A unique way to learn TRON and Blockchain
Preface
Tronpet Adventure is a part of the blockchain community project to promote TRON and blockchain. We tried to target people that are generally not associated with blockchain to get them interested in this field.
The story will present TRON and blockchain in an interesting and easy-to-understand manner. It will be a good read whether you are a blockchain beginner or an advanced user.
We have also received shoutouts from community members to help translate the story into multiple languages. If you would like to help translate the story in your own language too, feel free to reach out to us!
The Meteorite
Professor Waylin stood at the bow of the ship huddled in his winter gear. The early mornings this close to the south pole were bitingly cold as he rubbed his gloved hands together, trying to create some heat from the friction. It was the only part of his body that his excitement could not keep warm. He could see the stars overhead, occasionally hiding behind the few clouds that decorated the sky, and the sun beginning to peep over the horizon. The breeze carried the briny fragrance of sea salt as it whipped his face and stung his eyes.
Ahead of him, he could just identify the outline of Marie Byrd Land with his binoculars in the barest hints of light from the upcoming sun. Professor Waylin and his team would be docking there in a couple of hours to begin the expedition. He nearly lost his balance as he bounced excitedly on the unsteady surface; after almost a week at sea, the thought of walking on his land legs was very, very welcome.
He rubbed his hands together again, hoping the temperature didn’t plummet anymore. They might need to stay overnight depending on how long it took, but he didn’t want anyone to get hurt in the harsh, below-freezing temperatures of the Antarctic in the fall; too many people had lost their lives trying to explore or research the Antarctic. It was a dangerous time to come here as well, second only to visiting in the middle of winter, but it was the only window he had. They weren’t going to
stay for more than one night regardless, which was the only reason Professor Waylin could justify the trip; one window of opportunity and one night’s stay, less if he could help it. He glanced at his watch; the timer was counting down to zero. It was almost time.
“Professor, did I miss it?”
Professor Waylin looked behind him and saw his 11-year-old ward walking up to stand next to him. He smiled. Anson had been with him since he was just five years old, after losing his family in a tragic accident. Professor Waylin took him in under sponsorship from the Live Foundation and grew to love him like his own son. Through the years, he learned Anson had a brilliant mind, full of wonder and curiosity, and it gave him great pleasure to teach the boy. Anson was sometimes too smart for his own good and found himself in trouble more
often than not when he was unsupervised. When the professor informed him of this trip, the boy threw a tantrum that leveled his bedroom, so it was no surprise to learn that he stowed away on this ship. Professor Waylin chuckled to himself as he remembered finding him tucked behind some of the equipment a few hours after they had left the dock. He had gotten a good scolding, but ultimately, he was better off. At least now Professor Waylin could keep an eye on him and make sure he did his studies.
“No, my boy,” he replied as he pulled Anson to his side, “you are just in time.”
As if on cue, a bright light streaked through the sky, low enough that the two could feel its warmth through the chill as it crashed into the earth. The impact reverberated through the air and sent shockwaves that caused the ship to rock slightly.
“Wow! Is that the Aurora comet, professor?” Anson asked, eyes wide in awe.
“Not exactly, Anson, but I applaud you for doing your research.” The professor peered through his binoculars. He had suspected Anson had been eavesdropping on the meetings for the expedition. Now he was sure and very proud that Anson did his own research. “This comet displays similar characteristics of the 2014 Aurora comet that NASA discovered about three years ago now. This meteorite, however, could change everything we know about space. Most scientists go their whole lifetime and never get breakthroughs like this. Do you want to know what makes this meteorite so special?” He asked Anson, who nodded his head eagerly, “So do I, and between you and me, son, this meteorite hasn’t behaved like an ordinary space rock. I suspect it has properties unlike any
other before it. Now, I may be a bit cuckoo for believing this, but so far, all my calculations seem to be correct!”
Professor Waylin was practically skipping with excitement as he spun around to alert the rest of his team, nearly toppling Anson and tripping over himself in the process.
“Come along, Anson!” he called, running ahead.
