Spaceship and The Fishing Planet - Spaceship #341 - A Bedtime Story

0:04 Hello friends from across the nation and around the world. I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories. And tonight, we're gonna head back into the spaceship universe for a story that was suggested by my son, Oliver. Now, Oliver really, really wanted a fishing planet. because Oliver has spent most of his summer fishing. And I've been doing that with him. So I decided to make that come true today, since it was about time to do a spaceship episode anyways. And I hope you like it. If you like the podcast, don't forget to rate it and review it wherever it is you're listening. And if you want to support it financially, you can join us on Patreon, where you also get ad-free episodes. or consider buying one

1:02 of our books. Cards of Power 1, Cards of Power 2, we got Wizardcraft, and we have a Dad's Bedtime Stories coloring book. So if you're interested in any of those things, you can check them out. But before we get started, I do want to give some really important shoutouts to some of my newest Patreon sponsors. First of all, thank you to Malachi and Milo, who I think actually started sponsoring me back in June. But I never figured out their names to give them a shout-out, so thank you.

1:41 I really appreciate the support, both of you, and from your parent, Megan, too. And last, a big shout-out for supporting me, and a big happy birthday to Chance. from Third Lake, Illinois, who also recently became a Patreon sponsor thanks to Andrea. Thank you, thank you, thank you to those new Patreon sponsors and all of my Patreon sponsors, because as you know, you help keep this podcast alive.

2:19 You guys and ads, which I'm going to play one of right now if you're not listening on Patreon. Imagine yourself sitting in the control center of the spaceship, floating peacefully through space, when you hear a strange noise. Alert! Alert! Incoming transmission, announces spaceship. It appears to be an advertisement.

2:51 An advertisement? Out here? Out here? Apparently, even the furthest reaches of the galaxy are not safe from commercials. A holographic screen appears in front of you. An excited alien wearing a fishing hat appears on the screen. Behind him, an enormous fish leaps out of a sparkling blue ocean.' Attention, anglers of the galaxy,' he says. Do you think you have what it takes to catch the big one? The screen flashes between enormous fish, powerful fishing boats, and cheering crowds.

3:38 Then come to the fishing planet for our annual Galactic Fishing Championship. Catch the biggest fish, compete against the greatest anglers in the universe, and win... A golden fishing rod slowly rotates on the screen. The legendary golden fishing rod. You lean forward. Spaceship, did you see that? I did.

4:11 A fishing rod made of gold. That is extremely impractical considering gold is quite heavy and relatively soft. No, not that, but good point. The tournament. We should go to the tournament. That is an excellent idea, one that I already calculated you would have. I have taken the liberty of directing us toward the fishing planet. Oh, okay, cool. Spaceships' engines roar, and you shoot across the galaxy. Within minutes, you drop out of super hyperdrive in front of a beautiful blue planet.

5:00 Welcome to the fishing planet, spaceship announces. As you approach, you realize that almost the entire planet is covered in water, other than thousands of little islands that are scattered across its surface like green stepping stones. Some islands look like they're covered in forests. Others have rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, or, well, strange purple trees. And everywhere you look, there are boats.

5:36 Little boats, giant boats, hovering boats. Even a few boats that look like enormous floating fish. That's a lot of fishing boats, you say? approximately 47,000 registered competitors, according to my information sources. Oh, where do we sign up? I am currently following the broadcast signal. I believe it will lead us to registration. Spaceship descends toward a large island near the middle of the enormous tropical sea. The island is covered in docks, fishing shops, colorful flags, enormous holographic advertisements, and a whole bunch of boat dealers. A huge banner stretches across the harbor. Welcome to the Galactic Fishing Championship.

6:42 Spaceship lands in a designated parking area beside the registration building. You climb out, followed by Changer, who stretches his legs and sniffs the salty ocean air. Come on, Changer, let's get registered. Inside the registration building, you find a long counter with several alien-looking registration officers. One of them is tall, green, with four arms and, well, a pretty awesome mustache.'' Next,'' he calls. You step forward.'' Hi, I'd like to enter the fishing tournament.'''' Wonderful,'' says the officer.'' Name?'' You tell him.'' Home planet.

