Chapter 8: Chapter Ten: Procyon’s Data Terminal

Chapter Ten

Procyon's Data Terminal

 

THE DOG DAYS of summer were upon Fossil Crater. One night the Sirius star was so bright that Niles Winter and John Choi prepared launchpad number three to receive a Centaurus I; they both truly believed the missing spacecraft had found its way home. Everyone wore a hydration pack when working outdoors, and Hermes made sure the extraterrestrial foliage remained hydrated by flooding the landscaping every morning before sunrise.

            There were scheduled launches and retrievals during the month of January, so the mission control building had become the place to be, and everyone was volunteering to do extra rotations in hopes of watching an autonomous Centaurus Boomerang grease a landing. Then again, what made the retrieval phase fun was knowing the hyper sleep pods would be packed full of extraterrestrial goodies and not knowing what those extraterrestrial goodies were until the pods were opened in the safety of the exoculture room.

            “It’s too bad your Helix will never operate properly again,” Aldrich Thompson said during an examination and storage session. “I heard it had a nasty virus downloaded to it a few days back. Surely you’ve worked out all the bugs by now.”

            He laughed at Scotty’s expression of anger, and both Julian and Lucas hit him with dirty looks. Scotty inventoried a Gliese 687 mineral, rock, and gemstone pod. Fun too, as that particular pod contained petrified wood, green nebula quartz, and starburst agate.

Aldrich had become very toxic since the Pollux pygmy monkey build was installed. Angry with both Doctor Stryker and Doctor Stratton for revoking his architect privileges during their investigation; he had attempted to convince everyone who’d listen that Scotty had written a series of builds that would harm the extraterrestrials at the biodome. In only one day he understood that nobody believed the story, as they had seen the amazing modifications Scotty had broadcasted to the Arcturus honey bees, the Pollux pygmy monkeys, and of course, Jasmine. But Aldrich wasn’t discouraged, and he was convinced that he’d get the Astrophel trio sent back to Corroboree before the end of January.

            Scotty’s Helix was on the fritz. The uplink to the Geneware servers had stopped working, and every time he opened a hologram, the mockup feature would crash. He’d reported the issues to Stryker and Artemis, and they both offered assurances that the necessary repairs would be made within two to three duty days. Funny thing was, he never knew how much he appreciated having something so cool as a Helix until his stopped operating correctly. Jasmine let him read the textbooks she’d downloaded to hers, as both Artemis and Roma had explained how to access the Nebula Library, and later during the same day upgraded her Helix so she’d have all the storage she needed.

            When the duty day came to an end and they were waiting at the Quasar bus stop shelter, three big security drones swooped in and surrounded Scotty. One with a desert camouflage paint scheme descended low, and Scotty allowed it to scan his keycard; three times it scanned the barcode. Then his Helix buzzed into existence with a corrupted keycard message.

            “You gotta be kidding me. Now my keycard? I won’t be able to do anything.”

            “We’ll get you a new one tomorrow,” Diego said, sounding concerned.

            “I’ll scan you in and out of the buildings,” Jasmine said.

            “What’s wrong, Snotty?” Aldrich sneered. “Did you forget to do your cybersecurity training? Probably too busy sending out dirty builds to the petting zoo.”

            “Don’t you ever accuse me of doing something like that,” Scotty growled and lunged at Aldrich. Luckily, both Joseph and Diego jumped in between them to stop the altercation from escalating.

            As luck would have it, Reuven had seen everything from the airlock.

            “Having anger management issues today, Astrophel?”

            “He’s telling lies on me, Doctor Reuven.”

            “I heard him,” Diego said, his voice laced with anger and aggravation. “Accused him of harming the animals at the biodome.”

            “All I know is what I witnessed, and I witnessed Researcher Astrophel attempting to fight,” Reuven explained. “Weekend liberty revoked, and consider yourself lucky if I don’t report this to the security office. Now, on the bus, and all five of you are restricted to the residencia for the night.”

            Aldrich laughed, pushed his way past Scotty and Diego and got on the shuttlecraft.