By the time Professor Waylin gathered his things for the trip to the landing site, the ship had docked, and he met up with the rest of his team. They had already begun loading the snowmobiles they had brought for the trip. From his calculations, and judging from the evidence right in front of him, the smoking remnants of the falling debris should be just a few miles from their docking point. The snowy tundra blurred past them as Professor
Waylin led the way to the quickly dissipating columns of smoke as the subzero temperatures cooled the burning meteorite. They rode in pairs, following a single file to see the lights of the snowmobile in front of them. Every now and then, icy breezes blew snow high in the air in front of them, making it difficult to keep track of the route despite having the coordinates programmed into the snowmobile’s GPS. After roughly half an hour, though, the team came upon a giant crater formed by the impact of the burning rock in the ice and snow.
Everyone climbed off the snowmobiles and stood observing the scene in front of them. Baron noticed a small rock fragment in the snow at the edge of the crater and picked it up, then handed it to the professor. Baron had been exploring ruins all over the world since he was 20 years old. Now, an entire
decade later, he was one of Professor Waylin’s closest friends after meeting on an expedition in Peru. It had turned out they were both searching for the same thing; a relic crafted from a meteor that fell over ten decades ago. Baron had saved his life back then, preventing the professor from falling into several of the traps hidden in the old ruins. Professor Waylin had invited him to join his foundation, which sponsored promising talent in the scientific community. The professor was sure that Baron, with his keen observation and survival skills, would have made an excellent addition to the team, and he hadn’t been disappointed. Since then, Baron had become a frequent companion on these expeditions, leading the way on many of them.
Baron, Professor Waylin and Robert were discussing the safest way to get to the bottom of the crater. They decided after a short deliberation
that they would anchor two ropes right where they were, as the ice felt solid enough, and descend one at a time. They would also need to lower the crate to collect the rocks as well as some of the climbing equipment in case they needed to climb anywhere else in the crater.
A short shriek had everyone turning their heads only to see Miranda sliding all the way down to the bottom of the crater.
“Miranda!” Jayson shouted behind her, eyes wide in fear.
Without any hesitation, Baron and Robert anchored one of the ropes as quickly as their hands could go. They needed to get down there. Fast. By the time they had finished anchoring it, Miranda had come to a halt face down in the snow. Jayson rushed over and began to climb down hurriedly, having
harnessed himself immediately when she had started to slide. After a few long seconds, Miranda sat up slowly in the snow and called up to them.
“I’m alright!” she yelled, touching her cheek tenderly, where she sustained a small cut.
Jayson was already halfway down. Professor Waylin opened his mouth to warn the rest of the team to be careful when Anson shouted “Cowabunga!” and hopped off the edge using the cover of the crate as a snowboard. The professor choked on his words while everyone watched Anson’s descent down the slope. Blossom cheered Anson on as he displayed great skill, wishing deep inside she could have sledded down the slope herself. Professor Waylin cut her off with a black sideways glance which said that kind of behavior was not okay. Jayson and Anson reached Miranda’s side at the same time, and Jayson swiftly unclipped himself to help her up
by her elbow. She shook the snow from her short, dark brown curls as he kept fussing over her, checking to make sure that she wasn’t seriously hurt.
The rest of the team began to join them, sending down the gear they needed and climbing down one by one. Professor Waylin marched directly over to Anson, with a quick question after Miranda’s welfare, to chastise him for his recklessness. He only looked slightly remorseful while the professor explained all the reasons why he needed to be more careful. Blossom walked over to Anson. At 23 years old, she was almost exactly in between Anson’s and the professor’s age, and she had experience with young boys from her neighbor back at home, so despite the chiding Anson received from the professor, she had to ask, “Was it awesome?” Anson’s face lit up as he explained how
much fun he had and everything that went through his head on the way down. Blossom laughed with him, pulling her ponytail tighter. Sometimes, growing up in such a serious environment as the Live Foundation, Anson needed to be reminded that it was okay to be a kid.
Tarry, a new intern at the Live Foundation, joined them briefly. She wasn’t much younger than Blossom, only 17 years old, but she was extremely talented as an artist and smart to boot. Professor Waylin had invited her to be the scientific illustrator on this trip over the two older men back at the Live Foundation headquarters; that’s how good she was. She and Blossom were becoming fast friends, despite having opposite personalities to each other, Tarry being quiet and polite whereas Blossom was more headstrong and lived for a good debate. Tarry’s jet black hair blew in her face, which
could not hide her Chinese heritage, as she informed them that the professor was splitting them up to search the crater for the meteorite or any fragments that remained. They rejoined the group and began to carry out their respective assignments.
