No Blues for the Green Machine

Somewhere in an unknown star system trillions of kilometers from the Terran frontier dwells the explorer vessel known as “The Mean Green Machine”. Actually there is nothing mean about it and the “green machine” refers to the well established greenhouse on board. It’s not a very big ship, probably roughly the size of a two-bedroom apartment. Just enough space for its crew of two who have just recently withdrew from hyper sleep. They have been drifting at a fraction of the speed of light for some time searching for a blue world spoken of by the mysterious travelers at the Proxima outpost. They call this world Paradise. It is a planet around the same size of Earth with slightly more oxygen and vast oceans of liquid water. It is a perfect home for a human being. 1

The two explorers Fox-21 and Eagle-37 opened their eyes after being thawed out of their long sleep. MARTI, the ship’s artificial intelligence awoke from sleep mode and performed a systems checkup. “Welcome back Fox two-one and Eagle three-seven.” said MARTI, “How do you feel?”2

“I can’t feel my legs or move my feet but other than that I’m okay.” said Eagle-37, “Anything we need to know?”3

“All systems appear normal. You may feel a sense of lack of coordination but it will pass soon.”4

Fox-21 stretched his arms and wiggled his toes and fingers, “Well, are we at our destination?”5

“Current location: Unknown Star System.” 6

Eagle sat up to try to get the feel for consciousness again. “Have you scanned the system for any terrestrial planets?”7

“The gas giants in this system appear to be orbiting close to the parent star. This is not a promising sign for a planet of your description. Would you like for me to scan for moons around the gas giants?”8

“That doesn’t sound right. The rumors said that it was a system similar to Sol. A medium star accompanied by a few terrestrial worlds complete with gas giants on the outer rings.”9

“Well Eagle I’d say we’re either off-course or the rumors are not true and we’re lost in uncharted space.”10

MARTI pulled up the navigation map on the hollow-screen, “We do not appear to be off-course. The coordinates match the ones that were given to us. The only explanation I can come up with is that the provider of these coordinates was untruthful. The planet finder did not find an Earth-like world in this sector of space.”11

Disappointment came over the crew. They were too far out to do anything. It would take too long to visit each of the surrounding star systems for this so-called paradise. They can only assume that this blue world is too far away or just a story made up to give hope to all the drifters in space looking for freedom. The vessel was far beyond the frontier worlds where the human settlers have only begun to colonize. Further out is the star system Chi-5 which supposedly is inhabited by an intelligent extra-terrestrial species known to humans as the “balloon people”. Scientists call them Helians (not to be confused with the nucleus of a helium-3 atom, the helion). No human has ever seen a Helian or vice versa. Humans know very little about them, only what the Helian technology broadcasts. Astro-biologists say their planet’s environment caused them to evolve into balloon like creatures, hence why humans jokingly call them “balloon people”. The Green Machine is somewhere in the vacuum of space between these two interstellar civilizations. 12

They probably could land on one of the moons or perhaps a dwarf planet floating in an asteroid field, send out signals and perhaps end their days there. But anything could happen. Their long journey would be in vain and probably never gain any atonement for landing on a rock with hardly a gene pool with them. But humans are always prepared to mark their territory. In the early days it was with a flag but nowadays explorers send out beacons and probes to let any future travelers know who was there. 13

Fox ordered a probe launch and MARTI commenced immediately. The small bay doors on the hull opened up and released a small solar-powered craft with a leaf insignia on the side. “There’s one chore out of the way. What’s next?” asked Eagle. 14

“We’ll have to go outside and check the hull for any damage. It’s a little chunky out there.” Fox replied. “We might as well check everything and warm the ship back up now before we go back to the frontier.” Eagle did not appear to be satisfied. “We just woke up from hyper sleep not too long ago and you’re already making us do work? C’mon let’s relax for a little bit. Drift through space for a few days. I still haven’t got the hang of being awake again, you know.15

