The New Shepherd

Scene: A Launch Pad at Sunset, 2042

The engines rumble in the distance. A sleek spacecraft, emblazoned with a United Nations Space Harmony logo, stands tall on the launch pad. Reporters are kept back. The world is watching. Musician-turned-astronaut Katy Perry adjusts her glittery helmet, preparing for the first interstellar concert aboard the Freedom Ark. Suddenly, through the crowd, strides Joe Jukic, wearing aviators and a faded leather jacket with "Miracle Software" stitched across the back.

Joe Jukic (grinning):
Katy! Wait up.
(He throws a salute.)
Have fun in outer space… before fun is outlawed.

Katy Perry (laughing nervously):
Joe, are you serious or is this another one of your hacker-poet riddles?

Joe (deadpan):
Both. Earth’s outlawing joy—bit by bit. Thought crimes, mood taxes, smile quotas. But you? You’re taking color, rhythm, hope... beyond gravity. Don’t let 'em sanitize the stars.

Katy (playfully):
So what do I do—moonwalk on Mars?

Joe:
Exactly. Beam joy where drones can't reach. Sing truth in zero-G. Just remember—if the New World Order tries to ban glitter in the vacuum of space... call me.

(He slips her a thumb drive shaped like a star.)

Joe (softly):
It’s got a patch for your auto-tuner and a prayer encrypted in Morse. Just in case God still listens above the exosphere.

Katy (moved):
Thank you, Joe. You’re weird, but... kind of beautiful.

Joe (smirking):
Weird is the last freedom they haven’t taxed.

The engines flare. As the countdown begins, Joe backs away into the shadows, whispering:

"Let her sing where tyrants can’t reach."

The ship rises. A single note, auto-tuned to perfection, echoes from the launchpad speakers. The first anthem of outer space: electric, defiant, free.