A few hours later, they started gathering by the ropes. Robert was still busy collecting samples from the ice, answering Blossom’s questions about the soil, ice and snow in Antarctica as she needed information for her thesis. They were just waiting on Professor Waylin to return with Anson and Otome. In the meantime, the others were horsing around, huddled by the portable heater. Jayson was telling stories of the different countries and places he visited, and positioning himself to seem full of worldly advice and wisdom. Miranda snorted, teasing Jayson about his ‘uncle’ complex,
and walked off in Robert’s direction. She’d heard enough of Jayson for the moment. Halfway across the short distance, she tripped and fell in the snow. Jayson rushed over and started helping her up by her elbow, but she swatted him and got up on her own.
“Oh for goodness sake, Jay” she snapped, “I’m fine!”
“Would you two get a room already?” Robert huffed as he stooped to investigate what tripped her. It was a large rock, barely covered by the snow. Robert handed it over to Jayson, who had rolled his eyes at the same time Miranda did, making them look even more like a couple.
“You, Miranda, and I have been friends too long for that joke to still be funny, Robby,” Jayson retorted jokingly, chuckling at the way Robert grimaced at the nickname. It was a reminder of an unpleasant
experience he had while on a different expedition with Jayson and Miranda.
“Maybe if you stopped trying to take care of me all the time, they’d believe we’re just friends who’ve traveled the world together.” Miranda looked pointedly at Jayson.
Everyone chuckled as Jayson held the rock up to his face, effectively hiding his head behind it.
“As the most mature person here-,” he huffed.
“You must help everyone!” Nole and Tarry chorused teasingly as they walked up with more rock fragments in their hand.
Jayson grinned unchagrined as the group laughed with each other. Despite being only 35, Jayson liked to believe he was responsible for everyone’s well-being. Miranda had explained that being a
paramedic back in his youth had instilled that in him; despite only staying in that profession for about two months before he left to travel the world, she had rolled her eyes. They added each of the fragments into the crate they brought with them. Among all of the collected rock fragments, the one Jayson held was by far the biggest, roughly the size of a football. Nole took it from him to observe it more closely. It vibrated slightly in his hand, and he felt a sudden shock through his arm, causing the rock to fall from his hands, landing just inches from Robert’s and Blossom’s heads.
“Hey!” Blossom shouted, her long, red hair whipping around her head as she jumped to her feet, “That’s my head you almost took off!”
Nole held his hands up protectively in front of his face as Blossom swung and hit his arm.
“Not my fault Spices, the dumb rock shocked me.”
“Hmph!” Blossom picked up the rock, turning it around in her own hands, “Maybe it’s your ‘fancy’ homemade watch that shocked you.” Blossom huffed indignantly, shoving the rock back in his hand. “And that’s not my name!”
She turned around and flicked her hair so that it smacked Nole across the face, the fragrance of nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves lingering in the air, before picking up her samples from the snow. Nole chuckled, while Jayson and Miranda chastised him for not being more careful.
“Its state of the art, Spices, designed by yours truly!” he retorted, enjoying Blossom’s little temper tantrum.
He saw her ears turn red almost instantly, trying to bite her tongue. Nole waited for the snarky
comeback, but she managed to stay silent. Professor Waylin returned with Anson and Otome just then, and both were busy asking the professor all sorts of questions about Antarctica. Nole carefully retrieved the rock fragment and placed it in the crate with the other pieces.
“I think we got it all.” Professor Waylin said, looking at Robert, who was the only one still working, “We checked the perimeter of the crash and couldn’t find anything else.
Robert replied, “I just finished collecting my last ice sample as well. We’re good to go.”
“Fantastic!” Professor Waylin exclaimed, “I believe we can make it back to the ship before it gets too late. Let’s hurry back everyone.”
Anson’s brows came together, wondering why they had to hurry. He was enjoying it there. Sure he was
freezing cold, but he was having fun, “Professor, do you think we can stay here longer? Do people live here?”
Robert chuckled dryly, “No humans live here, Anson. Not unless they’ve miraculously adapted their bodies to withstand the harshest temperatures on the planet.”
After just under 5 decades on this planet and years of research and study, Robert knew that no human had evolved enough to survive the extreme cold of this god-forsaken land.
