The Whale's Song

 

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Part One. An Unwearying Holiday.

By Peter Van Werkhoven

A 2016 National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Story

 

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Chapter One. The Whale's Song

Chapter One. The Whale's Song

 

The Whale’s Song* rumbled and reverberated silently through the silky black, vast and unaccountable, long and peaceful area of space just outside the planet Jupiter.

 

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*The Whale’s Song. A Class 4 Cruise Liner. Decommissioned in the 42nd century. In size, the Whale’s Song is easily double the width of two Titanic’s, plus another two on either side. This makes the ship roughly the size of 6 Titanic’s in two rows of three.

Class 4 cruise liners were known for their slow, steady speeds, glass bottoms for staring longingly into space, open space decks for evening dances, cramped quarters, and, most importantly, for running tours that no one could afford to go on to places no one wanted to go to^.

In the 41st century, after failing its safety examinations and for poor income, the Board of Interesting Cruise Course Liner Encorporated (BICCLE for short) came up with the decision to decommission the Whale’s Song.

As per the service arrangements of the contracts of the crew and personnel, all signed in their contracts to leave their homes and make The Whale’s Song their new, and permanent home. When BICCLE announced the retirement of The Whale’s Song and the dismissals of its crew and personnel, Captain Otua Rood, Captain of The Whale’s Song, approached BICCLE and requested approval for herself and her crew to stay on the ship, and to continue orbiting around Jupiter.

One large court case later, in which Otua Rood and the personnel of the Whale’s Song sued BICCLE for breaking their contract and attempting to dismiss the from their homes, Otua Rood bought the Whale’s Song and, along with her crew, patched up what little problems had to be fixed on board, and started her own touring company.

Now stuck in orbit around Jupiter, as per the lines in their contract that allowed them to only win the Whale’s Song if they kept it in BICCLE jurisdiction, Otua Rood offers a home and a sight tour of Jupiter to anyone who wishes it. And can pay. Of course.

 

^This was largely due to poor management and in no way reflected the personal ideas or views of crew or passengers.

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Chapter Two. Introducing Oscar

Chapter Two. Introducing Oscar

 

Oscar shivered and rose. He looked like Death had touched him –via a sharp left hand slap across the face. Other than the distinct, hand shaped birthmark across Oscar’s face, the rest of him looked completely normal*.

Far away, a klaxon rang. It repeated its shrill blerring, changing up its pitch up and down to make sure people were aware it existed. Oscar grunted, attempting to clear his throat from the phlegm that kept things closed. With a wave of his hand over the light panel, the room burst in to light and he sat blinking in his covers.

Far away, the klaxon continued to ring urgently. His eyes adjusted to the light, Oscar stepped out of his bunk, his feet finding their way into his slippers blindfolded, and he trotted over to the sink at the end of his cabin. Cold water splashed his face, and then warm water as the heater kicked in. A shower, that was what he needed.

The klaxon continued to sound, along with the sound of pounding feet along the corridor outside. Oscar payed no attention as he entered the little bathroom in his cabin. His cabin was three square meters, with a bunk nailed to the floor opposite the door, a porthole right next to it. A little counter came out of the wall to provide a one square meter kitchen area. It contained a mini fridge and a microwave. The sink next to the bed, in which he had just washed his face, doubled as the kitchen sink and his washbasin. His toothbrush sat in a cup next to the tap. Opposite the kitchen sat a smaller room, separated from the rest of it by a shower curtain. It was in this room that Oscar now stood, under the dripping water of the showerhead, lost in his own little room.

Far away, but really outside his door, the crew of The Whale’s Song rushed hectically backwards and forwards in a panic. Someone had managed to turn off the klaxon, but its shrill blerring still echoed in everyone’s ears. Moreover, the impending danger still lurked outside the porthole windows.

 

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*What? Do you demand a further examination of Mr Oscar? To quote Dr Martin Dysart, 'A normal boy has one head: a normal head has two ears'. Oscar's looks are irrelevant.

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Chapter Three. Flashback: Absent Barbecue

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Chapter Four. Swimmingly

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Chapter Five. It's a long way to the toast, if you wanna cook it right.

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Chapter Six. Flashback: An independent bucket.

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Chapter Seven. We're all going to die. But you already knew that.

