{"id":5674,"date":"2013-09-20T01:00:54","date_gmt":"2013-09-20T05:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allandouglas.com\/blog\/?p=5674"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:40","slug":"wallenius-star-cow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wallenius-star-cow\/","title":{"rendered":"Wallenius and the Star Cow"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"science<\/a>
The above picture is by Oscar Cafaro. This and many more examples of his work can be found on the Concept Ships web site (just click the picture). Seeing this picture sparked the following brain spill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those who know me, know that I normally spurn fanciful, impractical space ship designs in my work.\u00a0 However, when I saw the picture above, it made me laugh: Wallenius, Greenpeace, a ship in space… and sent me off on a flight of fancy that spawned this brain spill, which has since morphed into a full short story.\u00a0 That story will be included in a collection of stories I’m working on.\u00a0 I may not be able to use this piece of art work in that book, but it should be OK here.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Wallenius arrived on-site 4 days after she received a deep space radiogram relayed to her by Greenpeace central.\u00a0 The radiogram had been sent by a private yacht that had noticed a star cow had gotten tangled in a deep space communications array and could not extricate herself.<\/p>\n

As the ship approached the array, Steve Preston worked the paddles that controlled the twin searchlights mounted in the ship\u2019s bow, playing their beams along the massive array.\u00a0 It took several minutes to locate the creature.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere she is.\u00a0 Five points up and 12 starboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

The helmsman adjusted course and the Wallenius slowly vectored in as they drew nearer to the array.<\/p>\n

Janus stood beside Steve as they watched out the forward ports.\u00a0 Captain Andersen sat in the big chair in the center of the bridge, watching everything but saying nothing for the moment.\u00a0 The crew was trained to do this work, he trusted them to do their jobs.<\/p>\n

Janus had chosen to wear her usual outfit of sandals, denim shorts and a too-tight tank top with a scoop neckline.\u00a0 Steve was having trouble keeping his eyes on his work with her standing so close.\u00a0 Her figure was a perfect blend of athletic and curvaceous.\u00a0 Topped with the face of an angel, framed in an ebony mane, he found her quite irresistible.\u00a0 Always had. \u00a0Which is what led to their becoming lovers \u2013 and what led to their breakup when his jealous side flared.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, that\u2019s a star cow.\u201d Janus breathed\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Her awed comment startled Steve a little; he thought sure she would have seen one before.\u00a0 Then he remembered that most of her time was spent back on the sector station, her time on a ship was limited.\u00a0 He had seen three; including this one.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep. Not much to look at; they remind me of huge terrestrial slugs, but they\u2019re amazing creatures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiving creatures that can survive and travel in the vacuum of space \u2013 I should say they\u2019re amazing! It\u2019s too bad we don\u2019t know more about them: how they survive, how they move\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well getting too personal with them has always proven fatal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMmmm.\u201d She nodded. \u201cHow old do you think this one is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks to be 50, 60 feet; that would make it an adolescent.\u00a0 They get to be a hundred feet or better when mature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several slits opened in the creatures more pointed end and began to glow a reddish color.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s spooked!\u201d Yelled Steve.<\/p>\n

Andersen instructed, \u201cReverse grav-thrusters.\u00a0 Bring us to a stop relative to the array, then back us off just a little and hold position.\u00a0 Let her know we mean her no harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janus squinted through the windows, looking intently at the creature. \u201cHow can you tell it\u2019s a female?\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve answered, \u201cThey\u2019re all female to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janus\u2019 eyebrows rose and she took on the \u2018I don\u2019t believe you just said that.\u201d look that Steve knew all too well.\u00a0 Clearly an explanation was required.\u00a0 He quickly considered the information he knew about them: They were normally timid, displaying none of the tendencies associated with \u2018male\u2019 behaviors for nearly all terrestrial species: defensive aggression and territorialism.\u00a0 One reason they were named Star cows, not Star bulls or Star beasts.\u00a0 One had been observed giving birth \u2013 generally a female trait, but none had been observed mating, so it was not known if there were multiple sexes.<\/p>\n

Steve\u2019s reverie took too long and Janus drew in breath to launch a verbal attack, but was forestalled by Captain Andersen, \u201cMs. Pellatrius, among those who serve aboard these ships, men outnumber women by a factor of over twenty to one.\u00a0 Therefore, we tend to confer female traits, upon anything we can, including our ships, asteroids and these creatures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janus was from the central agency not a member of Andersen\u2019s crew, but Steve knew that GP Central makes it clear to all observers and temporary crew that while aboard, the ship’s Captain is the ultimate authority. \u00a0Janus laid her indignation aside and returned to watching out the window.\u00a0 Steve smiled just a little, he knew how much Janis enjoyed arguing. \u00a0Another time perhaps.<\/p>\n

Andersen pressed the coms key and ordered, \u201cHave EV team one suit up and stand by.\u201d\u00a0 Then to Steve, \u201cMister Preston, are we close enough to determine the nature of the creatures problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve was already lifting the binoculars to his eyes.\u00a0 He studied the creature in the glow of the twin searchlight beams.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe must have hit the array with quite a bit of force, Sir, she\u2019s wedged tight in between two elements and it looks like she broke another.\u00a0 I think she\u2019s been punctured by that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

A gasp when around the room.\u00a0 That\u2019s a new wrinkle: no one has seen a Star cow\u2019s skin be broken before.<\/p>\n

Anderson mashed the coms key again, \u201cEV team one, take a photographer and equipment with you, we have something new to add to the records.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janus spun around, \u201cCaptain Andersen, I am a very good photographer as well as being an exobiologist, I really think I should go out with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve too turned and looked at Andersen.\u00a0 He could see the thoughts behind Andersen\u2019s eyes: \u00a0Janus is an observer, a VIP; if anything happened to her there would be hell to pay.\u00a0 On the other hand, she is well qualified, perhaps better qualified than the ship\u2019s science officer.\u00a0 Her biology specialty may be useful.\u00a0 He sucked in a large breath and let it out again. \u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mashed the coms key once again, \u201cTeam one, your photographer is en route.\u00a0 Take good care of her.\u201d\u00a0 Then over his shoulder, \u201cMacElroy, please see Ms. Pellatrius to the EV room.\u201d<\/p>\n

A young fellow with flame red hair, a steward, stepped up from the back of the bridge and motioned politely toward the door, \u201cThis way, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve caught Janus\u2019 arm, \u201cYou be careful out there, we don\u2019t know much about these creatures.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, patted his hand, then removed it from her arm, \u201cMaybe I can change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve sucked in a breath and brought his hands up to pursue the point, but Janus smiled, turned and quickly left the bridge with MacElroy in tow.<\/p>\n

~\/*_*\\~<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those who know me, know that I normally spurn fanciful, impractical space ship designs in my work.  However, when I saw the picture above, it made me laugh: Wallenius, Greenpeace, a ship in space… and sent me off on a flight of fancy that spawned this brain spill, which has since morphed into a full … Continue reading “Wallenius and the Star Cow”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[43,13],"class_list":["post-5674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creative","tag-brain-spill","tag-scifi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5674"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21091,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5674\/revisions\/21091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}