30 Days of Flashfic - Day 18 Prompt: The name "Thomas Daniel"
This a Flashfic based on a prompt from ravenswept's 30 Days of Flash Fiction Meme
My 30 Days of Flashfic Index Page
Day 18 - Prompt: the name "Thomas Daniel"
A continuation of Day 17's Galactic Academy scene (click on the link to view that one)
It will be a busy evening, so I'm afraid I'm posting this without much review. On the other hand, depending on how much time I have later tonight I might get a start on a follow up to the Day 16b version of, "A Scene on Horseback" than I posted to my DW account. But for now I post and run.
Title: The Computer is Never Wrong
"You are being human, yes? From planet Topsoil, yes?" The large furry alien that looked more like a starving teddy bear than an actual bear asked while it reviewed a computer pad.
Rick sighed and tried to pull himself together. The security staff had shown even less humor than a TSA agent having a divorce the day after a terror attack. It hadn't quite reached the, 'show me on the dolly where the tentacle creature put its appendage,' level. But it was close.
Still at least he could understand what was being said now. Mostly. The tentacle creature had shown him how to turn the translator on. All it had taken was a swarm of security goons pulling aside the nasty human who wasn't following even the simplest directions to a private screening room for a thorough search of every last item carried.
After losing an hour to the invasion of privacy he was set loose. Eventually finding a sign over which the translator superimposed a faint, "Imperial Galactic Academy Admissions." Just so long as he didn't look directly at it. That must have been what the so wonderfully translated manual called the, "Unfocused Logo-graphic Overlapping Function." Strangely switching to any of the non-English pages and simply using the translator gave a more readable result.
"Yes, Rick, well Richard Logan."
The starving teddy bear blinked. "You are being human, no?"
"Human, yes."
"Good! Last human of planet Topsoil to arrive."
"Yeah. That's planet Earth actually."
"That is what Korath said. Planet Topsoil."
"Never mind." The bear simply stared at him and blinked again. "Yeah, I guess Planet Topsoil is how it is translated."
"No worries human of planet Topsoil. You will find all home planets have silly names." The way to thin creature checked it's computer pad again.
"Yes. Last human to arrive. You are being named Thomas Daniel, yes?"
"No. I am being named Richard Logan." Not quite certain himself if he was copying the aliens speech patterns to mock or in hope of being understood.
Once again a blink. The alien reviewed the record on its pad once more. "Only one human not being listed as arrived. Thomas Daniel, being aged nine planet Topsoil years, being admitted to first level scholastic cohort, third year sub-group, special medical note student not yet being in control of sleep cycle waste emissions?"
"Do I look like I'm only nine years old?"
The creature stared again. "Humans are being new to Academy. How lookss human being aged nine years?"
Rick held out a hand only about hip height. "Maybe this big, maybe a little taller? I'm Richard Logan, age sixteen. Special medical note: allergic to revelations of Too Much Information." As the creature started to take down a note Rick sighed, "Don't write down that medical note. It was a joke."
"Why joking about medical conditions?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I was sent a translator that had an unreadable manual and almost no charge; or perhaps because I just got off a two day flight during which I couldn't talk to anyone; or maybe I'm worked up because the stewardess couldn't grasp the idea that someone who didn't know the local language might no know the way out; maybe the all-but-a strip search by the paranoid security guards? Or perhaps it's the person giving medical details about other students that are way, way personal. I think maybe I am joking to keep from losing my sanity, yes."
Great. No only was the starving bear staring, it and several of the other aliens nearby were backing away. "Please. Here's the ID card I was given. Does Richard Logan show up anywhere on your list?"
The bear checked his pad again. Staring at the results before,as near as Rick could tell, it searched again. "Yes. One human being named Richard Logan is being found on the master student arrivals list."
"Good! So I can check in now, yes?"
"There is being a problem. Richard Logan is being found on list for next Weekday Cycle's arrivals."
"What." It wasn't even a question. Rick had given up on the day being anything but a maddeningly long day.
"Today is being thirty-second cycle, fifth day. You are being listed on thirty-third cycle, third day arrivals."
"That just means I'll get extra time to move in and get set up, right?"
The bear stared at him again. "Please to left side and wait."
"You're arranging transportation, right?"
"Contacting supervisor is what Korath does. To left side and wait, Korath be thanking Richard Logan for patience."
Setting notes: I'm certainly not the first person to think up the idea of a school in space. There was at least one 80s cartoon, another in the 90s or early 2000s. There are a multitude in anime and written science fiction.
But in the late 90s or early 2000s I started pondering as an RPG setting the idea of a gigantic boarding school in space, sizable enough to be its own large city. Classes ranging from preschool all the way up to college. A huge campus that including the faculty and support staff would result in something that might as well be a large city. I think I was originally inspired in part by the light hearted Teenagers From Outer Space RPG put out by R. Talsorian Games.
