West Wing FF: Pluto drabbles
Three drabbles, and one mini-ficlet, on the topic of Pluto's loss of planetary status. Like Sam, this had me somewhat unnerved, and unlike him, I chose to force fictional characters to act out my angst.
Dreams not my own - (Toby&David, PG)
Pluto had been the ninth planet, Toby remembered that. Smallest, furthest from the sun, except when it wasn’t.
He remembered David reciting the planets at speed, forwards and backwards, moving his eyes as though he could see them in a line in the dark skies. Hannah’s binoculars ‘borrowed’, and swinging on a strap at his waist. One hand held tightly by his big brother, the other pointing outward to a star he swore was Saturn.
To David this would have been more than “and in other news”. Toby just looked at the sky and whispered the new list of planets, following them with his eyes.
* * * *
Rewritten - (Toby, PG-13, post-S7)
It was strange to feel sympathy for an inanimate object.
A ball of ice and rock, inferior apparently as celestial bodies went. But it was not the size, or the distance, that had rewritten the science textbooks to remove the ninth planet. Pluto did not orbit the sun, centre of the solar system, the way it was supposed to. Its orbit brought it too close, and then too far away, interfering with the others.
He was sure there was logic to it. But still, he felt a twinge of sympathy. He too was being written out of the official history.
* * * *
Any other business - (Sam, post-S7, PG)
“Anything else?” Josh asked.
“Pluto isn’t a planet anymore.” Sam looked up from his briefing book with a hint of consternation.
“Okay. Anything relevant to governing the country?”
“Josh!”
“Okay. Anyone else think we should discuss the implications of Pluto’s demotion? No? Then go work.”
Donna appeared at the door. “Josh!”
“Hey, Donna. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Did you know Pluto isn’t a planet anymore?!” she asked, wide-eyed.
Sam looked sympathetic. “You want to talk to my guy at NASA?”
Josh sighed. “I’m not going to get any work out of either of you today, am I?”
* * * *
Steering by a darkened sky - (Sam/Toby, PG-13, post-S7)
“I’m asking you, Toby, how do they expect us to navigate by the stars if they keep changing things?”
“Sam.”
“Like the men of yore. Outdoorsmen and explorers. I bet no one ever told them...”
“Sam!”
“Yeah?”
“Okay, first of all, Pluto isn’t a star; second, it isn’t visible with the naked eye; third, even it was, they haven’t actually gone up there and blasted it out of the sky!”
“Toby.”
“And lastly, and most importantly, even if they had, and even if it was, in fact, possible to navigate by Pluto previously, I can safely say that Pluto’s disappearance from the night sky would have no impact on your navigational ability. You know why?”
“Because my navigational ability sucks?”
“That’s right, my friend.”
“Things like this unnerve me.”
“I’m aware of that, Sam.”
“They make me question my place in the universe.”
“Does your boss know you’re this unbalanced?”
“Josh?”
“Never mind."
“What if they decide Earth isn’t a planet?”
“Earth.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I think we can cross that bridge when we come to it, but also, being denizens of earth, the chances of us declaring ourselves not a planet are slim.”
“So we’re safe.”
“Again, Sam, no one is blowing these inferior planets out of the sky! It’s just a name.”
“Words are important, Toby.”
“Quite the revelation, there.”
“I mean that it matters what we call things. Pluto’s been orbiting all these years as a planet and now, just like that, it’s not what we thought it was. It’s not what it thought it was. It’s changed, and the solar system’s changed and how can that not matter to anyone but me?”
“... Sam.”
“Yeah.”
“Did something...? Has Josh... or the President...? Sam, are you okay?”
“... I’m not sure.”
“Well... okay then. I have a class now, but I can call you back this evening and we'll talk.”
“About Pluto?”
“If that’s still what’s bothering you, sure... You gonna be okay?”
“Yeah... You’ll call later?”
“Yeah.”
“Later, then. Have a good class.”
“Unlikely, but thanks. Bye, Sam.”
“Bye, Toby.”
“I will call later.”
“I know.”
