Author Daniel L Pekarek

Interview with Daniel Pekarek: Author of the Alcent Series

2009-07-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION

Dan Pekarek lives in Federal Way, Washington. He is the author of The Ultimate Adventure and Alcent Adventures, stories that have their origins in Dan’s childhood. As a youngster, Dan lived on the family farm in rural Minnesota. Away from city lights, the dark night sky revealed the natural beauty of the Universe and inspired Dan’s imagination. At age eleven, he became fascinated with Astronomy and dreamed about life on other planets. He started reading Aviation Week and Space Technology at age 13 and received a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1963. Dan has been reading Astronomy magazine since 1980 and has been a member of The Planetary Society since 1987. Needless to say, he is an enthusiastic supporter of space exploration.

Interviewer: What is The Ultimate Adventure?

Dan: It is a realistic story about the first people to leave Earth and go to another star.

Interviewer: Why would people want to go to another star?

Dan: In my story, an Earth-like planet is discovered orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Astronauts are sent there to explore the planet, study its life, and start a new civilization.

Interviewer: It seems to me that an Earth-like planet might have intelligent beings on it. Is it possible that they might object to the arrival of humans and try to defend their turf?

Dan: In The Ultimate Adventure, I created Alcent, a planet that is the way Earth might be if our dinosaur age had never ended. Here on Earth, the age of mammals came after the extinction of dinosaurs. If the dinosaurs hadn’t suffered this tragedy, we might not be here, so I didn’t put any intelligent humanoids on Alcent.

Interviewer: What about the dinosaurs, have any of them evolved intelligence?

Dan: That’s one of the questions that my interstellar pioneers have to answer when they arrive on Alcent.

Interviewer: Some of the dinosaurs that lived here on Earth were huge, ferocious hunters. It seems like Alcent would be a dangerous place to start a new civilization. Why would people want to go there and try to do that?

Dan: Humans are an adventurous species. Life-threatening danger has never stopped our pioneers from exploring the unknown. Going to the moon was hazardous, but we did it anyway. Space shuttle astronauts risk their lives every time they blast off, but despite that risk, they are building a manned space station. When that project is completed, people will return to the Moon, and we will go to Mars.

Interviewer: You’re very optimistic about the future of space exploration. Why?

Dan: Humans are a species with an undying curiosity. The thirst for new knowledge is always present. Also, there is the possibility of discovering life on other planets, especially, those orbiting Sun-like stars, like Alpha Centauri A.

Interviewer: When will we know if it has an Earth-like planet?

Dan: In just a few years, we’ll have the ability to detect Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars. So far, we’ve discovered more than 150 extra-solar planets, but they’re all much larger than Earth, some are even bigger than Jupiter. These planets are not good places to look for life as we know it, but we will find Earth-size planets.

Interviewer: Are you convinced that life as we know it exists elsewhere in the Universe?

Dan: Most definitely.

Interviewer: Why?

Dan: The Universe is huge, almost beyond imagination. It is made up of countless billions of galaxies. In just the Milky Way Galaxy, there are 200 billion stars. Four percent of them are Sun-like stars. That means there are eight billion Sun-like stars in our home galaxy. Even if only one percent of them have Earth-like planets, there would be 80 million planets for life as we know it to exist on. To me, it is totally illogical to think that life started only here.

Interviewer: You keep talking about Sun-like stars, why are they good places to look for life?

Dan: Sun-like stars are in a special class. They are friendly to life.

Interviewer: What makes the Sun so special when compared to other stars?

Dan: The Sun is hot enough and bright enough to give Earth a warm temperate climate. Also, it has been stable for several billion years. This is important because it took 4.6 billion years for life to begin on Earth and evolve to what we have today. Some stars are so big and hot that they burn up and go supernova in just a few hundred million years. That’s not enough time to evolve the kind of life we’re familiar with. On the other extreme, you have small red dwarfs that are too cool to support an Earth-like climate.

Interviewer: Just how much like the Sun is Alpha Centauri A? How friendly to life is it?

Dan: Alpha Centauri A is slightly bigger, brighter, and hotter than the Sun. But more important than these qualities, it is a little older than the Sun.

Interviewer: Why is age so important?

Dan: Earth is 4.6 billion years old. That’s how long it took for life to evolve to what we have today. Alpha Centauri A is believed to be about five billion years old.

Interviewer: So, the dinosaurs on Alcent are 400 million years more advanced than Earth’s dinosaurs were at the time of their extinction. With that much time, even the slow process of evolution can work miracles. What do these creatures evolve into? What kind of intelligence do they develop? How do they react to the arrival of humans bent on starting a new civilization on their planet?

Dan: Those are questions that Earth’s first interstellar pioneers have to deal with. But while finding answers, they attempt to establish a secure human colony that doesn’t upset the natural balance of life already on Alcent. In other words, they’re not allowed to plunder the buffalo, as was done in early America.

Interviewer: It sounds like they have a tough challenge.

Dan: They do, but they have plenty of advanced technology to work with.

Interviewer: I think I’ll read your book just to find out how your characters meet the challenge of staying alive.

Dan: Their life is a great adventure. You will enjoy the story.

Interviewer: I like The Ultimate Adventure’s cover design, but I have a question about the back cover image. It shows a second sunset. Does Alcent have more than one sun?

Dan: Three stars make up the Alpha Centauri system. They are Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Alpha Centauri C. However, Alpha Centauri C is so far away from A and B that some astronomers question whether it is part of the system. Only A and B play a part in my story.

Interviewer: Tell me about the second sunset shown on the back cover.

Dan: People living on Alcent would experience the novelty of having two suns in the sky. There would be Alpha Centauri A shining in brilliant yellow and appearing very much like our Sun. And there would be the more distant Alpha Centauri B, an orange sun that would be quite dim because of its distance. However, it would be many times brighter than a full Moon. During part of the year, one of these suns would be rising when the other is setting, and it just simply would not get dark on Alcent. Also, Alpha Centauri B is an orange star and would tend to cast an eerie orange glow over the landscape.

In the image on the back cover, Alpha Centauri B is setting an hour-and-a-half after Alpha Centauri A. My interstellar pioneers are treated to this exotic scene at the end of their first day on Alcent. While the pioneers are enjoying this second sunset, a pair of pterodactyls arrive on the scene and perform aerial acrobatics. Apparently, these creatures are on a pleasure flight, but their fifty-foot wingspans silhouetted against the orange sky serves to let the pioneers know that they truly are on an alien planet filled with dangers.

Interviewer: What part do pterodactyls play in your story?

Dan: I can’t answer that without giving away part of the story.

Interviewer: How intelligent are they?

Dan: I can’t answer that either.

Interviewer: You’re evading my questions. Can you tell me anything?

