a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
// a stretch of coastline that has long been the area’s centre of tourism
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/centre
Docking at Explorer’s Anchorage, it was time to get my feet up and take stock of the journey so far. The New Year New Discoveries 3308 Expedition had been filled with it’s ups and downs, excitement, dread and a handful of near death experiences.
SKAUDOU WP-C CI-16 1, a ringed gas giant proudly watching over its moons. 1A was especially fun with its deep canyons and first row seat to the giant in the sky. The dusty mountains of SKAUDOU BH-Y C16-12 1 you could almost hear the tumbleweeds, if it had vegetation.
Then there was that mysterious structure on BOEPP SG-G C26-962 A4. It was like a giant causeway that stretched on for miles, as far as the eye could see… from orbit. After that were the Guardian Ruins of Blaa Hypai LZ-F b27-0, the tranquil ice worlds of EESHOVUY IS-G C12-107 4A and HYPOE FLYIDO-T C19-3293 F2.
The pondering of my adventures gave way to watching other commanders come and go as I sat in the station bar. I wondered what adventures and sights they had sampled and if any were as clumsy as I or if the time spent in deep space had anything to do with one’s common sense and general judgement. Feeling a bit socially awkward I kept to myself, cradling a half empty bottle of spiced rum and picking at my red kibble.
Now half cut, I concluded The Hiraeth could do with a paint touch up. Normally I would leave this till I got home to the bubble, but it was nearly Valentines Day and she deserved a treat for everything I had put her through. With this epiphany I stumbled down to the hanger bay, slurred some direction to a couple of mechanics loitering near the limpet storage and crawled in my craft in search of a bunk.
I awoke with a skip in my step and a checked pattern on my cheek from where I crashed on the crew cabin floor. Thinking about it, the skip was probably a cramp, but I was set on seeing the great black hole at the centre of it all and nothing was going to stop us now.
Following a quick supply run to stock up on food, water and some odds and ends from the station’s bartender, I was seated in the crash couch ready to initiate pre flight checks and get underway.
We needed a sound track for this excursion and Zep IV, Sticks had not yet started to repeat, with take off approved and the landing gear retracted I hit the play button and with that left the station.
Dropping out of Witch-space in to full view of Sagittarius A* the androgynous cries of Zep IV, Sticks were cut off mid flow. Looking at the system panel I saw flashing back at me in quick succession a series of status messages: Aux Err, Chan Sel, Int Mem. Creeping through the silence, a musical twinkling then the warble of what I assumed was a flute, Bryn started “I heard a voice, call from afar.” I wasn’t sure if I should be vexed or not, but it appeared The Hiraeth had committed the Bryn compact disc to her datacore and was now vetoing my music selection.
The music substitution in hindsight was a welcome addition to the experience. I attempted to send the camera drone out to capture the scene but my finger stayed paused over the launch switch. Distracted by the magnificence of what was before me, my finger just hovered there, never actually making contact. In that instant, I thought no images could justify the spectacle of Sagittarius A* and as the bass baritone sang on, about the majesty of a god and faith it all made sense in that moment.
As I sat in awe, gazing out of the cockpit contemplating life, the universe, the everything… Deep in philosophical thought and sheer wonder, I reached inside my flight suit jacket and pulled out a small box of animal crackers that I had picked up from my contact at Explorer’s Anchorage.
This was the life I chuckled to myself.
The Javi Times 