Chapter Three: Squibbon
"Automatic pilot engaged", the Time Flyer's onboard computer announced as Cassiopeia pushed herself away from the helm. Nearly ten minutes had passed since she had begun her voyage into the future, and Cassiopeia found herself thinking about the mission ahead.
She thought back on the weeks leading up to the mission back at the academy, of how she would sit in her dorm after each day of simulations and training and stare up at the ceiling, the full weight of what she was about to do dawning on her and realizing that she was terrified. For nearly all her life, since she was twelve years old, she had been trained for this mission along with nearly three hundred other candidates from throughout the Federation, and while she was somewhat aware of the mission the training would eventually lead up to, it had never occurred to her how serious it had been; to her all the training was just another part of her routine. It wasn't until she was told that she had been selected as the pilot of the Time Flyer that reality caught up with her, the feelings of excitement, of nervousness, and of growing terror as she felt the weight of essentially being humanity's sole hope to save it from extinction; she had wanted to die then, if not to spare her from that unbearable feeling.
But now, as she looked out into the time vortex, she felt a sense of calm come over her and now felt a sense of excitement come over her, of exhilaration. She supposed the most accurate analogy would be the terror one felt before jumping from a high place and the sensation of excitement one experiences as they jump. Now she was no longer afraid of what lay ahead, perhaps a bit nervous about the unknown frontier before her, but she now found herself with a sense of resolve as she made her way through the centuries towards her destination.
She then became aware of how hungry she was. She hadn't exactly eaten a big breakfast before leaving, she had been too nervous to eat, but now she was starving. Perhaps she could find something in the galley.
"Nelnut", Cassiopeia said as she stood.
"Yes, commander", the robot said as it hovered closer.
"You have the bridge until I get back", Cassiopeia continued as she made her way towards the rear of the ship.
"Yes, commander", Nelnut replied as the door closed behind Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia made her way down the stretch of hallway past the storage closet into the living quarters. In the alcove of the dining area she found a small compartment in the side of the wall before the table where a small machine sat. Cassiopeia recognized the machine as a NutriMatic 167, the source of her food for the duration of the voyage which would provide her with a variety of nutrient bars. She looked over the selection available on a small screen on the machine: citrus, sweet, salty-savory, protein. Cassiopeia selected the salt-savory option along with the sweet. The machine whirred and from the bottom of the machine through a small slot came bars, a sort of brown and white drizzle on the tops. Cassiopeia took the bars and made her way to the table and sat in the booth. She took a bite from one of the bars, a nutty flavor hitting her tongue as she chewed. She looked down at the other two bars and sighed, realizing that these things were going to be the most she would eat on her mission, unless, of course, fruit still existed in the future.
"Excuse me, commander", Suroc said, entering the quarters. "You are needed on the bridge."
"Hmm?" Cassiopeia said, half a nutrient bar in her mouth. "Coming." She shoved the rest of the bar, the sweet one, into her face and brushed the crumbs from her mouth.
Upon entering the bridge, she noticed that the time vortex, once a dark blue that was almost black, had turned a lighter shade of blue. As the doors closed behind her, the computer announced, "Time vortex egress imminent. Destination: two-hundred million AD."
"Commander, I recommend you return to the helm", Nelnut said, motioning towards the helm.
"Right", agreed Cassiopeia. "Prepare for vortex exit."
With that Cassiopeia returned to the helm, preparing to bring the Time Flyer to the first destination of its voyage. As she readied the timeship to land, she felt that new sense of excitement beginning to build up within her. For the first time in a very long time, Cassiopeia G was looking forward for what was to come next.
. . . . .
When Alfred Wagner came forward with the theory of plate tectonics in 1912, he offered an explanation as to how and why the continents of the Earth had come to be in their present position. While his theory would go unproven for another forty years, his idea became excepted in the 1950's with the observation of seafloor spreading, giving rise in the support of another one of Wagner's theories, the theory that a supercontinent comprising of all modern landmasses existed some two-hundred million years ago, a landmass he had called Pangea. With further research, it was later discovered that there had been several previous supercontinents before Pangea, such as the landmass known as Ur, Columbia, and Rodinia. With evidence that previous supercontinents existed in the past, scientists of the twenty-first century wondered if another supercontinent could ever come about in the future. This proposed continent was dubbed Pangea Ultima or Pangea Two, and was believed to form in two-hundred million years. While the theory did seem plausible, there was no possible way to verify this theory.
