Ever Wonder …
… about Snowflakes?
“Commander! Is the fleet prepared for the invasion?”
“Yes, Admiral Walter. Ready and prepared.”
“Then, give the order – it begins now!” announced the Admiral.
Triillions of billions of Starfleet craft were ready, waiting in the cover of clouds to begin their terran onslaught. Each craft contained three crewmembers: a captain in command, a navigator and a communications officer.
The massive fleet was brought together days ago in what seemed to be an amorphous vapor. With proper conditioning the crystalline ships formed, then staffed. No one craft was alike. However, all did have two things in common: their color and geometric shapes. After millennia of experience scientists from the home world discovered that a six-sided craft was the best. It was both efficient and resilient. It could sustain the tremendous buffeting to which it would be exposed.
Finally, after months of preparation, the invasion was ready. Captain Julie Zorg paced her craft as it hovered just a few thousand feet above the ground. “It’s a strange land,” she observed to her communications officer, Lieutenant Steve Clon.
“We’ve not been outside of our ‘manufacture’ zone; this vaporous substance. Anything would seem strange, Captain.”
Julie Zorg nodded her agreement but continued pacing. All instruments pointed to peak conditions coming together at the right time. Julie rolled over the facts in her mind: this is the perfect trifecta: temperature, winds and moisture. Looking out of the white, crystalline craft Julie could see that trillions of other star flakes were ready for the terran invasion.
Julie picked up the communication’s microphone and clicked the talk button, “Crew members of the 3rd Zarg squad,” she announced calling attention to the 27 other ships under her immediate command. She continued, “We are poised on the greatest adventure of our lifetimes. Below us, just beyond the cover of our manufacture vapor is the 3rd planet from the star known as ‘Sol’. Our combined mission, and I am referring to a total force of 67,889,443,990,888,554,332,777,564,322,009 ships working in unison for a common purpose. We’ll descend in squads of 27. I want all of us to be proud of what we accomplish today. What we do today will both enrich the life of the planet below us and assure our fame for future generations.”
A resounding cheer went up inside the small craft’s enclosure. The feeling was palpable, the same cheer rose from the other 67,889,443,990,888,554,332,777,564,322,008 ships of the line.
“Launch! All launch!” came the metallic sounding commanded issued from the admiral’s star command vessel.
Winds swirled as the myriad of nano-impulse drives swung into action. A blur of what appeared to be random wanderings of flight belied the tactical beauty of the beginning.
“Helen … the Weather Channel says there’s a low pressure system moving up from the southwest, dragging along a ton of Gulf moisture. If it combines with the cold temperatures up here in Brainerd, Minnesota, we might have quite a whoopen-socker of a snowstorm, don’t cha know!”
“What Harold?”
“It might snow.”
“Oh, why didn’t you say that in the first place instead of tryin’ to sound like some kinda big city weatherman?”
Harold shrugged, went to the front door and set out the snow shovel. Strategically, he placed it close to the stoop --- all to be better prepared for the coming white invasion!
Captain Julie’s craft along with the 67,889,443,990,888,554,332,777,564,322,009 others launched successfully. They had multiple missions: cause a little havoc in this small city, brighten a winter-wondrous night and, most importantly, replenish the planet’s water supply.
A fringe benefit of the invasion made two little boys’ lives a little happier. Their craft became a cornerstone this year’s best snow fort on North 12th Street.
