FIC: The Universe, Expanding (Uhura, G)
Written for the where_no_woman "How it begins" drabblefest. Prompt: 11. When my third grade teacher told us the universe was infinite and endless, I wrote down her words in my notebook, but I did not believe her.
I may want to expand on this. Feedback would be great. 295 words.
There are boundaries.
the universe expands at a rate of...
There are limits, rules.
rules are meant to be broken
The first time she travels faster than the speed of light, there is a nervous knot in the pit of her stomach. A jolt, a nanosecond of breathlessness, and then... that's it. Nothing special.
Humanity once believed in this boundary. It's been broken, now. But there are still rules.
When she is four, she tells her mother that she will learn to speak every language in the universe.
At fourteen, in a fit of adolescent frustration, she says she will be lucky to learn five.
At twenty-four, she has managed proficiency in 83% of Federation-recognized languages and dialects - she is still working out this boundary.
She will go to space, to learn, grow, expand her own universe. But there will be boundaries, limits. There are rules and protocols to follow, because that is the nature of things.
She speaks to the Commander because he is from Vulcan, and she knows she can learn from him (much as she is learning from her Andorian instructor). She expects that he will help expand her boundaries.
What she doesn’t expect is the deep dark of his eyes, and the hint of melancholy he carries. But even in this, there are limits.
an alternate reality
Everything is the same, but different. Different from what? Her careful planning, the parameters she set, the framework has changed, somehow.
For a few insane days, she stops thinking. There isn’t time for it.
destinies have changed
Five years. How much of the universe will she see in five years? How much did she see in another life?
The limits have changed, again. Or maybe they were never really there to begin with.
I may want to expand on this. Feedback would be great. 295 words.
There are boundaries.
the universe expands at a rate of...
There are limits, rules.
rules are meant to be broken
The first time she travels faster than the speed of light, there is a nervous knot in the pit of her stomach. A jolt, a nanosecond of breathlessness, and then... that's it. Nothing special.
Humanity once believed in this boundary. It's been broken, now. But there are still rules.
When she is four, she tells her mother that she will learn to speak every language in the universe.
At fourteen, in a fit of adolescent frustration, she says she will be lucky to learn five.
At twenty-four, she has managed proficiency in 83% of Federation-recognized languages and dialects - she is still working out this boundary.
She will go to space, to learn, grow, expand her own universe. But there will be boundaries, limits. There are rules and protocols to follow, because that is the nature of things.
She speaks to the Commander because he is from Vulcan, and she knows she can learn from him (much as she is learning from her Andorian instructor). She expects that he will help expand her boundaries.
What she doesn’t expect is the deep dark of his eyes, and the hint of melancholy he carries. But even in this, there are limits.
an alternate reality
Everything is the same, but different. Different from what? Her careful planning, the parameters she set, the framework has changed, somehow.
For a few insane days, she stops thinking. There isn’t time for it.
destinies have changed
Five years. How much of the universe will she see in five years? How much did she see in another life?
The limits have changed, again. Or maybe they were never really there to begin with.