            “I’m reporting him to Doctor Stryker,” Scotty said. “He’s the one attempting to harm the extraterrestrials. He’s the one who hacked into the Geneware servers and tried to corrupt the Pollux Build.”

            “And he’s always trying to pick a fight,” Diego said. “He needs to get the boot.”

            Then Diego’s Helix buzzed out of hibernation and displayed a quantum port request. He touched the icon and watched Sparta blossom into existence beside the bench there at the bus stop shelter. Everyone smiled at the android; the technology continued to spur a lot of excitement among the researchers.

            “Good afternoon, everyone,” he said to all five. “I am at the biodome, and I must say, the Pollux pygmy monkeys and the Arcturus honey bees look wonderful.”

            He took one of the tiny monkeys in his hands to flaunt its new look. It was covered in a layer of fluffy hair that appeared a little too thick for the season and the air temperature.

            “However, I suggest writing an update to allow them to have both a summer coat and a winter coat.”

            Scotty smiled as people do who are ahead of the power curve. “That’s a great idea, Sparta. Looks like I’ll be working in the Geneware server room again this weekend, so I’ll have plenty of time.”

            “But tonight, we’re gonna be researching the space science archives,” Jasmine said.

            “Yeah, so we need to get back to the residencia,” Joseph said, watching a shuttlecraft slow to a stop.

            “So, you are researching archived data,” Sparta said, and returned the monkey to its enclosure. “Were you instructed to?”

            “No, this is just for fun,” Scotty said. “We want to know more about the Star Nexus.”

            “Oh, you really should not access those documents unless you have been instructed to. And do not return to the Astraeus Laboratory. Like I said, there are dangerous things inside that facility.”

            Jasmine, Madison, and Joseph got onto the shuttlecraft and gestured for Scotty and Diego to end the conversation.

            “Well, there’s an ongoing security threat that centers on the Star Nexus,” Scotty said. “Whoever’s trying to harm GalReach should be shut down.”

            “But you already know what the threat is, don’t you, Sparta,” Diego said.

            “Maybe, and once again I am asking you to forget about the laboratory and stick to your work here at Fossil Crater.”

            “Whatever’s threatening us we’ll find it and ice it,” Diego said. They all got on the shuttlecraft, and Sparta deactivated his Helix and slowly disappeared.

            After Jasmine had had her Helix upgraded and an uplink to the digital library added, they had been combing through the archived records for anything regarding the Star Nexus. They wouldn’t be inspecting anything anytime soon, so reading old reports and letters was the only way they had to figure out what Reuven was so interested in. It was quite easy. All they had to do was look for hot words in the title lines and subject lines. There was quite a lot too, and those documents went back for fifty years. However, a digital photocopy of an old Sydney Hopper newspaper article, “Star Mapping Technology power grab halted by Commonwealth Government”, really grabbed their attention.

            Scotty wanted to view the documents in the Milky Way Watch file. It contained declassified records, and he believed important information regarding the Star Nexus would be located there. He attempted to access it, only to have a restricted access message buzz to life in Jasmine’s Helix. Milky Way Watch was a watchdog group in Australia. Their investigators used astronomical radio antennas to collect and study radio signals from around the Orion-Cygnus Arm, to locate objects that should not be out there, to locate people who should not be out there. Those were the documents containing information on illegal space exploration and the pilfering of extraterrestrial elements, and were now available to the public.

            Scotty laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He wanted badly to know what the Star Nexus was, who was threatening it, and why Sparta was so cautious with the Astraeus Laboratory. They had been snooping around for several days after rotations and during lunch. To Diego and Scotty, the possibility of returning to Building Zero was growing larger by the day.

            “It’s getting late,” Scotty said. “We’ll try again when things are going more my way.”

            “And when will that be,” Madison asked.  

            “After my Helix is repaired,” Scotty said.