Dan: I can tell you what is obvious. Pterodactyls are huge creatures that can fly. They can go anywhere, anytime. Any amount of intelligence on their part would make them very dangerous. As you know, they are predators.

Interviewer: That’s true, but would they prey on humans? Four hundred million years of evolution might have allowed them to develop the use of reason. Based on what they see the humans do, isn’t it possible that they might decide that there could be some benefits to being friendly with humans?

Dan: That’s possible, but I’m not going to comment on what happens in the story.

Interviewer: I sense that I’ve touched on a story element.

Dan: You have.

Interviewer: OK. What about Alpha Centauri B. Is it a Sun-like star?

Dan: It’s a little cooler than the Sun, but it could support an Earth-like planet if it were at about Venus distance away from it. The star is certainly old enough for life to have evolved on such a planet.

Interviewer: In your story, does Alpha Centauri B have a life-filled planet?

Dan: Yes, it does.

Interviewer: Does it have intelligent life?

Dan: On this planet, I put humanoids who have the technological ability that we had back in the eighties.

Interviewer: Do your pioneers get involved with them?

Dan: Yes.

Interviewer: In what way?

Dan: On this planet, there is a brutal planet-wide war bordering on genocide. My pioneers decide to find a way to end the madness. In the process, they risk their lives and make both friends and enemies. This happens before they arrive at Alcent.

Interviewer: Do the enemies made at Alpha Centauri B have the means to travel to Alcent, which orbits Alpha Centauri A?

Dan. That’s one of the questions the pioneers have to worry about.

Interviewer: I sense that your story is far more involved than just learning to live with dinosaurs.

Dan: It is a complex story with several interwoven elements. There is no end to mystery, drama, and adventure. Also, there is quite a bit of romance in the story, but that’s to be expected.

Interviewer. Why?

Dan: Half of the characters are men and half are women. Romantic involvement is a normal part of life. Besides that, romantic relationships add to the pleasure one gets from reading a novel.

Interviewer: What is the underlying theme in The Ultimate Adventure?

Dan: It is a positive, uplifting story. The characters are serious about their mission, but they believe that life is to be enjoyed, and they find ways to do that.

Interviewer: When did you get the idea for this story?

Dan: The idea for this story came from daydreams I had back in the fifties when I was a teenager.

Interviewer: I’m amazed that The Ultimate Adventure and Alcent Adventures could be the result of fantasies you had so long ago. To stick with you for so long, they must have been very exciting. How did they come about?

Dan: I grew up on the family farm back in central Minnesota. One of the jobs I enjoyed doing as a teenager was cultivating corn. Imagine sitting on a tractor all day long on a warm summer day. It was a pleasant experience, but as the days wore on, it always became quite monotonous. To deal with the monotony, I developed a vivid imagination. My mind was always taking me on imaginary adventures.

Interviewer: Tell me about the fantasies that led to your book.

Dan: There were two imaginary journeys that kept reoccurring, and they intrigued me to no end. I constantly pictured myself traveling back in time and visiting Earth during the peak of the dinosaur age. Also, I frequently made imaginary trips into space to explore planets teeming with life. In The Ultimate Adventure, I combined these fantasies and wrote a story about our first interstellar pioneers who go to a dinosaur dominated planet.

Interviewer: When did you start writing the story?

Dan: In the summer of 1989.

Interviewer: So you carried these fantasy adventures in your mind for more than 30 years before you started putting them down on paper.

Dan: That’s right.

Interviewer: Why did you wait so long?

Dan: I wasn’t sure that I had the talent to write a novel that people would enjoy reading. After all, I did get an incomplete on a 300-word theme paper when I was a freshman in high school. Try as I might, I was unable to come up with more than a hundred words.

Interviewer: You went from unable to write more than a hundred words to publishing a book with 269,000 words. That’s amazing!

Dan: When I think about, I am amazed too.

Interviewer: Well, what made you decide to take a shot at writing The Ultimate Adventure?

Dan: One day I was playing poker at Diamond Lil’s in Renton, Washington, and there was a guy in the game who was a real B. S. artist. Anyway, he announced to the players that he was writing a science fiction story. I stared at him in disbelief. I thought, if this clown can write a novel, I can write an even better one. In a matter of minutes, I cashed out, went home, sat down at my Panasonic word processor, and started writing.

Interviewer: He got you started, but it took you ten years to write the story. How did you stick with it for so long?

Dan: When I started creating the story, my teenage fantasies came to life. They became very real. The story took on a life of its own. Things seemed to just happen. Sometimes, I felt like I was reporting real events rather than writing a story. I felt like I was on a very real adventure. Even the characters became real people with minds of their own. At times, they even seemed to be telling me what to write. It was a phenomenal experience.

Interviewer: In other words, writing the story made it so real that you were able to mentally enjoy an adventure that’s not available in real life.

Dan: That’s true, and that is one of the greatest rewards of writing.

Interviewer: I think that’s also one of the greatest rewards of reading a good novel. Simply put, it is fun to escape to another time and place for a while.

Dan: Fun is something that was always on my mind when I wrote The Ultimate Adventure. I wanted the story to be realistic, but even more important than that, I wanted it to be exciting and fun to read. So I created positive-minded, fun-loving characters that people could enjoy reading about. It is my hope that some of my readers will be inspired by my characters to pursue their own dreams, make them happen, and enjoy the process. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and dreams are meant to be achieved.

Interviewer: I like that philosophy.

Dan: It has worked well for me.

Interviewer: What is Alcent Adventures?

Dan: It is the first sequel to The Ultimate adventure and is a continuation of the story. In Alcent Adventures, my characters discover that they are not alone on Alcent. Aliens from Delta Pavonis are stranded on Alcent because of problems with their starship. These aliens believe the earth people can help them, but they don’t trust the earth people. Alcent Adventures is a suspense filled thriller that readers have told me is difficult to put down.

Interviewer: Will there be a third book in the series?

Dan: Yes and I am planning to have it in bookstores by September, 2006.

Interviewer: Will there be additional books in the series?

Dan: My continuing story has taken on a life of its own. I have a vivid, creative imagination that just doesn’t want to quit, so I am going to let it go where it wants to go and enjoy the journey. By publishing my books, I am giving readers the opportunity to also enjoy the journey. All of my books have a book review form in the back, and I am receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from readers. Needless to say, that is very gratifying to me.

