone of voice
Siani: "Oh well, they're sensory organs for detecting infrared waves & emotion"
Noah: "Emotion?"
Wondering how Siani could have an organ that reads emotions, he becomes even more curious. Opting to step a little closer & incline his back slightly, making sure he hears her perfectly
Siani: "The tips of these antennas contain mirror neurons which mimic the emotional state of other organisms & form the basis ov empathy in my species, when I did a full scan ov your brain I discovered that Humans 'ave trace amounts stored inside the brain"
Being reminded of the day he was abducted, Noah turns away from Siani to avoid further conversation about that uncomfortable day
Noah: "You didn't do anything funny with my umm…while I was unconscious?"
He subtly points to his butt as he asks
Siani: "We 'ave talked about this, no I didn't try anything funny. Why do you keep asking? Maefe ech bodam"
She answers shaking her head. Once again Noah turns away from the extraterrestrial but this time he rushes from the bridge with reddened cheeks, "I hope she's not assuming I want that or anything" he frustratingly taps his head trying to remove any intrusive thoughts that could spur from this until he reaches the food storage room.
Now that he's solitary, in a grey box room surrounded by what looks like filing cabinets he has an opportunity to ponder that extensive answer & to break down those concepts. He's left to think "I've never heard of mirror neurons before, brain chemistry is a subject I need more knowledge on" he lets that thought settle in his mind as he begins searching for that funky space fluid for Siani & the "Human meal" she mentioned
--
Noah departs from the food store & back to the bridge where Siani is surely waiting for her juice, in his hands is a silver tray so clean it reflects his face like a mirror. Placed on said tray are two items, a jar of that red drink for the extraterrestrial & a bulging lump tightly wrapped in tinfoil for the Human boy. "How could she have gotten Earth food this deep in space? That is if it's even from my home planet" the boy asks himself as he re-enters the bridge where Siani remains at her seat, still typing away on that computer. "She seems really engaged now" he assumes, noticing her shoulders perk up & antennas straighten somewhat
Noah: "Uhum"
Siani: "Oohh I found it! I 'ave"
She suddenly jumps out of her seat & frantically waves her arms in a celebratory manner, totally giving Noah quite the shock after fully entering the bridge. Giving him enough of a fright to wobble the tray considerably, causing the smooth jar of red space juice to rattle dangerously close to the edge
Noah: "Don't do that!"
Hearing the bark of a Human male from behind, Siani instantly turns around to confront him
Siani: "Sorry to scare you my 'uman but I indeed found it"
With the tray now secured in both his hands, Noah closes his lips & tilts his lips in confusion
Noah: "Found what?"
He asks, taking a few steps to one of the counters to set the tray down
Siani: "Prichopin, a Stellar black 'ole in the outer rim of the Arachni Galaxy"
She eagerly answers with a giant beam on her face while pointing at the monitor displaying dozens of tiny symbols & huge diagram of what appears to be a circular black spot with a glowing ring hugging the edge. To get a better look at this Noah adjusts his glasses as she steps closer to the display with increasing curiosity, "she said Stellar black hole" he can recall to himself
Noah: "A Stellar black hole? That means it's in between miniature & intermediate types, right?"
The eyes of the curious boy remain fixated on the screen while he asks to confirm what she said
Siani: "Correct, you are. This black 'ole must 'ave tens ov solar masses making it a Stellar black 'ole"
She confirms his hunch before adding a little titbit of information about the type in question, meanwhile the Human boy gently shuts his mouth & lets his brain take in the concept of an object ten times the mass of a star which is already gigantic compared to the two of them as well as their spaceship. Within the silence caused by both their lack of talking, Siani steps out of her chair & walks to the other side of the dashboard where Noah placed the tray to snag the full jar of space juice
Siani: "Did they teach you what the largest type of black 'ole is?"
She nonchalantly asks out of slight nosiness while screwing the lid off to put on a special cap with the long straw sticking out, as soon as the jar is sealed she takes the straw to her mouth & proceeds to slurp like a child.
