No narration. Just speech.
"Well, I'll be."
"Yeah."
"It's a never-ending void."
"Right? I wonder where it came from."
"I don't know. I was here not long ago, and this wasn't here. It's strange."
"Well, I guess we should probably do something with it then."
"I guess. What do you have in mind?"
"There's all this space, we should fill it with stuff."
"What, like gases and objects?"
"Yeah. You know, there's something I've been meaning to try for a while now, and this might be just the opportunity I was hoping for."
"What's that?"
"I've always wanted to try to create life."
"That's a big step."
"I know. But I think I can do it."
"I'm sure you can do it. The question is should you? And the concern is what if you create an abomination?"
"I think it's worth the risk. There is no telling what a new group of life forms might be able to accomplish over time. With the right nudges, they may even eclipse our own capabilities."
"Brother, I think this is a bad idea. I won't have any part in it."
"I don't expect you to help me do it. This is something I've wanted to do for myself, and I would never ask you to go against your morals for me. But I would like you to help me brainstorm."
"You want me to help you what now?"
"I want to get this right, and there are undoubtedly things I would overlook on my own which would lead this experiment to inevitable failure. I'd like you to help me spot those stumbling blocks before I hit them."
"You want me to help you make sure that the thing you're doing that I disagree with goes well?"
"Basically, yeah."
"I'm not sure I can do that."
"I've been thinking about this, and I think you actually have to."
"What? How so?"
"Well, if I get this wrong, then I could be creating living things that are doomed to suffer. That would be horrendous. You have the ability to prevent a tragedy, and so I believe you are ethically bound to do so."
"I hate you sometimes."
"I love you too. Now, where to begin..."
"You'll need stars and planets."
"...Right. I forgot that the endless void doesn't have those yet."
"Are you sure you're up to this? That's a pretty basic requirement that you completely overlooked."
"No, no, I'm up for this. I just need to warm up a little."
"Uh huh. And what's your warming up telling you?"
"That this is going to be easier than I thought."
"Excuse me?"
"It occurs to me that the best way to make sure that life thrives is to make sure it's properly suited to its environment. That means letting it figure that out on its own, rather than being designed. I don't have to create the finished organisms, I just have to create the building blocks that will eventually arrive there."
"So you're not going to create life after all?"
"I'm going to create the things that will eventually become life as we know it."
"So you're begging out then."
"I thought you'd be happy? This is me taking what I think is the responsible path."
"I'm not happy about any of this. But I'm glad that you're not letting your ego make the decisions on this."
"I would rather do this right than do it just to please myself."
"You do spend an unusual amount of time pleasing yourself."
"Hush, this is not the time for snark."
"The planets will need plants."
"I've covered the habitable ones in a rudimentary grass. It should be enough to get things started."
"Well, you seem to have this well in hand for now. I'm going to go tell Dad that you're doing this responsibly. I think he'll be pleased."
"Thanks. I'll see you soon."
"See you soon."
2020-06-22 · Boss Music Intensifies
2020-06-15 · Accept the Unexpected
2020-06-08 · Failing The Test
2020-06-01 · Best Laid Plans
2020-05-25 · The End?
2020-05-18 · The Only Explanation
2020-05-11 · Personal Victory
2020-05-04 · Six Questions
2020-04-27 · It's A Team Effort
2020-04-20 · The More Things Change
2020-04-13 · It's All About Perspective
2020-04-06 · Fake It 'Til You Make It
2020-03-30 · Keeping It Clean
2020-03-23 · How To Save The World
2020-03-16 · Time For A Change
2020-03-09 · Music To My Ears
2020-03-02 · Unfamiliar Territory
2020-02-24 · Something From Nothing
2020-02-17 · The Times Are Changing
2020-02-10 · The Missing Piece
2020-02-03 · Wrong Place, Wrong Time
2020-01-27 · Overexposure
2020-01-20 · As Seen On TV
2020-01-13 · Written By A.I.
2020-01-06 · Promises Kept
2019-12-30 · Ringing It In
2019-12-23 · Happy Unspecified Seasonal Holiday!
2019-12-16 · The Lair
2019-12-09 · Time To Get Cracking
2019-12-02 · Not A Suicide
2019-11-25 · The One That Knows What Number It Is
2019-11-18 · Venting Frustrations
2019-11-11 · The Test Takers
2019-11-04 · Make Your Play
2019-10-28 · Horror With Smart People
2019-10-21 · The Interview
2019-10-14 · It Must Have Happened At Some Point
2019-10-07 · Work The Problem
2019-09-30 · Cogs in the Machine
2019-09-23 · First of One
2019-09-16 · Curse Your Inevitable Betrayal!
2019-09-09 · Be Brief
2019-09-02 · Changing Channels
2019-08-26 · It's A Process
2019-08-19 · Armed And Dangerous
2019-08-12 · Good Intentions
2019-08-05 · A Simple Procedure
2019-07-29 · Finale Feelings
2019-07-22 · Fun And Profit
2019-07-15 · It Builds Character
2019-07-08 · Aviator Safety
2019-06-24 · Something's Been Bugging Me
2019-06-17 · It's All About You
2019-05-27 · Rough Encounters
2019-05-20 · Wishes Three
2019-05-13 · A Gentle Nudge
2019-05-06 · A Simple Misunderstanding?
2019-04-29 · Don't Spoil It
2019-04-22 · Under Scrutiny
2019-04-15 · Prepare To Resist
2019-04-08 · Making Small Talk
2019-04-01 · The Crisis
2019-03-25 · Just Kidding
2019-03-18 · How About That Local Sports Team?
2019-03-11 · Public Engagement
2019-03-04 · The Hero We Need
2019-02-25 · The Negotiation
2019-02-18 · Executive Orders
2019-02-11 · The Talk
2019-02-04 · The Big Game
2019-01-28 · If It's A Girl...
2019-01-21 · The Nature Of Picasso
2019-01-14 · I'm Sorry, Ms. Jackson
2019-01-07 · Never Saw It Coming
2018-12-31 · Duelling ...Holidays?
2018-12-24 · Too Much Cheer
2018-12-17 · Taking Out The Trash
2018-12-10 · Let's Go To The Movies
2018-12-03 · Not For Donuts
2018-11-26 · Horizons Made Broad
2018-11-19 · It's The Journey That Matters
2018-11-12 · Anthing You Can Do...
2018-11-05 · Let's Call It "Laundry"
2018-10-29 · Unfriended
2018-10-22 · A Conversation About "Tacos"
2018-10-15 · Changes
2018-10-08 · An Adult-Sized Secret
2018-10-01 · Street War
2018-09-24 · Whither Whether Why
2018-09-17 · The Pitch
2018-09-10 · The One That's Meta
2018-09-03 · A Night At The Movies
2018-08-27 · We're Vampires
2018-08-20 · The Final Showdown
2018-08-13 · The End Of The World
2018-08-06 · A More Rational Kind Of Love
2018-07-30 · Death Troubles
2018-07-23 · True Love
2018-07-18 · At Least It's Not Des Moines