The Second Star

An enormous ship races toward a distant star carrying the entire collective knowledge of the Human race, piloted by a robot. What happens when a robot gets bored along the way? Cover by: Lyra Ebon

A ship drifts endlessly, toward an unseen place.

It's cargo: the knowledge of an entire race.

 

 

One level is about the west, another the age of space

Another, just simply artist's grace.

The builders chose not to use a computer...

Nor a written account...

Each period uses life size models.

To what might this amount?

 

 

There once was a human crew,

but they, long ago, turned to dust.

The entire wealth of information

to one robot did they trust.

 

He learned to change course,

avoiding hazards like a pro.

But even for a robot,

Just where does all that time go?

 

Repairs have gotten routine.

As have attempts at imitating his creators.

His pondering of ancient cuisine,

and meteor impact craters.

 

In a fit of computerized madness,

the robot has an epiphany.

"If I want to be like my creators, and make them proud in the process,"

"I'll make my own version of history, one that isn't phony!"

 

After a few hundred years, at sublight speed,

the robot has finished,

a marvel... indeed?

 

There are disco dancers in zero gravity,

and tiny midieval kingdoms on golf greens.

Hedgehogs preside over the calamity,

calculating and scheming, so it would seem.

 

This is not enough, however,

to fill in the robot's 'life'.........

 

 

He reads the ships manual,

when he didn't until now, I don't know,

seeing how to start it all,

and, essentially, make it all go.

 

He finds the big, red button

and presses it with glee.

from people, cows, deer, and mutton

it all begins to move, as far as the eye can see.

 

But then it finally happens,

the catastrophe described in the book.

Things start going wild, like chaos with no end.

The history saved there, in every corner and nook,

begins to spin out of control...

 

Fighters fight, wars are waged, and marathons are run.

a great big stampede, made of varying parts of history,

gathers, and barrels toward the side of the ship... "Oh, crud, I'm done!"

were the last words of the robot, as the figures explode from the ship, in their tarnished glory...

 

Tearing the massive vessel clear in half,

they all paraded on,

leaving the robots spirits at half mast,

as he realizes they are gone.

 

No longer able to speak,

due to the pure vacuum

the front of the ship continues on, as fuel continues to leak.

It keeps going, to it's final destination.

 

Believe it or not the robot almost made it.

Only three years were left till he was there.

The only star in existence, where was life, and humanity proved it.

 

 

 

 

the second star away from earth... the distance between them, only a hair...

 

 

 

the second star is waiting, with bated breath...

 

 

 

 

for the robot that knows the history of our world...

 

 

 

 

In it's entire length and depth.

 

 

 

 

 

(Cover by Lyra Ebon)

Reviews

[Eowyn Doyle]

This is beautiful! I have never read a science fiction poem before, but this is amazing!

[Biometal Omega]

Wow, thanks. Felt like the metre was a bit off, perhaps, but its nice to know it turned out ok.