“Oh, okay,” Anson said softly, shrugging it off, before running off to help the team tie the gear with the ropes, readying it to be pulled up the slope, and to pack up the snowmobiles to head back to the ship.
Professor Waylin looked around, satisfied, and
grateful that there would be no camping out tonight.
Systems’ Down
Professor Waylin was busy entering his findings into his journal, bouncing his leg excitedly as he wrote. He couldn’t wait to be back at the lab with his equipment. They had already been at sea for just under a day, but without his equipment, there was only so much he could do to study the samples, the largest of which sat on his desk in front of him. He pulled his lab coat tighter around him having replaced his winter coat with a lighter jacket, but still felt occasional chills despite the warmer temperature from the heating on the ship.
Once they were back at his labs, he could do all sorts of tests, find out where it came from and, not that anyone in the scientific community would believe him if he said this, but why did the meteorite seem to change course as it fell towards the earth? It was a minute shift of maybe one or two degrees, and, to be quite honest, if Professor Waylin hadn’t been looking at the screen at the time it happened, he might not have noticed at all, but something made it change direction, and he wanted to find out why. He picked up the rock and turned it around in his hands—almost a perfect sphere. The professor frowned slightly. He needed to see the other fragments. He dropped the sphere on the desk carefully and pushed himself off the chair, not noticing, as he stood by the door pondering why this particular meteor fragment was so unlike the other fragments that were more irregular. With his back to the room, he didn’t
notice the rock start to glow, dimly at first, but as he walked away, it grew brighter and brighter, fading once again, just as suddenly as it started.
The fragments left in the crate were all different shapes and sizes. The professor could see the scorch marks left from entering the atmosphere and falling to earth. He fixed his reading glasses on his nose and held two fragments up to the light, squinting to get a better look. Without any warning, the lights went out, leaving the professor in complete darkness. He tried the switches for other lights in the room, but there was no power to any of them.
“Professor? Professor!”
Professor Waylin heard Anson urgently calling for him from the end of the corridor.
“Over here Anson!” he called back.
Anson’s head popped back into view, followed by his body, as he changed direction and ran toward the professor.
“Where’s the fire, son?” Professor Waylin inquired jokingly, resting his hand on Anson’s head, ruffling his hair.
He was met with Anson’s blank stare.
“There’s a fire?” he asked, puzzled but with growing concern in his eyes. Professor Waylin could read the thoughts on his increasingly panicked face.
He immediately backtracked, “No, no, there’s no fire!” He laughed apologetically, “It’s just a figure of speech.”
“Now, why are you running up and down the corridors shouting my name, son?”
“Oh yeah!” Anson’s shoulders relaxed, and his face
cleared as he relayed his message to the professor, “Baron’s asking for you in the wheelhouse. Everyone is heading there now. He said something about the ship’s electronics, but I didn’t quite understand what he meant.” Anson’s brow furrowed in frustration as he tried to figure out the meaning of what Baron told him.
“Let’s go talk to the Captain then, shall we?” Professor Waylin said, wrapping his arm around Anson’s frame as they walked down the corridor.
Professor Waylin was explaining the origin of the phrase ‘Where’s the fire?’ to the young Anson as they approached the rest of the team.
“-and that is how we ended up with the phrase ‘where’s the fire?’ referring to someone who is in an extreme hurry.” he finished, coming to a stop at the door of the wheelhouse. Everyone else was already
inside, and looking like they were deep in discussion. Turning his attention back to Anson, he instructed the boy to write a three-hundred-word paper, due by the time they got back, on the history of a few idioms with examples as homework. He laughed at the excuses Anson tried to come up with and provided a solution for every one of them, including the computers and wifi on the ship not working. Still, the professor knew that Miranda had brought a small library with her for the trip and was bound to have a book about literary devices as she studied languages from all over the world. Anson sighed in defeat, and Professor Waylin sent him on his way so he could talk to Baron and the rest of the team.
Baron immediately addressed the professor as he entered the wheelhouse, interrupting the almost panicked chatter discussing the blackout on the
ship. No power on a ship in the middle of the ocean was indeed nerve-wracking, to say the least. Professor Waylin could feel the uneasiness permeating the atmosphere in the room.
“We can’t communicate with anyone back at headquarters,” Baron was explaining, “And the radar navigation system has gone haywire, so that’s out too.
“The good news is that I can navigate the way back myself.”
