Thunderbird
An old flash fiction revisited and adapted for the Holy League Universe.
Author’s Note: This is actually one of my older stories. It was originally published by Silence and Starsong in their website about a year ago. Here’s the original story. As for this one, this is the revisited version, adapted to fit the Holy League Universe. Enjoy.
“Did you know that the ancients believed that the angels move the planets?”
Nick turned to the man next to him and gave a bemused look. His friend and shipmate Tycho had always been an eccentric one. And it had been a slow day, as per usual.
“But we don’t believe that anymore. Science had proven them wrong,” Nick said.
Tycho narrowed his eyes. “Did it now?”
Nick waved his hand dismissively. “Yes, of course. You told me about the Michelson-Morley experiment and whatnot.”
“Don’t forget the Michelson-Gale experiment.”
“Whatever…”
“Regardless,” Tycho said, “everything in science tells us that our home the Earth is special, just as the ancients once believed. Are you sure that the angels are not involved in the movements of the cosmos?”
Nick sighed in disbelief. He pointed towards the window that the two of them had been looking out towards.
“Look at that planet down below.”
The bluish-purple Planet Zeta Prime was clear to see from the starship. The scanners from the ship had told them that the planet was filled with nothing but thunderstorms.
Nick continued, “You’re telling me that an angel moves this?”
“It sounds fantastic,” Tycho admitted. “But have you ever thought of why we have yet to find any real alien lifeforms in all the centuries of space exploration?”
Nick chuckled as he patted his friend on the shoulder. “I’m glad to have you as my partner. You made this mission a lot more interesting.”
Tycho did not know if he should be flattered or insulted.
***
The Thunderbird was a manned interstellar space vessel. With its small crew of two, its official mission was to explore space for extraterrestrials. While much of the legwork in this regard was done by probes, manned missions were still sent from time to time.
After all, seeing is believing.
Having made their way back to the cockpit, Nick and Tycho were making sure that the instruments were working correctly when they saw the readings on them going haywire.
“What’s going on here?” Nick muttered as he desperately tried to get things back to normal.
Meanwhile, Tycho looked outside the cockpit window. His eyes widened, his mouth agape as he was greeted by the scene unfolding before his eyes. “Nick, there’s a thunderstorm outside.”
“In outer space? Impossible.”
“Just take a look!”
Nick looked through the cockpit window and saw a huge ball of cloud surrounded by electricity. Lightning was all around the spaceship. The only thing missing was a thunder, since there was no sound in space.
The two men watched in awe as the lightning gathered around a single point. Lo and behold, a bird emerged out of the cloud. A bird of prey, an eagle perhaps. But it was much bigger than any bird they had ever seen. The bird generated a huge burst of electricity from it. And then it flew down to the planet Zeta Prime.
Nick grinned as he saw the bird. This was it. The proof that life existed outside of the Earth.
Nick rushed down to the base of the Thunderbird. He had prepared a shuttle for himself. Tycho could barely keep up with his friend.
“You’re going down there?” Tycho cried incredulously. “Are you crazy?”
Nick responded with excitement, “Three hundred years, Tycho! This is what we’ve been waiting for!”
Seeing Nick, Tycho cringed. It was as if his friend was possessed.
“Fool!” Tycho cried. “You’ll get killed by the thunderstorms!”
Nick smirked, his face deranged. “A risk I’m willing to take. I must have that bird!”
“You won’t find anything!” cried Tycho. “Our scanners have detected nothing down there, no signs of life!”
“Then how do you explain that bird, Tycho?”
“It is not of flesh and blood, Nick.”
“What?”
“It’s a preternatural creature,” Tycho clarified. “If it is a physical creature, it would not be able to survive. Neither in space nor on Zeta Prime.”
“And here we go again,” Nick said, rolling his eyes. “You’re telling me that bird is an angel?”
“Perhaps not an angel per se, but definitely not a mere bird.”
Nick shook his head. “Your crazy talks have been entertaining, but I won’t let it get in the way of the most important finding in centuries!”
Nick attempted to board the shuttle, but he was stopped by Tycho who grabbed him.
“Let me go, Tycho,” Nick snarled.
“No! I won’t let you throw away your life like this!”
The two astronauts struggled. Nick attempted to get Tycho loose while Tycho attempted to prevent Nick from boarding the shuttle.
And Nick threw a punch.
Tycho was launched a few feet away to the ground. He held his hand to his bloodied nose. He did not expect Nick to be able to hit that hard. He quickly got up and attempted to reach Nick, but it was too late.
The shuttle was now closed and there was nothing Tycho could do to stop it. He cried in horror as he saw the shuttle leaving the Thunderbird. With little time to lose, the astronaut ran to the cockpit of the Thunderbird. There, he tracked down Nick’s shuttle with the ship’s computer. And he grimaced.
Much as Tycho wished to follow the shuttle, he could not risk it. The thunderstorms of Zeta Prime would surely destroy the Thunderbird.
Nick was a goner. There was nothing Tycho could do to save him.
Prayer was all he had left.
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