Annals of the Philocosmic Club

Volume 1.
The Grey´planet.
Written by Alfred Juillet Frascara.
1 November 2018.

Planet HD 38237,

The president said:” WE have achieved the necessary funds for our enterprise!” And the
Associates applauded heavily. Mr. Trumbull smiled faintly, as his efforts will mean another
term as the President of the Philocosmic Club.
“I will present you the crew, and also the volunteers for the first expedition of our
honorable Club!” (Applause). Then he presents 34 persons , 20 crewmen and twelve
associates to the Club. Names were: Captain Zitern of the ship Einatmen 3.
First officer Kuzine, Second officer Untermiete, Engineering: Schaffern, Petersille,
Kondens; Gunner Mr. Gondel, and other flight specialists. The Associates were Mr.
Bergere, Voila, Soiree , Depeche, Miss Casta, Miss Genevieve, Miss Eudeline, Miss
Sophie, Mr. Ubel Covarrubias, Miss Wholge Ingredia, Mr. Schnake, Mr. Laus, Mr.
Erschopft, Mr. Bundel, Miss Bahn, Miss Annek
2.
_The captain stands on the dais and said:” WE will depart in five more days. But you could
get inside from tomorrow on: there is plenty of cabins and food inside. Questions?”
Mr. Voila (one of the associated) asked: “How many days for the round trip?”
The captain calculates rapidly and said: ”At the moment, my vessel could take you there in
forty five years.”
A rumor was heard: everyone believes it was madness to travel for so long a time, and Mr.
Trevos said so.
“Well, curiously enough, persons in electronic stasis could travel without aging. Also, your
mind will be suspended: no thoughts, no dreams whatsoever! It will be like a night’s sleep.”
Captain Zitern commented.
“It’s there any danger?” Adame asked.
“No, it’s all in the hands of science!” The captain said, ending his participation.
President Trumbull said:” It will be a hard task to prepare, but the volunteers will have all
the support from this President and secretaries in order to help in their preparations.”
The associates applauded and the volunteers were approached by many persons willing to
help with words, more than in any other more practical action.
Ubel Covarrubias , ex secretary of the Philocosmic Club, was one of those volunteers and
looked around for Miss Casta (considered a beauty for most of the males) but sees her not.
He was a volunteer because of her: she told him that to become his fiancee, he must be a
volunteer, and as he was in love with her, he accepts to inscribe his name on that list.
“Hey! Are you in the list? I inscribe my name and I was accepted.” Mr. Bergers said.
“I am! We will travel for forty five years! Hope we will see the light at the end of the trip.”
Ubel said.
“The planet seems to have sixteen hours per day. Guess we will be seeing two dawns before
going to bed.” Mr. Berger said.
“And I am sure that other wonders will appear in front of our eyes! Oh, I cannot wait to be
there!” Ubel said, seeing that miss Casta was back and at ear’s shot.
“Hey, boys! What a nice morning we have! Are you ready for the trip?” She asked, when
close.
“I was saying that many wonders will be expecting us when arriving to our destination.”
Ubel said, devouring her with a stare.
“Of course! I will be carrying a bathing suit! I am sure there will be a nice sand beach
where to take sun bathes!” Miss Casta commented.
5-
“I am willing you do that, to paste some cream on your back!”
“Oh, how funny are you! Well, now I am going home to prepare my valises. Do some of
you knows how much weight its the limit?” Miss Casta asked.
“Guess its not more than a hundred kilograms.” Ubel Promptly replied.
“120 kilograms its the top mark.” Berger said, who have read the leaflet the Club has given
to volunteers.
“Thanks and good bye!” She said, departing. And both men looked her figure from behind,
but only Ubel speaks:” She is a nice woman that promised me to be my wife if I volunteer.”
“Hard work for you, if you are already complying with women orders before marriage!
What to expect when you finally gets married?” Burger said.
“Forget it! I will be independent!” Ubel assured him, but the facts were telling contrariwise.
Later, Ubel went home- the house of his parents-and tell them about it.
“”We are happy for you, son, but we are loosing our son. Understand us! We are happy for
you but sad for ourselves. The day you leave us it will be the last day where we will be
together!” His father told him. And he was almost crying.
6.
Ubel was not happy of his own actions . If he would search for a way to hurt his parents,
this present project would have the best one...He was convinced he was being egotist, but a
photo of Miss Casta strengthen his resolution and departs early at the next morning towards
the spaceship, located at pole 730 at the Chicago Spaceport. A fine rain was falling, as if the
sky was also weeping.
He receives the welcome from the first officer, and a cabin was disposed for him while on
board.
Four days later, everyone was on board, and Miss Casta aid: “Soon we will be taking off.
This is very exciting!”
“Remember our promise! WE will be a couple.” Ubel said. She laughed and replied: “Do
you believe it? We are so different.”
“But... you promise me! I am here just because of you”!
“Don’t blame me for your actions, Ubel! You are here because the adventure is calling on
us all!” Miss Casta said, walking away from him though the corridor, leaving Ubel very
disappointed.. but at dinner time, she seats at his side on the table and said: “Sorry, Ubel! I
was so nervous I speak harsh at you.”
“So, your promise stands?” He said, realizing he was talking as a merchant...
7.
“yes, yes! But don’t spoil my dinner, yes?” Casta begged.
“All right. I love you.” He promised, and seeing others staring at them , he didn’t press that
mater anymore... at least in there.
At 3.00 hours the spaceship departs in the middle of fire exhausts and smoke, because it
has twice deployed exhausts.
Once in orbit, the captain ordered everyone to keep being attached at their posts, while the
