Everything begins somewhere ... A short story about how things got started.

Time is a universal thing. That statement says more than we normally realize. Time is defined as part of our universe. It doesn't matter if we argue about all times existing together and it is merely our perception that moves through it or that all events constantly split off parallel time-lines – or pick your favorite theory – doesn't matter. The thing is, without a universe, the entire concept of time is moot. Which makes the next sentence somewhat ironic...

Back before time began, there was a ship. Well, maybe it wasn't really a ship. I mean, this was before time began so everything we perceive today is based on that. But it moved around and it contained "things" – so let's just call it a ship and move on, eh? In fact let's stop nit-picking everything and just go with the flow – OK? After all everything, even now, is relative.

So anyway, there was a ship. And there we find our story...

"What does this button do?" Vlottie asked with an absolutely endearing smile lighting up her face. She had just emerged from the deionizing chamber and a faint smell of ozone wafted behind her.

"That? That's the emergency release. Don't touch it; it hasn't been fully tested yet." Zlubbie's voice had a raspy quality and he slurred his speech a bit. The 14 inch scar that ran down his face and across his throat interfered with normal speech. He turned as he noticed a blur of motion.

The small fluff ball of his pet slark came bounding into the room and bounced off the wall, his front hoof catching a seam on the right. His legs and arms splayed out as he pin-wheeled out of control and came down with all six paws on the emergency release button.

The universe received the release signal, a massive hyperspace "strobe" that permeated the fabric of reality everywhere at once. The universe reacted by removing all relative distance between things at the same instant. Matter, energy, time, literally everything existed together in a point simultaneously (if that word even had meaning at this point) and then "rebounded."

It was a very big bang...