Friday Flash Fiction: An Obscure Incident Somewhere in Deep Space

An Obscure Incident Somewhere in Deep Space
By Gareth D Jones


It was 17:30 ship time, which followed Galactic Standard time that was in turn based on Greenwich Mean time, though in fact neither the ship nor indeed the crew had ever set foot nor tentacle on Earth, and with the effects of relativistic travel it was probably quite academic anyway, when it happened.

It should be pointed out that this region of space has been noted in the past to have been the location of several other incidents of varying consequence, but whether they are related to the current matter is debatable. At the time most of the crew were engaged in a variety of routine tasks involved in the running of a vessel of that size, while others were off duty and engaged in recreational activities. It is therefore difficult to ascertain how many of them became aware of the impending crisis and how quickly this awareness overcame them.

The immediate actions taken by officers on duty, the records kept by the ships computer and subsequent investigations all agree on one point. If it were not for the skill and quick reactions of those crewmembers that dealt with the incident, it is likely that the consequences would have been entirely different.


The End

The opening, rambling sentence to this story was inspired by the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, while the rest of the rather sketchy plot was inspired by the Vague News that featured on Radio 1's Mark & Lard show (the best show on the radio ever) several years back.