“Maybe these ‘chores’ will help you get back on your toes.”16

“Or maybe some food or some holo-games, or better yet….”17

Eagle moved a few plants out of the way and opened a small compartment and pulled out a little bag, fully sealed with some special herb inside. Fox opened his eyes a little wider, “I thought we smoked all of that before we left!”18

“Ha! I have plenty left my friend and not just the plants I have at my work area but dried, packed, preserved herb ready to be burnt.”19

“I’d love to toke right now Eagle, but we have to get all this work out of the way first.”20

“C’mon we don’t have to do it. Besides MARTI said all systems are normal. There is nothing wrong with the ship.”21

“Big surprise, after a long period of hyper sleep, you’re still the same. When are you gonna learn to take responsibility? Think of all the space debris that has pummeled our ship on the way here. If we are to continue our little adventure, we need to make sure the ship is in prime condition. Do you get me?”22

“Yeah, yeah I get you but isn’t that a robot’s job? Why can’t MARTI use his own hands to feel around his belly?”23

“He is right,” said MARTI, “my mechanical arms appear to be operational.”24

Fox let out a long sigh. “Fine. MARTI can check the hull for damage but I’m still going outside. I’ve been in this shell for too long.”25

“Awesome,” said Eagle, “let’s smoke then go outside. It’ll be fun.” Fox didn’t say anything but Eagle could tell he was thinking about and trying to hold back a smile. “C’mon,” said Eagle shaking the bag of herb in Fox’s face, “we’ll be in the perfect condition to stargaze.” It didn’t take long for Fox to submit to his offer. “Alright, but I’m only gonna take a few hits.” Then Eagle laughed, “That’s what you always say.”26

“Can you take care of everything MARTI, while we’re outside? We shouldn’t take long. And don’t worry, we’ll smoke responsively.”27

“I wasn’t going to ask. You humans behave so irrationally.”28

Eagle switched the ship’s habitat from artificial gravity to micro-gravity. The vessel halted its spin and objects began to float inside. They’ve smoked in micro-gravity before and enjoyed the experience so much that they made it almost a ritual to turn off artificial gravity every time they’re toking in space. Weightlessness always seemed to enhance their high. 29

Eagle pulled out a few nuggets from the little bag and grinded them into crumbs. Fox opened up a storage compartment to retrieve what they jokingly called the “Hubble Space Pipe”. Many memories surround this pipe. It wasn’t a traditional pipe. The bowl on the end was a little capsule where the crumbled herb was placed and then vaporized by the press of a button. It also kept the crumbs from floating around in micro-gravity. They’ve smuggled it into dozens of space ports, stations, outposts, even a gas miner. Some colonial governments are very lenient and laid back while others are more conservative and show no mercy for those caught with contraband. Fortunately there were no security probes, patrol ships, or any other humans for that matter within a few light years. The freedom they found was not what they were hoping for but they planned to make the best of it. 30

The bowl was now full of high grade herb and the smell filled the vessel. Eagle took the first hit from the pipe and scorched the green inside. He took a couple puffs and passed it on to Fox. He could already start to feel its effects and he said with a smile, “Houston, we have lift-off.” Fox took one massive hit and started coughing as smoke blew out of his mouth like Old Man Winter. The pipe went back and forth and the smoke thickened in Eagle’s workspace. Their pupils widened and smiles were stuck to their faces. They talked about anything and everything. Their trials and errors, ex-girlfriends, movies, favorite TV shows growing up, music, their love for science and exploration and the many other times they’ve gotten high. Needless to say they were incredibly stoned.31

An hour passed by before they found the motivation to put on their space suits. Luckily, the suits don’t take as long to put on as in the old days of space exploration otherwise they probably wouldn’t have bothered. MARTI’s avatar was on the security screen watching over them, making sure there were no errors. Most AI’s wouldn’t even let passengers under the influence go outside but he was programmed to be easygoing and did not care much about protocol except when it came to human and machine relationships. 32