 

 

*

When the weekend started, the five of them were at the mission control building and were too focused on recovering a spacecraft to worry about the Star Nexus. Jerold Tuckerman was the landing and recovery coordinator, and he allowed them to hang out in the flight control room to help keep an eye on the information in the displays that were crammed in the system terminals. After an hour or so they migrated to the big screen and took turns populating star system maps to see where each Centaurus Boomerang was located and what it was doing. Most were in orbital flight, but a few were on the surface of a planet, waiting for their rover to return with its pods full of biological entities, scientific data, mystery, and fun.

            Diego took the opportunity to conduct a level-one training class to introduce the Astrophel children to the Galactic Tracking Technology. It was similar to the global positioning system technology, and the satellites were located in the Trans-Neptunian region of the solar system, which created a four-hour gap between receiving the coordinates and where everything was actually located. The tiny navigation satellites were relatively young, as they had been launched less than five years previous. Like all satellites and spacecraft operated by Galactic Research, strange things would sometimes take place. Often a malfunction would occur, but from time to time a spacecraft would completely disappear.

            Scotty studied the Procyon star map for a few minutes. He could clearly see that it was void of anything manmade, which wasn’t surprising. So, Jerold conducted a quick search for Life Found a Way and discovered that it was approaching the sector of interstellar space that the Voyager I space probe was traveling through. It had slowed considerably, to safely travel in-system, and would slow more to prepare to enter Earth’s orbit to land at the spaceport.

            Everyone fully expected the Boomerang to land within hours.

            That evening, Scotty went to the laboratory to write a modification for the Pollux pygmy monkeys, but not expecting any assistance from anyone. Halfway into the build, however, Doctor Stryker decided to join in on the fun and excitement.

            “Our future is out there, Researcher Astrophel!” he bellowed, watching Scotty review lines of codes for mistakes.

            “Yes, it is,” Scotty said. “I’m writing a modification for the Pollux pygmy monkey fur-coat build. I’m calling it the Seasonal Update.”

            “Brilliant,” Stryker said, even though he was curious as to why he had decided to write the modification. “It will be a challenge, and I want you to create the instructions this time. No templates and no copying genetic instructions from the critters in the biodome.”

            Scotty thought the request was a little too much, but he remembered what he’d done the evening Aldrich attempted to harm the Arcturus honey bees.

            “I’ll do my best, Doctor Stryker,” he groaned that but immediately raised his tone. “But I need my Helix to be fully operational again.”

            “Ah, you do indeed,” he said, and energized his Helix. “You will be getting the newest version. I cooked up a few changes last night.”

            “Oh cool.”

            His Helix buzzed into existence before him to only dim and go silent as all the patches and updates were downloaded. He watched it carefully, keeping an eye on the status bar, but it only took ten minutes for everything to install.

            “You have twice the storage now. The mockup will spin with no interference. And the keyboard is tilted at an angle for faster typing. Those are just a few of the updates, the others are top-secret.”

            “Oh wow, thank you so much, Doctor Stryker. Now if I could just get a new keycard.”

            Stryker touched an icon in his Helix. “I fixed that a couple of hours ago. I updated your certificates, and you now have full access to Fossil Crater.”

            “Great, now I can get back to one hundred percent.”

            Then he peered into the display and discovered a small icon that hadn’t been there before. He touched it and watched as a file opened to reveal three additional icons, all with ominous titles. Supernova, Blackhole, and Gamma-ray Burst. Each one a software program designed to destroy a software program.

            “What is this?” Scotty asked.

            Stryker touched the Supernova icon. A multi-purpose launcher populated, it contained a set of simple instructions and a broadcast button.

            “I have issued you your very first countermeasures. They can be used to take both software and bioware offline for a few minutes or permanently.”

            Scotty took a minute to look the launcher over and read the instructions. It appeared to be a user-friendly program and looked a lot like the launchers he’d used while playing on-line video games.

            “What would I need countermeasures for?”

            Stryker smiled and ran his hands through his hair. “Well, it can be used to consign a program to idle for various reasons, or it can be used to resolve an unpleasant situation.”