Alcent: The Ultimate Adventure

2009-01-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Chapter One
The Long Journey Begins

On July 15, 2092, Captain Jerry Jerontis was in his office onboard the starship Challenger, which was orbiting Earth at an altitude of 280 miles. He was reviewing a list of tasks that remained to be done before leaving Earth on an interstellar voyage to Alcent, a dinosaur-dominated planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Overshadowing the Captain’s checklist was the possibility that his starship might be sabotaged. Even though strict security procedures made sabotage unlikely, Captain Jerontis took the threat seriously. He had ordered his security team to do a thorough checkout of the Challenger, and he awaited their report. If the sabotage existed, Jerry was determined to defeat it. He had always been a tough-minded optimist who never accepted failure, and this time, failure was not an option.

Even Jerry’s appearance was that of a strong-willed man. Years of regular physical training gave him a lean, muscular build. He stood six feet three inches tall and had a handsome face set off by bushy brown hair and hazel eyes that always seemed to radiate a bright cheerful attitude.

At age 42, Jerry had been preparing for the mission to Alcent for twenty years. He had accepted employment with the National Interstellar Exploration Administration (NIEA) even before receiving a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Having been involved in the design, construction, and testing of the Challenger from day one, Jerry knew every inch of the giant starship and felt that it was his creation. He was eager to depart for Alcent, but before the mission could begin, one major task remained: the Challenger had to be joined to its propulsion stages. In less than an hour, the space tug Goliath would dock with the Challenger. Fueled with antimatter, Goliath’s mission was to transport cargo between low Earth orbit and various lunar bases. Shortly, it would transfer the Challenger from low Earth orbit to its propulsion stages in orbit at an altitude of 125,000 miles. The huge quantity of antimatter fuel required for the interstellar mission was accumulated in this high altitude orbit to protect people on Earth from the enormous destructive energy that would be unleashed if an accidental explosion occurred.

While awaiting the arrival of the Goliath, Jerry reflected on some major events that led up to his mission. He noted that people had dreamed of flying for centuries before it finally became a reality at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903. Then, in just 66 years, man had set foot on the Moon. In 2020, the first manned lunar base became operational, followed by a similar base on Mars in 2036. In 2046, NIEA sent Earth’s first unmanned interstellar probe, Star Voyager, on a long journey to the Alpha Centauri System. Twenty-six years later, in 2072, it reported the discovery of a life-filled, earthlike planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Now, in 2092, people were about to follow the path pioneered by Star Voyager.

Jerry considered his mission to Alcent, the third planet of Alpha Centauri A, a truly epic event in the evolution of the human species. For the first time, people would journey to another planet with a breathable oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and a temperate climate, a planet where a new civilization could prosper without support from Earth. However, two extremist groups had vowed to stop the mission. Alcent Environment Preservation Front (AEPF) declared that the arrival of humans on Alcent would pollute the pristine environment and be destructive to the life forms already living there. Also, a fanatical religious cult declared that all of Earth’s problems were the result of humans being infected with the devil. It maintained that if the Challenger took people to Alcent, then it would also be infected with the ravages of the devil. These groups had failed to stop the mission in the political arena and had recently resorted to terrorist acts against NIEA facilities, killing thirteen people and seriously injuring thirty-seven. They declared that they had already implemented a fail-proof plan to stop the mission.

Captain Jerontis considered some obvious possibilities. Planting a bomb on a starship orbiting 280 miles above Earth was possible but difficult to do. Their only option to transport the bomb to the ship would have been to conceal it among the ship’s supplies or construction assemblies. But Jerry thought this unlikely, because everything had passed through multiple security checks, including intensive inspection by sophisticated bomb detection equipment. Sabotage by one of the construction workers was possible, but would almost certainly have been discovered, since all work was inspected and tested by three independent crews, who took great personal pride in discovering imperfection. Their goal was to make the huge starship free of malfunction during its long voyage to Alcent. Also, all individuals working on the Challenger had survived thorough security investigations. With enough money, anti-satellite missiles could be bought from black market arms dealers. However, Jerry doubted that either of the radical groups had the money or expertise to carry out a missile attack. But as a precaution, the USAF had stationed three missile interceptors near the starship.

Jerry’s communicator beeped. It was the security chief, who reported:“We’ve inspected the Challenger, Captain, and we’ve found no sabotage.”

“Have you looked everywhere?”

“Yes! To do a more comprehensive inspection than we’ve done, we would have to start taking things apart.”

“That should not be necessary,” responded Jerry. “The security and inspection procedures followed during construction were very strict.

"Thanks for your report.”

Jerry thought about the negative results of the security investigation and wondered if the sabotage threat was nothing more than a psychological ploy, an attempt to save face. Rather than admit that they had failed to stop the mission, extremist leaders could use such a threat as a way to keep their followers fired up, gain additional publicity, and give a starship commander one more thing to worry about.

Totally engrossed in thought, Jerry was startled when the communication system suddenly snapped to life with a loud enthusiastic greeting, “Ahoy there, Captain J.J.! This is your old college football buddy Moose ready to give you a lift to your fuel stop. We expect to dock with the Challenger in ten minutes. Then, we’ll light our tail pipes, annihilate some matter, and begin orbital transfer.”

While turning to face the rearview screen, so that he could monitor the approach of Goliath, Jerry said, “Sounds like the same old boisterous comic I’ve known all these years, and I might add, one who seems to be in an exceptionally high-spirited frame of mind.”

“Just a natural part of my vibrant personality that you serious types might have a difficult time relating to. However, I am going on a much needed vacation. After all, I’ve been shuttling payloads to and from the moon for the last six weeks. So after I’ve delivered you to your fuel stop, I’ll have four weeks on Earth, which I’ll spend on a warm sandy beach in the South Pacific that is famous for its elegant bikini-clad scenery.”

“Sounds like you haven’t changed much over the years. Here we are, practically on the eve of mankind’s greatest adventure ever, and where is your mind? Somewhere off in a distant, erotic fantasyland.”

“That’s the kind of comment I’d expect from the predictable, no-nonsense Captain J.J. I’ve known practically forever. But it’s probably not your fault. Who knows, if you hadn’t been so dedicated to this Alcent Project, you also might’ve developed a keen sense of appreciation for some of the more playful aspects of life.”

“Getting my starship ready for our long journey has definitely dominated my life, and I really haven’t had much time for anything else.”

“Before I drop down to Earth for a well-deserved vacation, maybe we could have lunch, and you could give me a tour of your ship?”

“Are you sure you can spare the time? I wouldn’t want something as trivial as a tour of Earth’s
first manned starship and lunch with its Captain to delay your pleasure trip to some exotic beach in the South Pacific.”

“In the interest of helping you get into the proper frame of mind for your long voyage, I am willing to make the sacrifice.”

Captain Jerontis thought Moose’s mild psychological jabs were probably his way of handling the emotions involved in saying goodbye to a life-long friend. Even so, Jerry felt Moose would be disappointed if he didn’t make an appropriate response before departing. Jerry thought back to their college football days when he was starting quarterback and team captain. He remembered his teammates who gave him the title Captain J.J.

