Spermatozoa are simple things, oh don't get me wrong, amazing they are, ballistic missiles each carrying their payload of 23 chromosomes, using their flagellum to swim their way towards the ovum.
These little swimming critters were not having much luck however, either at finding the ovum or even swimming; regardless of how hard they flailed they just weren't getting anywhere.
"That's the problem with zero 'G' sex" Harriet stated calmly as she vacuumed up the last remaining pocket of her partners leakage.
"The Clean Up!" Both her and Simon simultaneously stated loudly.
'Men,' she though. Ever since the medic's found the cure-all for sexually transmitted diseases not to mention unwanted pregnancy back in '34. 'Coca-Cola's Mega pill' you were safe. Condoms had become a thing of the past. Which to her was a shame. The clean up after would be so much easier.
'Hhmmm perhaps she could bring them back' She momentarily day dreamed. Distracted she just barely stopped her head from hitting the central control console.
"And momentum!!" Simon stated loudly after noting the close call she just had. 'Oh she was a beauty alright' Simon thought to himself. Watching the naked Harriet chase after more of their secretions. She seemed to be quiet unaware that as she spun around quickly she was the source of them!
'And she was quiet a brain this one' He thought after all it was her idea to take one of the convec belts off the secondary generator and hoop it around them. It was made of a unidentifiable rubbery substance. But like a giant rubber band it kept the two of them together. When in zero Gee their love making wanted to naturally separate them.
"Stop spinning," He laughed. "You're leaking!!"
"Oh," Harriet meekly exclaimed. 'He must think I'm such a dumb drone!' She thought finally catching on where the steady stream of fluids she'd been vacuuming was coming from.
Incredibly bright light flooded the small cockpit. Momentarily illuminating both of the young lovers before dying down.
"What was that!!" they both exclaimed as they tried to float over to the cockpit view screen.
The problem with Stars. Well they may last for a very, very, very long time but they do expire or more appropriately it's best to say the fuel that the average star burns runs out. When this happens the fusion process continues. It just needs a different fuel source. This is exactly what Beta Cigna was in the process of doing. But in the transfer from one fuel source to another. Drastic changes happen, in the case here. Well a flash point had been reached. The star will now expand until a new stable equilibrium is found.
This is bad news for our distracted lovers huddling together in the small cockpit of the ESS Copernicus. For traveling towards them is a wave of sorts. The last remains of the hydrogen that was being fused. Not to mention a large portion of the stellar mass of the previously yellow star, blown off in all directions.
"By Xeus, the star has gone nova!!" Stated the excited Simon.
"Don't be stupid Simon.. Cigna isn't big enough! Replied Harriet. "It must have reached the new part of it's life cycle!!".
"Either way, we need to get the hell out of here!" They both agreed.
Ignoring the amount of fluids she was adding. Harriet expertly floating over the primary consoles chair and proceeded to strap herself in.
"Powering up main drive!!" She stated as Simon followed her lead and strapped himself into the secondary console's drift chair.
Flipping the Auxiliary power controls. Harriet ignored the normal slow check list and went straight to engaging the Bensiki engines to maximum.
"Hey wait, we can't just leave all of the mining equipment!!" Exclaimed Simon.
"Watch me, Do you have any idea what is coming at us at lightspeed right now!" Harriet screamed back at him.
"Oh!! The flash wave!" Simon Meekly replied.
"Yes!" She confirmed.
Both were silent for a while, contemplating what they were going to do now. What they could do! After all in the hundred and six years since Professor Bensiki proposed the idea for pinhole travel. Not much innovation had gone into making the overall speed faster. With Pinhole travel you basically made little jumps. Slipping between two pinhole like points in the warped substance that is space.
Lightspeed is still the Galactic top speed. Sure a Bensiki drive engaged at full would be making quick hops. From an outside observer their speed would be approaching close to 80% of light.