The Human boy's head turns concurrently, such a question allows him to think for a good few seconds. "My obvious response would be, of course, even that's common knowledge back on Earth" with that in mind he faces Siani as he gives his answer
Noah: "Supermassive, they are millions if not billions of times the mass of my local star"
Once his answer has been given the pink-haired Alien presents an almost coy smile, taking her thumb to her chin to wipe a red coloured drip off her smooth blue skin before liking it
Siani: "You might just be one ov the smartest organisms I've ever encountered"
She says along with giving a pat on his shoulder as a sign of genuine admiration of Noah's displayed intellect, even her antennas gradually sink. "Wow, I can't believe a spacefaring maiden like Siani just said that about me" his cheeks begin to blush, this spacefaring maiden creeps in to get a better look at the boy's deep red cheeks
Siani: "Oohh Noah, what's the matter? Did I upset you, did I?"
Suddenly concerned, she closes the gap between them to examine his cheeks to a greater degree but Noah keeps turning his head the other way making her attempt to understand this natural Human response very challenging
Siani: "Noah!"
Calling his name like a moaning child with a pouty face & large round cheeks, the Human boy on the other hand remains avoidant of her ogling
Noah: "It's fine, just let it be"
He says, almost pleading for her to stop chasing his cheeks like a puppy
| Bibibibi | notification sound
A subtle noise from the dashboard redirects Noah's attention, he faces the screen to see a large pop-up icon dominating the display
Noah: "Oh & what's that?"
Intrigued, his voice slightly springs with enthusiasm as he jolts to the screen. Picking up this eagerness to know more Siani swoops in & views the pop-up over his right shoulder, "she's getting pretty close again" cheeks remain red as she gets closer
Siani: "You can see that, you can?"
Eyeing the screen, at the touch of her finger that icon quickly morphs into a spherical white glow outlined in violet beside the Black Hole
Noah: "I can see it yes but…what is it?"
He asks to which the Extraterrestrial pushes away & lands her rear on her chair with a small yet gleeful chuckle
Siani: "Hihi that's what's so special about this particular Black 'ole"
She answers while slurping her red juice like a kid at a restaurant. Noah turns to make eye contact, his blush fully dissipated allowing him to face her with confidence as he seeks the answer
Siani: "That symbol is Canaid, that is. A Neutron Star, one ov the two most intense beings in the universe"
Noah: "& they're on a collision course for each other"
He points that out after seeing the path of the Neutron Star on the monitor, the path in the form of a white dotted line drawing towards the black pit in the centre of the screen
Siani: "Aye that's right, it is. It's going to be a fantastic spectacle"
She proclaims with her long arms spread out & fingers outstretched, excitement seems to fill the room as she hums. Such a gigantic cosmic event like this can't occur every galactic year so the prospect of witnessing it would empower the imagination of this stellar Estronian maiden & new spacefaring companion
Siani: "I'd like to see it with you"
She turns to Noah & says with a deeper voice, pointing at him with two fingers from her right arm. "Two fingers, she's asking me to do the handshake greeting she taught me on the first day" the human boy takes out his right arm & points to her with his two fingers, extending his arm until his fingertips touch hers then he shifts his fingers. Allowing his middle finger to flow through the gap between her long blue fingers until he could flow no more, "she said this signifies trust a kin to a handshake for Humans" he voices in his head as her wrist begins to vibrate
Noah: "Show us the way, Captain"
His eyes incline to face her majestic magenta eyes throwing a little smile her way, his heart continues to pound carrying excitement through his veins as he disconnects his fingers from hers & sits back in his seat
Siani: "There you arre with that term again"
She giggles, eagerly getting out of her seat to walk to the main control panel for the ship facing out at the enormous window to the Universe. She drags a spinny chair alongside her until reaching the panel, she plants her rear down before flickering her long fingers over the controls. The rapid movements of her fingertips cause the smooth board to glow yellow then pink
Siani: "Arre you ready? Noah"
She sings, turning her head slightly to the left & her pointy blue ear beckoning him to give an enthusiastic answer. "In all my 19 years of living, I never thought I'd get the chance to witness such an event. Still seeing a Neutron Star or Black Hole with the naked eye is impossible for Human beings" his mind jumps to this conclusion after fully processing the magnitude of what he's about to embark on with this maiden from the stars
Noah: "I'm ready!"
