The Sea of Grass: Prologue
Created | Updated Jan 13, 2024
The Sea of Grass
Prologue
For a long time there was only darkness. Darkness and cold inside and out, and movement. It was very fast and still, it hardly seemed to make any progress just like it was very big and still very tiny in the grand scheme of things. There was also a faint humming coming from inside but nobody was there to take any notice. Every now and then a little light went on and off again. Numbers were noted, records were written but they did not show up on a screen. Nobody was there to see them. Sometimes something went wrong. Sometimes something which was barely alive was not alive anymore. A little light went off. The journey continued. At certain intervals a little object was released from a hatch into the great nothingness. It made a connection. It waited. Data was received. Nobody read it. It was left behind to wait until it was needed. Things moved on. Away.
And then, after a very long time which was still just like the blink of an eye the movement stopped. There was a large light in the darkness outside and the cold was a little less cold. More little lights were blinking inside. Data was sent along the long way back. Probes were sent ahead. Numbers were analysed and checked automatically. The expected parameters were met. The process was started as predetermined. Data was checked. Decisions were made accordingly.
Things got in motion. There was no stopping it now. The cold was not as cold anymore and there was a stirring here and there. Those who were meant to be the first ones slowly woke from their long sleep in their icy beds. The lights went on. Those who could went to work. Files were read. Assessments were made. Reports were written. Meetings were held. Choices had to be made.