We had plenty of time to write drabbles during the long flight in to Hutton Orbital. Challenges along the way included space drowsiness, video distraction, pirates, and loops of shame. But even with those challenges, we have sixteen (16) great drabbles to read and choose from as we recover from this amazing Community Goal.
Psykokow hosts the Abraka-Drabble live reading show and comedy hour at 7pm BST, Fridays on...
HUTTON ORBITAL RADIO! http://streaming.radionomy.com/HuttonOrbitalRadio (audio only)
LAVE RADIO! http://laveradio.com/ (audio only)
TWITCH! http://www.twitch.tv/psykokow/ (audio & visual)
and will also be uploaded to his You-tube channel & anywhere else he can infect the world with our drabblings!
Remember, the winner(s) of this week's Drabble Contest get to choose next week's topic. Good luck taking your scrap the distance!
_________________________________________________
01 - DocStone - Part two - the loneliness of the long distance hunter
The reading from the wake-scan confirmed it; a 97% probability the destination was Alpha Centauri.
Hutton Orbital.
She’d heard rumours that it had been the haven for some less than savoury characters these last few weeks, so it came as no surprise the slaver would’ve docked there.
Only idiots or the completely desperate made the long haul in super-cruise to the station, and she alone fell into the latter category. More information was needed about her brothers, and the mind-numbing boredom of a 0.22LY cruise was a price worth paying.
She almost felt sorry for the mugs she’d find there.
_________________________________________________
02 - Simoof - A belt made from watches AKA Waste of Time
The truckers were tiring. Several had already shot past Hutton Orbital into the wilderness; some never to be seen again.
The Friday night potato was on the radio again.
Aligned with Hutton Orbital, it was the 15th journey. Quickly refueled and polished at Readdy Gateway, that part was becoming automatic. Get back on the haul and you could attend to other matters.
The convoy arrived at Hutton Orbital. The docking queue formed.
Finally docked. Why is there no option to sell Scrap? Why is there metals in my cargo...?
Announce my mistake to the local; 3 ships leave the queue.
_________________________________________________
03 - Ian Philips - The emptyness
It's the loneliness that gets to those pilots who have been duped into taking a cargo load to Hutton Orbital.
The space voices speak to you, on the otherwise empty trip.
It is the bringer of mysteries that have no solution, ships drifting and empty, floating through space, out of fuel and unmanned.
One captain left a note behind: "I can't take it anymore. I'm going to silence the voices"
This memorial plaque is to the memory of CMDR Simoof, whose ship the Marie Celeste was found in the vicinity of Hutton Orbital, 25 years after the famous Mug run.
_________________________________________________
04 - Splendour - Philosophical Journey
Shuia gazed at the slowly decreasing number on the HUD and sighed. It always felt such a long way to Hutton Orbital, despite it taking less time than her occasional commute from the starport to the family ranch back on Mars.
She was glad it wasn't like the old days with the Stardreamer.
Subjectively the journey time had been similar, but she’d always struggled with loosing years of galactic standard time over a few trade runs, watching the family change in her absence.
Being a great, great auntie at 40.
At least now she was in synch.
Eden, 0.22 Lightyears.
_________________________________________________
05 - Alien - The Alien Chronicles Part 5
Cmdr Alien was now realising that fixing a ship was proving harder than she thought it would be. Alien had no idea why the main engine wouldn't turn over. Alien tugged on a cable hard.
The Hutton Mug community goal would have to wait, if Alien's ship couldn't be repaired in time, she'd not have to make the 90 minute tortuous journey.
The mechanic came along at that moment "It would seem the main power cable is broken" Alien said.
The mechanic sucked at his teeth, "That'll be 20 Lavian Brandy and it'll get fixed in the morning".
Alien swore.
_________________________________________________
06 - cleonymus - Community own goal
The urgent message had been a garbled instruction to get in on the latest community goal. A chance for a new rare and a huge reward. Scrap to Hutton with a deadline of 09:00 TODAY!
His fingers flew over the navigation computer. Over 200 light years. He could make it.
He quickly filled the hold with scrap.