This all changed nearly ten thousand years later when the first temporal probes, sent to scope out the future earth, confirmed the suspicions of those ancient scientists. Along with the verification of the existence of the supercontinent, hence dubbed Pangea Two by scientists of the Guild, they also discovered the various ecosystems that had formed on this continent. One of these ecosystems was the Northern Forests, a vast rainforest located in the continent's northwestern corner where near constant rainfall provided the perfect conditions for the many strange lifeforms that had come to inhabit the area, ranging from the hundred-meter-high descendants of conifers to new forms of terrestrial life speculated to have evolved from marine animals.
The Guild, having surveyed many of the time periods, had found several potential spots suitable for habitation. However, the Northern Forests of Pangea Two seemed to hold the most promise, with a plentiful water supply and lush plant life, indicating fertile soil and, above all else, a temperate climate. But whether this area was truly capable of human habitation all depended on a manned expedition of the region, with later expeditions to the various time periods to gather data to aid scientists in cross referencing the best possible locations for permanent human relocation.
Now, all they had to do was wait.
. . . .
. August 15, 200,567,018 AD.
Thunder rolled in the distance in the skies above the Northern Forest, a sign to the world that a storm was soon to come. The wind blew through the large conifers, standing as tall as redwoods, causing their boughs to sway and bend as clouds began to gather overhead. On the forest floor, amongst the ferns and low-lying foliage, various small animals scurried to find shelter from the oncoming storm.
From the ferns one creature dared to emerge, a fern skitter. The small animal, no more than two feet long, was a descendent of the many marine species that had made the bold move to land over the last two-hundred million years. It resembled a sort of large mudskipper, two rows of spines upon its back, tipped with poison to ward off predators, two muscular legs propelling it forward on its constant search for food, namely small insects or the occasional carrion of a larger animal. While most ground dwelling creatures seemed to avoid the rain, the fern skitter retain its ancestral love of the water, still possessing a pair of gills to aid it in breathing underwater as it swam in the nearby rivers. This love of the water also gave the fern skitter another advantage, free pickings of anything it found such as the worms that came from the ground with the rain. Indeed, as it stood, he was now the unchallenged master of the forest.
A loud crack of thunder shook the sky, followed by another sound. Up above the sky began to ripple, glowing red as a bright flash erupted in the sky followed by a large… thing that made a whirring noise. The fern skitter let out a frightened croak, its spines rising in defense as the flying thing began to make its way down to the forest floor. At this the fern skitter decided that it wasn't hungry after all and made a dash for the nearest bush as fast as its little legs could carry it.
From the overcast sky the Time Flyer came into the world of two-hundred million AD. The craft hovered above the trees before locating a large clearing in which to land. The Time Flyer began to descend, the wind from the turbines causing nearby branches to shake and kicked up leaves below as the craft landed on the soft spongy ground. The whine from the turbines began to wind down, the thrum of the engines growing silent as the timeship grew silent.
A hiss could be heard as the cargo bay hatch swung open. From the opening Cassiopeia emerged and from the threshold of the bay doors looked out into the strange new world before her. She felt the soft warm wind brush against her, carrying with it the sweet scent of life and decay from the forest beyond. In the air she could hear trees rustling in the breeze as well as the distant cries of animals amongst the trunks of the massive trees that loomed above her.
Cassiopeia gasped. Back home, while most of the world was a desolate waste of grey and white, there were some dwindling pockets of green, biodomes which held small forests, the last on the frozen earth. But this was different, this was real, the product of over two thousand millennia untouched by human hands. And she was about to become the first human to walk the earth in two hundred million years.
What was it that astronaut had said? Cassiopeia thought as she looked out onto the virgin world. While she was certain that she had heard the words before "one giant step for… humanity?" No, that wasn't right. However, she did have words of her own. "What an amazing sight", she said aloud. "Nelnut, Visocod, come. I cannot wait to explore the native flora and fauna."
With that, Cassiopeia prepared to step onto the ramp and into the world. That was until Nelnut came forward, blocking her path.
"Exploration not necessary, commander", the robot said. "Initial scans predict only a twenty-three percent chance of this environment being suitable for human relocation."
