THE SENTINEL Arthur C. Clarke 1951 Avon Periodicals Inc. Also three small rockets which were intended for short-range transport over regions which our. The Sentinel by Arthur C. Dragon Nest Kr Voice Patch: Software Free Download. “The Sentinel” is a 1951 science fiction short story by Arthur C. The pdf version I read contained a few. The Sentinel – A Short Story by Oscar Finn. Comment No Comments. Tagged: shortstory. For 200,000 years it travelled through space to reach it’s destination. The story is not about character. There is no focus on him or any change in him. He is simply a narrative voice laying out the ideas about intelligent life in the universe. The character is a vehicle for the expression of ideas about the evolutionary nature of man and speculation about the possibilities of 'contact.' The Sentinel.

Tagged: For 200,000 years it travelled through space to reach it’s destination. A star named Gliese 581 by a dying race in search of a new home. The ship was now the only indication in the universe that the people who created it ever existed, it’s sole purpose was to reach it’s new home and give humanity a second chance. It spanned three kilometres in length, it’s surface was smooth with no visible markings or flaws; it’s oval shape resembling that of a blue whale. Inside the ship all was still, most of it’s energy had been used to reach the necessary speed to make it’s journey. On the the ships bridge a lone sentinel sat before a row of now blank screens. The android measured 18 feet tall.

It had ensured the ship remained on course until its power cells had run down, now it sat and waited. The ship entered the Gliese system; as it sped toward the central star the ships hull started to react to the sun’s light, as the light intensified solar cells in the ships hull began to darken as they soaked up solar energy. With every second more and more energy was absorbed and it’s hull seemed to shimmer as the solar cells reacted to the light. The hull of the ship then began to split apart as plates moved and shifted reshaping itself forming a huge dish absorbing energy and shielding the rest of the ship from radiation. The ship showed no signs of slowing down as it sped towards the sun soaking up more and more energy. Inside the ship systems started to come on-line the panels on the bridge in front of the sentinel began to flicker to life information on the ships trajectory, velocity and structural integrity hopped around the screens as if competing for attention.

The sentinel sat still but a faint pulsing green light in his showed that he was charging up. On the panel in front of him a warning flashed on the screen announcing that the ship was approaching the star and a course change was required. A large hand reached up and touched a button. The ship rotated on it’s access altering its trajectory so that the suns gravity would catch it as before being flung back out of the suns grasp on the other side like a slingshot. Now the ship was on it’s final bearing bringing it to Gliese 581. As the ship entered orbit around the planet it began to transform. The main ship began to expand and contract, huge sections of the ship jutted out, rotated and unfolded connecting to new sections.

After several hours the ship that arrived at the planet was no longer recognizable in its place a huge city of towers and blocks encircled the immense solar array that had shielded the ship from the sun. From one of the newly formed sections a panel opened, eight pods emerged; a glow indicating engine ignitions as they propelled themselves toward planet. These orbital drones would would go into synchronised orbit and begin to map the planets terrain, weather systems and look for signs of mineral resources that could be harvested. Inside the ship began to transform as well, during it’s journey it was mostly a solid block but now that it had arrived rooms and corridors began to appear small robots powered up and went about setting up up larger machines, checking systems and making preparations for the mission ahead. In the the ships core a large blue orb started to glow and expand as it expanded it began to shift from a solid mass into a fluidic state as it turned it increased in speed.

An array of golden rings encircling it began to spin generating a field of energy which levitated the spinning blue orb. The orb shook violently with flashes of light emanating from within with blue flames bursting forth. There was a blinding flash and the orb erupted into a massive ball of blue and gold flames it’s energy being contained within the field generated by the spinning golden rings. The Oracle had awakened.

A signal on the bridge told the sentinel that the Oracle was ready to speak with him. The sentinel rose from his seat and made his way to the core of the ship.