Stars in your multitudes, scarce to be counted, filling the darkness with order and light.

[tookashirototheknee]

[Matt might be good at the network, but that doesn't mean he has complete control over his thoughts. Sometimes things slip through. But in this case, it's probably for the better.]

Oh, for the love of space peas, that's it!

[He pauses, and then sets out to make slightly more coherent comments. Standing in front of a mirror, at first all people can see is a detailed star chart. Anyone who is familiar with stars from earth would know this isn't exactly a view from Earth, but it's similar.]

So, I totally forgot that I got blessed with visions or hallucinations or something like that, but I had a... something of a star field. I don't know if I was there or in a planetarium or what, but I drew it out.

And then I realized. This is the star field as seen from Mars. I'd be a crap Garrison graduate if I couldn't figure that one out. So, uh, on top of everything else that's going on, we're going to Mars.

I haven't been there myself, but my dad's told me a lot about it, so I can help. I hope.

Comments

[truerevelation]

...Man, that's a hell of a thing to catch!

[tookashirototheknee]

Hey, Dad took me out to show me constellations when I was three. I know my stars.

[truerevelation]

Heh. Nice. But even with that, somethin' like that... Good eye. Seriously. Beats all those spooky visions people get, huh?

[tookashirototheknee]

I'll take a peaceful starfield any day.

At least this time it's something I know. The Mars base isn't too bad.

[truerevelation]

Yeah? What's it look like?

...apart from, uh. Dust and red.

[tookashirototheknee]

Honestly? Dust and red. Mom had to wash Dad's stuff like three times when he came home.

The base itself is pretty standard. White walls, some artificial gravity because Mars is bouncy. Not as bouncy as the moon, but still less gravity.

I wanted to go and see the polar ice caps before we went to Kerberos, but I didn't get the chance. Supposedly they're pretty neat.

No little green men, or metal walking tripods, though. Nothing living as far as we know so far. Maybe a bacteria or two.

[truerevelation]

Eh, I figure we can do better than little green men. Kinda a shame, though...

[tookashirototheknee]

Yeah. I don't know for certain, but from talking to various other people, I'm pretty sure that Earth's the only habited planet in our solar system.

Other places are fair game. From purple space cats to space elves to... people that look like overgrown centipedes.

[truerevelation]

Think I've seen a few of the cat guys? They're from your, uh, universe, then? I'd kinda like to know what's out there in the one I'm from... if anything's any different. I mean, you ain't got Hecatites or Gorgons or anything in yours, right?

[tookashirototheknee]

Yeah. Thace is around. He's one of the good guys.

We do have a sort-of rock species that lives on a living planet, but they're nothing like Hecatities.

If there wasn't an intergalactic war on, I'd totally take you back and show you things. There are so many fascinating species out there.

Hm. I wonder how you could figure out what's out there back home for you.

[truerevelation]

A living planet...? Damn. Yeah... it's crazy to think about how much stuff we just ain't gonna get to see because ... it's in the wrong place.

Think they're mostly just pointing telescopes at stuff and sending probes places at home. Wasn't like I was really following 'em back then.