"What?" Cassiopeia said, a puzzled look on her face. Surely the robot could not be serious, she had trained practically half her life for this mission. Perhaps this was one of Nelnut's attempts at humor. Yes, that was it. "Very funny, Nelnut, but I insist that we go out and investigate the surrounding terrain."
With that, she made her way down the ramp towards the forest floor. Out here the smells of the forest were stronger, and Cassiopeia noticed a new smell, one she could not quite place; a sort of sweet, earthy smell that hung in the air. She took a breath and prepared herself to step out onto the new terrain…
Something grabbed Cassiopeia's shoulder. She gasped and turned to see Visocod Y floating behind her. "Commander, I caution you to remain here on the ship until I can explore the dangerous unknown", the robot said, gently pulling her back before zipping off into the forest.
"Wait, no!" Cassiopeia exclaimed. She could not believe this was happening. She ran out onto the clearing, the damp ground sagging beneath her feet as she ran after the robot. "Visocod, stop!"
The robot halted and turned towards her. Cassiopeia caught up with the robot, a bit winded from the run. "Visocod, I insist that you accompany me to explore the region."
"I am sorry, commander", the robot said. "But it is for your own safety that I implore you to wait in the ship. You may review the data I record upon my return."
Before Cassiopeia could say another word, Visocod zipped off, soon disappearing in the depths of the trees. Cassiopeia stood dumbfounded. She couldn't believe it, all her training, all the time spent in simulations, and the distance she had traveled, only to be told by a flying hunk of metal to stay in the ship! She felt anger welling up inside of her now, her cheeks hot as her blood boiled.
"I did not come two-hundred million years just to stand here!" Cassiopeia shouted into the forest, even though Visocod was sure to be too far away to hear her. "And I refuse to return to the ship, and there is nothing that will stop me from investigating this forest!"
Suddenly, thunder rolled as lightening streaked across the sky. Mere seconds later, Cassiopeia felt sheets of water fall on her as the gathering clouds released their load, soaking the girl instantly.
Cassiopeia fumed silently as she felt herself get drenched. From over the sound of drumming rain she could've sworn she heard Suroc calling for her to return to the ship for her health. She let out a huff and sloshed back to the Time Flyer, water dripping off her as the hatch closed behind her. A towel was draped over her shoulders, Suroc's work Cassiopeia figured, but now she was too despondent to care.
"Commander, you seem to be unhappy", Suroc said, floating before her. "Would you like to talk about it?"
Sure, why not, Cassiopeia thought ruefully. "I just feel a bit, frustrated. I've come all this way, work so hard my whole life, my whole life, only to be told to wait in the ship!" She sighed. "It just makes me feel a bit, you know, useless."
Suroc was silent for a moment before saying, "Analysis: you seem to be developing a mild inferiority complex. Recommendation: please tell me about your childhood."
Cassiopeia huffed. "I have a better idea, how about you and Nelnut wait in the bridge while I dry off, okay?"
"Understood, commander", Suroc said, saluting before turning to join Nelnut in the bridge, the door sliding shut behind him.
Cassiopeia sighed as she let the towel drop to the floor. As she made her way to the storage closet, where changes of clothes waited for her, she thought back to that astronaut from so long ago. I bet he didn't have a robot telling him he couldn't go out into the forest, she thought.
. . . . .
It was nearly two hours later before the rain had begun to lighten up and Vosocod Y had yet to return. It was during this time that Cassiopeia had taken to looking over the available data on the Northern Forests as well as the neighboring ecosystems to the south. In her studies Cassiopeia learned that the Northern Forests was in what had once been the North American continent, around what had once been the Pacific Northwest, an area that was notorious for its frequent rainfall. She had also discovered that south of the forests was a large stretch of savannah, an area, she recalled, that the probes had never really explored. Perhaps these southern grasslands would be much more suitable than the forest, large open spaces and presumably adequate rainfall. Perhaps they would survey that area next. That was, of course, if Visocod Y hadn't already been there.
Cassiopeia sighed. With the amount of time that the robot had been gone, she wouldn't be surprised if it had catalogued the entire forest by now. She wondered what could possibly be taking so long, surely there wasn't that much to explore in the forest, the forest that she was not exploring.
