The story begins with the narrator, Starman. He’s seated in a cherry-red Tesla Skyster, the fastest car in the galaxy. Looking over his shoulder while gliding through space, he comes to a slow stop, floating amongst the starry night, and begins.
STARMAN
Welcome, space travelers. You’re about to meet a very special girl named Tessa. Don’t take my word for it, though. Her grandmother was the very first human to be born in space, on a space station orbiting Earth.
That makes Tessa a third-generation spaceling.
But, Tessa is still all human. In fact, it’s Tessa’s birthday today, and this birthday is sure to be surprising, to say the least
Starman gives a wink, revs his engine, and jets off. The scene changes to a 16-year-old girl with wavy red hair named Tessa, sound asleep in a space station orbiting around Saturn.
“The Future” appears at the bottom of the scene, letting us know this is well into the future, at least 100 years or so.
Tessa is awoken by her alarm clock, Hype.
HYPE
Good morning, Tessa. Rise and shine.
Tessa stretches her arms out wide, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
TESSA
(With an eyes-closed smile) Good morning, Hype. How did you sleep?
HYPE
Really well, actually. I was a little nervous about my software updates. You know how they can be a little glitchy. But everything seems to be working well. Also, your mother says, “Happy birthday! And good luck on your driver’s test tomorrow!”
TESSA
Tell mom I said, “Thanks, I’ll call you tomorrow after the test.” Hype, what was your update?
HYPE
(Lights blinking on his screen, which could be considered his forehead) OK, message sent. My update was for our new GPS system, the Pulsar GPS system for any future galactic travels.
TESSA
(Wide awake now) Oh yeah! Awesome! I’ve been waiting for the Pulsar GPS for pretty much forever.
HYPE
(With as much sarcasm as is possible for an alarm clock) Really, Tessa? You’ve just turned 17 years old and you’ve been waiting for this “forever?”
TESSA
Yes, Hype! I have literally been waiting for this for forever.
HYPE
Well, I literally don’t believe you, but people are weird, and that’s OK.
TESSA
You’re weird. What time is it?
HYPE
Now that’s more up my alley. The time is 7:45 am Eastern Saturn Time. You have 15 minutes before your 8 am class on centrifugal force.
TESSA
(bounding out of bed) Ahhh, I gotta go! Hype, please water my plants and take out my recyclables. Thank you!
HYPE
Roger that, and happy birthday again!
TESSA
(in an exaggerated, but sweet way) Thank youuuu! This is the big one, by the way. I’m 17 now, and I get to start exploring the solar system on my own…if I pass that driver’s test.
HYPE
It sure is, and I’m sure you’ll pass. You really need to go, though.
TESSA
Right, right. See you later!
HYPE
(to himself) I wonder if I’ll ever get to meet Roger?
Panning to the door, we see Tessa take off with a fruit bar in one hand, her bag on her back, and her headphones in her ears playing her favorite classic rock, Boston’s “More Than A Feeling,” as the scene fades out.
A flashback sequence reveals a series of clips from Tessa’s birthdays in years past.
Each year, someone in her family gives her a space-themed gift. At 5, her parents take her to visit Earth, sparking a deep love for the planet. At 7, she’s given a telescope. Scenes show her using the telescope to look at Earth from the window of her family’s space station.
At 13, she receives a space-flight simulator and falls in love with virtually flying around the solar system and the galaxy. At 16, we watch her apply to a young scholarship program for space students interested in leaving home to travel across the solar system. She is accepted into the program, hugging her parents tearfully.
In each scene, we see someone watching her from a distance.
Flash forward to the present.
Tessa is sitting in a classroom, listening to a lecture on the importance of monitoring the levels of centrifugal force on a space station. A sound crackles inside the room, interrupting the instructor.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Tessa, please report to the docking bay immediately, to sign for and retrieve your delivery.
TESSA
(confusion on her face, to the instructor) The docking bay? I’m not expecting anything.
INSTRUCTOR
(sighing) OK.
The instructor continues his lecture.
TESSA
(gathering her things and getting up from her seat, she interrupts) It’s going to take me at least 10 minutes to get down there, and who knows how long to deal with whatever this is. My next class starts in 30 minutes!
INSTRUCTOR
(another heavy sigh) OK.
TESSA
(smiling wide) Oh, I know! I can take the west stairwell. It’s the closest. I should be able to make it that way!
She bolts out of the classroom. The instructor gives her a withering stare, students starting to chatter about what this could be about.
In the halls, Tessa jogs through the northwest hallway of Level 5. We see instructors and students looking out the doors, a streak of red wavy hair whizzing by.
The hallway is wide and spacious, with white with blue tones to resemble a daytime sky on Earth. She passes 40 classrooms on both sides of the hall and a sign that reads, “NO RUNNING,” smiling to herself as she breezes past.