Moose, whose real name was John Moosebeck, was the starting fullback. Standing six feet two inches tall, weighing 260 pounds, and having very little body fat, he was an immensely powerful man. He was very quick on his feet and had the habit of running through defenses like a charging bull moose during mating season. His highly vocal fans soon simplified his name to Moose.

Captain J.J.’s mind returned to his mission. With the Challenger only minutes away from leaving its 280-mile orbit to begin the ascent to a new orbit at an altitude of 125,000 miles, nearly all of its twenty-four crew members were at view ports for one last good look at Earth. People had left Earth before, but had always had the option to return. This time, there would be no return. All that had been home would soon be forever left behind.

Over the years, Captain Jerontis had occasionally thought about the emotional impact of leaving Earth. But it never bothered him much, because leaving Earth had always been in the distant future. Now, it was only a few days away, and Jerry allowed his mind to drift into some fond memories. He thought about a hiking trip he had made to a remote wilderness lake in northern Canada. Then, he wondered what it would be like to hike along a lakeshore on Alcent where all lakes would be in wilderness areas.

Jerry’s mind was suddenly jarred back to reality when his communicator came to life with a message from Moose: “Captain J.J.! Our instruments indicate the completion of docking. Please confirm.”

“Affirmative.”

“Our best transfer orbit requires that we have ignition in 15 minutes.”

“Okay, let’s begin a fifteen-minute countdown. That’ll give everyone plenty of time to let us know of any reason to delay engine ignition.”

“You got it.”

Countdown began and all crew members prepared for 1g acceleration. After having been weightless for several weeks, even acceleration that was only equivalent to Earth’s gravity would feel heavy.

The countdown progressed without interruption, and Goliath’s antimatter engines ignited on time. When orbital transfer velocity was reached, the engines were shut down, and everyone was again weightless.

An hour and a half later, with nearly half the distance to fuel-stop covered, Captain Jerontis was taking a break in his quarters when Mike Johnson, the chief engineer, appeared at the entrance and said, “Captain, I need to talk to you.”

“Come in, Mike. What can I do for you?”

Mike looked into Jerry’s eyes and calmly said, “I’ve decided to leave the mission. I want to stay on Earth.”

Mike’s announcement hit Captain Jerontis like a bombshell, and for a few moments, he stared into Mike’s light blue eyes attempting to sense a motive for his request. “This is a shocking surprise! What has led you to this decision?”

“For the last hour, I’ve been watching Earth steadily recede in the distance. In a few weeks, we’ll be out of the solar system, and Earth will be so far away that we won’t be able to see it without a telescope. Thinking about that really bothers me because I have friends and family on Earth that I don’t want to leave permanently.”

“We’re all leaving behind people we love, and that’s not easy, but the planet we’re going to appears to be at the peak of a dinosaur age. Exploring it and building a home there will be an awesome adventure. Are you sure you don’t want to be part of it?”

“I know that will be exciting beyond my wildest dreams, but watching Earth recede in the distance has given me an overpowering gut feeling of emptiness. And we haven’t even left yet.”

“All of us feel a sense of loss. That’s normal; after all, we’re leaving everything we’ve ever known, but we’re going to lay the foundation for a new society. In essence, we’re going to give birth to a new civilization.”

“I’ve thought about all of that, but that overpowering gut feeling of not wanting to leave everything behind just keeps coming back.”

“Have you discussed your feelings with Doctor Nemard?”

“No, but I don’t think I need to. They’re too strong to be just a passing whim. I think it would be best if you replaced me.”

“Very well, but I’ll hold your request for a few hours, in case you change your mind. You’ve been an excellent chief engineer, and I’d like to keep you on the mission, but I’ll respect your decision.”

“Thank you,” responded Mike, as he released his seat belt, gently pushed off, and floated out of Captain J.J.’s quarters. Wanting another look at the receding Earth, Mike went to the observation deck.

Looking down on the Pacific Ocean, he observed a beautiful bluish-green world partly covered with soft white cloud formations that looked like tufts of cotton. The planet had a calm, peaceful appearance, and best of all, it was home. The thought of leaving it revived Mike’s earlier feelings of emptiness and forlorn sense of loss. But perhaps the real reason for Mike’s distress was the one that he did not discuss with Captain Jerontis, the one that he had to keep to himself for the time being. If his plan worked, the Captain would find out about it soon enough.

Mike drifted across the observation deck to look in the opposite direction. He quickly located Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, shining brilliantly in the deep blackness of space. After looking at them for a few moments, Mike tried to turn away, but he could not, because the twin stars had captivated his attention in an almost seductive way. As he continued to gaze at them, they seemed to take on the aura of a pair of beckoning beacons that were trying to entice him into staying on the Challenger for the long voyage to a new home on Alcent. Mike thought about the life-filled planet and the images returned by Star Voyager’s video equipment. Some of the images were vividly implanted in Mike’s memory, and he was able to visualize them clearly. As he did this, a deep-seated desire rose from the depths of his mind, a desire to go to Alcent, a desire for the exciting adventure of exploring the mysteries of this planet. Mike was so torn between this intense desire and the need to stay on Earth that he decided to reconsider his options.

Meanwhile, back in the Captain’s quarters, Captain Jerontis was thinking about Mike’s surprise request. Even though regulations permitted anyone on the mission to drop out at any time, Captain Jerontis was puzzled by Mike’s sudden move. Everyone on the ship had passed rigorous medical, physical, and psychological tests, along with excelling in the project’s arduous training program. After surviving all of that, it simply did not make sense to drop out voluntarily a few days before departure. Captain Jerontis decided to discuss the situation with Doctor Connie Nemard, who was a competent psychiatrist, along with being the ship’s medical doctor and a skilled surgeon.

Jerry went to Connie’s office and told her about Mike’s replacement request. “I don’t understand why he’s doing this, so I want you to look at his psychological tests and see if there’s anything there that might explain his actions.”

“I’ll do that now. Come back in an hour, and I’ll discuss it with you.”

“Thank you.” As Jerry turned to leave, he felt Connie’s eyes fix on him a little longer than appropriate for an office call. That sure looked like a lingering glance, thought Jerry. The possibility caused Jerry’s face to light up with just the trace of a satisfied smile.

After leaving, he thought, she is a beautiful woman. Her golden blond hair and those radiant blue eyes are riveting. She might even have a stunning figure, but these loose fitting NIEA uniforms make that hard to determine. But I guess I’d better stop thinking about her. This isn’t the right time.

Captain Jerontis returned to the quietness of his quarters. He was a firm believer in personal quiet time and used it to anticipate and solve problems. With the responsibility of getting the big starship ready for its long voyage, he usually didn’t have to do much anticipating to find an ample supply of potential problems to be concerned about.