            Scotty took another minute to look at the other two launchers; both just as impressive as Supernova.

             “These are fancy computer viruses,” he said, and moved his gaze to Stryker. “This isn’t a tool kit.”

            He shook his head to say yes. “You are correct, but this is something else we will have to keep from the others. A researcher walking around with countermeasures will definitely cause a ruckus.”

            Scotty closed the launchers and wrapped his arms across his chest.

            “Life moving a little too fast nowadays?” Stryker asked. “Do you have questions?”

            “Yes,” Scotty said. He felt anxious. Why had Stryker installed countermeasures on his Helix? Could he and his siblings be in more danger than he’d ever imagined?

            Stryker rocked back in the computer chair. “Well, by all means, speak your mind.”

            “Why are you doing this? You know, exploring star systems and relocating extraterrestrials to Earth?

            Stryker didn’t have to think too long on that subject, he’d come to terms with his father’s vision many years previous.

            “Researcher Astrophel, when you love something, you dedicate every bit of your time and energy to it, and in short order, it will love you back. And when that happens, you will be the happiest person in the universe.”

            Scotty smiled at that, as he appreciated the logic.

            “Tonight, a Centaurus Boomerang will finish its mission,” Stryker said. “And there is supposed to be something important in the cargo hold, so let us get back on track and try to finish early.”

            Scotty considered that for a moment and was about to begin asking questions when the Geneware server room door was shoved open. Sparta and Hermes shuffled in, their Helixes crackling and buzzing. Scotty deactivated his Helix. He didn’t feel like talking about the countermeasures with the androids.

            “Good afternoon, Doctor Stryker.”

            “Preparing the summer coat mod already?”

            Sparta and Hermes were sending their notes to the developers’ terminal; one page with ideas and three pages of builds.

            “I am sure Scotty does not need our help,” Sparta said. “He is a great programmer.”

            “Have you contributed a build to this project, Doctor Stryker?” Hermes asked. “Those monkeys have to be capable of shedding their winter coats and growing summer coats.”

            “We will create something that will make Mother Nature blush with envy,” Stryker said, and pointed to the developers’ terminal.

            “There is no color library,” Sparta said. “Will their hairs be transparent?”

            “I hope not, as dirty as his builds are.”

            Aldrich Thompson eased through the door and crossed the concrete floor to the workstation. He had obviously been writing a modification, as his Helix boasted the scripts of a very complicated build, which Sparta scrutinized immediately.

            “This is written in the wrong language, it is a complete rewrite, so Researcher Astrophel will not be allowed to use any of it.”

            “What are you talking about? The Geneware will convert it automatically.”

            “Your architect privileges remain suspended,” Hermes said. “The staff has not finalized the investigation.”

            They both forced Aldrich from the server room, his Helix buzzing and clattering as he typed a message in the comms display. He was boiling with anger.

*

Scotty left the laboratory after the Seasonal Update was written, broadcasted, and installed. For the next several days the little monkeys would be examining their coats as the fur slowly blossomed into existence. Each one boasting brown and black colors arranged in a brindle pattern, and the lines of code included a hormone build to allow for shedding during summer and hair growth during winter. The entire build was stellar, and Scotty believed the other extraterrestrials at the biodome would be a little envious.

            At launchpad number two, Scotty, Joseph, and Diego spent a late evening conducting a photojournalistic expedition of Jupiter while Madison and Jasmine admired a magnificent desert sunset. Then, as the temperature dropped and the winds howled down from the south, they retreated to the warmth of the flight control room, where Scotty scrolled through the star maps to see if anything had changed. He studied the Sol star map and located Life Found a Way; it was a million miles or so beyond the Martian planet.

            At exactly ten, two security drones swooped in to the launchpad carrying several large cloth bags that Jerold quickly collected and carried to the flight control room. A late supper had been ordered, and then delivered by the security detail. Everyone sat before the big screen and enjoyed a Saturn salad, a Tau Ceti snow lily, and an Arcturus breaded fried cactus fruit while watching the progress of the inbound spacecraft.