Cassiopeia huffed. That was it, she decided. Whether Nelnut and Suroc liked it or not she was at least going to have a look around the forest in the immediate vicinity of the Time Flyer, if not to say that she at least did something than read about the estimated average rainfall of the region.
The bay doors opened as Cassiopeia made her way onto the clearing again. The sky had cleared significantly after the downpour, the air saturated with a light mist and the smell of damp vegetation. She looked around and chose a direction, northeast if she judged right, and made her way towards the foliage.
The forest was much thicker than Cassiopeia had anticipated, the low-lying vegetation standing up to her waist. She also noted that the forest was much darker here, possibly due to the thick canopy of the large conifer trees above her. Peering into the gloomy darkness, Cassiopeia could make out some sort of dim blue light coming from some of the trees. Upon further inspection, she found that the source of the light was several small mushrooms that grew in clumps around the base of the trees, a sort of sweet smell coming off them.
Indication that they are edible? Cassiopeia considered. Possibly, but she wasn't exactly keen on finding out right now but was something to keep in mind. She looked back and could still make out the shape of the Time Flyer through the foliage, she hadn't gone far. She pressed on, hoping to take in as much as she could before either Nelnut or Suroc noticed that she was gone.
Eventually the undergrowth began to thin out, giving way to what appeared to be a small clearing. Cassiopeia looked around and noticed that the clearing seemed to wind around the trees, the few plants that grew here appearing to have been stomped by some large creature. Cassiopeia's suspicions were confirmed when she noticed large round prints in the dirt, spanning nearly a meter in diameter and indicating that whatever creature had left them possessed six legs. By the depth of the prints, and the fact that the foliage seemed to have been freshly trampled, she deduced that whatever used this trail had been here recently.
"Fascinating", Cassiopeia said, taking a small disc shaped camera from her utility pouch on her belt. She snapped several pictures of the prints before she started to follow in the direction she assumed they were leading. By now she had lost sight of the Time Flyer, but that didn't matter, she didn't plan to go far anyhow and was sure she would be able to locate it.
It was then that Cassiopeia became aware of a noise coming from the distance. Cassiopeia paused and listened, hoping to catch it again. The noise came again, a sort of muted bellowing coming from deeper into the forest, along the direction of the path. Cassiopeia's heart began to pound, she was quite possibly hearing the call of whatever had made these tracks, and though it was far off perhaps, with the correct amount of caution, she might be able to spot…
Cassiopeia heard another bellowing noise, this time coming from behind her and much closer. Cassiopeia froze as she felt the ground beneath her begin to shake as the sound of something large making its way through the foliage came closer.
"Okay, don't panic", Cassiopeia told herself as the bellowing noise came closer. "The key thing is not to panic. There's a good chance this creature isn't hostile, but it never hurts to be safe. It would be prudent to get out of sight, but how?" She looked back to see a large cluster of ferns large enough to hide her. She quickly dove into the cluster, careful to make sure that she was thoroughly covered, just as the creature came into view.
Cassiopeia's eyes went wide as she saw the animal. The creature, which resembled some sort of giant cephalopod, was nearly five meters tall. Six column-like legs supported the large animal, two longer and thinner tentacles nearly three meters in length waved in front of the creature, writhing as they hovered above the ground. The squat mantle of the large land-dwelling cephalopod was a sort of tan color, with orange stripes along it, at its center, above where Cassiopeia could make out two small yellow eyes, was a sort of blue inflated sac which heaved as the creature breathed. The creature then brought its long tentacles towards the sac, cupping the large tips around it as it let out a low bellowing noise, the sac vibrating as noise echoed through the forest. The creature them stopped, seeming to listen as the distant bellow that Cassiopeia heard earlier made its way through the trees. The creature returned the call and began to plod along the path, slowly making its way deeper into the forest.
As soon as she was sure that the creature was far enough away, Cassiopeia crawled out of the ferns. She watched as the massive cephalopod continued through the forest, occasionally bellowing out its call to the other creature deeper in the forest.
"What an amazing creature", Cassiopeia said. "But what is it?" From her pouch she took out a small handheld device, a HoloDat. The small device, a little larger than her hand, contained within its databanks all the information that the temporal probes had captured about the major fauna and flora nearly a hundred years ago, identifying the organisms with the names that zoologists had given them. Pressing a button near the devices bottom Cassiopeia said, "Search for large cephalopods, Norther Forests, two-hundred million AD."