He passionately answers, "would this make the first Human being to see such a thing up close?" he asks himself. Just the thought gets his chest into a frenzy & knees to shake, his blue eyes jumping from one detail in the room to the next
Siani: "Well in that case I'll hit the Warp-Drive! I will!"
She loudly announces in that singsong tone as her right arm stretches high before throwing back down onto the control panel, just before her fingers contact the smooth surface the pink glow switches to blue. Simultaneously, the lights shining on the bridge fade to red & a silver seat buckle manifests around Noah's waist & shoulders
Noah: *gulps*
"This part always gets me nervous" he rubs his sweaty palms on his jeans, gripping his thighs in anticipation of faster-than-light travel
| ブルーン |
A humming noise from beneath the tough metal floor gradually gets louder & louder as the ship approaches warp. Noah tenses his shoulders as his blood begins to boil, the air around him seems to get lighter causing him to breathe heavier. He watches as the bright dots out there start to move closer before stretching like dough across the humungous window, the illustration of glowing dots flows into a blazing extravaganza around the space vessel which vibrates like seismic activity on Noah's homeworld. The Human boy grips his thighs as he sinks into his seat, despite the ship technically remaining stationary while the fabric of space moves over them
Noah: "Woooww!"
He expresses a mix of awe, fear & excitement of space bending around them like a tunnel as they travel thousands of light-years in seconds…
Siani: "This is the exciting part, this is!"
Noah: "Ahhhh!!"
Siani's magenta eyes fill with stars & the buzz of adventure, meanwhile the stars surrounding Noah only bring distress causing his heart to race like a bullet train, or a Warp-Drive
Siani: "Uin wi hwun angay!!"
She shouts in her native language but to Noah, it's all gibberish. A minor sound in the orchestra of loudness that is the Warp-Core running on full blast, powered by what his Extraterrestrial Senpai called a Cold Fusion Reactor however such technology is no longer in the forefront of his mind as space curves around them. Just peering from the ship's front window Noah can see the constellations & colourful nebulas arch like they were travelling through the largest tube imaginable, "I wish the ride was less bumpy!" exclaiming as he screams like someone on a rollercoaster
| ザワ ザワ |
Automated voice: "Ridich chi uedi kimred penn eichi taita"
A robotic-sounding voice announces in a language unintelligible to Noah
Siani: "That means we 'ave arrived! we 'ave!"
Siani translates for the Human boy who's too busy gripping his chair & struggling not to throw up…
Siani: "Turning off the Warp-Drive in 3, 2, 1"
| ブルンブルン |
Within microseconds, the booming noise of the Warp-Core escalates into a fury cataclysm as the picturesque spectacle of light curving through space is replaced by a bright deluge of fire & a vast gasy cloud. Noah can hardly make out a thing, his heart which was already beating like a marathon runner kicks into overdrive
Siani: "Fuech! We're too close, we are! Hold on!"
She instantly shuts her eyes & fiercely grabs the controls to go back into Warp-Drive, as soon as she presses that button the booming Warp noise kickstarts again forcing Noah to curl into his seat as if someone is vigorously pulling him back
Siani: "I am Sorry about that, I am"
Noah: "Yahhhh!"
Her attempt to comfort Noah while she pilots the craft falls on deaf ears as he yells like a goat, his torso rumbling with the vibrations of the Warp-Core operating with increased power to avoid the collision of these stellar deities of enormous might.
