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[contract_star]

[Hei appears a ways away from where the normal crowd gathers, carrying a brand new Satake telescope. He sets it up carefully on its tripod and settles in for some quiet time with the stars. He'll talk to anyone who comes by, though.]

Comments

[contract_star]

[Grins.] Well if you can pose as Gene Hunt for a week, I'm pretty sure you can do anything. [Adjusting his scope,] Well, you see that nebula over there--looks like a big orange ring? That's the Ring Nebula. I'm going to try and see the central star. [Fiddles around, and after a moment,] Ah! Found it.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

Ah, being Gene was challenging, though. [gasp, honesty about it. but then she looks excited] Really? Can I see it?

[contract_star]

He's a challenging person in general. [Beams at her.] Of course! Go ahead.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[scoots closer and looks through it] Ahhh, it's so pretty! It's so strange to think how big that really is.

[contract_star]

[Hei is beaming. This reminds him so much of his sister, and not in a bad way, for once.] A nebula is actually the remnants of an exploded star. It looks tiny from Earth, but there's such a good view of it here. And that little star in the middle? That's all that's left of the original star.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[Aw, happy Hei. Fumie looks up from the telescope] Wow, really? Could the sun ever do that?

[contract_star]

Actually, yeah. Though first it would get really, really big and swallow up most of the planets. [Realizes what he's saying.] Ah, but that won't happen for several billion years, so we don't have to worry.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

I guess it must happen to most stars, right? [thinks, still looking at the shiny nebula] Oh! Except black holes, I think?

[contract_star]

Ah! Well, black holes are a little different. Most stars, when they die, they leave a nebula like this one. The cloud you see was once the outside part of the star. But sometimes when stars die, they...well, I don't really understand it myself. They kind of compress to the point that they're heavier than anything else in space, and that's what makes a black hole.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, I see. And because it's so heavy, everything else gets pulled in?

[contract_star]

Yup! Even light and time can't escape a black hole.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

Wow... [sudden thought!] We're not in a black hole here, right?

[contract_star]

[Looong pause, because he hadn't thought of that.] That's...well, I don't know. Nothing is supposed to be able to survive a black hole...but some people speculate that they're tunnels into other worlds...hm. It might be possible.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

That doesn't seem possible but then this isn't really possible, so at least a scientific theory is better than nothing...

[contract_star]

Heh, that's true. We shouldn't be standing in the middle of space in the first place. And people can be brought back to life. Science seems not to have much influence here...

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

It's still a little nicer to think there's some explanation.

[contract_star]

Hm. Well, this place might just be some kind of elaborate hologram. [A little sadly,] It might not be real at all.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[frowns] Maybe. ...Does that mean some of us wouldn't be real?

[contract_star]

No, I think the people here are real. But the place itself might not be.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

That's good... [pauses, then somewhat sadly] Sometimes Sam makes it sound like maybe things aren't real. The people, too. But that wouldn't be fair at all.

[contract_star]

Does he? [Remembers something Sam said to him recently and frowns.] I suppose he does. He might just be worried about something else. Because you're right, that wouldn't be fair. [Then again for all Hei knows, he's been trapped inside the Gate all this time, but he's not going to say that.]

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[nods slightly] I guess so. It's just hard to be attached to something if it's not real...

[contract_star]

[Smiles a little, thinking, and it's awhile before he speaks.] But we get attached to memories, and to hopes and dreams...they're not tangible, but that doesn't mean they're not real.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[thinks about this] I never thought of it that way. Usually those things are based on something real, though.

[contract_star]

But you can never really be sure that dreams are real. Or even memories. You just believe that they are, and that ends up being good enough. Usually.