Launch, and jump, and jump and jump and jump.....
In system at last, he watched anxiously as the distance ticked down.
Docking granted, 2 minutes to go.
Into the landing pad 1 minute left.
The comms crackled into life.
"Welcome to Hutton Beacon"
_________________________________________________
07 - Frank - Napier's Bones
"What about the Fuel Rats?"
The old codger shook his head no, "Whatever it was took out the superluminal communications as well. I'm sending a radio message as strong as I can, but it's doubtful anyone will hear it.
We're still heading towards Hutton at the same speed, it's just that the distances have become.. 'normal'. It's going to take us..."
He didn't hurry the calculation. He had plenty of time to perform it. He hunched over his sliderule and pulled along the centre section with his bony fingers. No need to move the cursor for ballpark figures, "...200,000 years."
_________________________________________________
08 - MrMogadon - What REALLY happened on Pad 3 at Hutton Orbital
Emarr, still hungover, opened the box of Bariho Ursine gums bought on Clement Orbital just before departing for H.O.
A note fell unnoticed onto the floor.
Finishing the last few as the Type-6 softly caressed the landing pad, the note was spotted.
“Congratulations on purchasing Bariho's new Healthy Ursine gumsweets.
Still delicious, but now sugar-free.
Side effects may...”
A sudden cold sweat, stomach cramps and tectonic intestinal rumblings, meant that reading on was superfluous. Side effects were happening and with a vengeance promising to be swift, excruciating and unstoppable. They didn't disappoint.
The consequences went far beyond a cabin deep-clean.
_________________________________________________
09 - moose666 - Punishment duty
"So, you're the new guy huh?"
"Yes sir."
"Right, I'm Major Anderson, and I'll be in charge of your kitchen patrol."
"Kitchen patrol?"
"Yea, it's what we call the Hutton patrol, it's been used as a punishment assignment so much, it got named after
the historical nickname for the potato peeling punishment used in armies centuries ago. That reminds me, who
did you cheese off to get this gig?"
"Uhh, General McCreevy."
"Oh her, figures, she's a big proponent of 'do as I say, not as I do', did you call her out on her gin habit?"
"Yes, I did."
_________________________________________________
10 - CMDR Texas Stu - Into The Unknown
Remote, isolated, distant, quiet, reclusive and barren used to describe Hutton Orbital.
On any given day it was rare to see a ship docking.
Sometimes it would be days between ships.
...Until they announced needing scrap for "the mug".
Now there are hundreds and hundreds of ships lined up outside the platform with daily convoys bringing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of scrap and the station is so full of pilots there is rumor of turning the platform into a station!
Will Hutton Orbital ever return to it's deathly quiet lifestyle or will it be changed forever?
Time will tell
_________________________________________________
11 - T.j - HUTTON ORBITAL!!! Was yer ears out son....
'Nope, don't need any animal meat. We've got lumps of it around the back.'
The perpetually confused Kow had surpassed even his levels of bewilderment this time.
'B.b.b.b.but.... what the hell am I going to do with all those?'
A haggis stained finger pointed to his ship that smelled like it had been dug up after a thousand years under a dungheap, The bleating was deafening everyone in a 100 yard radius.
'Took me weeks to get here......'
He removed the clothes-peg from his nose
A small woolly head nuzzled his leg in apparent sympathy.
'Coulda sworn he said Mutton...'
_________________________________________________
12 - Listeri69 - A Charitable Donation...
Narrator: David has been hit emotionally by the mods outbreak in hutton orbital and he and his secretary michelle are taking a tour, David has brought some of his old mugs to hand out to the poor stricken children
David: Ahhh yes and what are you in for little boy
'I have MODS sir, i've had it since i was born'
David: ahhh yes I can see, michelle give me one of the mugs please, and not the one direction one....
Michelle: certainly your majesty
David: MUG!!!
Michelle: Noooooooooooooooo! your not supposed to hit them in the face with them...