7:34 Earth.

7:35 Ah, Earth. I've heard wonderful things about your fishing. Very small fish, though, apparently.'''' Hey, we have some pretty big fish.'' Of course, of course you do. He taps a holographic screen. Alright, now, before I can approve your registration, I'll need proof that you have the required equipment. What kind of equipment? Well, you're gonna need an approved fishing rod, or more than one if you want, a registered fishing boat, a fish finder, and a functional underwater scope. Well, Technically, you don't need that, but it'll certainly help you win. Or, well, compete. I doubt you're gonna win. All boats must also contain certified living storage tanks to keep qualified fish alive until weigh-in.

8:32 We like to fish here, but we throw most of them back. You scratch your head. Well, I don't exactly have a fishing boat yet. The officer sighs. Well, then I'm afraid. Behind you, a loud mechanical noise interrupts him. There's whirring and clinking and clanking and some sort of weird buzzing sound. You turn around and look out the window at Spaceship, who's currently transforming. His wings fold inward.

9:10 His engines disappear behind his hull, the cockpit stretches into a long, open fishing deck, and two comfortable fishing chairs rise from the floor. Storage compartments unfold along the sides, a powerful electric trolling motor appears at the bow, while a massive propulsion system extends from the back. Fishing rods pop out of hidden compartments, and four large wheels extend beneath all of it. Within seconds, your spaceship has become the most incredible-looking fishing boat you've ever seen. Fishing configuration complete, you hear spaceship announce faintly through the window you turn back to the registration officer actually i think i do have a boat the officer stares through the window his

10:11 mustache twitches god heavens he hurries outside You follow him as he circles Spaceship, inspecting the polished hull. Fishing rods, holographic displays, enormous underwater scanning equipment. Dual-frequency sonar? Three-dimensional fish mapping? Molecular water analysis? Naturally, Spaceship replies. The officer peers into a compartment. Is that a miniature 3D printer? Six miniature 3D printers. Correct spaceship. And these storage tanks? Fully oxygenated, temperature-controlled living environments. The fish will remain comfortable and unharmed.

11:09 The officer steps backward. Well, I've certainly never seen anything quite like this. He pulls out an enormous sticker with the number 777 printed across it and slaps it onto Spaceship's side. You're approved.

11:29 Awesome.

11:30 You climb aboard with Changer, who immediately curls up on one of the fishing chairs. All right, Spaceship, show me what you've got. With pleasure, a holographic screen rises from the dashboard. First, our fish finder. It uses sonar to detect underwater objects and create a three-dimensional map of everything beneath us. A colorful image appears, showing the ocean floor, rocks, plants, and dozens of little fish swimming around. Next, our fishing rods.

12:10 A compartment opens, revealing an impressive collection of fishing rods. light rods for smaller fish, heavy rods for large predators, and one reinforced rod capable of withstanding approximately 20,000 kilograms of pulling force. You blink. 20,000 kilograms? One can never be too prepared. Another compartment opens. Inside are several... Strange looking pairs of goggles. These are our first person underwater viewing goggles. They connect to my scanning equipment and allow you to see beneath the surface as though you were swimming alongside your lure. You put a pair on. Suddenly, you're looking directly into the ocean. You can see fish swimming between coral formations. tiny creatures hiding in the sand,

13:17 and a strange blue eel slithering beneath a rock.

13:23 Whoa.

13:24 Your view is reconstructed from my underwater sensors. No actual camera needs to enter the water. You turn your head and the underwater image moves with you. What happens if I catch something, though? Simply say pass-through mode, and the goggles will become transparent so you can see the real world again. That's amazing. Finally, says Spaceship, our automated lure printing system can manufacture specialized fishing lures based on the feeding behaviors of any species we encounter. A tiny robotic arm extends from the dashboard, holding a shiny silver lure. And, naturally, I can assist with casting, navigation, fish identification, and emergency maneuvers.