Professor Waylin nodded, “I know the way as well.” He turned towards Nole, who shook his head, answering the professor’s silent question. That meant that he and Baron would have to be responsible for the ship’s sailing.
“Alright, Baron and I will captain the ship.” He told the team, “Nole, you’re welcome to join me on my
shifts; I’ll teach you how to navigate without instruments.”
Nole nodded eagerly, always happy to learn a new skill. Professor Waylin smiled. He always thought that Nole would’ve been an asset to the Live foundation, and he had not been wrong. From the first time they met, he saw much promise in the youngster who could barely meet another person’s eyes, and over the years, Nole had grown into a fine man, capable, responsible and confident.
“Do we know why the systems went out?” Jayson asked.
Baron glanced at the professor. “I don’t.” he sighed, shoulders slumping as he exhaled. Gesturing to the control board with frustration and annoyance, “A few minutes ago, the control board started fritzing a little; then it turned to static completely by the
time I blinked twice. Shortly after that the electricity went. I’m hoping the signal comes back soon.” The two shot glances at the team. Perhaps one of them might be able to figure out what the issue is.
“Don’t ask me to fix it,” Robert interjected, his face pale as he battled his seasickness. “If it ain’t rocks or alive, I really can’t do much with-” Robert’s face turned a sickly shade of green as he tried hard not to vomit, interrupting what he was saying.
“Robert,” Professor Waylin said gently, “you can go rest since you’re not feeling well. We’ll update you afterward.” Robert nodded gratefully, his hair looking as though it had grayed a little more with the stress of feeling ill, and quickly retreated to his quarters, holding his stomach in his hand.
“At least the engine still works.” Tarry chimed in, trying to provide another silver lining.
Tarry’s words lingered awkwardly in the air. Everyone appreciated her optimism, but sometimes it didn’t help as much as Tarry wished it did. Miranda gave her a small smile though, and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly when she tried to disappear into the wall next to her. She was a good kid, just green.
“What are we going to do about the electricity on the ship?” Blossom asked, breaking the silence and sounding more than a little frustrated, “I have a paper to finish for my thesis by the time we get back.”
The warmth of the cabin was already giving way to the biting cold of the southern sea.
“Um-” all eyes turned toward Otome, who shrunk in on herself nervously. She was already starting to shiver. “I blew a fuse while working on one of my
projects.” she said with a sheepish smile, “but I can fix it.”
Blossom practically flew across the wheelhouse and grabbed Otome’s face between her hands, face red and looking like steam was about to shoot from her ears. Otome squeaked in surprise.
Otome was constantly blowing fuses back at headquarters, so much so that Professor Waylin had her set up in a room on its own circuit to protect the rest of the building. She was always inventing something new or reinventing new ways to use old technology. It wasn’t surprising as her dad was a great inventor himself, according to the stories her mom had told her, but she barely knew him. As a baby, he would only visit her mom sporadically, and over the years, the visits stopped altogether. She didn’t even have a picture of him, just a letter promising to save her mom with the
funds from a ‘ground-breaking’ technology he was developing, but he was too late. Her mom had died 9 years ago, and with no word from her father, Otome was left without any parents. She decided then that she wanted to invent like her father, wanted to know what about being an inventor kept him away from his family, wanted to, hopefully, find him one day. And more than anything else, she wanted to help orphans or abandoned children like herself, be self-sufficient and independent without struggling the way she had. That’s why Otome was so grateful to have found the Live Foundation. She believed in their mission: to save and protect the environment, the world, and to develop technology for the betterment of humankind. She’d never imagined that, after all that hard work, she’d be here, at just 18 years old, on an expedition to Antarctica with new friends like Tarry and Blossom.
“Don’t worry everyone, we have an emergency generator, so we should at least get the lights back on,” Baron informed them.
“I don’t think it is connected to the heating system, so please try your best to stay warm.” Professor Waylin added.
As quickly as she flared up, Blossom bubbled down, taking a deep breath, “Come try my new spice tea after you’ve fixed the fuse, okay?” She turned her vice grip around Otome’s face into a hug, and Otome nodded without hesitation. Blossom was a little scary sometimes. Blossom turned to Nole. “You’ll help her.” She instructed before remembering that the professor wanted Nole to help him. She glanced in Professor Waylin’s direction and added, “Once that’s okay with you, Professor.” The professor nodded his assent, and both Otome and Nole left for the electrical room to
repair the damage. Professor Waylin dismissed the rest of the team, reminding them once more to all stay warm until the heating was working again while he and Baron prepared for the trip ahead.