_________________________________________________
13 - Missileman - Always Check Your Levels
0.11 light years to go according to the scanner I get up out of the pilots seat to stretch my legs
Hutton Orbital, who even bothered going there in the first place I'd already checked the whole ship no point in doing that again
A cargo bay full of scrap and a fuel-tank...wait I didn't check the fuel....I did refuel...I think...
Running back into the cockpit..check the fuel level... I didn't refuel
oh..Scrap...
Calculating I work out i can reach the station if i dump my load
Cargo-less
And thats when I saw Simoof
_________________________________________________
14 - Galactic Midden - Mug Meet
Hutton's packed concourse had never seen it's like, the galaxy's finest commanders standing cheek by jowl, mugs aloft, their grandest achievement shining gloriously in hand.
Remnants of scrap lay discarded; chaos before rebirth. The humid air smelling faintly of hydrogen drifted between the raised metal receptacles. Gleans of condensate added to the mist of triumph as cold ale collided in celebration.
"Huzzah!" <for thousands of heroes>
"Huzzah!" <for sickness eradicated>
"Huzzah!" <for a community of comrades>
As Hutton Orbital rejoiced it's heroes of toil, it's champions of scrap, not a soul looked smug, for it was all for the MUG!
_________________________________________________
15 - Edith_The_Hutt - Closing Time
Dinh looked through the remains of the overflow bar, it had been a place of madness: Dances, songs, even a game of improvised zero-g darts using certain pirates' wanted posters.
The main bar might still be packed with Commanders come to claim their share of the Hutton Goal but the overflow was no longer needed. This time tomorrow it would be a cargo bay again, filled with racks of gin, precious metals and novelly, mugs.
Soon Hutton Orbital would return to being a quiet backwater. Dinh wondered as she began cleaning: Would her little station see anything like this again?
_________________________________________________
16 - insanephoton - Hutton Love
Mostly it's a quiet station, apart from rare goods traders the main visitors are greenhorn pilots. The rookies either take a bulletin board mission from a neighbouring system or fall for the old practical joke that item x is available at Hutton Orbital. That's how I first went there. I never did get that class 3 gimballed beam laser, I found something better. I found love. Carly works in ship outfitting. We got to talking and one thing led to another and now we're in a relationship. Somehow the journey doesn't seem so long knowing that she's waiting for me.
Psykokow hosts the Abraka-Drabble live reading show and comedy hour at 7pm BST, Fridays on...
HUTTON ORBITAL RADIO! http://streaming.radionomy.com/HuttonOrbitalRadio (audio only)
LAVE RADIO! http://laveradio.com/ (audio only)
TWITCH! http://www.twitch.tv/psykokow/ (audio & visual)
and will also be uploaded to his You-tube channel & anywhere else he can infect the world with our drabblings!
Remember, the winner(s) of this week's Drabble Contest get to choose next week's topic. Good luck taking your scrap the distance!
_________________________________________________
01 - DocStone - Part two - the loneliness of the long distance hunter
The reading from the wake-scan confirmed it; a 97% probability the destination was Alpha Centauri.
Hutton Orbital.
She’d heard rumours that it had been the haven for some less than savoury characters these last few weeks, so it came as no surprise the slaver would’ve docked there.
Only idiots or the completely desperate made the long haul in super-cruise to the station, and she alone fell into the latter category. More information was needed about her brothers, and the mind-numbing boredom of a 0.22LY cruise was a price worth paying.
She almost felt sorry for the mugs she’d find there.
_________________________________________________
02 - Simoof - A belt made from watches AKA Waste of Time
The truckers were tiring. Several had already shot past Hutton Orbital into the wilderness; some never to be seen again.
The Friday night potato was on the radio again.
Aligned with Hutton Orbital, it was the 15th journey. Quickly refueled and polished at Readdy Gateway, that part was becoming automatic. Get back on the haul and you could attend to other matters.
The convoy arrived at Hutton Orbital. The docking queue formed.
Finally docked. Why is there no option to sell Scrap? Why is there metals in my cargo...?
Announce my mistake to the local; 3 ships leave the queue.
_________________________________________________
03 - Ian Philips - The emptyness
It's the loneliness that gets to those pilots who have been duped into taking a cargo load to Hutton Orbital.
