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“You want to tell me where we’re going that’s got you so excited?” John asked, eyes on the viewscreen and his hands moving over the controls of the experimental ‘jumper as he guided it through the solar system of PX6-909.
“Just keep us headed on this course,” Rodney replied, trying to keep the triumphant smile off his face. The amused glance John shot him told Rodney the other man could see it anyway. “Hey, eyes on the road!”
The ‘jumper passed over an ice moon, smoothly skirting the very edge of its thick nitrogen atmosphere: Sheppard showing off.
“We’re in space, Rodney,” John said dryly. “I’m not going to hit anything.”
“There could be mini-asteroids out here, or comets or – hey, pull up there!”
“Here?” John asked, slowly bringing the ‘jumper to a halt above the sixth planet’s furthest satellite.
“We need to be facing the star. Can you keep us out of the moon’s orbit?”
John just shot him a look.
“Right,” Rodney said.
The ‘jumper turned a graceful arc and then held position. Below them the barren rock moon continued on its slow, spinning drift. From this distance, the solar system’s star was nothing more than a dime sized red disc.
Rodney’s tablet beeped. “We’re just in time,” Rodney said eagerly, leaning forward and adjusting the display. Immediately the ‘jumper brought up a close up image of the star, already visibly swollen and wobbling on its axis.
“Hey, that thing looks unstable. Should be we this close?” John asked nervously.
“This is what we’re here for,” Rodney said, reaching into the backpack he’d brought with them.
“That thing’s going to blow?” John asked.
“Yep. We’re going to be the first people from Earth to witness a supernova in the flesh. Put these on,” Rodney said, passing John a pair of goggles.
John’s eyebrow raised higher. “Just so long as we don’t get blown up.”
“You just cannot let that go, can you – “ Rodney started. John’s grin said that Rodney had been caught out again. “Oh ha ha.” His computer beeped. “One minute to go,” he read from the readout. “And for your information, this far out we’ll have plenty of time to jump out of here before the deadly radiation reaches us.”
“Deadly radiation,” John repeated flatly but he was putting the goggles on anyway, the band causing his cowlicks to point in every direction.
“Will you relax? We’ll be fine. All you have to do is take us to hyperspace when I say so. I’ve already put in our new coordinates,” Rodney said as he finished entering the information into the ‘jumpers systems.
There were only three things left to do: set the ‘jumpers sensors recording, grab the container of popcorn from his bag and sit back to enjoy the show.
The star was swelling further now, turning a deeper red as it started shedding its outer layers. They watched as it continued to swell and then a sudden flash of white filled the ‘jumper. For a moment Rodney was blinded. Gradually the purple and white afterimage faded away. Rodney ripped off the goggles and saw John do the same out of the corner of his eye.
The star was gone. There was nothing but the slowly swelling cloud of ejected corona, all the colours of the rainbow, as vibrant as Christmas lights against the black background of space.
“Wow,” John said sounding awed and Rodney dragged his eyes away to look at Sheppard. John was leaning forward in his seat, eyes fixed on the show of colours through the window.
“Really something huh?” Rodney said and John turned and smiled goofily at him.
“Yeah that was pretty awesome, Rodney,” John said and they sat there, grinning like idiots at each other.