            Scotty had had his best week during the Spacecraft Recovery Assembly. However, he couldn’t help but think about Stryker and the countermeasures that he’d installed in his Helix. Why did he need them? When would he ever use them? The Astraeus Laboratory. The Star Nexus. The shields and the security drones. All the secrecy and mystery.

            No more than twenty minutes later, the incoming Centaurus Boomerang alert sounded at the mission control building. Real-time footage of Fossil Crater and the launch complex streamed to the big screen, proving that Life Found a Way had returned home.

            Jerold walked to a workstation where a shield control hub was located and touched several icons on the digital display screen. “The shields above the launch pads are down now. It’ll approach and land on pad number three, the one closest to us.”

            “Do we stay inside?” Scotty asked.

            “No, we can go out and watch it land,” Diego said.

            Jasmine and Madison scrambled out of the office chairs, and Scotty raced them to the door. All six of them ran to the metal lattice catwalk above the concrete pad. There they were protected and had the best seat on the spaceport.

            They searched the night sky for Life Found a Way. It wouldn’t look like an airplane, as the autonomous spacecraft had no position lights and no landing lights. It wouldn’t sound like an airplane either, and if anyone who was not a cyborg would have caught a glimpse of it, they’d be inclined to report a UFO sighting. The Centaurus Boomerang was a one-of-a-kind spacecraft, and no one outside the walls of Galactic Research had spied one with their own eyes.

            Then a futuristic sound pierced the night, at first far away and stifled, but it quickly grew loud. A low warbling noise was emanating from something, and the researchers looked all around for whatever was creating it. However, Jerold, Diego, and Madison knew it was the Centaurus Boomerang, and after only a few seconds found it descending to the launch complex from the west. There was no rocket flame or rocket noise, but there was a blue pulsating light emanating from beneath the spacecraft where a boomerang propulsion system was located.

            In less than a minute Life Found a Way was hovering thirty feet above the concrete pad. The Astrophel children couldn’t take their eyes off it, they were so incredibly impressed with the fact that this spacecraft explores planets in our neighboring star systems. Too excited, Jasmine ran to the end of the catwalk for a better view and Scotty and Joseph stood at the stairs to be the first to climb down to the pad. After a few minor adjustments, the landing legs deployed and the spacecraft sat down on the Galactic Research logo. It immediately powered down its systems.

            They raced across the launchpad, and Jasmine was the first to reach Life Found a Way. This time – with Scotty and Joseph advising her not to – she placed her hands on its metal skin. It was warm to the touch, and the landing legs were incrusted with otherworldly mud, dirt, and slime. She took a handful of it and held it close to her face, it smelled awful – it had only months previous been on the surface of a planet in Procyon’s planetary system. Jasmine tossed the clump of mud to Scotty, and he caught it and immediately passed it to Joseph who used it to strike the parabolic antenna. An ominous noise rippled out from the spacecraft, and the feed unit was slightly damaged.

You are reading story J.C. Warren: Scotty Astrophel and the Star Nexus at novel35.com

            The other five were too dumbfounded to say anything.  

            Then headlights were slicing through the desert. Two range vehicles were approaching, and Jerold shouted to everyone to get ready to recover pods. To not wonder off into the unlit areas and to just be careful; safety first.

            “Go to the green cabinet and drag out the protective equipment,” he ordered. “Gloves, face shields, and coveralls.”

            A few minutes later and both Doctor Stryker and Doctor Stratton were walking into the giant ball of stadium light. They both walked around Life Found a Way, took photographs, typed notes into a Helix, and appeared very surprised that it was there at the launch complex.

            “Well, researcher Tuckerman, what on Earth is everyone waiting on?” Stryker spoke like a man who was extremely nervous. “Offload the pods, and everyone be sure to blow a kiss to Life Found a Way. Fossil Crater is under defense condition Delta, as we are under attack.”