The device chirped as a small holographic image of the creature appeared. "Megasquid", the HoloDat said. "These large terrasquids, weighing up to eight tons, are the largest land animal of their era. With plenty of available food and with the absence of predators they do not require a large brain, which is speculated to weigh only a pound. Their omnivorous diet consists mainly of low hanging fruit, shoots, and smaller terrasquids such as the squibbon."
"Fascinating", Cassiopeia said, pocketing the HoloDat. "But what is a squibbon? Perhaps I shall see one before Visocod…"
"Commander, what are you doing out here?"
Cassiopeia jumped, letting out a startled cry. She turned to see Visocod Y hovering before her, its spindly arms crossed in front of its chest.
"Oh, it is you, Visocod Y", Cassiopeia said. "I just thought it would be a good idea to survey the nearby forest before we had to depart."
"Not necessary", Visocod Y said. "I have already scouted this area. Let us return to the ship so that we may review the data I have collected."
Cassiopeia sighed. "Very well, Visocod, let's… hey, what's that?"
From the canopy above Cassiopeia could hear a sort of warbled chittering from among the branches. She looked up, just in time to see several smaller terrasquids perched in the trees, hanging from the branches with four long tentacles.
"Incredible", Cassiopeia said as she brought the HoloDat out. Pressing a button, a holographic display of one of the creatures came up, a small thing, a large portion of its body length comprised of its four tentacles, its dome shaped mantle covering the animal with two long eyestalks peeping forward. "Highly evolved terrasquids with the natural dexterity of gibbons. These creatures are known as squibbons, perhaps the most intelligent species of future earth. No further data available."
So, these were squibbons. Cassiopeia looked up at the terrasquids, and it seemed to her that they were looking back, chittering excitedly as if they were conversing about the strange two-legged creature before them. "Visocod, wait here. I will investigate these creatures more closely."
"Not advisable, commander", Visocod Y stated, coming between Cassiopeia and the tree in which the squibbons perched. My sensors indicate potential danger, allow me." With that Visocod began to levitate upwards towards the tree branch.
Cassiopeia watched as the robot neared the branch. As the robot came closer to the creatures, she heard what seemed to be warbled laughter as Visocod cried out in alarm. Cassiopeia watched as the robot dropped out of the tree, arms waving to remove a single squibbon that had jumped onto its head, tentacles wrapped around the robot's body. Visocod Y began to warble indistinctively, trying and failing to grab the creature attached to its head as the squibbon warbled with glee. Spinning helplessly, Visocod cried out as it crashed into a tree, dropping to the ground with a clunk. The squibbon whacked the robot with its front tentacles, trying to get a response from the robot, but getting none, he jumped off the robot's head and onto the ground. He then turned his attention to Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia stared down at the creature as it bounced excitedly where he stood, four paddle-like vestigial tentacles flapping excitedly as the squibbon regarded the human. Finally, Cassiopeia crouched down and carefully reached out a hand towards the creature. The squibbon looked at the hand for a few seconds before reaching out with its front tentacles, wrapping them around Cassiopeia's hand. She giggled as she felt the damp tentacles cling to her, their suckers lightly kissing her skin. The squibbon responded with a giggle of its own as it jumped up and wrapped his tentacles around Cassiopeia's abdomen as if to give her a hug. Cassiopeia looked down into the eyes of the squibbon, which were surprisingly large and almost childlike. Finally, Cassiopeia gently pried the squibbon off of her and set it on the ground.
"It was very nice meeting you, little squibbon", Cassiopeia stated. "But I must go now, good bye."
The squibbon gave a chortling reply and ran off into the trees, the leaves rustling as it went. Cassiopeia watched until she could no longer see the creature anymore before returning her attention to Visocod.
"Visocod,are you alright", Cassiopeia asked, placing a hand on the dented casing of the robot where it had crashed into the tree.
The robot suddenly shot up, causing Cassiopeia to jump back as it flailed its arms. It looked around, before looking back to Cassiopeia. "Self-diagnostics report no major damage."
"Good", Cassiopeia said. "Now, um, would you by any chance know which direction the ship would be?"