After such a ferocious event all the Human boy could ask for was calm, which is what he receives once the rattling Warp-Core quiets down. Gradually the bridge of this spaceship returns to an empty silence reminiscent of Space & like floating in the great vacuum, Noah's declining breathe is all he can hear
Siani: "That was spooky, wasn't it?"
The boy straightens his back to see that Siani has pushed herself away from the control panel & turned her chair to face him, she rests her arms on her thighs as she leans a tad forward to view him with curious eyes
Siani: "Are you good? The journey would still be intense for species not used to Warp…"
She asks about his wellness before adding a bit of trivia but ahead of finishing her antenna begins to twitch, within seconds of this her jaw drops revealing her smooth porcelain-like teeth. With widened eyes, her expression changes from curiosity to one of empathy. Suddenly a compassionate instinct kicks in leading her to rush to his aid, passing the wide monitors & coming at him from his right she strides with outstretched arms
Siani: "I'm soo sorry to put you through such stress"
She's so quick to apologise when she grabs his shoulders, pulls him closer & gazes into his open blue eyes. Examining at a considerably close distance from his face that all he now sees are her stary magenta eyes, this causes his cheeks to glow faintly red like a Star of low mass (Red dwarf)
Siani: "Oh your cheeks are red again"
She says with large curious eyes only for Noah to nudge her away by grabbing her shoulders
Noah: "I'm fine"
He swiftly responds as he releases her & proceeds to straighten up his shirt
Noah: "So what the heck was that?"
He asks, shoulders finally relaxed & cheeks softening. Unlike during the journey of bent Space & that fiasco that occurred in between, the boy can comfortably sink into the seat & ponder what happened
Siani: "Inda…I may 'ave pushed us…too close to the collision"
She hesitates to respond, even twiddling her long blue fingers until she gives a solid answer to Noah's question.
The Human boy even notices this wavering conduct regarding the situation, with a single glance he detects in her a sense of guilt. "Is she blushing too?" he asks himself after seeing her antennas begin to curl downward kind of resembling a sad puppy, never the less he takes a deep breath before asking for details
Noah: "What do you mean?"
She puts her arms down & turns directly to him, readying her answer
Siani: "You see, the collision has already 'appened, it did. Many years ago in fact"
After giving this short nugget of information she turns to the glowing dashboard on her right & starts dancing her fingers through the device to manipulate the screen
Siani: " 'ave they taught you about light & the time it takes light to travel through Space?"
She tilts to her left, where Noah is sitting approximately to her position then seeks to know how much he knows. "She's talking about light-years, I know of this" he jumps to a big conclusion on the phenomena of lightyears. "It's not within an instant that light travels from its source to the naked eye, it takes a considerable amount of time to cross those vast distances"
Noah: "On Earth, we call them light-years. It is the measurement of distance it takes light to travel within an Earth year"
After formulating the concept, he presents his knowledge as clearly as he can word it. This results in a modest grin from the Extraterrestrial who sees he already knows a great deal
Siani: "Soo the collision 'as already 'appened & that explosion we witnessed was part of it, but we were too close"
Once she added that last point Noah turned his head to the giant window ahead, "so we got too close & saw the collision whilst it was happening" as he thought it over his eyes stared at the countless glowing specks sprinkled on the greatest black field. "But from this distance, we don't see any of that because the light hasn't reached us yet".