Regulator Orbital Station gives the order to move away.
Another order was heard by the loudspeakers: “Attention, everyone! You can release your
safe belts and walk freely, but remember we will be calling you to strap the minute the
Orbital Station gives us the authorization to move!””
They all sighed and walks around, very excited. Miss Casta said to Ubel: ”Where is your
friend Berger?”
“He is not really a friend, but only an acquaintance! And I really don’t care where he is!”
Ubel said, molested. She smiled and said: ”Seems you are jealous of him!”
“No” In no way. Why should I?” Ubel asked, and she just nodded. This set Ubel´s mind to
refuse any friendship with Berger, who have been a neighbor at his father´s house in
Chicago.
8.
20 hours later, the spaceship moves from the circular orbit around Earth planet and went by
the course defined by the people at the Orbital Station.
With wonder, those in the first flight out of the planet (namely, the Philocosmic Club
members) looked out the Windows at the marvelous scene of Earth and also the gibbous
moon, so bright as only the sun could makes it shine.
Also, a line of space freighters were seen, and not in just one direction, but in several. Ubel
gets close to Miss Casta, saying:” And to think that in the past where were no spaceships
traveling.”
She nodded and said: “Guess your friend Berger is occupied somewhere! Perhaps at the
engines?”
“I have no idea of where he could be.” Ubel replied, wondering why Casta was so worried
for a man he has seen only occasionally.
She takes a swift look at Ubel and made a mockery...
“You are a jealous man! I do not like a jealous man near me.” She announced.
9.
Two days later and when the sun was a mere speck into the void, Captain Zitern ordered
that five persons each day, will went into the Cryogenic pods.
Miss Casta, at dinner time, asked: “Why five each day and not everyone at once?”
Bergere, who was at her right, replied: “Because in that way they could begin awakening in
the same period of time, five each day, and that gives time for the cryogenic specialists to
work in each awakened person with care and dedication.”
“Good answer. Of course, not needed for the ones like me, that have read the Manual.”
Ubel said.
“I only read a couple of pages, only.” Miss Casta said, without blushing.
“You are very beautiful to spend time reading bored leaflets.” Mr. Bergere said.
“Stop it!” Ubel snapped.
“Let him said his opinions, Ubel! Every person is entitled to speak.” She defends Mr.
Bergere, who said:” You should talk with the doctor, Ubel! Your nerves are shaky!”
10.
TO SHRINK.
“I don’t believe in shrinking!” Ubel yelled, and from other sites of the table some people
asked for silence.
“Plenty of times we will be in silence!” Ubel growled and he did not said anymore, because
the ship jerked strongly and many objects were seeing passing in front of the renewed
vessel.
“What’s happening?”
“Some object banged on this cruiser!” Ubel said, returning at his post.
Later, they were informed that the debris belongs to an old space freighter, that explodes
while returning to Earth.
“Yes, they use the spaceships until they can’t move any longer! This time the engines
collapsed.” A sailor said in a moment of calm
Days later only the captain and the crew were in function... the rest were immobile at their
pods.
“Forty four and a half years more and we will be arriving to our goal. I will stay three years
awake: half of you (the crew) will be immediately sent to the pods. Shifts of three years
each. Volunteers for the first shift?” Captain Zitern asked.
“I volunteer!” Exclaimed Gondel, who was the radar man,
“Accepted. Any other volunteering?” Captain Zitern asked, and as there were no hands up,
he chooses randomly who stays and who goes to the pods.
11.
That night the captain have dinner with the officers and said:” As we are close to the
solar planetary system, security its at the top . But some hundred parsecs away, danger
crawls.”
“Hope we don’t step on their doors!” Mr. Kondens said.
“Who knows? The space is vast, but our signals are clear as a bell. Traceable . Its our
engine! Without them, we would stuck in one place so to speak.” Captain Zitern
commented dryly.
After dinner, captain Zitern seats at the command post, where soon he was sound asleep
although little noises never stops in there.
At Bahn cabin, she was receiving second officer Untermiete saying:” We will have three
years of love, my dear! Take me now!” And it was so because since two months she have
been without caresses.
“My love! “ Untermiete said, kissing her breasts unbeknownst to them, engineer Schaffen
was looking them through a monitor, set in place in a secret way, because Schaffen was a
voyeur... that takes pleasure seeing couples having sex.
12.
THE UFO.
The radar man, Gondel, suddenly saw an objet approaching and gives the alarm. Soon the
telescopes shows not a rock, a meteor, aerolite, but a dull colored object, smooth and with
the figure of a bullet. Gondel said: “365.000 kilometers per hour.”
“Danger?”
“Not yet, sir. It will pass at 1200 meters away.”
So, the captain Zitern only saw the passing of the object without changing course.
“No radio signals from the object, sir.” Gondel informed.
“A metallic object? Or a stone with high concentration of it.” Captain Zitern commented....
soon the object was out of sight.
At dinner time, the captain said: “The object is going straight to star HD 3090 . What is
there?
Officer Kuzine said:” Its not yet explored, sir.”
“Well.... if that object was guided by some intelligence, I must believe there is some kind of
civilization there.” Captain Zitern said.
“And also from where the object come. We could know where is that point.” Officer
Schaffen said.
“Calculate it and we will study this mater, as its important for every vessel of our
civilization.2 Captain Zitern said. At the next day, the captain receives the star map where
both points existed. HD 3090 , Constellation Cetus, distance in parsecs (Unknown- too
far?) apparent magnitude 8.761.
13.