Silence and Saxophones in Space

What no one warned the crew was that once they went faster than light, the air changed, and they lost the ability to speak out loud without a headset. At first, they kept them on, but after two weeks—once each crewmember got into enough of a routine with their job—they stopped,

The astronauts used various means to communicate. Small whiteboards, typing messages on their tablets, lots of pointing. Jones in engineering knew sign language, and started teaching her crewmates. Most of them were surprised how little they needed to communicate, though.

Judging by the instruments on her wristpad, Jones figured the crew had 30 minutes of oxygen before the first tank depleted. It would take extraordinary coordination to make it from the cluster of space debris they found themselves on to the viable craft barely within sight.

This saxophone could wail us out of orbit.

I pulled out my trumpet. Jazz had always been a passion, and taming this rampant sax with my sweet melodies could help stabilize our path forward. We played for hours, putting us back on track. We were now nearing our destination. We buckled in for a rough landing.

The more speedier crew members actually managed to strap themselves into the safety pods. Most clung onto some handle. But I, who had both my hands preoccupied with serenading, lurched forward. A fry pan came spinning toward me and slammed into my stomach...the sax let out a wail