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BullfrogFuzzy932 t1_j0f86y2 wrote

Reply to comment by BullfrogFuzzy932 in [WP] In the distant future, Humanity has sent thousands of colony ships to populate nearby worlds, the populous kept in suspended animation until the onboard AI deems a nearby planet habitable. One ship was knocked off course, the populous awaken 500,000 years after they began their journey. by russrussrussrussruss

They entered a room full of terminals, switches, and wires covered with some thin plating. The lights were glowing orange.

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A terminal next to the entrance to the pocket dimension of the Observer typed in an orange font against a black display. The entrance being bronze in color resembling a vault door with a large lever a few meters in front of it. It was easy enough to enter, and to exit as all had demonstrated the first time they entered it.

"Holy crap. Still in there? We gotta get him a cake for going 500,000 years of constant observing." Gavin blinking his eyes several times to see if he wasn't delusional.

"His fault for never leaving it." Cole shrugged moving next to the lever and rubbing his hands. Ready to pull the thing open.

"It likely has a stasis mode? We never saw him in all our previous awakenings either." Joshua said starting to worry facing the entrance.

"I still don't know how this thing works." Noah sighed looking at a lifeless display.

"It projects space into a bubble within it, creating a pocket reality, and can use that to observe stars. Or am I missing something?" Devin asked approaching the lever, which Cole was already grabbing.

"No, no. That's all there is to it...ARRGGGHHH!!!" Cole began pulling the lever, but it didn't budge. Even with all his strength it refused to move. 500,000 years had made the joints of the lever harder to move.

"Stupid...Defective...Piece of shit!" Cole yelled continuing to pull on it. Noah signaling him to stand back, as Joshua and Devin both grabbed in. With one synced and powerful pull, they made the lever flip. Causing Joshua to nearly fall over from the sudden shift.

The entrance groaning and letting out a hiss, as the vault door separated into two halves emitting a green light from what was beyond.

Gavin quickly rushing into it, followed by Noah, then the others.

"What the fuuuccckkk..?" Noah muttered. What once was a vibrant tree in the middle of a meadow beside a lake, then went into a breathtaking forest. Was instead a bare tree, the grass having wilted into a yellow color resembling more so hay than vibrant grass, and dead leaves scattered at the base of the now bare trees in the forest.

At the base of the centermost tree, was Abel. Slouched over beside a palm sized yellow orb with some kind of wave recorded inside of it. He was dead, yet hadn't decayed perfectly preserved by the pocket dimension.

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BullfrogFuzzy932 t1_j0faakr wrote

They were speechless, with Devin rushing to the body and checking for a pulse. "The body's warm, but he's long gone. I can guess when..." He said, somberly looking at the body of his friend. They were all supposed to arrive at this planet together, as a group of friends that had escaped certain doom.

Noah grabbed the orb, and through the tears in his eyes attempted to make sense of it. It was an audio recording.

Upon playing it, a set of mysterious sounds played at once while they weren't anything musical there was an odd sense of melody to them, but what was once a band slowly tempered out into a quartet, then a trio, a duo, a solo, and then nothing.

"We...We need to have a proper burial for him on the planet!" Joshua yelled gesturing at the body with tears streaming down his face. Devin taking a quick glance at the orb and then sighing.

"No. The body stays here." Devin said, with Gavin clutching his fists upon hearing it. But easing up, he knew his friend, and knew that there had to be a good reason.

"Cole...Upload this to a hard drive outside the Observer." Noah said giving him the orb, without a word Cole snatched it and went to the lake. Placing the orb into the water, and a display popped up before fading away.

"I'm torn. I don't know if it was a suicide or if his body gave out naturally." Devin sighed finally exiting the Observer, silently grieving for his fallen comrade.

They all left out of the Observer, and on a display read what the orb really was. A recording of the Solar System destroyed by its own star. And a final message from Abel in its description.

I won't be making it to the end of this journey. Take care of yourselves.

It seemed in the end, his body just gave out naturally.

"Lockdown the Observer, make sure no one can enter it ever again." Noah commanded, and Gavin with a few swift movements locked the only way into the Observer. All the lights of the Observer's external control systems going dark. Cole removing the hard drive that had been connected to it. The small device being dropped into his pocket.

Silently, they all went to the canteen and awaited for the ship to land at a table.

"I can't believe...That he's gone." Noah looked at down at the table.

"Died with the Earth. So it's slightly better." Cole replied, looking out the window by the table as the planet rapidly approached.

"We have the sounds of Earth and the entire Solar System! So we have a piece of it with us!" Gavin triumphally yelled.

And then silence fell, the loss of Earth now weighing heavily on them. A home they'd never see again and loved ones that they would never hear anymore. 500,000 years had passed, they were now nothing but a long gone echo.

ATMOSPHERE REACHED

ACTIVIATING LANDING GEAR

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