PATRICIA BURN

Generation ships had been considered but then, who really wants to set out on a journey knowing they’ve got to procreate along the way, teach their offspring all they know, and die before they get home? Not me.

Think about it, what if your kid didn’t want to be a scientist or was just too plain dumb to do the math to get you home again? Not my idea of fun.

A few people were up for it, of course, but the powers that be decided there had to be a better way. 

 

The better way involved playing God. (Doesn’t it always?) 

 

Pretty neat idea though. Create a mini-universe in the cargo hold where time goes slower, move all but two of your crew into it for the duration of the journey, and bring them out again when you get to your destination. It also meant that you didn’t have to carry as much food and other provisions for the journey. So, all in all, pretty practical really.

The elapsed time for the people in the bubble universe would be about five days. 
 

All they had to do was take a couple of sandwiches in there, a couple of flasks of tea, a few deckchairs, a pile of books to read, and before you knew it, you’re there.
Of course the journey was a lot slower – forty-something years slower – for those left outside.

The psych evaluations for the two left outside were more important than their piloting and engineering skills, to be honest.

Although, they did get to ride in the cargo hold on the way back as it was figured the ship could make its way back on its own. 

After all, it had the Earth Beacon to latch onto and heading home is apparently a heck of a lot easier than setting out, for reasons to do with interstellar space travel that I know absolutely nothing about....