Space Apples: The Burden

While our heroes make their way to the following location, perhaps it will help to tell you about this "Burden" The Stranger cares for so much.

If you haven't read the original story, Space Apples, I suggest you read it before continuing with this story.

This is Leviticus, by the way. The journey we are on is long, so I may as well give you some information about what's going on here. We'll start with the Burden. If the Stranger finds out I talked about him, he might delete me. So we'll wait a while before I do that.

The Burden is not what you think. The Stranger mentioned it was a beautiful purple star class cruiser, whatever that means. However, there is more than meets the eye. Much more.

There is a matte lavender exterior with a shiny black gloss that fades in from the tip of its hull. Yes, this is the fastest vessel across the Multiverse. Sure, it can take two-thousand megaton nuclear detonations before its shield drops, and a secondary guard opens to take its place. The Stranger may not like that I told you that. If you ever attack us with two-thousand megaton nuclear missiles, I'll know who it was, and I'll come for you. I digress.

Something that always confuses people about The Burden is its shape. Think of it like water. It takes on whatever form it needs to contain for the mission. It's why there are so many images of this clandestine ship. It never looks the same. The Burden does have a final shape, but a small group actually knows what the form of this ship is. I'm not one of them, sadly. I'm the A.I.! You would think I would know about the final shape. One day the Stranger will deem me worthy. Frankly, I don't see all the hype about this damn ship. I guess that's something I'll learn later. I hope I don't need to say it. Do I need to say it? Please don't make me say it. We're still on the outside.

Like many Star class cruisers, it's outfitted with the general stuff we need to defend ourselves against an enemy. With all the firepower we have, I never understand why we don't engage immediately on an enemy, but The Stranger is apparent in our policy on engagements. It's simple, The Burden doesn't strike first. It only strikes last. We also have a weapon on the Burden that essentially can turn an enemy into a Black Hole. It's hazardous. Since my time on the Burden, we've been in some terrible situations. Still, nothing ever forces us to evoke the nothing. I barely understand it, but The Stranger says that if we use it and use it at the wrong time, we could destroy a planet.

We've talked a lot about the exterior; let us look at the interior of this behemoth.

Upon entrance, the Burden just looks like your average space-fairing vessel. But, remember, the Burden is a particular ship. So there is much more than meets the eye. Essentially, this is a pocket dimension. What is a pocket dimension, you ask? Well, let me tell you!

A pocket dimension is a section of space-time created within an already existing universe. The Burden's interior is a section of space-time entirely contained inside the ship. These pocket dimensions are controlled by the Stranger. Other beings can do this, but no one has it mastered like the Stranger. No one can create stable pocket dimensions inside a ship that travels between galaxies and universes at will. Beings across the Multiverse offer top coin for the opportunity to even be shown this skill. The Stranger doesn't like taking on pupils, though. The Stranger has done this before, and it did not go well. It's not what you think, though. That, however, is a story for another day. Besides, if I tell it, I'll likely tell it wrong. Just remember to ask The Stranger about this one sometime. It's something.

Essentially, depending on what we need or who we need, The Stranger can just create what we need for the trip.

As I tell you all of this, The Stranger sure seems powerful, doesn't he? Well, he isn't.

The Burden called the Burden because of the responsibility of owning this ship. We could quickly just go and conquer the Multiverse. What's that saying from the Earth Comic series, Spider-Man? With great power comes great responsibility? It's that but say a trillion-fold.

Enough of this, though. I need to get back and make sure we are on track to get to our next stop. We've got a while before we get to our next destination. Maybe I'll share another story soon.