Jerry wondered what difficulties might result from bringing in a new chief engineer so close to departure. While considering the possibilities, he was interrupted by Moose, who floated into his quarters through the open hatch and said, “Ready for lunch? I’m starving.”

Moose and Jerry went to the cafeteria and ordered a deluxe combination pizza. When it was ready, they went back to Jerry’s quarters to enjoy their meal.

After they started eating, Moose glanced at Jerry. “You are unusually quiet. What are you worried about now?”

Jerry stared into Moose’s dark brown eyes. “Didn’t you have a complete physical before your current tour of duty?”

“Yeah, I did, but why are you worried about my health when you have a starship to worry about? Do I look ill to you?”

“No, you look perfectly healthy. But did your physical find anything even minutely abnormal?”

“Not a single thing, but why are you so concerned about my health?”

“I’ll get to that in a minute, but first, correct me if I’m wrong. You’ve been Captain of the Goliath for about a year now, and before that, you were its chief engineer for five years. And if my memory serves me right, you are an expert in antimatter propulsion systems.”

“Yes, but what’s all this leading up to? Are you writing a book about me or a resume for a job I haven’t yet applied for?”

“One more question, do you think your ego could handle a demotion from ship’s captain to chief engineer?”

Moose’s dark complexion lit up with an expression of surprised disbelief, and he blurted out,
“What kind of question is that? What do you know about my career that I don’t?”

“Mike Johnson has requested that he be taken off this mission, and I’m planning to put you on the mission in his place, instead of following procedure and using the backup chief engineer.”

“Hole-e-e-e-e shit! You are going to stir up a real hornet’s nest among the professional bureaucrats at NIEA Command if you make a major change in staff on your own!”

“But that’s the beauty of my plan. I won’t be acting on my own. You’ll be my fellow conspirator. Together, we’ll devise a plan to get you on this mission ... if you want it.”

“An hour ago, I was relaxing on the Goliath, daydreaming about the wonderful vacation I’ve been planning, which begins in just a few days. Then, I do nothing more than stop by for lunch, and what happens? You want me to cancel the scenario I’d envisioned for the rest of my life and go jaunting off to another star with you on just a moment’s notice.”

Jerry grinned rather smugly. “It is all rather sudden, isn’t it?”

“Somehow, I get the feeling that you’re enjoying putting me on the spot like this. I suppose you want an answer right away.”

“Oh no! You can think it over for an hour or two, and then, you can let me know. But right now, you should get back to the Goliath. We need to put the brakes on, or we’ll go cruising right on past our fuel-stop.”

“What do you mean? Our fuel-stop! I haven’t accepted your offer yet.”

“No, but I suspect you will. After all, you wouldn’t want to admit that this old, serious, worrisome personality type might be a bit too daring and adventuresome for you to keep up with, would you?”

Visibly shaken and deeply lost in thought, Moose floated out of Captain J.J.’s quarters and returned to the Goliath. Shortly thereafter, he started the fifteen-minute ignition countdown sequence.

Meanwhile, Captain Jerontis buzzed the medical lab and when Doctor Nemard responded, he asked, “Have you reached any conclusions about the individual we discussed earlier?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Good, I’ll be right there.”

When Jerry arrived in the medical lab, Connie gave him her report: “The results of the psychological tests Mike has taken over the years show him to be a very stable individual. He should be able to cope with the emotional stress of permanently leaving Earth and living in close confinement with other people during a long interstellar voyage. I believe his replacement request is the result of cool-headed thinking, not fluctuating emotions. A well thought out decision is not likely to be changed, unless the reasons for the decision change. In my opinion, he hasn’t given you the complete story behind his request. I think you should honor it and not try to change his mind. However, if he changes his mind, I see no medical or psychological reason to deny him that option.”

“I’m not surprised by your findings or by your opinion, which makes his replacement request all the more puzzling. I wonder what he’s up to.”

“I don’t know, but there’s one possibility that you need to consider. As you know, there are two extremist groups who’ve said that they’ve already implemented a plan to stop our mission. One way to do that would be to have someone on the Challenger sabotage it and then jump ship before we leave. Who on the Challenger would be better qualified to accomplish this than the chief engineer?”

“No one, but surely you don’t suspect Mike. I’ve known him for several years, and he’s always been ethical and trustworthy. There’s no way I could suspect him of doing anything to jeopardize this mission or the lives of the people on it.”

“I agree with you, but under the circumstances, I felt I had to mention the possibility.”

“I appreciate that, and I agree with your reasoning. So during the last half-hour before our departure, I want you to roam the ship and make sure that everyone is onboard and at their assigned locations.”

Just then, the three-minute pre-ignition warning klaxon blared out its urgent sounding notes forcing Captain Jerontis to head for the command console. He needed to be on station; even though, the Challenger was still under the control of the Goliath. The crucial sequence of maneuvers to carry out rendezvous and docking was programmed into the Goliath’s flight control computer, but to guard against malfunction, Captain Jerontis and his flight crew needed to monitor the events leading up to docking.

Fuel-stop was not a fueling station in the sense that fuel would be transferred from storage containers to the Challenger; rather, it was an orbital base where the Challenger would be joined with two fully fueled propulsion stages. Docking maneuvers had to be executed with perfection. Even the slightest deviation from the required flight path and speed could lead to a collision with disastrous results.

When the countdown ticked down to zero, Goliath’s antimatter engines ignited, and the burn continued for several uneventful minutes, successfully completing the braking maneuver. Looking at the rearview monitor, Captain Jerontis saw the huge propulsion section, currently about a mile away, very slowly grow larger in appearance as the two modules of the giant starship drifted toward each other at a closing velocity of just a few feet per second. Goliath’s flight control computer processed data from laser range finders and other docking sensors. Through precise use of control thrusters, the computer would bring the docking structures of the two modules into perfect alignment and reduce final closing speed to less than an inch per second.

As the two large structures approached each other ever so slowly, time seemed to tick away even more slowly. A full two-and-one-half hours passed by before the habitation and propulsion modules were physically joined in a slow delicate procedure. Now, the Challenger was for the first time a complete starship. However, it would not be allowed to maneuver on its own until its flight control systems were checked out, and the Goliath would remain attached to it until this checkout was complete.

With the checkout underway, Jerry went to his office, where he received a call from NIEA Control. “Captain Jerontis here,” he replied.

“Captain, the press conference we discussed earlier has been approved. A crew of three from SNS, a freelance science reporter, an aerospace reporter, and a newspaper reporter are scheduled for liftoff on a personnel shuttle in three hours. They will arrive on the Challenger at about this time tomorrow. We want you to arrange a tour of the ship and work out a schedule with the SNS people for a press conference.”

