There Be Whales!
Posted on Wed Nov 11th, 2026 @ 11:05pm by Commander Donald ‘Don’ Key
Edited on on Wed Nov 11th, 2026 @ 11:07pm
299 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Two For the Price of One
Location: USS Albion
Timeline: Present
{Cetacean Ops}
Sural: ::Bringing up various whale species on the console:: “As suspected, the Probe's transmissions are the songs sung by whales.
Sprague 3000: “Whales?”
Sural: “Specifically, Humpback Whales.”
Sprague 3000: “That's crazy! Who would send a probe hundreds of light years to talk to a whale?
Key: “… It's possible. Whales were on Earth far earlier than man...”
Sural: “10 million years earlier. Humpbacks were heavily hunted by Man. They have been extinct since the 21st Century... It is possible that an alien intelligence sent the probe to determine why they lost contact.”
Sprague 3000: “... My God...”
Sprague: “Sural, could the Humpback's answer to this call be simulated?”
Sural: “The sounds, but not the language. We would be responding in gibberish.”
Key: “Is there any other planet where this species exists?”
Sural: “The Humpback was indigenous to Earth. Earth of the past.”
Sprague: “That leaves us no choice. We must destroy the probe before it destroys Earth.”
Sural: “That would be futile. The probe would neutralize us easily.”
Sprague 3000: “But we can't turn away! Is there no alternative?”
Sural: “There is one, but I cannot guarantee its success. We could attempt to find some Humpback Whales.”
Sprague 3000: “You just said there aren't any, except on Earth of the past.
Sural: “That is what I said.”
Sprague 3000: “Then how…” ::He trails off, seeing Sprague in deep in thought:: “Now wait just a damn minute…”
Sprague: “Sural, start your computations for… time warp.”
Key: “Time warp? Is this where I break out in song?”
Sural: ::Raises an eyebrow::
Key: “So, we’re really Voyaging Home this situation, huh?”
Sprague: “Absolutely.”
Key: ::Sighs:: “Count me in I suppose. I always wanted to excitedly exclaim ‘there be whales!’ or ‘double dumbass on you!’ really loudly anyway.”
:OFF:
Commander Donald ‘Don’ Key
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Albion
RSS Feed