*

When they got to the Exoplanet laboratory an hour later, they were shocked to see that most of the staff was there. If that wasn’t enough to make the researchers nervous, five security drones were flying watch over the facility, and two more were inside and using counterillumination to hide. Hermes and Electra were posted outside the exoculture room to add to the security detail; the six of them had never seen such a high level of force protection. Once all of the hyper sleep pods arrived, Reuven ordered them to immediately begin processing the Procyon star payload. He seemed to be nervous, and no one had any idea why.

            As usual, the exoculture room was frosty, but a heat lamp had been placed on the floor. Reuven made sure the researchers were wearing their protective equipment, and he was helpful and friendly to everyone.

            “Place the five Northern Hemisphere pods on the table, and do not drop them.”

            “Yes, Doctor Reuven” Scotty said. He gestured for Joseph and Jasmine to get to work. “Jaz, Joe…be careful.”

            Diego took one in each hand, and Madison remained at the worktable. Scotty scooped up the last one and carefully sat it down with the others. Something very important was inside one of the pods, and the staff must have had an idea of what it was. However, it could have been an angry extraterrestrial, and Doctor Amherst took the butterfly net in his hands to be on the safe side.

            “So, what’s with all the fear factor tonight?” Joseph asked.

            Scotty immediately felt warm blood rush into his face, as he’d been struggling with his brother’s poor attitude. “It’s none of our business, Joe, just do your job.”

            His face pulled back into an angry grimace, but he followed his brother’s instructions. The others had already opened a pod and were removing extraterrestrial samples.

            Stryker approached the worktable. “You will soon see,” he said that with not a lot of enthusiasm.

              Scotty opened the one he’d placed on the worktable and peered inside. The bottom was a hodgepodge of twigs and leaves – brown and brittle – arranged in a bowl shape. In the center of the dried-out foliage were four oblong shaped objects that boasted a bright white color with small blue speckles. Scotty took the entire nest in his hands and placed it next to the bin. He could tell that the biological entities inside the eggs were attempting to get out, as all four had cracks in them, and one had a tiny section of shell missing.

            “Everybody,” Stratton said, “empty the pods, we need to hurry.”

            They did.

            Diego removed two soil samples, seven water samples, four seed-bearing structures, and four blossoms from what had to be fruit trees. Madison opened the pod before her and discovered it was full of water. Yes, she’d opened the one with the ocean water, and at the bottom were two seashells both with the marine gastropod mollusks partially visible.

            “Sea snails!” Madison said.

“Snailfish…giant snailfish,” Exozoologist Slade mumbled and then raised her tone. “And we also have snailfish eggs! Where is Claudius?” His rover had better not have stored them in saltwater. We have to get these to the biodome ASAP.”

            “Well, Joey,” Scotty said, “what do you have.”

            “I really don’t wanna touch it,” he said, and moved his gaze from Scotty to Slade. “I’m actually allergic to certain extraterrestrials, and if I get stung by the wrong-”

            Slade cut him off with this, “I’d love to hear your sad story if you can make it happy and upbeat.”

            She leaned to the pod and peered inside. There were three large clumps of dirt mashed together, each a different size and shape, but all three seemed to be hiding something, as the two larger encasement samples seemed to move when someone spoke too loudly. She took Joseph’s gloves and scooped the samples up and took them to a small glass enclosure on the floor.

            “We’ll take a look later,” she said, and returned her attention to the worktable.   

            “Researcher Astrophel,” Reuven said, and both Scotty and Joseph moved their gaze to their sister. “You get the last one.”

            She took in a lung full of cold air and reached inside the pod.    

            Jasmine removed something everyone believed to be a rock sample. But they were wrong. It was gray, and it did resemble granite, but its peculiar facade created quite a conundrum. The artificial rock was a square pyramid, as if it had been manufactured, and not pried from a metallic or rocky outcrop. Also, there was a dark green, spherical shape gemstone mounted in a setting that looked too much like a push button power switch. The research group was hushed down to a worried silence, and Jasmine was happy that she hadn’t dropped it on the floor.

            “Everyone, step away from the table,” Stryker ordered.