“Have these people been investigated by security for possible association with the fanatics that have vowed to stop our mission?”

“They and their equipment have been cleared. Pertinent information will be transmitted into the security files in your computer.”

“You do realize that entertaining them might delay our departure.”

“Unavoidable. NIEA wants as much positive publicity as possible to help drum up political support for other NIEA projects. So even though one of the reporters has a reputation for being an antagonistic nag, we want you to avoid making belligerent comments. Try to be a good host.”

“That won’t be easy if you’re talking about old pain-in-the-butt Sam.”

“You guessed it. Naturally, we objected to his presence on the news team, but SNS wouldn’t back down. So we’ve delved into his professional life to anticipate the kinds of questions he’ll ask. We’ve generated some appropriate responses, and this info will be transmitted to you shortly.”

“We’ll review it and be ready for him. Thanks for your assistance.”

Reflecting on the next day’s press conference, Jerry decided that he would like to bait and then embarrass his least favorite reporter during a live broadcast to a worldwide audience. Since Sam had always been an outspoken NIEA critic, the trick would be to embarrass him in a way that would discredit him. Perhaps, Doctor Nemard would be the right person for this job. As a skilled psychiatrist, she is certainly capable of playing with someone’s mind, Jerry concluded.

Turning his thoughts to other matters, Jerry needed final decisions from Mike and Moose. If a new chief engineer had to be brought up from Earth, he would have to be on the personnel shuttle scheduled to take off in less than three hours. Jerry picked up his communicator, entered Mike’s number, and received an almost immediate response.

“Hello, Mike here.”

“Mike, this is Jerry. Now that you’ve had a few hours to reconsider, have you decided to withdraw your recent request?”

“I’ve decided to stick with it.”

“Very well; when the new chief engineer arrives, I expect you to give him a full briefing and work with him until our departure.”

“Will do.”

Having received Mike’s final decision, Jerry entered Moose’s number into his communicator and waited for a response, but he didn’t get the expected one. Instead, Moose appeared at the entrance to his office, held up his communicator, and asked, “Do you prefer to talk through these things, or can I come in?”

“Don’t be silly, come in, and sit down.”

Moose floated in and strapped himself into a seat. “I’ve given much thought to your offer, and I’ve decided to go with you as your chief engineer, if the offer is still open. I only worry that I’m not familiar with the details of this ship, since I’ve never worked on it.”

“But you are a brilliant engineer with 20 years of experience in spacecraft, and our library has detailed specifications of every part of the ship. The computer will give you a 3-D image of any part or assembly by simply asking for it. I have no doubt that if anything malfunctions, you will diagnose the problem and fix it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Obviously, I agree with you, or I wouldn’t be here. But is the offer still open?”

“I spoke with Mike just before you arrived, and he confirmed his replacement request. So we have to devise a way to get you on this mission and him off of it without arousing anyone’s suspicions. Also, since we’re departing in three days, we need to bring you up to speed in a hurry. So I’m going to take you to the engineering library and introduce you to the computer. By the time we leave Earth, I expect that you’ll have a basic familiarity with the systems that are mission critical.”

“I’ll give it my best, and I’ll start with propulsion.”

PRESS CONFERENCE

One day later, the visiting members of the media were onboard the Challenger and had just completed a partial tour of the starship under the guidance of Dianne Dawson, Life Support Officer. They were now in the cafeteria enjoying snacks and beverages while awaiting the arrival of Captain Jerontis and Doctor Nemard.

When they arrived, Dianne introduced them to the press. Then, she introduced the press: “This is Michelle, a highly respected science reporter. This is Sam from Satellite News Service. This is Caryn, a syndicated aerospace reporter. And this is Patrick with Associated Press.”

After exchanging the customary greetings, Captain Jerontis said, “I am pleased to meet each of you. Welcome to our starship! You’ve already interviewed some of our crew members; now, Dianne, Connie, and I will answer your questions. Michelle, you can be first.”

“Captain, what is there about this mission that has motivated you to devote your life to it?”

“I believe that interstellar expansion is human destiny, and I want to help make it happen.”

“Why do you think going to the stars is human destiny?”

“It’s in our blood. Just take a look at history. Throughout time, our spirit of adventure and thirst for knowledge has always driven us to travel and explore to the limit of our ability. Well, we now know how to go to the stars, and the Milky Way Galaxy alone contains at least 200 billion stars. Eight billion of these stars are similar to our Sun. If only one percent of these sun-like stars have earthlike planets, it will be a very long time before we run out of planets to explore and colonize. Our mission to Alcent is the first step in the interstellar expansion of the human species, and I believe this is a natural part of human evolution.”

“That sounds like a paragraph taken from the book Mankind’s Place In The Universe,” commented Michelle. “But I’d like to know what gives you a burning desire to go to Alcent?”

“I am driven by the human spirit for adventure. This is something that I have to do.”

“Why?”

“You’re not going to let me off the hook, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Okay, here it is. Since I was a teenager, it’s been a fantasy of mine to journey seventy million years back in time to explore Earth during the dinosaur age. Well, I can’t go back in time, but Star Voyager data indicates that life on Alcent may be similar to what existed on Earth during the dinosaur age. This mission gives me the opportunity to explore a planet that may be in an advanced dinosaur age. Perhaps some of these creatures have even evolved into fairly intelligent beings.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The Solar System is believed to be about 4.6 billion years old; whereas, Alpha Centauri A and its planets are believed to be 5 to 6 billion years old. If life started as early in Alcent’s history as it did on Earth, then the creatures now living on Alcent may’ve had an extra billion years to evolve compared to life on Earth. Dinosaurs ruled Earth for 150 million years. If Alcent is in a dinosaur age, it’s possible that it started a billion years ago. Intelligence could certainly evolve in that amount of time. But intelligent or not, it will be one super adventure to live among those creatures and study them.”

“I can see that you are thrilled by the possibilities, but do you have the training to study dinosaurs?”

“I don’t, but Dianne does. She has a PhD in Biology and in Genetic Engineering. She will be in charge of plant and animal research on Alcent.”

Next, Captain Jerontis turned to Caryn who asked, “Could you give us a brief summary of your flight plan including speed, time, and distance?”

“As you know, we are going to Alcent, the third planet of Alpha Centauri A. It is 4.35 light-years away. That is 25 trillion 516 billion miles. Before the development of antimatter propulsion, it was impossible to make this kind of journey in a human lifetime. But with antimatter propulsion, the Challenger will accelerate at 1g for nine months to bring us up to .77c, which is 77 percent of light speed. This means that we’ll be traveling at 143,220 miles per second. That will be our cruise speed for nearly five years. Then, we’ll have nine months of 1g deceleration. In spite of our tremendous cruise speed, it’s going to take about six-and-a-half years to go to Alcent.”