"Affirmative", Visocod Y said as it turned towards the direction of the Time Flyer. "This way, commander."
Cassiopeia followed the robot through the foliage back towards the direction of the Time Flyer. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either her or Visocod, two eyes were watching them leave. As soon as they were far enough away, the creature began to follow, uttering a warbled giggle as it went.
. . . . .
"Closing hatch", Cassiopeia said as the Time Flyer's engines came to life. "Prepare for vortex entry."
Cassiopeia prepared to lift the ship into the air as a ringing noise filled the air as Suroc announced, "Abort takeoff, unknown carbon-based lifeform detected in crew quarters."
"What?" Cassiopeia said, puzzled. Another living thing was on board the ship. How could that be, she was the only human on board, unless, of course, an animal had sneaked aboard the timeship before she had closed the hatch. But the question was, what creature was it?
Cassiopeia made her way to the doors leading to the crew quarters, Nelnut, Suroc, and Visocod Y following close behind her. The doors slid open as she cautiously made her way into the rear of the ship, the sound of something rummaging through a drawer could be heard as they got closer.
"What in the world?" Cassiopeia asked, looking towards the galley as small items were tossed around around the corner of the doorframe.
"Stand back, commander", Visocod Y said as it hovered in front of her. "I shall engage the intruder with my laser restraints."
"No!" Cassiopeia whispered, grabbing the robot by the shoulder. "We will not use force until we know exactly what or who is back there."
With that Cassiopeia creeped closer towards the galley. The sound of rummaging was louder now, and Cassiopeia could also hear what sounded like… warbled giggling. She peered into the galley and was surprised to see the squibbon she had encountered in the forest rummaging through a drawer. The terrasquid turned toward her and let out a delighted warble at the sight of Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia let out a small chuckle. "Oh, it's you. No need to be alarmed, it is just a squibbon. It must have snuck onboard before I could close the hatch." She watched as the squibbon took out a small object from the drawer, letting out a soft put as it investigated it. "Fascinating, that suggests an inquisitive mind at work."
"Having an animal aboard is a clear violation of mission regulations", Nelnut pointed out.
"I am aware of the rules", Cassiopeia said as the squibbon continued to rummage through the drawer. "I shall escort the squibbon from the ship."
"Commander", Suroc said. "As animal behavior authority allow me to intervene." The robot proceeded to slowly move towards the small animal, slowly starting to reach out towards him. The squibbon turned just in time to see the green robot reaching out for it and let out a panicked scream before jumping onto Suroc, wrapping its tentacles around the robot's head. The force of the impact caused Suroc to fly backwards, spinning out of control. The other two robots tried to intervene but couldn't catch the squibbon as he jumped from robot to robot. Cassiopeia failed to suppress a round of laughter at the display as the ship's computer called out.
"Incoming transmission."
Cassiopeia gasped. She had forgotten that her father would be attempting to contact her. She made her way towards the bridge past the robots, who were still attempting to catch the squibbon, which had now perched atop Nelnut's head.
"Keep the squibbon in here", Cassiopeia ordered.
"But regulations clearly state that all crew members must be present during…" Nelnut objected before Cassiopeia cut the robot off.
"As mission commander, I order you to stay here and play with the squibbon, is that understood? Cassiopeia asked, a stern look upon her face.
"Affirmative commander", the robots said, giving a salute before the doors closed behind her.
Cassiopeia chuckled. Perhaps she should have tried that on the robots earlier, perhaps then Visocod would have allowed her to come along on its scouting mission. She made her way to the helm, a blue light blinking near its center. Cassiopeia pressed the button, upon which a holographic screen appeared with her father on the display.
"Hello, father", Cassiopeia said, a smile on her face.
"Greetings, Cassiopeia", her father replied. "I trust that your journey through the time vortex was pleasant."
"Indeed, father", Cassiopeia continued. "We have arrived safely in the Norther Forests of two-hundred million AD, preparing for our next time jump. Oh, father, you should see it here, it's absolutely beautiful."
Her father let out a chuckle. "I am glad to see that you are enjoying yourself. Now", her father's tone turned serious. "What have you to report?"
