Long Distance Dreaming
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Ice 6
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Falling through layer after layer of radiation that sounded like so many thousands of high speed drills……was the drop.
The drop of water, so pure it’s mere presence would render a mere earthling catatonic, was a shear anomaly. Some 40 miles above and three days prior, higher up in the Jovian Sphere, a miracle happened. Electricity, radiation and chaos lit up the drop with a unique charge. The drop was small then….falling in a perfect 4mm globe. It reflected all of the lightning and luminance exploding around it. Following the miracle charge, the drop entered a layer of immense pressure. The pure water molecules crunched together, the electrons of the atoms speeding as close together as they could in their dance. The drop turned to solid. Ice 6.
The water diamond was rocketed ever downward by a current of static. Arriving in the new layer brought the solid back to liquid. The drop hung here suspended in this layer. Among the drop were other drops. In fact, many more than trillions. All nestled here in this warm layer in the greater sphere of Jupiter. This is when the charge kicked in. The drop began to attract other drops and began to grow. As it grew the charge did not diminish. …Instead it grew as well.
So let it be known that: In a matter of a few earth days (just as humans enjoyed them) an ocean was born. This ocean held 6 times all the salt – water on Earth…….
Just a drop in the universe, of the purest water ever known.
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***
The Sniper
Bark settled into the seat. Pilfered from a business jet, the seat was sturdy and comfortable. Its bottom and back were covered in real sheep’s hide, added by corporate jet jock to fight of the cold on long flights. Burak’s dark cockpit also held a chill, but not from 40,00Feet outside. The powerful air-conditioners and computer matrix coolers were the culprits. Settled into his seat with 4in displays at both wrists and 11 more of various sizes right before his eyes. He cracked his knuckles. This was Flight-Prep stage and all of the wonderful systems, the labyrinth of pipes and wire, the sensitive eyes and powerful claws of the Bird must be checked.
The official designation of the craft was something much more elegant: The White Crane. But the naming process took so long that the already flying crew called it the Bird. The Bird as beautiful to any observer especially pilots. It had wings over 50 meters long, a slender a pointed body and a double V tail. The lower elevons half the size of the upper elevons. The engines were within the wing. Only small inlets and nacelles at the wing root gave them away. The propeller was on the back of the fuselage, between the twin boom tails, it’s five curved blades sliced through the air. Only six people had ever flown it. Two women and four men. All the best pilots in their field ….. and the players are few.
Burak joined the Israeli army at age 17 and worked the Sniper for 3 years over the skies of Jerusalem. The sniper was one of a second generation of Unmanned air Vehicles or UAVs. Sniper too had a twin boom tail, rear mounted prop and slender body. But with a wingspan of 9and 1/2 feet it looked like a kid’s toy on steroids. This was one mean toy though.
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Sniper had an optical package that was a cross for those for night-attack helicopter and a spy-plane as well as a laser-targeting device. Sniper crews worked in close-knit pairs usually age 18-26. These young soldiers would fly the slow Sniper over the city on 12-hour shifts. After only 2 months, Burak knew the city so well he was often consulted on satellite images.
The teams trained for almost a year before piloting “live” over a city. The team used 2 completely mobile camera onboard Sniper, as well as external GPS data to fly and navigate the craft. Peering into the streets and neighborhoods of the ancient city, Sniper trolled above unnoticed by the inhabitants. Burak and his crewmate Sasha captured tens of thousands of images in the first 6 months alone. But after flying for 6 months Sniper crews lived up to the aircraft name..
He would never forget his first “live fire” mission.. A certain Palestinian rebel responsible for bomb manufacture was driving his Toyota pick-up on a trash run. Burak followed and circled the truck with Sasha capturing photo after photo of the subject. His identity confirmed, an unit of Apache attach-helicopters signaled missiles ready. Burak, as pilot, acquire, confirmed and authorized the target. Sasha locked the laser on the Toyota’s drivers’ side door. Six miles away from the pick- up truck a 2 missiles rushed from the chopper’s rail. The wait seemed endless. Burak and Sasha held the laser lock and gazed, transfixed, at the dead man driving. The impact was sudden. There was no sound and only green screens, just a flash then smoldering metal…. people running in the street. A year later the Sniper began to carry missiles of its own.
The pilot of the Bird often thought of all those nights and all those people in that ancient city. Flight Prep was meticulous. He called to the crew>
“OPS?”
“Copy pilot. Checklists 4-19 complete. Continuing to 29” the confident voice of Gentleman Jim.
“OPS confirm Bird location.”
“Forty-one point six miles from Live-Point. About 70 minutes.”
“Copy that OPS.” Flight Prep would be complete almost 30 minutes before the time the crew would start flying. Perfect. Burak liked to go into a mission relaxed, chatting with the crew and EARLY.
“Eyes this is Pilot.”
“Copy Pilot.” Anna could have been a late night jazz DJ.
“Eyes, I have a request for an adjustment on the telescope array.”
“Lemme guess. Haze right?”
“That’s affirm eyes.”
“Sir, please inform Astronomy to speak with Weather.”
“Copy that Eyes.”
“ All software uplinks complete. We have a clean can for images Pilot.”
“Copy that Eyes.”
Burak inspected every millimeter of the Bird for 2 hours before he climbed into the cockpit. He could feel the fuel and fluids moving beneath the skin, the slices the prop took from the atmosphere, the gentle movement of each control flap. Now it was almost time again to command this great creature. He pulled his helmet and visor before him. He closed the cockpit around him, closed his eyes and pressed the “cockpit Orient” button. In the darkness he could feel the cockpit rolling and sinking. He began to sense the wings lifting here and there under puffs of wind. The electronic bell sounded at full cockpit orientation. Outside the bubble canopy was not any city…..or even town. Not yet at least.
Burak opened his eyes and spent the moment as he always does: Staring with awe at pure beauty. He and his crew were again about to fly the only aircraft NOT on planet Earth.
The Bird soared in the winds of Mars.
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Installment 2 coming soon.
by Radiogod
www.nav.to/nightradio
www.ksfr.org