Caryn argued, “Even with antimatter propulsion, I don’t understand how you can carry enough fuel to accelerate to such a tremendous speed and then have enough fuel left to slow down for your arrival at Alcent.”

“I know this seems impossible, but you must keep in mind that the energy available from antimatter fuel is about 140 times greater than what is available from nuclear fusion and about 100 million times greater than what is available from chemical rocket fuels. To put this in perspective, if antimatter propulsion had been available in the late twentieth century, thirty-five milligrams of fuel (about the weight of a sugar cube) would’ve been sufficient to launch the space shuttle.”

Caryn seemed satisfied, so Jerry turned to Patrick who asked, “Captain, with twenty-four people on this ship, how can you possibly carry enough food, water, and oxygen to last more than six years?”

Captain Jerontis turned to Dianne. “This question falls into your area of responsibility.”

Dianne nodded and faced the media. “We have a sophisticated life support system that recycles all waste materials to produce pure water and oxygen. Also, we are able to grow food from recycled waste.”

“Can you tell us briefly how it works?” Patrick asked.

“Genetic engineering is the key to the success of our life support system. Through it, specialized microorganisms were developed to break down the various kinds of waste generated on this ship, and genetically engineered plants were developed to grow the materials that our food synthesizers need to make food. The plants also produce part of our oxygen. Is that brief enough for you?”

“I get the picture, and if you started giving me technical details, I might not understand them anyway.”

“I might add that we do have substantial reserves of oxygen, water, and food for emergency use.”

“I have one more question,” stated Patrick. “How well do your food synthesizers work?”

“With the various kinds of plant materials we feed into them, they are capable of making anything that you can find on any menu on Earth.”

“But how well do they work?” persisted Patrick.

“Since arriving on this ship, you’ve had two meals and a coffee break. How well do you think our food synthesizers work?”

“Amazingly well!” exclaimed Patrick, who just now realized that he had eaten foods made by the synthesizers.

Captain Jerontis turned his attention to Sam and said, “It’s your turn.”

“Captain, since this project’s inception, hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted on it. Don’t you think it would’ve been better if we’d spent this vast sum feeding the hungry and housing the poor?”

“Sam, that question has been debated by politicians in Washington, D.C. during each year’s budget battle since day one. I really don’t think there’s anything I can say that hasn’t already been said many times.”

“Captain, you’re evading the question. I want to know what your position is on this vitally important issue.”

“This is a dead issue. The money has already been spent, and we’re almost ready to leave. Why do you persist in pursuing a dead issue?”

“Because it’s important for the future! Other expensive boondoggles will come up that need to be stopped, so the money can be invested in social programs. How do you feel about all the money that’s been wasted on this project that could’ve been used to improve the lives of disadvantaged people?”

“Well Sam, as you know, I am devoted to this mission, and during the past 20 years, I’ve dedicated my life to its success. This hasn’t left me with very much time to worry about social programs.”

“But Captain, you must have some concern for the plight of the hungry and the homeless and the fact that the money soaked up by this project could’ve been used to help them.”

“Of course I’m concerned about their predicament. But you must realize that the money invested in this project isn’t going to disappear into interstellar space when we leave the solar system. We’re not taking it with us. It was spent on Earth and provided meaningful jobs and careers for tens of thousands of people for two decades. Much of the money was spent developing technology that can also be used to improve life on Earth. With just a little imagination, even you should be able to figure out that the microorganisms genetically engineered for waste recycling on this ship could be used by the cities of the world to totally recycle their sewage, thereby eliminating a major source of environmental pollution. This technology would also allow cities to recycle their waste water, a very important capability to have in arid and semiarid parts of the world where water is in short supply. The genetically engineered plants we use to produce our food mature rapidly and can produce an abundance of high quality food in a limited space. If grown on Earth on a large scale, hunger could be eliminated as a social problem. All you have to do is overcome the hysterical objections raised by radical environmentalists who claim that genetically engineered plants aren’t natural and therefore should not be released into Earth’s ecosystem.”

Jerry turned to Michelle who said, “Speaking of radicals, they’ve said that your mission will be stopped. How serious is that threat?”

“Since they’ve resorted to terrorist acts that have killed or injured several NIEA employees, we must take them seriously. Consequently, our security department has recruited the best professionals in the country. They are organized into two teams, with one team responsible for establishing security procedures, while the other team attempts to breach the system. By trying to outwit each other, they’ve given us a security system that we believe is nearly impossible to penetrate. Also, we are using the best security equipment that advanced technology has to offer.
Sam, you have a question?”

“I want to discuss the population of your ship. You have a crew of twenty-four with twelve crew members under the age of twenty and twelve crew members ranging in age from twenty-eight to forty-two. Why the age difference between the two groups? And what kind of selection process was used?”

Captain Jerontis turned to Doctor Nemard. “Would you like to respond to these questions?”

Connie nodded. “To understand why the people on our ship fall into two age groups, you need to consider the goals and responsibilities of our mission. Those of us in the older group are experienced, highly trained professionals in our respective fields. We are responsible for the operation of this ship and arriving at our destination safely and in good health. Also, we’ll provide advanced training to the younger generation.

“When we arrive on Alcent, our primary goal wi1l be to establish a new civilization. That means having children and successfully raising them to become competent adults. After a six-year journey through interstellar space, those of us in the older group won’t have that many child bearing years left to us. However, those in the younger group will be able to have as many children as they want and thereby give our new civilization a solid beginning and a promising future.

“As to the selection criteria, all applicants for this mission had to take a series of intelligence tests that sought to determine one’s ability to learn new material quickly. One’s ability to rapidly analyze and solve unexpected difficult problems was also evaluated. To be considered for this mission, an applicant had to score higher than 95% of those tested.

“Also, each person had to pass medical, physical, and psychological tests. Genetics played an important part in this evaluation; in that, a successful applicant had to show a family history free of hereditary diseases that would cause physical or mental disabilities. Also, since we’ll be starting a new civilization, the success of which depends on reproduction, only applicants with normal sexual desires were considered.

“Individuals who passed all of these tests faced still more hurdles. Training exercises based on Star Voyager data were developed to help mission candidates learn the survival skills needed to stay alive in the dangerous environment we expect to find on Alcent. Physical endurance, cunning ingenuity, and the ability to handle unexpected situations were all essential to successful completion of this training. Sam, you have a follow up question?”

“Yes, I do. What do you mean by the phrase normal sexual desires?”

“I am referring to individuals who want to love and be loved by a member of the opposite sex.”

Sam retorted, “But what about people who prefer to live in an alternative lifestyle? Weren’t their civil rights violated by being excluded from consideration for this mission? Isn’t this tantamount to discrimination on the basis of sexual preference?”