The space voices speak to you, on the otherwise empty trip.
It is the bringer of mysteries that have no solution, ships drifting and empty, floating through space, out of fuel and unmanned.
One captain left a note behind: "I can't take it anymore. I'm going to silence the voices"
This memorial plaque is to the memory of CMDR Simoof, whose ship the Marie Celeste was found in the vicinity of Hutton Orbital, 25 years after the famous Mug run.
_________________________________________________
04 - Splendour - Philosophical Journey
Shuia gazed at the slowly decreasing number on the HUD and sighed. It always felt such a long way to Hutton Orbital, despite it taking less time than her occasional commute from the starport to the family ranch back on Mars.
She was glad it wasn't like the old days with the Stardreamer.
Subjectively the journey time had been similar, but she’d always struggled with loosing years of galactic standard time over a few trade runs, watching the family change in her absence.
Being a great, great auntie at 40.
At least now she was in synch.
Eden, 0.22 Lightyears.
_________________________________________________
05 - Alien - The Alien Chronicles Part 5
Cmdr Alien was now realising that fixing a ship was proving harder than she thought it would be. Alien had no idea why the main engine wouldn't turn over. Alien tugged on a cable hard.
The Hutton Mug community goal would have to wait, if Alien's ship couldn't be repaired in time, she'd not have to make the 90 minute tortuous journey.
The mechanic came along at that moment "It would seem the main power cable is broken" Alien said.
The mechanic sucked at his teeth, "That'll be 20 Lavian Brandy and it'll get fixed in the morning".
Alien swore.
_________________________________________________
06 - cleonymus - Community own goal
The urgent message had been a garbled instruction to get in on the latest community goal. A chance for a new rare and a huge reward. Scrap to Hutton with a deadline of 09:00 TODAY!
His fingers flew over the navigation computer. Over 200 light years. He could make it.
He quickly filled the hold with scrap.
Launch, and jump, and jump and jump and jump.....
In system at last, he watched anxiously as the distance ticked down.
Docking granted, 2 minutes to go.
Into the landing pad 1 minute left.
The comms crackled into life.
"Welcome to Hutton Beacon"
_________________________________________________
07 - Frank - Napier's Bones
"What about the Fuel Rats?"
The old codger shook his head no, "Whatever it was took out the superluminal communications as well. I'm sending a radio message as strong as I can, but it's doubtful anyone will hear it.
We're still heading towards Hutton at the same speed, it's just that the distances have become.. 'normal'. It's going to take us..."
He didn't hurry the calculation. He had plenty of time to perform it. He hunched over his sliderule and pulled along the centre section with his bony fingers. No need to move the cursor for ballpark figures, "...200,000 years."
_________________________________________________
08 - MrMogadon - What REALLY happened on Pad 3 at Hutton Orbital
Emarr, still hungover, opened the box of Bariho Ursine gums bought on Clement Orbital just before departing for H.O.
A note fell unnoticed onto the floor.
Finishing the last few as the Type-6 softly caressed the landing pad, the note was spotted.
“Congratulations on purchasing Bariho's new Healthy Ursine gumsweets.
Still delicious, but now sugar-free.
Side effects may...”
A sudden cold sweat, stomach cramps and tectonic intestinal rumblings, meant that reading on was superfluous. Side effects were happening and with a vengeance promising to be swift, excruciating and unstoppable. They didn't disappoint.
The consequences went far beyond a cabin deep-clean.
_________________________________________________
09 - moose666 - Punishment duty
"So, you're the new guy huh?"
"Yes sir."
"Right, I'm Major Anderson, and I'll be in charge of your kitchen patrol."
"Kitchen patrol?"
"Yea, it's what we call the Hutton patrol, it's been used as a punishment assignment so much, it got named after
the historical nickname for the potato peeling punishment used in armies centuries ago. That reminds me, who
did you cheese off to get this gig?"
"Uhh, General McCreevy."
"Oh her, figures, she's a big proponent of 'do as I say, not as I do', did you call her out on her gin habit?"
"Yes, I did."
