shrikant
Synopsis
As part of a hush-hush project, a prototype starship has been designed with a view to explore space and colonize earth-like planets. The economics involved allow mass-production of such starships but none of the tests have returned a result satisfactory enough to warrant mass-production.
On the one hand, these ships will hopefully pave way for the human race to extend their frontiers and ameliorate the burdens caused by the ever-increasing population of earth. On the other hand, none of the tests have confirmed satisfactorily if the starship can carry humans safely across space and back - simply because none of the previous test-prototypes have been able to make their way back.
After a lengthy discourse, a group of juvenile delinquents (selected carefully from across the world) has been chosen as the crew for the first-ever, 'pilot' human-run. "Nobody will miss these delinquents. Moreover, they aren't contributing much to society anyway," is how the Commander-in-Chief sees it.
This 'Untitled Manuscript' follows the Starship N.E.W. (short for New Earth-like World) as it carries JD, Ramanna, D, Adriana, Bugster and Steele across the uncharted vacuums of space and brings them face-to-face with perils they never signed up for - especially after they almost succeed in their mission.
Almost.
Excerpt
I wonder if I should open my eyes.
Then again, if I can form thoughts as coherent as this one, chances are that I am alive. Or, I am dead and this is my spirit talking. Can spirits talk? Do they have mouths and vocal cords? Or is it all a figment of my imagination? Do spirits have imaginations? I doubt that very much since imagination resides in the brain and spirits are supposed to be fleshless entities.
Yes, I am rambling because I am too scared to open my eyes.
What am I afraid of? Well, I am afraid that if I open my eyes (or whatever is the equivalent in the spirit-world) I might not like what I see.
Then again, if I can form coherent thoughts it can't be too bad, right? After all, we are merely products of thoughts. Perceptions in minds - our own as well as in the minds of those around us. Everyone is only as real as the other person believes them to be, right?
Alright, I am getting way too Zen for my own comfort so I am just gonna open my eyes.
Just like that.
One.
Two.
Thr-
Whoa.