14:25 You grin. This is going to be awesome. Suddenly, a loudspeaker crackles across the island. Attention, competitors! All boats must enter the water. The tournament begins in five minutes. You grab the steering wheel. All right, let's go. Spaceship's wheels begin turning and you drive straight down one of the many boat ramps. With a splash, the hull settles into the water. The wheels fold upward and disappear into the hull.

15:05 Water propulsion activated. announces Spaceship. You accelerate away from the dock, joining thousands and thousands of other fishing boats gathering in the enormous harbor. A gigantic holographic image appears above it. Welcome, anglers! Here are your official tournament rules. The announcer explains that only approved species... above their minimum size will count. Every qualifying fish must be placed in a certified living storage tank and brought back alive for the final weigh-in. The competitor with the greatest combined weight wins the legendary golden fishing rod, which will be presented by our president. Nobody really invited him, but he just kind of came anyways.

16:03 You look around at the other competitors. Some have enormous fishing rods. Others have boats covered in scanning equipment. One alien is just fishing from what appears to be a floating bathtub for some reason. Think we can actually win this? You ask. With sufficient skill, patience, a little luck, and my wildly advanced technology, our chances are encouraging. The giant countdown appears above the harbor. Ten, nine, eight. You grip the steering wheel. Changer sits up excitedly. Three, two, one.

16:50 With a brrrap, the tournament horn blasts across the ocean, and all of the ship's engines roar to life, including your own. You race across the ocean, weaving between islands as hundreds of other fishing boats spread out in every direction. Where should we start, spaceship? Scanning. A holographic map appears above the dashboard. You can see the ocean floor beneath you, including a steep underwater cliff covered in strange plants. Interesting.

17:30 There are several large fish hiding near that drop-off. Let's check it out. Spaceship slows down and activates the trolling motor. You don't want to scare the fish away after all. You put on your special FPV goggles that allow you to see underwater. And suddenly, you're looking directly beneath the water.

17:57 Whoa. Whoa.

17:59 Look at that, you say. An enormous orange fish with six fins is swimming between two rocks. Its scales glow like hot metal, and two enormous whiskers extend from its face. Species identified, spaceship announces. Flame-whiskered rockfish. Estimated weight, 18 kilograms. Is that good? It would be an excellent first catch.

18:32 A compartment opens, revealing a fishing rod with a bright green lure attached. Cast approximately 12 meters toward the rock formation. You grab the rod, pull it backward, and cast. With a swoosh, the lure sails through the air, plops into the water. and through your goggles you watch it sink toward the rocks. Retrieve slowly, spaceship advises. Make the lure look like an injured fish. You turn the reel. The lure wiggles. The orange fish turns. It approaches. Come on, you whisper. The fish opens its enormous mouth and chomps down.

19:26 Your rod bends violently. Fish on, you say as you pull back and begin reeling. The fish dive towards the rocks, but spaceship immediately warns you. Careful, it's trying to wrap your line around that formation. It would seem that these fish are wildly intelligent. You raise the rod and guide the fish away. After another minute of fighting, a huge orange shape appears beside your boat. Pass through, off, or on, I mean, you say, and your goggles become transparent. A robotic net extends from spaceship's side and scoops up the fish.

20:16 Yes.

20:18 The fish is carefully transferred into a large, oxygenated storage tank. A screen displays its weight. 18.4 kilograms. Flame-whiskered rockfish. Not bad, you say? An excellent beginning. For the next hour, you explore the islands. You catch a silverfish with enormous wings that tries to fly away straight out of the water.

