Today's #flashfiction #AstralBilliards

“You can't handle the truth!”

John Augustus Larson* #quote

       Today I did some drawing and stuff, along with reading comic books and using that art for reference and practice. I did that yesterday as well. Anyway onto the flash fiction!

Astral Billiards

        “Sixth moon, fifth star to the left,” would be the simplest way to translate the alien's words. Though the alien used a special system of referencing items in space relative to his ship and the others around him that communicated his intentions more clearly. Directions in space aren't as simple as left or right in most cases. If a person would care to learn about five hundred new words and new forms of mathematical thinking they could fully understand the alien's navigational system. Difficult, but you'd never get lost in space.

        “You can't make that shot with the amount of power you have left,” the alien in the ship under him said. As under as you can be in space. They all spoke over alien communications that worked faster than light speed, like their engines. Another form of alien science that would take many years to understand.

        “Watch me, I'll make that shot and you won't have to tow me home.” The game served to be quite boring until then. But this boastful shot gathered all the player's attention.

A laugh came from the eldest player in the group. “Really? Obliterating the thing and just sending its dust into the star doesn't count for anything. If you're going to use your warp cannon to shoot the thing you can't just brute force it. And that's all I see.”

        The most new player piped in, now wanting to add commentary to sound wiser than he actually was,  “Yeah, he can't move anymore this turn, so he only has the angles he can shoot from his ship right? None of them can get that moon into that star.”

         The player aiming to make the shot replied with a cocky tone in his gooey alien voice, “I'll buy you all drinks if I miss this shot.”

         The most experienced player groaned. “Confident are we? Well my tentacles are always eager to get their hands on a free drink.”

          The confident player took aim and announced to the crowd of other players and any spectators in their ships, “Now let me show you a trick my grandpa taught me.” He shot his warp cannon not at the moon itself but at a star and it bounced off and hit the moon at an angle he couldn't hit before. The moon spiraled, the warp cannon shot traveled faster than light and when it hit the moon it propelled it so that it traveled even faster than that.

          In moments scientist on Earth noticed an unexpected solar phenomenon on the Sun. They could never quite figure out what it was. Most just thought it was a funny solar flare.