"Yes, of course", Cassiopeia said, her mind returning to the data that Visocod had recorded on his scouting excursion. "The Northern Forests seem to cover an area of nearly two million square miles from the northern coast towards the grassy lowlands to the south. The region's near constant rainfall would provide more than adequate fresh water and the nitrogen rich soil would be an excellent medium for growing crops. However, due to the excessive rainfall the area may be unsuitable for construction, though a small mountain range to the east may provide an adequate foundation."
"Interesting", Cassiopeia's father said. "But, you have failed to mention anything about the local animal life."
A thud could be heard from the back of the ship followed by a warbled chuckle. Cassiopeia saw that her father hadn't seemed to notice. "Oh, there is quite a bit of it", she went on. "Out there, of course." Another bang was heard, followed by several electronic voices shouting incoherently.
"And more importantly", her father went on., seeming to be aware of something behind Cassiopeia. "Where is your crew?"
"Oh", Cassiopeia said, looking back towards the door. "They are currently engaged in additional research on local cephalopods." A large crash was heard, followed by more warbled giggles and warbled cries, her father gave Cassiopeia a questioning look. "Oh, sounds like they could use a hand, I'd better go help them, goodbye father."
Before her father could say anything, Cassiopeia cut the connection. She let out a sigh of relief just as the door to the crew's quarters slid open, the squibbon leaping through, running atop the central table as the three robots gave chase. The squibbon ran to Cassiopeia and wrapped its legs around her, warbling up at her.
Cassiopeia sighed. "Quite the little trouble maker, aren't you?" She then turned to the robots. "Continue with time jump preparations, I shall personally remove the squibbon from the ship."
The robots stopped and looked at each other. At last Nelnut said, "Affirmative", as they made their way to their posts.
Cassiopeia knelt to the squibbon, carefully extending her hand as she did before. "Come along now, little evolved squid, I am afraid that you cannot come with us", she said. The squibbon extended a tentacle and held on the human's hand, beginning to follow as she led him towards the cargo bay. Just before they left the bridge, however, the squibbon turned around, his attention drawn to something. Cassiopeia looked down just in time to see the squibbon release her hand and make a dash for the helm, just as the engine began to power up.
"Wait, little squibbon, no!" cried Cassiopeia as the squibbon hopped into the helm's seat and began to play with the icons on the hard-light interface, giggling happily as he did. "Quick, cut the engines before…" she had said, before being cut off as she found herself sliding as the ship quickly began to ascend and fly off through the air. The squibbon chortled as he continued to make the ship go faster.
"Vortex entry imminent", the ships onboard computer announced as the thrumming of the engines reached their peak, the air around the Time Flyer beginning to ripple. "Destination…"
With a crack the Time Flyer entered the vortex, careening as the squibbon piloted the vessel, chortling gleefully as Cassiopeia and the robots were tossed about.
"Commander", Nelnut announced from his post, attempting to steady itself. "We have entered an uncharted wormhole. Destination, unknown!"
Cassiopeia grabbed onto the chair of the helm, steadying herself as the squibbon continued to pilot the Time Flyer through the vortex. The color of the vortex was different here, a dark red almost the color of dried blood. Plasma discharges coursed through the vortex, striking the ship as it flew through them, the ship shuddering with each strike. One discharge, larger than the others, struck the vessel with a boom, causing an explosion of sparks as it conducted through the hull. Cassiopeia screamed as she lost her hold of the chair and was thrown to the back of the bridge, hitting the wall with a thud. She groaned as she looked up to see the robots being hit by the discharge, sparks erupting from their power packs as they began to convulse, flying wildly about the bridge, bumping into walls and into each other as the screamed incoherently.
Cassiopeia found herself breathing heavily now. Looking out the window she could see the vortex turn black. A roaring noise could be heard from outside the ship's hull as the engines began to scream with the stress they were currently under. The room began to spin as Cassiopeia stared out into that terrible darkness, her heart pounding, blood draining from her face. The excitement that she had felt was long forgotten now, lost to the centuries as they passed by the out of control timeship, the only thing she felt now was a sense of terror building up inside of her, worst than the terror she thought she felt in her dorm at the academy, oh how she wished she were there. No, this terror was worst than anything she had ever experienced as a white light filled the window, blinding her as this dread took over her, the growing dread that she was about to die.
"Forgive me, father", Cassiopeia whispered, a single tear rolling down her face.
Meanwhile, from the helm, the squibbon continued to utter its warbling giggle.