The Crash
Professor Waylin had taken the next shift. It was going to be a long night ahead of them, and Baron and Nole had already covered the last two shifts. He kept the ship in the same direction, using the stars to guide him. The communication and navigation systems were still down. Nole and Otome had tried briefly to fix it, but neither of them had any expertise with that kind of system, and they had decided that it was better to leave it alone and hope for the signal to return than to risk damaging it further. He was lucky that they were
close to the winter. Antarctica had six months of daylight in the summer, which would have prevented them from being able to see the stars. This close to the winter months, however, he could see them in the sky; giant balls of gas emitting just enough light to be visible in the dark sky. It also helped that there was no light pollution at sea, making them that much brighter. Stargazing was one of the professor’s preferred past times when he didn’t have access to his library, and the early sunsets made it so the stars could be seen from much earlier in the day.
The hours dragged on as the professor kept track of the route they were on, and he was beginning to struggle with staying awake. He glanced at his watch, yawning. It was only 7 o’clock, four hours since the sun traded places with the moon. Otome and Nole had gotten the lights back on, but the heating was still down, and the electricity supply to
most of the ship was still largely dependent on the generator. For now, they were using their portable heaters for warmth. Professor Waylin was longing to have his usual cup of coffee to recharge, but the stove had been damaged when the fuse blew. He was barely keeping his eyes open.
Nole came in half an hour later, startling him awake again and pleasantly surprised him with a much-welcomed cup of coffee. They had managed to build a makeshift stove by connecting a ring burner to a tank filled with propane gas. It wasn’t ideal. In fact, it was downright dangerous, but it was something, and the professor trusted them to be extra careful with it. Professor Waylin accepted the cup gratefully.
“Good sailing, Professor?” Nole asked, leaning against the bookshelves with his own cup streaming in his face.
“Indeed, my friend.” he gestured towards the sky, and Nole came forward to see what he was pointing at, “Once we follow those stars, we shall be well on our way home.” he continued.
“It’s a good thing the skies are clear then,” Nole joked half-heartedly.
“You jest Nole, but we are indeed very lucky to have clear skies and clear sea-”
Suddenly, the ship was jarred violently, and an ear-splitting shriek indicated a major collision. Both Nole and the professor were thrown into the floor along with the coffee mugs in their hands as well as everything that wasn't bolted into the floor or shelves in the wheelhouse. Fortunately, it was just a few books that fell on Nole’s back. The professor, however, was not so fortunate and had most of the steaming hot coffee fall on his chest, barely
protected by his parka.
“Professor?” Nole groaned, getting up slowly, “Professor!” Nole cried when Professor Waylin didn't respond right away. He crawled hurriedly over to where the professor lay on his back and shook him, panic beginning to create a haze in Nole’s thoughts. The professor stirred, placing his hand on his head. “Ouch!” He complained as he tried to reorient himself, sitting up slowly. Nole exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Are you alright, Professor Waylin?” Nole asked, noticing some bleeding from the side of the professor’s head. The ship protested again, almost deafeningly, as it trembled. Professor Waylin scrambled to his feet at the sound, swaying slightly and steadying himself against the control board, “We must have hit an-” the professor's sentence was cut off by a gasp.
“An iceberg?” Nole asked, confused, “but the sea was clear...” he trailed off as he stood and saw what the professor saw. In front of them stood a mountain range silhouetted in the darkness. “H-how?” Nole stuttered. The sea in front of them was clear. Nole had seen nothing but the horizon, as did the professor.
“How hard did we hit our heads?” Professor Waylin asked, not truly expecting an answer.
The sight in front of them was impossible! The ship groaned again loudly, snapping the professor out of his daze and back to the crisis in hand. The gears in his brain turned quickly, figuring out what had transpired based on the evidence in front of him.
“We must have run aground!” He shouted. “Nole, you need to drop the kedge anchor! I'm going to cut the engine.”
“The what?” Nole blinked at the professor, still stunned by the sight before him.
“Find Baron and tell him to help you. And get Robert to assess the damage to the ship. I'll check on the rest!”
