It had been years since ze had been seen last, though not nearly as long as had been estimated, wagered or theorised. When a derelict, cobbled together ship limped into The Blackstump research station. it had seemed to come from come from beyond what was known and explored space, and from the entirely the wrong direction from which the occupant was last seen.
The Return of Andi the Undying
https://steemit.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-02156-e327-they-ll-be-back -- Adam in Darwin
The ship was limping along through space. Parts of it were bleeding smoky atmosphere, and the rest of it looked like it had been hurriedly patched together out of at least ten different vessels. It was, as Humans were wont to say, one good sneeze away from falling apart altogether.
According to all sensors, it had come from the relatively nearby Galactic Core. In fact, they had traced it exiting at high velocity and gradually slowing as it used both velocity engines and gravity slingshot maneuvers to escape from the enormous gravity well from whence they had came. As soon as visual confirmation of the vessel's identity was possible, the configuration didn't match any recent records. More alarming, it didn't easily match any historical records.
Naturally, the people at Blackstump Research Station attempted every known means of communication, including flashing lights and semaphore. The reply came in through standard comms. The voiceprint was of a cogniscent identified as deceased with a question mark. Human Andi, better known as Andi the undying.
They said, "Bet y'all thought you saw the last of me, eh?" in a cheerful voice.
The message went out across Alliance space, which had expanded in the years since Andi was last seen alive. The reaction was both universal and slightly panicked. Just about every cogniscent who received the message passed it on with the reaction, Oh [excrement], we are in trouble now.
Honestly, the people in Blackstump Station had a similar reaction. Tug ships and techies were sent to the hulk to tow it the rest of the way to port, fix what was clearly broken, and ascertain the relative health of the Human known to the Alliance as Andi the Undying.
They were, in Human terms, relatively unscathed. In this case, there were several burns to the second degree, one broken bone in the phalanges and several contusions that were still leaking. "Only" one of these required medical intervention to make it stop.
Human Andi was apparently seventy-two, having spent two relative years in slowed time thanks to the semi-elaborate flight skimming the event horizons of not one but five different black holes. "Repairing the ship was a real bitch, especially EVA. I had to rotate the whole mess so I'd be topside relative to the well I was over and tether with Clarke-grade cable[1] just to patch anything that fell off. Good thing I had a whole bunch of spare parts towing along."
There was evidence in full that Human Andi was telling the truth, from the parts remaining of the ship to the adjusted Hungry Caterpillar to the bodged-together omni-printer that could do food and parts as necessary - so long as one cleaned the nozzles out first.
"Made that mistake a coupl'a times," cheered Andi. "Lucky I wasn't poisoned three times. Hell, lucky I still got all my original teeth."
According to records, Andi had been lucky on the last count fifty-seven times. "Congratulations, sir," said the trembling Medik attending their wounds. "You're the first unaugmented Human to live over two hundred years. Technically."
Human Andi greeted that with raucous laughter. "Well if that ain't a beat-all," they cheered. I've nearly flakking died twenty-five times and I'm over two hundred years old. What a flakkin' resume..."
By all reports, Andi was cleared, given a new ship and some remedial education. They reportedly headed off to the most recent Edge Territories to familiarise themselves with "the state of things in the wilderness," and presumably begin again where they left off.
The opposing polities on the other side of the Edge were cautiously agreeable for the next fifty years, just in case Human Andi turned up.
[1] The kind of cable used in space elevators as made popular by science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. As you might guess, it is very, very strong.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / AlgolOnline]
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