aren't you?”
“Oh yeah. For me, music is very powerful. I use it when I meditate to help control my mood as well as my sanity. Then later, all I have to do is hear a certain song, or even part of a song, and it'll bring me back to my center. It helps me remember things I don't want to forget," Joe explained.
Instead of asking him what kind of memories, she asked him what kinds of music he liked.
“Just about anything really, except for rap, country, and country rap. To me; that stuff just sounds like a beatnik with a synthesizer that's been smoking crack,” Joe explained.
“Country sounds like that?” Becka asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, no, the reason I don't care for country is that most of it's depressing. I mean, do you remember that old joke that goes; what do you get if you play country music backwards?”
“No, I've never heard that one. What do you get?” she asked.
“You get your wife back, your dog comes back to life, the bank returns your pickup truck, your mother gets out of jail, and you get your job back,” Joe explained.
Becka laughed. “Oh come on, it's not that bad!”
Joe chuckled too. “Well, the older stuff is. Some of the newer stuff is up beat enough to listen to, as long as you don't listen to the words too closely. Mostly I like oldies rock with a dash of more modern stuff. I also like instrumental bluegrass and classical, as well as some techno and dance. Techno and dance are great for working out."
About that time the door to the bridge slid open and Shana came out. “Well, we are on course and hauling ass. ETA is forty-six hours, twenty-two minutes to the Centauri system. Then another twenty hours sub-light to the Citadel.”
“That's ship time, right? But relative to the rest of the galaxy?” Joe asked.
Becka frowned. “About a week, give or take. I told you I had trouble with the temporals.”
“Okay, so if Jarad did the navigating, how long would it be relatively?” Joe asked.
“He can get it close to the actual time; like within a couple of hours. He may be completely insane, but he's a really good navigator,” Becka admitted.
Joe dug in his pocket and pulled out a fifty, which he handed to Shana. “I'll bet you that fifty, that you'll be within an hour this time.”
Becka looked at him like he was insane. “Why don't you just give me the money? I've never been that close... ever.”
“Because I honestly think you plotted this very closely,” Joe said, grinning. “Hey, what have you got to lose? You've never been able to get it that close and I have no idea how to plot hyperspace. So this should be a sure bet.”
Becka got up and pulled out the money and handed it to Shana. “You're on!”
Shana just shook her head. “Something tells me you just lost fifty bucks, Becky!”
“You know something I don't, Shana?” the smiling redhead asked.
Shana just shook her head. “Just a gut feeling is all.”
“So, ladies, how about we get something to eat before we relax?” Joe asked.
Becka chuckled. “Yeah, you're gonna need all the protein you can get, Old Man!”
The three friends took breaks for meals, bathroom visits, and the exit from hyperspace. Shana broke the rules and left the cockpit door open for the exit. Becka did as well since she also plotted the real space course to the Citadel.
Joe felt the song close like a mournful requiem and he knew they had slowed to sublight speeds. Shana turned the craft in the general direction they needed to go, while Becka figured out when and exactly where they were.
Shana and Joe were talking about flying in space when they heard Becka swear like a sailor. Shana's console beeped at her, and she started typing commands into her console.
“Becky finished the course. I think she's swearing because she lost the bet. How close do you think she really came?”
“I honestly don't know for certain, since I truly have no idea how I knew she'd be this close. But if had to make another guess, I'd
“Oh yeah. For me, music is very powerful. I use it when I meditate to help control my mood as well as my sanity. Then later, all I have to do is hear a certain song, or even part of a song, and it'll bring me back to my center. It helps me remember things I don't want to forget," Joe explained.
Instead of asking him what kind of memories, she asked him what kinds of music he liked.
“Just about anything really, except for rap, country, and country rap. To me; that stuff just sounds like a beatnik with a synthesizer that's been smoking crack,” Joe explained.
“Country sounds like that?” Becka asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, no, the reason I don't care for country is that most of it's depressing. I mean, do you remember that old joke that goes; what do you get if you play country music backwards?”
“No, I've never heard that one. What do you get?” she asked.
“You get your wife back, your dog comes back to life, the bank returns your pickup truck, your mother gets out of jail, and you get your job back,” Joe explained.
Becka laughed. “Oh come on, it's not that bad!”
Joe chuckled too. “Well, the older stuff is. Some of the newer stuff is up beat enough to listen to, as long as you don't listen to the words too closely. Mostly I like oldies rock with a dash of more modern stuff. I also like instrumental bluegrass and classical, as well as some techno and dance. Techno and dance are great for working out."
About that time the door to the bridge slid open and Shana came out. “Well, we are on course and hauling ass. ETA is forty-six hours, twenty-two minutes to the Centauri system. Then another twenty hours sub-light to the Citadel.”
“That's ship time, right? But relative to the rest of the galaxy?” Joe asked.
Becka frowned. “About a week, give or take. I told you I had trouble with the temporals.”
“Okay, so if Jarad did the navigating, how long would it be relatively?” Joe asked.
“He can get it close to the actual time; like within a couple of hours. He may be completely insane, but he's a really good navigator,” Becka admitted.
Joe dug in his pocket and pulled out a fifty, which he handed to Shana. “I'll bet you that fifty, that you'll be within an hour this time.”
Becka looked at him like he was insane. “Why don't you just give me the money? I've never been that close... ever.”
“Because I honestly think you plotted this very closely,” Joe said, grinning. “Hey, what have you got to lose? You've never been able to get it that close and I have no idea how to plot hyperspace. So this should be a sure bet.”
Becka got up and pulled out the money and handed it to Shana. “You're on!”
Shana just shook her head. “Something tells me you just lost fifty bucks, Becky!”
“You know something I don't, Shana?” the smiling redhead asked.
Shana just shook her head. “Just a gut feeling is all.”
“So, ladies, how about we get something to eat before we relax?” Joe asked.
Becka chuckled. “Yeah, you're gonna need all the protein you can get, Old Man!”
The three friends took breaks for meals, bathroom visits, and the exit from hyperspace. Shana broke the rules and left the cockpit door open for the exit. Becka did as well since she also plotted the real space course to the Citadel.
Joe felt the song close like a mournful requiem and he knew they had slowed to sublight speeds. Shana turned the craft in the general direction they needed to go, while Becka figured out when and exactly where they were.
Shana and Joe were talking about flying in space when they heard Becka swear like a sailor. Shana's console beeped at her, and she started typing commands into her console.
“Becky finished the course. I think she's swearing because she lost the bet. How close do you think she really came?”
“I honestly don't know for certain, since I truly have no idea how I knew she'd be this close. But if had to make another guess, I'd
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