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Chapter Eight. Flashback: On with the tour.

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Chapter Nine. Flashback: 'We run a quiz show.'

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Chapter Ten. Trivia pursued.

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Chapter Eleven. Tumbling spirits.

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Chapter Twelve. Dome and gloom.

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Chapter Thirteen. The sobering act of soup.

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Chapter Fourteen. Flashback: The principles of school.

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Chapter Fifteen. A change of buckets.

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Chapter Sixteen. An aptly named ship.

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Chapter Seventeen. An unfinished novel.

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Chapter Eighteen. Phantom of the alter.

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Chapter Nineteen. A situation bent out of proportion.

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Chapter Twenty. An invasion.

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Chapter Twenty One. A slight change in direction.

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Chapter Twenty Two. Flashback: A promotion breeds bribery, but not quite corruption.

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Chapter Twenty Three. A runaway realisation.

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Chapter Twenty Four. Flashback: Solid Effort, the Quick Way.

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Chapter Twenty Five. Flashback: Mind the auto doors.

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Chapter Twenty Six. Unreasonable assumptions.

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Chapter Twenty Seven. Serious accusations.

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Chapter Twenty Eight. Could be more reasonable.

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Chapter Twenty Nine. It's certainly looking more possible, I'll give you that.

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Chapter Thirty. Flashback: Ominous past foreshadowing.

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Part Two. Inside the Bowels of the Ship.

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Chapter Thirty One. Miscommunication.

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Chapter Thirty Two. Spinning makes the world go 'round.

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Chapter Thirty Three. A side of the ship unseen before.

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Chapter Thirty Four. Flashback: You can't just ask a bucket why they are a bucket!

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Chapter Thirty Five. Silver lining: not drowning.

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Chapter Thirty Six. Flashback: A genderless bucket.

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Chapter Thirty Seven. Inside the bowels of the machine.

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Chapter Thirty Eight. Word War.

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Chapter Thirty Nine. Some best kept secrets.

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Chapter Forty. The most sought after dark corner.

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Chapter Forty One. A case of mistaken identity.

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Chapter Forty Two. A break in to break out.

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Chapter Forty Three. Flashback: Let's do the safety talk.

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Chapter Forty Four. If you want something done...

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Chapter Forty Five. A meeting of five.

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Chapter Forty Six. Suspicious occurrences in the hall.

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Chapter Forty Seven. Flashback: Everything that is wrong with gaming rooms/A week of drinking = a week of memory loss.

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Chapter Forty Eight. What makes you happy?

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Chapter Forty Nine. Betrayal by closest friend.

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Chapter Fifty. Sleepy, haunting time.

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Chapter Fifty One. Searching for clues.

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Chapter Fifty Two. A repeat of first instances.

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Chapter Fifty Three. Too close for close comfort.

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Chapter Fifty Four. The observation deck shutters.

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Chapter Fifty Five. A nightmare on a space ship.

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Chapter Fifty Six. Better maths and odds of chances.

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Chapter Fifty Seven. Abandon Ship.

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Chapter Fifty Eight. Covering tracks.

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Chapter Fifty Nine. The lobbiest code.

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Chapter Sixty. Don't forget your personal effects.

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Chapter Sixty One. This whole thing will blow over.

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Chapter Sixty Two. Stowaways and those that aren't.

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Chapter Sixty Three. The search for jam (ft Doctor Jakle).

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Chapter Sixty Four. Cybernetic brotherhood.

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Chapter Sixty Five. While my engines gently scream.

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Chapter Sixty Six. Following a hunch.

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Chapter Sixty Seven. It's that or nothing.

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Chapter Sixty Eight. It doesn't have to be that way.

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Chapter Sixty Nine. Magnet for trouble.

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Chapter Seventy. Flashback:

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Chapter Seventy One. One giant leap for Oscar.

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Chapter Seventy Two. Better you than me.

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Chapter Seventy Three. Kicking the proverbial bucket.

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Chapter Seventy Four. How does one fly this thing?

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Chapter Seventy Five. Time to say goodbye.

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Chapter Seventy Six. Goodbye.

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Chapter Seventy Seven. Alive and in the flesh.

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Chapter Seventy Eight. An evening off.

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~

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