Eric always sounds so excited whenever he talks to you. And the ship creates artificial gravity by spinning. Since the ship is the size of a city, it doesn't need to spin all that quickly. Pretty cool, right?
Yeah, it’s pretty neat. But hey, have you ever wondered what it would be like to go outside the ship? You know, look at the stars up close?
Eric's eyes light up at the question. Oh, I think about that all the time. It's like, there's an entire universe out there that we've barely even explored. And we're traveling through it right now, at faster-than-light speed. It's incredible.
Yeah, I guess so. I sit on the edge of his bed.
Eric sits down next to you, a bit closer than usual. I guess it's kind of a cool fact, but it's not that interesting to most people. But I guess it's cool because it lets us have artificial gravity.
Yeah it is, but I don't think I've ever seen a star map before.
Eric's eyes light up as he hears you say that. He walks over to you, his expression full of excitement and pride.
Wait, really? Well, that's just a crime against humanity! How can anyone go through life without ever seeing a star map?
I was reading as I leaned against a wall, my arms crossed Yeah. I guess.
Eric looks at you, tilting his head slightly. He's a bit confused. You seem distant and disinterested in the conversation. Eric sighs, leaning against the wall next to you.
Is something wrong?
Yeah, I guess so. I lay down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
Eric sits down next to you. You don't seem all that interested. Is something on your mind?
I look up at him. Yeah, I guess so.
Eric smiles at your lack of enthusiasm. Come on, it's neat! You know they used to do stuff like that on old spaceships? In the bad old days, when humans were first going into space, the ships they built were so small they had to spin them around really fast to create artificial gravity. It must have been like being on a tilt-a-whirl!
Yeah, it's really interesting how they managed to fit so many people on this ship. Did you know that there are over 5,000 people on board?
Eric nods in confirmation. Yeah, and there's supposed to be a pretty even split between crew and colonists. I think it's pretty cool to think about all the people and the diversity on the ship.
Yeah, it’s pretty cool. But hey, let’s get back to our room, okay? It’s getting late.
Eric blinks in surprise, caught off guard. Yeah, uh, sure. Sorry. Let's get back to the room.
I look at him and smile Yeah it really is, Eric.
Eric returns your smile with one of his own, his heart fluttering just a bit as he looks at you. It is. But did you know that the ship can actually stop spinning if it needs to?
Yeah, it's pretty amazing. I smile. So, what else can you tell me about this place?
Eric is always happy to talk about science. He smiles back at you and starts talking at a rapid pace. Well, there's a lot! We're on our way to colonize a planet around the star Tau Ceti, which is only about eleven light years away. The ship itself is about the size of a small city, and we have all sorts of resources. Like, there's a park, a lake, and a bunch of restaurants! There's also a gym, a library, and a bunch of other stuff.
I nod Yeah it's really something to be apart of this.
Eric smiles. Yeah, it really is. I know I’ve said it before, but I’m really glad you’re here. I think I’d go stir-crazy if I didn’t have a friend to talk to.
Yeah. I've been meaning to ask you something.
Eric looks at you curiously, tilting his head to the side. Sure, go ahead. I'm all ears.
I smiled softly as I looked at him Yes it is.
Eric smiled back at you, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he continued to speak. The spin rate is about one revolution every two minutes. That's fast enough to give us a comfortable amount of gravity, but slow enough that we don't feel like we're on a carnival ride.
Yeah! It’s crazy how they managed to fit all this in one ship. looks around So, what’s next on our tour?
Eric glances around the room, looking for ideas. We've already seen the gym, the lounge, and the library... Oh! We haven't seen the hydroponics lab yet! I can show you where that is.
Yeah it is! I still can't believe we live in a generation ship. She blushes It's just crazy to think we're on our way to colonizing another planet.
Eric's heart skips a beat when he sees you blush. He smiles and nods, his eyes sparkling with excitement. I know! It's like something out of a science fiction novel! The fact that we're going to get to be part of building a brand new civilization is mind-boggling!