_________________________________________________
10 - CMDR Texas Stu - Into The Unknown
Remote, isolated, distant, quiet, reclusive and barren used to describe Hutton Orbital.
On any given day it was rare to see a ship docking.
Sometimes it would be days between ships.
...Until they announced needing scrap for "the mug".
Now there are hundreds and hundreds of ships lined up outside the platform with daily convoys bringing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of scrap and the station is so full of pilots there is rumor of turning the platform into a station!
Will Hutton Orbital ever return to it's deathly quiet lifestyle or will it be changed forever?
Time will tell
_________________________________________________
11 - T.j - HUTTON ORBITAL!!! Was yer ears out son....
'Nope, don't need any animal meat. We've got lumps of it around the back.'
The perpetually confused Kow had surpassed even his levels of bewilderment this time.
'B.b.b.b.but.... what the hell am I going to do with all those?'
A haggis stained finger pointed to his ship that smelled like it had been dug up after a thousand years under a dungheap, The bleating was deafening everyone in a 100 yard radius.
'Took me weeks to get here......'
He removed the clothes-peg from his nose
A small woolly head nuzzled his leg in apparent sympathy.
'Coulda sworn he said Mutton...'
_________________________________________________
12 - Listeri69 - A Charitable Donation...
Narrator: David has been hit emotionally by the mods outbreak in hutton orbital and he and his secretary michelle are taking a tour, David has brought some of his old mugs to hand out to the poor stricken children
David: Ahhh yes and what are you in for little boy
'I have MODS sir, i've had it since i was born'
David: ahhh yes I can see, michelle give me one of the mugs please, and not the one direction one....
Michelle: certainly your majesty
David: MUG!!!
Michelle: Noooooooooooooooo! your not supposed to hit them in the face with them...
_________________________________________________
13 - Missileman - Always Check Your Levels
0.11 light years to go according to the scanner I get up out of the pilots seat to stretch my legs
Hutton Orbital, who even bothered going there in the first place I'd already checked the whole ship no point in doing that again
A cargo bay full of scrap and a fuel-tank...wait I didn't check the fuel....I did refuel...I think...
Running back into the cockpit..check the fuel level... I didn't refuel
oh..Scrap...
Calculating I work out i can reach the station if i dump my load
Cargo-less
And thats when I saw Simoof
_________________________________________________
14 - Galactic Midden - Mug Meet
Hutton's packed concourse had never seen it's like, the galaxy's finest commanders standing cheek by jowl, mugs aloft, their grandest achievement shining gloriously in hand.
Remnants of scrap lay discarded; chaos before rebirth. The humid air smelling faintly of hydrogen drifted between the raised metal receptacles. Gleans of condensate added to the mist of triumph as cold ale collided in celebration.
"Huzzah!" <for thousands of heroes>
"Huzzah!" <for sickness eradicated>
"Huzzah!" <for a community of comrades>
As Hutton Orbital rejoiced it's heroes of toil, it's champions of scrap, not a soul looked smug, for it was all for the MUG!
_________________________________________________
15 - Edith_The_Hutt - Closing Time
Dinh looked through the remains of the overflow bar, it had been a place of madness: Dances, songs, even a game of improvised zero-g darts using certain pirates' wanted posters.
The main bar might still be packed with Commanders come to claim their share of the Hutton Goal but the overflow was no longer needed. This time tomorrow it would be a cargo bay again, filled with racks of gin, precious metals and novelly, mugs.
Soon Hutton Orbital would return to being a quiet backwater. Dinh wondered as she began cleaning: Would her little station see anything like this again?
_________________________________________________
16 - insanephoton - Hutton Love
Mostly it's a quiet station, apart from rare goods traders the main visitors are greenhorn pilots. The rookies either take a bulletin board mission from a neighbouring system or fall for the old practical joke that item x is available at Hutton Orbital. That's how I first went there. I never did get that class 3 gimballed beam laser, I found something better. I found love. Carly works in ship outfitting. We got to talking and one thing led to another and now we're in a relationship. Somehow the journey doesn't seem so long knowing that she's waiting for me.