He mulls over such a complicated concept & admires himself for being able to understand it, approaching the level of intellect as this Spacefaring Alien sitting beside him
Noah: "It's crazy to think that everything we're looking at now all took place centuries ago, it's like the biggest photo in the Universe"
Completely awestruck by the view, he lets out this inspiring thought while grinning at the Stars the same way he did as a child
Siani: "This is the Universe, Noah"
Filling the ambiance made by his little speech, Siani gives this brief statement. She gets out of her chair & strolls to the central control panel with the grace of a Stella maiden, roaming across Noah's periphery. Adding to this beautiful view with her large magenta eyes & smooth pink hair
She takes her place at the head of the bridge, the way the captain of a sealing vessel would. Akin to said captain, she manipulates the device by fiddling with the cream-shaded glowing panel for several seconds until the lights in the room begin to darken. Even the smooth floor & solid metal walls become obscured leaving only the Cosmos outside the window to be visible with complete clarity
Siani: "Noah, you'll need this"
A drawer beside her automatically opens, she puts her hand in to pull out a pair of glasses red glasses with large circular black lenses. He says frustratingly while returning to his seat, the Extraterrestrial then pushes her wheelie chair out so she can pass him the smaller pair of protective glasses. "They kinda look like sunglasses" he notices after viewing them closely, the large black lenses, the smooth red of the temples & the granola yellow of the nose pads. He grasps the glasses & takes them to his face, through the big round lenses his view gets darkened with only the tiny white lights on the walls shining comparable to the furthest Stars of the night sky.
However, the most extravagant part is the display on the other side of his Extraterrestrial Senpai. Passing her dim pink hair, Noah bares witness to the rich tapestry of Space as radiant as ever with little Stars twinkling like diamonds
Noah: "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen"
Processing this view he sinks back into the seat he held on for dear life moments ago…
Siani: "Don't worry, the best is yet to come"
She gleefully announces, snatching her fingers out of the panel before swiftly lowering them back in to cause the ship to do something.
Suddenly, all the Stars out there begin drifting to the left but they aren't moving anywhere. It's the ship that's moving through Space, it continues rotating in this direction until a bright exhibition comes into focus, an intense spiral of blue & orange. At the center of such a spectacle are the tiny dots of the colliding giants they traveled thousands of light-years for. The mighty meet-up of the incredible Neutron Star & the prodigious Black Hole
| ズルズル | loud slurping
The atmospheric ambiance of the bridge was interrupted by the slurping of Siani's crimson Space Juice, this emphatic noise screeches into Noah's ears causing enough irritation for him to bluntly speak up
Noah: "Umm Siani, could you be quieter? Please. It's better to enjoy the moment without extra noise"
Siani: "Apologises"
She brings the jar down before reclining back slightly to get the best view possible, fastening her glasses as the shining white sphere & the pitch black pit of abyss get ever closer until finally.
Minutes later, the orbs clash
This collision results in a dazzling picture of light, an extravaganza of orange, blue & violet paints the dark canvas with glory. The force of gravity from these Celestial behemoths even causes the light of distant Stars to become distorted like waves in a lake, it's not long until this display of might is felt by the two spectators astonished by this play as they sit comfortably in their Space vessel
Noah: "Won't that force tear this ship apart?"
At great speed, the light of this picture zooms toward them leading to a build-up of exceptional concern within the boy. Enough to ask a loud but the Extraterrestrial remains composed
Siani: "I've placed this ship in protection mode soo there will not be any major damages…besides at this distance we shouldn't worry at all"
Her simple answer doesn't fully shut down Noah's concerns however being a Human who's spent no more than 2weeks in this Alien vessel cannot comprehend a rebuttal, "sometimes looking at this level of technology makes me see how primitive we are as a species". Nevertheless, this is not the right moment to sit on these feelings
Noah: "I see"
Taking his frown away, the boy stretches both arms out to loosen his shoulders. Now that he's in a state of relief he can just sit back & enjoy the experience, even Siani with the red jar in hand brings her legs up to rest on the desk like some CEO
| プルッ |
As the light passes around the ship a gentle vibration is felt in the hull, this sensation brings to Noah's mind the tiny ripples of the hard ground during the anticipation of an earthquake. What would normally be a terrifying experience for the Human boy is now treated like an advanced massage chair, "If Siani says I should relax more then that is what I'll do, she's been right so far" he thinks of this justification for lulling his beating heart as the vibrations persist at a consistent rate.
Outside of the ship, the night sky is dyed in colour like the auroras of Scandinavia & at the center of this light show remains one of the two orbs that collided proving once & for all which one is mightier. The two fixate on it while a single thought is played in Noah's mind
"Space truly is amazing"