Written to Thursday, Jan 16th’s Thimbleful Thursday Prompt, Do the Honors
At the top limit of the wordcount, 320-330 words. 🙂 (depending on the counter)
🎖️
“Do you want to do the honors?” Saliked bowed playfully to Viytoj. “Or shall I?”
“I really think…” Viytoj shifted back and forth. “I really think this is a bad idea. It’s – do you know how many things can go wrong with something like this?”
“Viyiy, it was your idea!” Saliked huffed. “You said it. You developed it. You named it, you even found this place.”
“I did that because I thought you were just trying to see if I’d do it! I mean, I thought – I didn’t think you’d – really?” Viytoj stared at the Viewscreen. “Really?”
“Come on. What is the absolute worst that can happen?”
“The absolute worst? We trigger a world war down there that wipes out 99% of their population and, while they’re at it, kills us!”
“That’s, ah, that’s, way to go on the pessimism, buddy.” Saliked took a moment to regroup. “All right, what’s the worst likely thing that could happen?”
“They bomb us out of the sky? That’s admittedly only got a 1 in one thousand chance of happening with what we know of their current technology.” Viytoj was bending. Slowly.
Saliked pressed. “Is it even against Galactic Law?”
“Well, not yet, because nobody’s thought to do something like this…”
“Then let’s do it! Come on, push the button, Viyiy. We came this far, and it will be the best prank in all of their history!”
Viytoj sighed. “I… this could go so poorly.”
“But it only has a one in a thousand chance of going horribly!” Saliked grinned widely. The grin always worked.
Viytoj pushed the button. Tiny rockets shot from their ship, hundreds of them. For every 10 degrees of latitude and longitude where there was land, a rocket would fall apart well above the treeline and drop, with a small parachute, a notice. More of a certificate, honestly.
The rest of the galaxy honors you,
the third planet around your star
For reaching intra-stellar travel
Welcome to the Galaxy!
Want more?
