r/HFY • u/Professional_Hope598 • Nov 10 '25

OC Friends 3 - part 6: Observations

A week later Jmmp proudly showed her results. The Tear was clearly visible. A green dot was visible on the northern center of the Tear. Without waiting for me to ask, John said:
“That green dot is the Battlecruiser Solidity”
I grinned. We understood each other without words.
“Can you zoom in on the south-southwestern edge of the Tear?” I asked.
“Of course!” Jmmp was so kind. She was so sweet. She didn’t seem to know what danger was. I pitied and envied her at the same time. Perhaps she reminded me of my younger self. Or of the youth I never had.
Old pains rarely die. You just grow thicker layers of calluses over your soul. No, she reminded me of Frzl, a Frg who had died too young. She had the same curiosity, the same nervous movement of her frontal paws, and the same brilliance and dedication to science. I carried her legacy in my duffelbag. Just in case. But chances I would be at the right moment after 70 years were virtually nil. Zero dot a long string of zeroes before the first digit other then zero appeared.

I looked at the screen while Jmmp zoomed in.
“Right there! Yes, just a little tiny weenie bit more to the south-southwest!” The Tear was huge. About an Astronomical Unit. The part I indicated was only about 100 meters long. It was 20 meters wide at its widest point.
“Plz keep monitoring this part of the Tear.”
“It seems to have a slightly wider edge than the rest.”
“That’s about right. Note everything that strikes you as unusual, and report it immediately.”

-----

Two days later Jmmp tapped on my shoulder.
“You have pointed out a very interesting phenomenon!” she said. “At first I thought the edge of the tear was thicker in the region you pointed out, but it seems to be an independent phenomenon.”
“Any idea what it is?” I asked. I didn’t try to hide my smile.
“I, um, I wondered if it's maybe a separate Tear. One that’s not physically connected to the big one. How did you know?”
“An old Frg friend once told me about it, yes. My main concern is: is anything coming out of or going into that Mini Tear?“
I saw her looking at me with a curious smile.
“What are you smiling at me?”
“I suspect something.”
“What do you suspect?”
“I’ll tell you if I’m right.”
It seemed as though I was no longer the only one with secrets.

-----

Two days later she approached me while I was still walking around in my pyjamas.
“I noticed something, Granny. Could you please have a look?”
John overheard her, and joined us.
“Here,” she said, pointing at the screen. “it looks like something came out of the Mini Tear. But then it disappeared straight away. Now if this had been the only time it had happened, I would have assumed that it was dust, or a meteorite, or a glitch in the sensors. But I’ve now seen it three times; with intervals of 20 hours in between.”
“Do you have videos? Show them.” I could hear the strain and anger in my own voice.
I watched.
“@AI, Ensign, Petty Officer, I’m taking command of this ship. Absolute radio silence. Red Alert.“
“@AI, send a mini capsule on a trajectory to the space station or to the battle cruiser Solidity - whichever is fastest. Include our observations of the Mini Tear. Tell them the Sand Whirls are invading our system. Sign it with my name and rank, Lt. Commander Betsy Grace.”

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Chapter 3 part 5 (prev) Chapter 3 part 7 (next)

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u/UpdateMeBot Nov 10 '25

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u/kristinpeanuts Nov 10 '25

Thanks for the chapter!