Thursday 23 July 2020

Orbit

Hello, kids. How’s everyone doing? Mike asked me to send you an update, as I’ve been so quiet. Sorry about that! The truth is, I’ve been getting rather comfortable with solitude. You see, I’m in orbit.

Yes, I decided to hand in my notice and leave the flat. It was a bit of a nightmare getting all my equipment out of the various underground storage vaults I’d managed to build during my tenancy, but I had a little help from an old friend, who turned up in January. Jalaa says hi, by the way: she’s here with me.

We positioned the minicruiser at a high Earth orbit, about 48,800 km out. That’s beyond Geostationary, for those who are interested – which means that the planet rotates faster than we revolve around it, and we see the surface moving to the east. I find that more pleasing, as it just feels right, somehow, despite having to magnify the view to see it more clearly. Low orbits feel hurried and frantic, which isn’t always what I want. Besides, it’s getting a bit busy down there, and we didn’t want to be spotted. Our orbital period is just shy of thirty-six hours, which means we see a nice variety of views of Earth with different lighting conditions from the sun.

Got a pretty nice view of comet NEOWISE from here, too. I’d send a picture, only I can’t because if it fell into the wrong hands it would be evidence that these diary posts are real. C’est la vie.

So in the last few months we’ve been building our own home up here, using transmutation plants and raw material mined from the Moon’s L4 point. By the way, there’s a disused Gorpulonian observation relay there. Not sure why they gave up watching you, but I thought you should know.

If anyone’s wondering whether my exile is due to the pandemic… it isn’t. The chance of that virus having any effect on my biology is effectively zero. It’s not the biological viruses that bother me, it’s the psychological ones. It’s been sad to watch your societies crumble as your minds are led astray by a broken system. I wish I could help, I really do, but you have to find your own way.

If I sound less angry than usual, that’s because I am. I’ve entered a new phase in my life. Jalaa has shown me how to get in touch with my more peaceful side and live in the moment. She’s such an inspiration! For the avoidance of doubt, we’re not a couple, just really good friends. I’ve known her since I took a holiday in Pulchrinima, which is a beautiful planet on the other side of the galaxy. She was running a rehab centre there at the time, and I reckon I wouldn’t be here to write this if it weren’t for her perseverance. I was far too wild in those times, and frankly a bit of a jerk too.

So, there’s my brief update. I may have more to say later on, but I’ll sign off for now. It’s time for our meditation, and the observation bubble’s facing Saturn for the next hour.

Good luck with all your various viruses. Peace.