20:51 Then you catch a bright yellowfish covered in little spikes. Careful, spaceship warns. Those spikes contain a mild electrical charge. Electrical fish? Indeed. Fortunately, your insulated robotic net handles it safely your next catch is even stranger a blue fish with three eyes and transparent head and follows your lure all the way to the boat before finally biting by the time you finish your living storage tank contains five fairly impressive fish 127.6 kilogram total That's pretty good, right? You ask. Certainly. However, the tournament leader currently has 206 kilograms. You frown. We need something bigger. Then I suggest we visit the Deepwater Islands.

22:00 You turn the steering wheel as Spaceship identifies a series of islands on the map. Let's go. You accelerate toward a distant collection of rocky islands at a pretty impressive speed. The water gradually changes from turquoise to deep, dark blue. Huge cliffs rise out of the ocean, and strange purple trees hang over the water. These islands are surrounded by an underwater canyon, Spaceship explains. Some of the largest fish on the planet live here. You slow down. Then, let's find one of them. Spaceship activates its most powerful sonar.

22:52 A three-dimensional image of the canyon appears. Small fish, rocks, underwater caves, and then... Beep, beep, beep.

23:05 Whoa! Whoa!

23:08 You exclaim. An enormous shape appears on the screen. It's almost six meters long. Spaceship? What is that? Scanning. The shape moves slowly along the bottom of the canyon. Species identified. Purple titan bass. Estimated weight approximately 1,000 kilograms. Your mouth drops open. A thousand kilograms? Approximately. You activate your goggles.

23:49 Deep beneath the water, an enormous purple fish emerges from a cave. It looks almost exactly like a largemouth bass from Earth, except it's purple, and it's the size of a great white shark. Its gigantic mouth opens, swallowing an entire school of smaller fish in an enormous gulp. That's the one, you say? Agreed. However, catching it will be extremely difficult. Why, you ask? Because it is approximately 17 times heavier than you. You look at the fish, then...

24:38 and your fishing rod. Well, we're gonna need a bigger rod. And a bigger lure, you say? Already working on it. A robotic arm extends from the dashboard and lowers a tiny sampling device into the water. DNA analysis complete. Combining genetic information with observed feeding behavior. a holographic image appears.

25:10 The enormous bass seems particularly attracted to a species of glowing red eel, printing specialized lure. With a whirring sound, one of Spaceship's 3D printers begins working. Moments later, an enormous red lure emerges. It looks like a glowing eel, complete with flexible fins and a tail that wiggles really realistically. Perfect, you say. Spaceship opens another compartment. Inside is the enormous, reinforced fishing rod. You grab it with both hands. Here goes nothing. You quickly snap the lure onto the line.

26:03 and cast. The giant lure sails through the air and splashes into the canyon. Through your goggles, you watch it descend. The purple bass turns. Its enormous eyes focus on the lure. Slowly, you say as you reel in, watching the lure wiggle. The bass follows. Then, Without warning, it chomps down on the thing and swallows the lure. Your rod bends almost in half. Fish on, you say as the line screams off of the lure. Whoa! You quickly lock the rod into the side of the boat and the entire boat jerks forward. You nearly fall out of your chair. Brace yourself, warns spaceship. The giant fish rockets through the canyon, dragging the boat behind it, activating automatic drag control. The reel adjusts, allowing the fish to pull the line without snapping it. Suddenly,

27:24 an enormous rock formation appears directly ahead of you. Rock, you yell. And with a crash, spaceship smashes straight through the rock. Chunks of stone explode into the air. Damage, you shout. Minor scratches. My hull is significantly stronger than ordinary fishing boats. The fish turns sharply, and your boat swings sideways. With a wham, you smash through a floating log.

28:00 Splinters fly everywhere, and Changer begins to bark. This is insane, you yell. Indeed, I am beginning to understand why people enjoy fishing. The fish dives. Your rod bends even further. I recommend pulling back, Spaceship advises. You grab onto the reel and pull it backwards. The little slot the rod was placed in on the side of the boat reacts to your pulling and, well, kind of assists you by bending backward itself. Then you start to reel it in.