Despite the constant giggle attacks they were finally suited up and ready to go out the airlock. “Good luck and have fun.” said MARTI. 33

“Luck and fun are our middle names, Mart.” assured Fox. The hatch opened and they were greeted by a spectacular view of the cosmos. Eagle imagined in his head that they were walking out on a stage looked upon by a crowd of billions of sparkling fairies. The gas giants could be seen in the inner rings. They could even make out the giant storms in their atmospheres. 34

Fox looked over the hull for damage then forgot what he was doing. He did notice a few dents. “We got a little banged up but mostly from small debris that broke away from the neighborhood asteroid belt. I think we’ll be okay.”35

“See man, I told you.” said Eagle. 36

“It was my idea to go outside. If we wouldn’t have done this we wouldn’t have saw this awesome view of the galaxy with our own eyes.”37

“True that.”38

They latched themselves to the hull of the ship and effortlessly floated in one spot gazing at the stars. From their position they admired the Milky Way, gas clouds, gas giants, distant nebulas, and all the interstellar nurseries. “You know Fox, I don’t care if I die out here, because I lived this moment. That’s enough to leave me satisfied on my death bed.”39

“I wouldn’t mind dying out here at all. We’ve observed the stars lots of times but it never gets old. The Universe’s beauty is infinite.”40

The two explorers began pointing at distant stars and trying to name them off. Sol was visible from their location but hardly indistinguishable from the other shining specks. They knew their stars well ever since their school days at the Lunar University, the first college in space. “It’s hard to believe we got this far Eagle, after all these years of goofing off and getting high.” said Fox while reminiscing, “We’ve not done one important thing for the human species. All we’ve done was explore and drift and that was to escape regulations and formalities from the space agencies.”41

“Do you regret it?”42

“I don’t know. It just seems like our whole lives we’ve been running away, trying to escape. We even changed our names for crying out loud. Is this how we should live?”43

“Well it’s definitely better than living under the control of authority. Space is where freedom never dies. Nature is the only thing in control out here.”44

“I guess that’s true.”45

“Are you hungry? Because I am.”46

“I’m starving, let’s go back inside and eat.”47

After getting virtually nothing done, Fox and Eagle went back inside the ship to satisfy their hungry bellies. They re-activated the artificial gravity and their feet became stuck to the floor. MARTI appeared on the screen, “Welcome back gentlemen. Did I hear someone say they were hungry?”48

“You sure did Mart.” said Eagle with a smile. MARTI was familiar with their pattern. Humans smoke and then get hungry. He already had meals prepared before they realized they were hungry. “Thank you MARTI!” They immediately stuffed their faces in. Their high was starting to come down and their bodies felt exhausted. “Well now what?” asked Fox slouching in his chair. Eagle shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t have the motivation to say anything. He began staring out of a porthole where a few stars were visible. Fox said a few things but Eagle’s attention solely concentrated on the window. “MARTI, what stars are those visible on portside?” The A.I. took a few seconds navigate. “Chi-5 is the star close to the center. It appears we have a different viewpoint of the Sagittarius constellation.” 49

“Chi-5, you mean the Balloon People?”50

“Yes the proposed home of the Helians.”51

Eagle continued gazing outside the porthole concentrating on Chi-5 with a ponderous look. Then liveliness seemed to come over his eyes. “I have an idea.” said Eagle. Fox turned to him, “What would that be?” 52

“I say we don’t return to the Terran frontier.”53

“Um, okay? Then where do you want to go?54

“I think it’s time we do something great for the human race, like sending an envoy to an alien civilization.”55