Professor Waylin took charge, and Nole immediately shook off the shock he was experiencing and followed Professor Waylin’s directions, running out of the wheelhouse to find Baron and Robert. The professor took another long look at the scene before him, then set off to search for the rest of the team. He gathered them all in the main room. After a quick assessment, Professor Waylin determined that no one had any major injuries. They were just a little banged up, with Anson having the worst of it with a sprained wrist. Shortly after the professor checked out everyone, with the help of Jayson, who kept joking about
being everyone’s uncle, trying to keep them calm, Nole walked back in with Baron and Robert close behind him.
“The anchor’s down, professor,” Nole reported. Leaning against the wall and sliding his body down to the ground, his breath condensing as he exhaled. He still couldn’t believe they hadn’t seen this giant landmass directly in front of them. Baron and Robert were updating the professor while Nole tried to wrap his head around it all. Not only had their ship lost its communication systems and ran aground, but they were also caught on rocks protecting a bay just a couple hundred meters in front of them. According to Robert, the rocks looked like they might have pierced the hull of the ship, but they would have to go down on the dinghy to get a better look.
“What's going on?” Miranda asked, returning with
some of Blossom’s homemade spiced cocoa mix she had salvaged. Fortunately, the ring stove and propane gas tank survived the impact intact. She poured everyone a mug as she passed, ruffling Anson’s hair as he received his cocoa. He smiled and thanked her, holding the steaming mug up to his face and enjoying the warmth it provided. Jayson joined Miranda as she approached Professor Waylin, Baron, and Robert, having finished dressing everyone’s minor injuries.
“We ran aground?” Jason and Miranda asked in unison, equally surprised as the professor continued explaining.
“How?” Jayson demanded, “We’re in the middle of the ocean!”
“I don’t exactly know.” Professor Waylin hedged. “It was not there until it was, and by then, the ship had
run aground.”
“That’s so strange.” Miranda mused, her forehead wrinkled together and she tried to make sense of the information she was being provided with.
“It is quite mysterious indeed, dear,” Jayson added, rubbing his hands together.
“I was thinking of going to explore after everyone has gotten some rest.” Professor Waylin said, “What do you think?”
Nole raised his hand from where he was leaning against the wall, his head back and eyes closed, “Count me in.”
Jayson, Robert, and Baron agreed as well, and they all began discussing plans.
“Maybe we should all go.” Blossom suggested, joining the discussion, “It’s freezing on the ship, and Otome hasn’t gotten the heating back on yet.” Otome blushed from her seat on the floor at the reminder, and Blossom threw a small reassuring smile in her direction. “With everything the way it is right now,” She continued, “maybe it’s better if we go ashore and camp? We already have the gear, and we can make fires to keep us warm.”
Professor Waylin pondered this carefully. There should be no landmass this close to Antarctica, and as far as he was concerned, it was an unknown variable that could potentially leave his team in danger. That said, Professor Waylin also knew that staying on the ship with such low temperatures with no heat would leave them all at risk for hypothermia and even death. His own breath floated visibly in front of his face as if to emphasize this fact.
Miranda nodded, “Blossom has a point. In the kitchen, most of the food was contaminated or damaged from the impact. We could probably forage the land until we can figure out what to do.”
“Yeah, we can!” Blossom added, “I study plants all over the world for a living; I could tell you what’s edible and what’s poisonous.” She did a little hop in excitement, thinking about all the plant species she’d get to observe. Maybe she’d find a new edible species and try it with different spices.
“Maybe we can find some medicinal plants. Those would come in handy,” Jayson chimed in, effectively distracting Blossom with a conversation about plants and what they’d use them for should they find them.
“Alright,” Professor Waylin decided. “Let’s pack what we can and meet back here in an hour.”
He turned toward Anson and Tarry, “Would you two kindly join Miranda and assist her with gathering what food we can so we can carry it with us?”
“Okay Professor.” “Sure Professor.” Tarry and Anson answered together.
“I’m taking these two with me,” Miranda said, guiding Blossom and Jayson in front of her as they were still locked in conversation.
Professor Waylin nodded his assent while he, Robert, Nole, and Baron went to gather the camping gear and any other supplies they would need to camp and explore.
The First Encounter
Stay tuned for the next chapter for the first encounter of a Tronpet. How will the team react to a creature they have never seen before?