I've thought about trying something with it again recently, which is why it was already in my head when today and yesterday's prompts came up. Who knows, maybe this will lead somewhere...
My 30 Days of Flashfic Index Page
Day 18 - Prompt: the name "Thomas Daniel"
A continuation of Day 17's Galactic Academy scene (click on the link to view that one)
It will be a busy evening, so I'm afraid I'm posting this without much review. On the other hand, depending on how much time I have later tonight I might get a start on a follow up to the Day 16b version of, "A Scene on Horseback" than I posted to my DW account. But for now I post and run.
Title: The Computer is Never Wrong
"You are being human, yes? From planet Topsoil, yes?" The large furry alien that looked more like a starving teddy bear than an actual bear asked while it reviewed a computer pad.
Rick sighed and tried to pull himself together. The security staff had shown even less humor than a TSA agent having a divorce the day after a terror attack. It hadn't quite reached the, 'show me on the dolly where the tentacle creature put its appendage,' level. But it was close.
Still at least he could understand what was being said now. Mostly. The tentacle creature had shown him how to turn the translator on. All it had taken was a swarm of security goons pulling aside the nasty human who wasn't following even the simplest directions to a private screening room for a thorough search of every last item carried.
After losing an hour to the invasion of privacy he was set loose. Eventually finding a sign over which the translator superimposed a faint, "Imperial Galactic Academy Admissions." Just so long as he didn't look directly at it. That must have been what the so wonderfully translated manual called the, "Unfocused Logo-graphic Overlapping Function." Strangely switching to any of the non-English pages and simply using the translator gave a more readable result.
"Yes, Rick, well Richard Logan."
The starving teddy bear blinked. "You are being human, no?"
"Human, yes."
"Good! Last human of planet Topsoil to arrive."
"Yeah. That's planet Earth actually."
"That is what Korath said. Planet Topsoil."
"Never mind." The bear simply stared at him and blinked again. "Yeah, I guess Planet Topsoil is how it is translated."
"No worries human of planet Topsoil. You will find all home planets have silly names." The way to thin creature checked it's computer pad again.
"Yes. Last human to arrive. You are being named Thomas Daniel, yes?"
"No. I am being named Richard Logan." Not quite certain himself if he was copying the aliens speech patterns to mock or in hope of being understood.
Once again a blink. The alien reviewed the record on its pad once more. "Only one human not being listed as arrived. Thomas Daniel, being aged nine planet Topsoil years, being admitted to first level scholastic cohort, third year sub-group, special medical note student not yet being in control of sleep cycle waste emissions?"
"Do I look like I'm only nine years old?"
The creature stared again. "Humans are being new to Academy. How lookss human being aged nine years?"
Rick held out a hand only about hip height. "Maybe this big, maybe a little taller? I'm Richard Logan, age sixteen. Special medical note: allergic to revelations of Too Much Information." As the creature started to take down a note Rick sighed, "Don't write down that medical note. It was a joke."
"Why joking about medical conditions?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I was sent a translator that had an unreadable manual and almost no charge; or perhaps because I just got off a two day flight during which I couldn't talk to anyone; or maybe I'm worked up because the stewardess couldn't grasp the idea that someone who didn't know the local language might no know the way out; maybe the all-but-a strip search by the paranoid security guards? Or perhaps it's the person giving medical details about other students that are way, way personal. I think maybe I am joking to keep from losing my sanity, yes."
Great. No only was the starving bear staring, it and several of the other aliens nearby were backing away. "Please. Here's the ID card I was given. Does Richard Logan show up anywhere on your list?"
The bear checked his pad again. Staring at the results before,as near as Rick could tell, it searched again. "Yes. One human being named Richard Logan is being found on the master student arrivals list."
"Good! So I can check in now, yes?"
"There is being a problem. Richard Logan is being found on list for next Weekday Cycle's arrivals."
"What." It wasn't even a question. Rick had given up on the day being anything but a maddeningly long day.
"Today is being thirty-second cycle, fifth day. You are being listed on thirty-third cycle, third day arrivals."
"That just means I'll get extra time to move in and get set up, right?"
The bear stared at him again. "Please to left side and wait."
"You're arranging transportation, right?"
"Contacting supervisor is what Korath does. To left side and wait, Korath be thanking Richard Logan for patience."
Setting notes: I'm certainly not the first person to think up the idea of a school in space. There was at least one 80s cartoon, another in the 90s or early 2000s. There are a multitude in anime and written science fiction.
But in the late 90s or early 2000s I started pondering as an RPG setting the idea of a gigantic boarding school in space, sizable enough to be its own large city. Classes ranging from preschool all the way up to college. A huge campus that including the faculty and support staff would result in something that might as well be a large city. I think I was originally inspired in part by the light hearted Teenagers From Outer Space RPG put out by R. Talsorian Games.
I've thought about trying something with it again recently, which is why it was already in my head when today and yesterday's prompts came up. Who knows, maybe this will lead somewhere...