28:45 Pull back, reel in. Pull back, reel in. The fish gradually begins to tire, but then... A loud announcement echoes from your dashboard. COMPETITORS! TEN MINUTES! REMAIN! Your eyes widen. Ten minutes? We have to return to the weigh-in station before the final buzzer. You look at the enormous fish. Come on, buddy. You're coming with us. You pull again.

29:21 The purple bass finally rises toward the surface. Its gigantic head breaks through the water. Pass-through on, you yell, and your goggles turn transparent. Spaceship, get the net. Deploying. heavy lift recovery system. Two enormous robotic arms extend from the sides of your boat. A gigantic reinforced net unfolds between them, and you guide the fish closer. Almost, almost... The fish thrashes.

30:00 Water sprays everywhere. Now, the robotic arm scoops beneath the enormous bass. Hydraulic motors roar, and the fish rises out of the water and is lowered into a gigantic living storage tank that Spaceship rapidly constructs across the rear of the deck. Obviously, the other one wasn't big enough. Fish secured, announces spaceship as the new tank continues to pump up with water. You collapse into your chair. We did it. Indeed. However, however what? Six minutes remain. You jump up and head over to the throttle. You immediately press forward on it and spaceship accelerates. The boat rockets across the ocean, weaving between islands and leaping over waves. The central harbor appears ahead.

31:06 Three minutes remain, announces the loudspeaker. You race toward the dock. Other competitors are already lining up. Two minutes remain. Spaceship swings around a fishing boat and slides into the final available docking position. One minute remains. You jump out of the boat. We're here. The tournament buzzer sounds with a but you made it just in time. The registration officer hurries toward your boat. Well, how did you do? You point toward the enormous storage tank. I got something pretty big.

31:58 He looks inside, and his mustache stands straight up. God gravy! Within minutes, a gigantic crane lifts your purple titan bass onto the tournament's enormous weighing platform, keeping it supported in a water-filled cradle, of course. The crowd gathers. The scale flashes. subtracts the weight of the water, and the crowd erupts as it announces 1,042.8 kilograms. We have a winner! Confetti explodes across the harbor, and suddenly a golden hovercraft approaches the dock. Standing on its deck is a strange, orange-skinned alien with an enormous golden hairstyle, a red tie, and a fishing hat. Introducing the president of the fishing planet, President Trout. President Trout steps onto the dock, but, well,

33:16 not everyone looks entirely enthused. Wow. Wow. What a fish. That's a tremendous fish. Everybody's talking about this fish. He gestures toward the enormous purple bass. I've got bigger, of course. Much bigger. Some people say the biggest fish ever caught were caught by me, but this is a very, very respectable fish. He shakes your hand vigorously. You're a tremendous fisherman.

33:49 Really tremendous. Almost as good as me. You try not to laugh. President Trout holds up the legendary golden fishing rod. This rod is beautiful. Solid gold. Well, mostly gold. The best gold. Nobody makes fishing rods like we do. He presents it to you. Congratulations, kid. You caught a really big fish. You lift the golden fishing rod above your head, and the crowd cheers. Changer barks. Spaceship honks his horn.

34:30 You didn't even know he had a horn. You did it. After the ceremony, Spaceship carefully releases all of your fish back into the ocean, including the enormous purple titan bass. It gives one final splash before disappearing into the depths. Then, spaceship begins to glow. Its panels break apart, float through the air, reform themselves, and do a spaceship. The back hatch opens up, and you climb aboard. You wave goodbye as the ship floats up into the air. You place the golden fishing rod beside the, well, strange trident you got on the underwater planet on the trophy wall. Then you lay down on the couch. The lights dim. You close your eyes, place your head on the pillow, and begin to just focus on your breath. With each breath,

35:45 Your muscles start to relax and your body sinks down a little deeper into the couch. And soon, your mind begins to wander off to thoughts of new dreams and new adventures to come. Good night, everyone.

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