We live in different times…

Hi, this entry is designed to accompany and act as an introduction to Earthsister, chapter five of my saga. So, if you’re just joining me, please read chapters one to four, to avoid confusion…

In this chapter I wanted to confront two issues:

The impact of relativity on an undertaking like the Mission. Alpha 5 is 4.37 light years from home, and given that (in my Universe, at least), there is no possibility of faster than light travel, the colonists and home are effectively in two different time frames, separated by those 4.37 years!

Secondly, I wanted to dramatise how someone in the unique position of Marta would be socialized, and find out about where she came from… It’s also a good way to sneak a peek at how things are on Earth, needless to say!

The interstellar pen pal arrangement Marta has with her ‘Earthsister’, Miss da Guia, is also more than just a convenient dramatic device, as you’ll find out if you stick with the story.

The relationship here is very much ingenue and worldly wise older woman, inevitably considering the circumstances of Marta’s conception and upbringing; but the Mission Planners clearly know this and have built it into Marta’s education, as they don’t just want a competent scientist and explorer, they want a fully-rounded human being.

Hence our heroine has to learn ‘girl stuff’ as well as science…

If this all sounds a bit Space Family Robinson at the moment, don’t despair! Other darker themes will emerge in due course…

The above is not all this chapter is about, naturally… Our heroine gets into more scrapes and learns some more life lessons, and we learn a bit more about the planet and its inhabitants…

‘Til next time…