            All five of them retreated to the back of the room with Scotty carrying the nest as he went; it was sat on the floor next to the heat lamp. 

            Then Stryker did the unimaginable. He extended his arms and took the artifact in his hands and examined it for several minutes before returning it to the worktable with the gemstone pointing to the researchers. The staff didn’t need to use any imagination during their brief investigation; they knew who had sent it to Earth. Scotty walked back to the worktable and stood with the staff, and to his amazement, no one displayed anger. Instead, he was provided with their undivided attention.

            “This is a data terminal,” Scotty said.

            After an awkward moment of silence, Stryker said, “Or it might be a beacon.”

            “Only one way to find out,” Scotty said. He carefully reached out his hand and used his index finger to push the gemstone into the artifact, and when it would go no further, it made an odd electronic noise. It was incredibly frightening. Who knew what was about to happen?

            A bright light radiated from the artifact, pushing the white laboratory light away and replacing it with a ball of other-worldly green radiance. Then it sprang up from the worktable and spun like a top. Incredibly fast too, but after only a few seconds of that, a voice was heard. A human voice too – harsh and mean – aged but frightening all the same.

            “Now you understand that I can travel outside of our measly little star system and locate the Boomerang spacecraft. I can destroy them all! Surrender the Star Nexus or have your remains consigned to the void. Rendezvous with planet Earth will occur in approximately one hundred and sixty-eight hours.”

            With that, the light faded, and the artifact dropped to the worktable and bounced to a noisy stop but never made another sound.

            “Roger,” Stryker said, “will you and André please take this to the Astraeus Laboratory.”

            But Reuven scooped it up before the director of technologic development had time to think about the consequences. “I’ll deliver this. I know where it should be stored.”

            Joseph’s eyes widened at that, and he said, “Oh, can we go too.”

            “Absolutely not,” Reuven said. “It’s off limits, and all five of you need to get to the residencia. It’s after midnight.”

            Before they had time to begin storing everything away, a more pleasant and happy sound filled the exoculture room. A mix of chirps and squeaks was emanating from the floor, and everyone gave the nest their undivided attention. All four eggs hatched open during the excitement, and four blue, winged lizards were inside the nest and attempting to crawl out into the great unknown and begin life on an alien planet.

            It wasn’t until Jasmine knelt beside the nest that the extraterrestrials clambered out onto the floor, and they scurried straight to her. She attempted to get away, but they followed and complained with high-pitched chirps.

            That made Slade smile. “So, Jasmine, why do you think the Procyon, hmm, let me take a closer look, yes of course. Why do you think the Procyon Dracones are following you?”

            Jasmine scooped them up in her arms and returned them to their nest. There, they fixed their eyes on her and chirped nonstop.

            “Hmm, I’m not sure.”

            “I’ll help you then. You see, these winged lizards are a highly intelligent species, capable of complex thoughts and emotions, and are definitely a social animal.” Slade kneeled to get a better look. “They are part of the Pterosauria order, from the Procyon star’s planetary system of course. And if released from Fossil Crater will thrive here on Earth.”

            That made everyone smile, and Jasmine asked, “But why would they follow me, like little kids?”

            She didn’t hesitate. “Precisely, my young researcher, because they think you’re their mother.”

            That got Scotty and Joseph to laughing.

            “Jasmine, put your flying lizards in a carrier, and someone get the terrarium and go with me to the biodome. We have to bed these critters down for the night, and maybe by tomorrow evening I’ll know what’s hiding in the mud. Lots to do.”

            They did.

            Once in the range vehicle, the hatchlings fell asleep and were quiet during the drive. To both Madison’s and Jasmine’s relief, the mud bugs never moved a whisker.

 

*

It took twenty minutes for the researchers to move the winged reptiles into their new home. All four were confined to the quarantine area and would stay there until they were big enough to mingle with the other extraterrestrials. They attempted to follow Jasmine when she left, but Madison and Diego scooped them up and returned them to their nest. Everyone laughed but for Jasmine who believed she wasn’t ready to help raise anything from an alien planet. The mud bugs were placed in the insectarium and were allowed to stay in the terrarium, for a week or so at least.

