Sphere

“Do you really think the sphere will respond to our call?” I asked.

His response was always the same despite my doubt. In fact, much like the rest of the people in the tribe, I was losing faith in the elder that once comforted us during the Arrival.

He speaks of visions of a great fire consuming the earth from the heavens.

Most of the children had grown in the sphere’s presence. They play and enjoy it’s shade in the afternoon heat. It has become an essential part of their lives. Something that was once a destructive force in our way of life had only just recently become a contributing factor in it.

“We should not fear that which we may never understand and that which doesn’t kill us like the wild dogs that steal our food every year thanks to your outlandish rituals”

He stands.

The old man moves towards the door and pulls the sheet covering the entrance to the side and motions me out.

He lives in fear.

For decades the sphere has existed away from the heavens. Once a star tracked by our stargazers that has now fallen on to our mortal plane.

He forbid us from going beneath it.

If we don’t stand up to the Elder we risk losing more people to starvation and attacks by wild dogs.

He will see that the sphere is not to be feared.

Leaving his hut I look to the beautiful, round, object in awe and finally begin to see the dignified sphere as not a burden, but a proponent of our society.

Under the mid-day sun I head for the shade of the majestic traveller. I start to feel the radiant chill of it’s aparent hard surface. As the sphere eclipses the sun I see the sphere’s beauty from a whole new perspective. It’s glistening curves and intricate structure almost dance with elegance. I move in closer towards the very center of the sphere. As I move in the soil around me feels extremely loose, as if it had been tilled recently. Yet, the land below the object had been untouched for years.

I take a handfull of red sand from the ground below as if it were the most interesting thing in the world at that moment. As I let it slip between my fingers it dropped as if it were flour or a fine dust.

I watch the soil fall back to earth from where it once came and I notice that the ground around me is getting brighter.

And brighter.

I look up-

The USS Endeavour repairs complete. Warp core configured, atmospheric exit tragectory aligned, communications relay established, Federation contact established.

Enganging atmospheric thrusters.

Disengaging gravity emitters for launch.

Launch successful.

The crew of the USS Endeavour celebrated that evening as the decade long repair had finally come to a close. The Federation marked the planet as a rogue planet under the interference act. Disallowing any visitation by vessels under any condition. 20 engineers and 15 other crew members were given commemorative medals for their dedication and service to their ship and crewmates.

The USS Endeavour lives on as the flagship of the Federation for many years to come.