She makes it to the west stairwell, breathing heavily. The stairwell is large, white, and sparkling, a spiral that connects the other levels together.
She looks up for a moment, and sets off for the staircase to a sign for Level 4: 1.00G, where she passes an Earth-like park, gardens, and forest. She stops to look around, just for a moment.
The park is empty but for Tessa, who closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath of the open air, listening to the sound of a babbling brook flowing in the distance. Despite the fact that we’re in space, rays of manufactured sunlight filter in through the trees that rim the perimeter of the park, bouncing off rocks wet with moisture from the splashing stream.
TESSA
(marveling at the scene, she says to herself, quietly) I’ll be back, Earth.
She feels lighter somehow, realizing that she is, quite literally, lighter.
TESSA
(laughing to herself, and talking to no one in particular) The artificial gravity is lower here than it is back on Level 5, and will keep going down until I’m weightless at Level 0.
She does a quick backflip, as we see the scene fade back to Starman, slowing again to a halt in his Skyster, the night sky all around him.
STARMAN
What Tessa’s doing here is taking advantage of the continual centrifugal force of the space station. That feeling of weightlessness doesn’t mean Tessa’s actually weightless, or even that she’s experiencing zero gravity. She’s reaching the free-fall condition, where there’s no difference between the space station accelerating around her, and her own acceleration.
This causes perceived weightlessness, that fun floating into oblivion effect that Tessa’s trained to have a handle on.
Starman checks both mirrors and zips off into space. The scene returns to Tessa, completing another flip.
TESSA
(laughing to herself) It’s the space diet!
She re-enters the big spiral staircase. Passing a sign for Level 3: 0.75G, she begins to leap four stairs at a time. By the sign for Level 2: 0.50G, she is jumping six stairs at a time. At the sign for Level 1: 0.25G, she leaps up the center of the stairwell with ease.
She arrives at signage for Level 0: 0.10G, the docking bay. She is now almost weightless, which is super fun.
She puts her hair up in a bun to control the waves that have gotten wild from the adventure so far and opens the door to the bay. She sees a John sit up quickly, to make it seem as if he wasn’t just napping at the desk. It’s John, who works the deliveries at the docking bay.
TESSA
Hi, Sleeping Beauty. Bet you didn’t think I was going to get here so fast, did ya?
JOHN
Don’t call me that. Can I see your ID?
TESSA
Oh, yes, of course. John, it’s only me, the same Tessa you’ve met like five times now.
JOHN
What? No, I need to scan your ID for the delivery.
TESSA
Oh, right. Do you know what it is? I wasn’t expecting anything…
JOHN
(handing Tessa a white box with a red ribbon) If it is what I think it is, I’m very jealous. Here’s the box it came with. Follow me.
TESSA
(turning the box over in her hands) I’m so confused, John.
He waves at her to keep following him. They float over to the end of the bay where there is a shipping container sitting all alone.
JOHN
Tessa, you must have friends in high places.
John opens the door to the container and turns on the light. Secured inside, there’s a shiny new, classic red, Tesla Skyster.
JOHN
This is the fastest car in the galaxy. Its warp-drive can make it from Saturn to Earth in just a few hours. (laughing to himself) You must be toast because I sure am jelly.
Ignoring the joke, Tessa continues floating in place, eyes wide, staring at the car.
JOHN
Just sign here and I’ll have it moved to your new garage spot on Level 1. It’ll be Number 137, I believe, right there.
John points up to the ceiling of the docking bay where there are hundreds of doors of all sizes.
JOHN
(handing Tessa a key) Here’s the key. I’ll send you a text message as soon as I get it out of this container and parked nicely up in your garage.
TESSA
(clearing her throat) So, you mean, I can just go to my garage, get in my car, and go drive around, any time I want?
JOHN
Yeah, pretty much. You have to schedule long-distance travel, but yeah, pretty much.
TESSA
John, you really are Sleeping Beauty. Thank you.
JOHN
Don’t call me that.
TESSA
Sorry, but it’s a good name! Thank you again! (checks the time) I have to get back to class now. See you later!
She exits the bay, leaving John there.
JOHN
(quietly, to himself) I wasn’t even sleeping.
Cut to Tessa making it to her next class, just in time. She’s a bundle of nerves, fingers tapping on her desk, knee bouncing in her seat. In her lap sits the white box that came with the surprise gift.
She opens the card discretely. In typed print, it reads:
“Happy birthday, Tessa! Congratulations on getting to where you are today. You have been working hard for many years, and it shows. This Tesla Skyster is a modern marvel, built for not only its efficiency, but for possibilities of exploration, something we know you’re very keen on. We want this car to be an inspiration for you every day, so keep up the hard work! Also, once you pass your driver’s test tomorrow, here is your first mission:
31575867530910151330.″
Tessa flips the card over, revealing empty white space.
TESSA
(quietly, but out loud) What the…
Scene turns to black.