            What a long, strange day and full of surprises. The artificial rock with the ominous message. Scotty thought about that for a while, and the countermeasures suddenly made sense. It seemed as if someone was preparing to trespass on Fossil Crater. He tried to imagine who this person was and why he was angry. He had to consult with Madison and Diego and get started with solving this newest mystery. He should go and find them now.

            It would have to wait.

            “Scott,” Jasmine said. “Joey wants to talk to you.”

            Scotty had an idea of what he wanted to talk about, and he’d already decided how that conversation would go. In the lobby, Joseph waited by the airlock, appearing disgruntled and a little worried.

            “What’s wrong, Joey?”

            Without looking at Scotty, he said, “You know I’m a teenager now.” 

Jasmine was sure to stand close in case she had to get in between her big brothers.

            “I know how old you are. What do you wanna talk about?”

            “You didn’t have to show out on me in the lab. I was just asking questions.”

            Scotty’s eyes were blazing with anger.

            “No, you’re testing the adults and bucking the system. You’ve been doing it since day one, after we met Sparta, and we’ve seen a side of you we don’t like. What’s your problem nowadays?”

            Without hesitating, Joseph said, “I hate Galactic Research, Scott. They let mom and dad get kidnapped, and we’ll probably never see them again. They’re probably dead.”

            “Stop worrying about things we don’t control.”

            Jasmine gestured for her brothers to keep their voices down, but they paid her little attention.

            “I’ll get right on that.”

            “I’m serious, Joe! Get with the program and help us find mom and dad or go back to the foster home in Corroboree. And I mean tonight too.”

            Joseph said nothing.

            “The next time you feel the need to ask big questions, you run them through me, and no more back talk, it’s the mark of a madman,” Scotty said as patiently as he knew how to.

            “Okay, I will. But don’t embarrass me in front of Madison again.”

            “Oh, well I’m sorry about that. Next time I’ll tell Maddy to cover her ears.”

            Jasmine hit both Scotty and Joseph with a smile. “If only mom and dad could see how we’re working out our problems by ourselves, they would be so happy.

            Both Joseph and Scotty frowned at that.

            “There are a lot of things going on here. Like Tarsus said, this place is full of mysteries. I really want to solve some of those mysteries and try to find out just what is going on around here.”

            “Fossil Crater?” Jasmine asked.

            But Scotty used his hands to create a circle. “No, here in this star system. Maybe even the Milky Way.”

            Both Jasmine and Joseph said nothing.

            “Listen, it’s getting really late,” Scotty said. “Let’s round up Madison and Diego and get to the bus stop.”

            “I think they’re between the aviary and the insectarium,” Jasmine said.

            “Well, let’s go back and find them.

They did.

The Astrophel children returned to the enclosures and found Madison, and after a few minutes of telling the animals bye, watched Diego walk through the airlock, an expression of anger on his face.

“Hey,” Diego said as he walked past the Struve 2398 Bat-eared Foxes’ enclosure. “The mirrors in the boys’ restroom have those glittery butterfly stickers on them now. Who’s doing this?”

Madison and Jasmine giggled at his aggravation, but Joseph and Scotty shared in his conviction that glitter stickers inside the boys’ lavatory was a bad thing.

“I don’t know,” Scotty said, “but the next time I rotate through here I’m peeling them off.”

“So, will you take them to Doctor Stryker’s office so he can file them away as evidence?” Madison asked through a smile.

Scotty cut his eyes to the ceiling. “No, I’ll file them away in the file nine.”

Then they were on their way to the Beehive bus stop shelter.

Even though that day had ended on a high note, there was no sleep for Scotty on that night. His dreams were laced with visions of alien planets and of pirates hiding in the shadows of massive craters. Of space explorers and adventurers. Of starships and extraterrestrial treasure. Of dangerous men and dangerous weapons. Of being in danger.        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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