The Space Dart flew into the wormhole, and then, suddenly, the enormous entrance through which they had just come became a tiny speck, as shown on the left half of the screen's split shot. The right half still showed what lay before them, and the left now displayed a view as seen behind the rocket. That tiny speck was soon lost in the distance, and then it disappeared completely from sight. At the same time, the blackness in the tunnel unexpectedly (unless one had gone through the wormhole before) vanished, replaced with brilliant wild flashes and screaming colors as sparks and streaks twisted around the ship, creating indescribable patterns and sights. One of the tourists had the presence of mind to take out his cam and try to record the amazing display.
Capt. Shatner's voice came over the speakers again as he tried to explain what they were all seeing. "Our space inside the Dart seems normal, but as we travel along the wormhole, the wormhole itself is a shortcut through space. It cuts through thousands of light years, crossing galaxies and making the distance relatively short for us. What we see is space, the stars and planets and galaxies, all distorted as we pass by at incredible speeds inside this wormhole. If you were someone outside the wormhole, and able to see us, you would see the Space Dart as the warped object, and not the space and stars in normal space, which we in here see as twisted all out of shape. Of course the Dart would go by the observer so fast, there's no way anyone could really see us from outside the wormhole. We are faster than the speed of light. Inside the wormhole, I mean. But we still can view the stars outside the wormhole as we fly past them, and their after-effect, so this is what we are seeing."
"Fascinating," Nina told George. "Terrifying, but wonderful. I'm glad I came and didn't miss the light show."
"It is stunning," agreed George. "I don't understand how we can see anything, since we are faster than light, but the big brains might be able to figure it out. I have to talk to one of them when we land, and see if anybody can explain it in easy terms for me to understand."
After ten minutes or so, the passengers' excitement began to fade, their awe somewhat in check once they got used to the display. Once more Osmo hassled Gazelle. "Hey, what am I seeing out there in the tunnel? You didn't spike my Coke, did you?" And several people asked for stomach tonics.
From her seat nearby Osmo, Mita said, "Osmo, it's an honor to visit the World of Hope, which is named after your mom, and a tribute to her courage." She imagined if she might engage him in conversation, she could get him to notice her. Maybe she could even draw him out on the matter of his mother, since she had seldom heard him discuss it.
He looked briefly at her. "Oh, yeah, you're right, Mita, it sure is."
"Yes, I think she was a great-"
But he didn't really listen. In fact, he turned to Albert and Jane, and he said how he couldn't wait to see the beach at the Sea of Fun. "I hope you wear that tiger bikini, Jane," Osmo added.
"Hey, that's my girl!" Albert protested, and Jane called Osmo a pig. Osmo didn't get insulted; it was like water going off the back of a duck. A thick skin to match his thick skull.
Mita didn't like being ignored, but even less did she like Jane calling Osmo names. That wasn't right. She considered it a flaw that Osmo often let pass insults without replying in kind. Well, once they were dating, she would point that out to him; she wouldn't let him let people disrespect him.
Some man far from them had a copy of "A World Called Hope", and he told his young son what he had learned about the planet from reading the book and what he himself remembered about its history. He told the young boy how, a dozen years ago, before the boy's birth, the space station Peace Lab, while doing particle experiments in orbit above the Earth, somehow accidentally opened a wormhole. The whole space station got sucked in, unfortunately, and it took Dr. Hope Martin, one of the researchers aboard the Peace Lab, along with it. She had managed to move the anomaly away from Earth, at least, so that Earth wasn't destroyed and told the others to abandon the space station. In recognition of her self-sacrifice, staying in the station to make sure the blackhole/wormhole got moved far enough away from Earth, Earth commemorated her by having the planet found on the other end of the wormhole named after her. Her husband, or widow, Gunther, who had funded a lot of the space station research, thought it only appropriate. Given his influence, the Earth Leaders agreed, especially since early exploration of that planet found a new fuel ore on which Earth now relied to help alleviate problems of power shortages, giving Earth new hope of a golden age.
Initially, Gunther Martin's corporation, Martinology, oversaw the exploration and exploitation of the new world. When the government stepped in, it managed to crowd out Gunther Martin from controlling the world, but the Leaders and their committees did allow him to help develop it, and mine it, and set up a farming operation, and also to terraform the new world with Envoro-Gens placed in strategic locations. It was Gunther's idea to build Sparkle City with the help of a competent governor. But these days, so much went on there behind Mr. Martin's back that it was doubtful he was ever brought into the loop regarding so many matters, the man editorialized to his little boy. Nevertheless, Gunther Martin still exercised a substantial influence over what happened in matters concerning the World of Hope.
Well, naturally the little boy didn't quite understand all this which his father had told him, but his father tried to inform him, anyway. The father figured, Hey, it can't hurt to teach my boy early in his life. Maybe one day he'll be a genius.
When the man had finished telling his son the story, he then stood and walked over with the boy to where Osmo sat and introduced his boy to him, apologizing for the intrusion, but he felt sure one day his son would remember this meeting with such a great man's son, who, probably, would also one day be a great man in his own way, considering his genes.
Jane tried not to laugh out loud at the thought of Osmo attaining anything more than a trophy for winning a beer guzzling contest.
Twenty-eight minutes after entering the wormhole, the exit appeared ahead of them as a bright, fixed dot in the distance. And just as quickly as they had spotted the dot, suddenly the dot became a very wide opening, and the Dart zoomed out the tunnel into a new, mostly uncharted quadrant of space. On this side of the wormhole, also, a beacon with a flashing blue light had been set up. As above Earth, here, too, a few security ships prowled the proximity of the tunnel's exit.
"We're here, folks," Capt. Shatner announced. "Welcome to the middle of nowhere. You can see the World of Hope just below to the starboard. No doubt the more observant of you have noticed the exit of the tunnel is only half the distance from Hope as the entrance is from Earth."
Everyone gazed out the portholes at their destination. Smaller than Earth, it orbited a smaller sun, which could be seen in the distance. In turn, Hope was orbited by two moons. The Dart drew closer, and more details of Hope's features became distinguishable. Forests, mountains, lakes, some small seas, an ocean, polar caps at either end. Drawing even nearer, they saw the small metropolis of Sparkle City with a scrubby-bushed dessert bordering almost half the city's perimeter, and the other half of the perimeter abutted the cozy Sea of Fun.
"Yahoo, that was a fast trip," cheered Osmo, "but then, we only went away about a million or so light-years."
Capt. Shatner announced, "We have been cleared for touchdown. Please buckle your seat-belts as we begin our descent, and prepare to enjoy a grand vacation on the planet Hope. And remember, a person cannot live even a minute without hope."
"You got that right," Osmo answered. "And I sure hope to see lots of babes at the beach!"
George hoped Gov. Bright didn't give him too much trouble. He kept it to himself, but he sure wished he felt more optimistic about the whole affair ahead of him.
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