* * * *
I think something may be really wrong with Sam here, but he hasn't told me what it is yet. Still, a post-admin story that doesn't involve rewriting history is tempting.
Dreams not my own - (Toby&David, PG)
Pluto had been the ninth planet, Toby remembered that. Smallest, furthest from the sun, except when it wasn’t.
He remembered David reciting the planets at speed, forwards and backwards, moving his eyes as though he could see them in a line in the dark skies. Hannah’s binoculars ‘borrowed’, and swinging on a strap at his waist. One hand held tightly by his big brother, the other pointing outward to a star he swore was Saturn.
To David this would have been more than “and in other news”. Toby just looked at the sky and whispered the new list of planets, following them with his eyes.
* * * *
Rewritten - (Toby, PG-13, post-S7)
It was strange to feel sympathy for an inanimate object.
A ball of ice and rock, inferior apparently as celestial bodies went. But it was not the size, or the distance, that had rewritten the science textbooks to remove the ninth planet. Pluto did not orbit the sun, centre of the solar system, the way it was supposed to. Its orbit brought it too close, and then too far away, interfering with the others.
He was sure there was logic to it. But still, he felt a twinge of sympathy. He too was being written out of the official history.
* * * *
Any other business - (Sam, post-S7, PG)
“Anything else?” Josh asked.
“Pluto isn’t a planet anymore.” Sam looked up from his briefing book with a hint of consternation.
“Okay. Anything relevant to governing the country?”
“Josh!”
“Okay. Anyone else think we should discuss the implications of Pluto’s demotion? No? Then go work.”
Donna appeared at the door. “Josh!”
“Hey, Donna. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Did you know Pluto isn’t a planet anymore?!” she asked, wide-eyed.
Sam looked sympathetic. “You want to talk to my guy at NASA?”
Josh sighed. “I’m not going to get any work out of either of you today, am I?”
* * * *
Steering by a darkened sky - (Sam/Toby, PG-13, post-S7)
“I’m asking you, Toby, how do they expect us to navigate by the stars if they keep changing things?”
“Sam.”
“Like the men of yore. Outdoorsmen and explorers. I bet no one ever told them...”
“Sam!”
“Yeah?”
“Okay, first of all, Pluto isn’t a star; second, it isn’t visible with the naked eye; third, even it was, they haven’t actually gone up there and blasted it out of the sky!”
“Toby.”
“And lastly, and most importantly, even if they had, and even if it was, in fact, possible to navigate by Pluto previously, I can safely say that Pluto’s disappearance from the night sky would have no impact on your navigational ability. You know why?”
“Because my navigational ability sucks?”
“That’s right, my friend.”
“Things like this unnerve me.”
“I’m aware of that, Sam.”
“They make me question my place in the universe.”
“Does your boss know you’re this unbalanced?”
“Josh?”
“Never mind."
“What if they decide Earth isn’t a planet?”
“Earth.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I think we can cross that bridge when we come to it, but also, being denizens of earth, the chances of us declaring ourselves not a planet are slim.”
“So we’re safe.”
“Again, Sam, no one is blowing these inferior planets out of the sky! It’s just a name.”
“Words are important, Toby.”
“Quite the revelation, there.”
“I mean that it matters what we call things. Pluto’s been orbiting all these years as a planet and now, just like that, it’s not what we thought it was. It’s not what it thought it was. It’s changed, and the solar system’s changed and how can that not matter to anyone but me?”
“... Sam.”
“Yeah.”
“Did something...? Has Josh... or the President...? Sam, are you okay?”
“... I’m not sure.”
“Well... okay then. I have a class now, but I can call you back this evening and we'll talk.”
“About Pluto?”
“If that’s still what’s bothering you, sure... You gonna be okay?”
“Yeah... You’ll call later?”
“Yeah.”
“Later, then. Have a good class.”
“Unlikely, but thanks. Bye, Sam.”
“Bye, Toby.”
“I will call later.”
“I know.”
* * * *
I think something may be really wrong with Sam here, but he hasn't told me what it is yet. Still, a post-admin story that doesn't involve rewriting history is tempting.