“We’ve already sent out probes.”56

“No, I’m talking about something better. I remember I took this long Ancient Human History course in college, and the professor talked about the days of Classical Civilization when the Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean. They were the most powerful empire in the Western world, but they were aware of another mighty empire in the East because of the Silk Road. The Han Chinese Empire ruled the East and exported silk that would later be worn by the women of Rome. There were some accounts by Chinese historians of Roman embassies in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Think about how much these people learned about each other’s society. To make contact with a person from another part of the world back then was like meeting a life form from another part of the galaxy.”57

“That’s pretty interesting but I’m not sure where you’re going with this, Eagle.”58

“Don’t you see? We could be the envoys. What greater gift is there to send to the Balloon People besides ourselves?”59

Fox-21 tilted his head towards Eagle with his mouth open. “You can’t be serious.”60

“I’m dead serious, Fox. In the long run I think we’ll be heroes. We will be the ones who’ll make one of the greatest discoveries in human history. Think about it, all we have to do is go back into hyper-sleep and have the Green Machine take us to Chi-5. We’re already half-way there according to the Nav map.”61

“Once again you’re being over-optimistic Eagle. I’ll admit it’s a good idea, completely crazy but a good one. There are some things you need to consider. First off just because signals have been picked up from the direction of Chi-5 doesn’t mean the Helians are there. Hell, they might only have an outpost there if we’re lucky. Second, suspended animation for that long of time could kill us. We just recently woke up from hyper sleep, who knows what this will do to our bodies.”62

“Dead or alive, this ship will still make a great gift from the Terrans to the Helians. If we’re dead they can study our bodies and learn about the human anatomy. They’re probably more advanced than we are so they might even have the technology to bring our preserved bodies back to life. We have plenty of exotic plants onboard that have been preserved. We have a video and music database. This ship alone has so much to offer. It runs on renewable energy so even if we’re expended by the time we get there, MARTI can still communicate with them.”63

“There’s so much we don’t know about the Helians.”64

“That is one of the reasons why we should do this.”65

MARTI’s voice was heard on the ship’s intercom. “This expedition is incredibly risky. But as always I leave the decision up to you two no matter what.” Fox sat there deep in thought. It was a very intriguing idea but he always had to think on something before he acted. “We may never see other humans again. Don’t you want to see a woman again?” Eagle thought it was a good question. He smiled and said, “I’ve had enough women in my life. Besides, science and astronomy has always been my true love. This sacrifice I’m ready to make is not just for one human but for two intelligent species. There is nothing for us at the Terran frontier anymore.”66

“I suppose we don’t have much to lose. You really want to do this? You must still be a little stoned.”67

“I definitely want to do this. Stoned or not.”68

“Okay then, MARTI can you set the ship’s destination to Chi-5?”69

“If you say so.”70

The two explorers looked at each other and smiled. “You know if we fail I hope we’re dead before we can regret this decision.” said Fox. Eagle replied with laughter. Fox took a deep breath and went over to the com link. He planned to send one last message to humankind and let them know where the Green Machine was headed. “Coordinates have been set. I need your confirmation. Are you sure this is where you want to go?” There was a short pause. “Yes, MARTI.” 71

“Affirmative.”72

That was the beginning of their new mission, one with unknown odds but a great reward for human exploration. The Green Machine made its way further to the outer rims of the star system. “We’ll go back into hyper sleep once we leave the heliosphere.” assured Fox. “Hey Fox, I just thought of something.”73

“What?”74

“I wonder if the Balloon People have lung-type organs to smoke with.” 75

“Ha! They might even have better ways to get high.” said Fox while laughing.76

“That’s true. I can’t wait to meet ‘em now.” 77

The Mean Green Machine finally left the heliosphere and continued as a lonely capsule in the interstellar medium. Its mission is to reach the star Chi-5 and find a small theoretical planet full of life orbiting the star then make contact with the Helian civilization. Its crew of two, Fox-21 and Eagle-37 are in hyper-sleep. It is possible that they may never wake again but they leave behind no regrets, no conflict, only memories. Selfish experiences they felt were worth dying for and perhaps one day will gain atonement for their discovery.78