“Yes, it is, but I believe I explained quite clearly why this discrimination was necessary.”

“But your earlier statement implied that people living in an alternative lifestyle have abnormal sexual desires.”

“I suppose you could interpret my comment that way, but I’m wondering why you’re pursuing this line of questioning instead of asking us how we feel about our mission, how we plan to survive and prosper on Alcent, or what we’1l do during our long voyage.”

“I’ve just uncovered a flagrant violation of the Civil Rights Act. Also, I’ve called attention to a socially insensitive comment of yours that is inconsistent with politically correct thinking and that is bound to be offensive to a large group of people in our society, many of whom paid tax dollars to support your mission.”

“And that is what you think your viewers from around the world are interested in finding out about the greatest adventure ever attempted. Perhaps after you get back to Earth, one of your viewers could send you a book on human anatomy. After a brief study of male and female body parts, it should become readily apparent to you what would constitute normal sexual activity. Then, with some additional study, you could figure out how human reproduction works and how it is dependent on normal sexual activity. Then, you might be able to understand why discrimination on the basis of sexual preference was necessary for the success of this mission.

“As far as politically correct thinking is concerned, I am still an American, and I do have political freedom as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Not you, or anyone else, is going to tell me what kind of thinking is politically correct. My freedom allows me to decide that for myself. Early in the twentieth century, there was an individual who told millions what politically correct thinking consisted of, and he used lots of guns to enforce his point of view. In case you’re not a student of history, his name was Adolf Hitler.”

Wanting to end the confrontation with Sam before she lost control and told him where he could go, Doctor Nemard quickly turned to Michelle and said, “Michelle, you have a question?”

“Yes, doctor. The Challenger is a big ship, but you’ll be confined to it for more than six years. What are you going to do during all that time? And how are you going to avoid getting cabin fever?”

“Some people would have a difficult time dealing with close confinement for that long a time. One of the purposes of psychological testing was to find and eliminate them from mission eligibility.” Connie briefly turned to Sam and said, “I guess you could even consider that a form of discrimination.”

Before Sam could comment, Connie turned back to Michelle, “As to your first question, I will monitor the health and well-being of each person and treat any medical or psychological problems that develop. Captain Jerontis and the flight operations crew will monitor the performance of the Challenger’s systems, do preventive maintenance, and repair anything that malfunctions. One of the most important responsibilities of the older generation will be to assist the young people with their continued training. For example, by the time we reach Alcent, I will have trained two of them to take over my responsibilities if there is an untimely end to my life.”

“But you can’t work all the time,” protested Michelle. “What about leisure activities?”

“Our responsibilities will keep us quite busy, but we’ll find time to have fun.”

“But what will you do?”

“We have lots of options available. All the best books, movies, music, and video games produced in the last 150 years are stored in our computer library. Also, we have a large gym. In addition to the exercise equipment located there, it is big enough to play competitive games in. For those who are musically inclined, we have some musical instruments onboard. People who like to design and make things can use the sophisticated equipment in our machine shop.”

“That sounds like more than enough to keep people from getting bored and losing their sanity, even during a six-year voyage,” noted Michelle.

“That’s the plan,” stated Doctor Nemard. “Mission planners decided that enjoyable leisure activities are important to personal well-being, and they made sure that much is available to be enjoyed.”

After glancing at his watch, Captain Jerontis said, “We have time for one more question from each of you. Caryn, we’ll start with you.”

“Captain, why was the name Challenger selected for your starship?”

“That name was selected in honor of the seven astronauts who were killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. Patrick?”

“In view of all the hazards that you’ll face, how do you rate your chance of success?”

“We will succeed! Michelle?”

“Captain, it seems to me that your survival for the next six years is dependent on this ship’s waste recycling system. If it fails to function as expected, you could run out of oxygen to breathe, food to eat, or both. How large a safety margin has been built into the system? You have twenty-four people onboard. How many people could you put on this ship before the system becomes overloaded? And what about the microorganisms on which the operation of the system depends, how do you know they’ll stay healthy for six years of interstellar space flight?”

Captain Jerontis smiled broadly at Michelle. “That sounds like more than one question.”

Michelle returned the smile. “But they’re all closely related questions concerning one of your ship’s essential systems.”

Captain Jerontis nodded in agreement and turned to Dianne, who said, “Our life support system has a safety margin of 35 to 40 percent. So we would have to add eight, nine, or ten people to our crew before we would be in danger of overloading the system and placing our survival in jeopardy. As to your other question, several predecessor versions of this life support system have been in use on our space stations and lunar and Mars bases for several decades. They have proven to be very reliable. However, during our long voyage, I will be using my genetic engineering skills and this ship’s research lab to improve the microorganisms and plants on which our survival depends. Sam?”

“AEPF has charged that your presence on Alcent will pollute its pristine environment and that germs carried to Alcent by you will pose a serious threat to the life forms already living there. How do you plan to protect the life on Alcent from this life threatening danger?”

“When we arrive at Alcent, we’ll orbit the planet at a low altitude, probably around 200 miles,” replied Dianne. “After studying the planet for several weeks, we’ll launch sterilized, unmanned landing craft to locations of interest. These landing craft will be complex remotely controlled research labs. With them, we’ll study life on Alcent to determine if germs from Earth will be a threat to it. We’ll thoroughly evaluate the risks before any of us land on Alcent.

“What if you find out that germs from Earth are a grave threat to life on Alcent?” Sam asked.

“Then, we’ll have to find a solution to that problem before we can land,” replied Dianne.

“Some environmentalist groups don’t believe you can be trusted to be that environmentally responsible,” argued Sam.

Dianne glared at Sam and coldly said, “The crew of this starship is a very responsible group, and we will do what is right.”

“But AEPF does not trust you and claims that they will stop your mission,” stated Sam. “What do you think of that?”

Before Dianne could respond, Captain Jerontis stared at Sam and bluntly said, “AEPF is not a reputable group; they are a radical extremist group, and our mission is not going to be governed by the agenda of a group of terrorists. If they’ve sabotaged my starship, we’ll find that sabotage, and they will fail to stop our mission.”

Sam appeared ready to argue the point, but before he could say anything, Captain Jerontis said, “This concludes our press conference. All of you except Michelle will be leaving our ship in three hours to spend the night on the personnel shuttle. Until then, Dianne and Connie will be your tour guides and will introduce you to available personnel for interviews. When you return in the morning, they will again be your guides. Michelle, your request to stay onboard until we depart has been granted. You will stay with the group until they leave the ship. After that, Connie will be your escort and share her quarters with you.”

Except for Sam, members of the media thanked Captain Jerontis for his time. Then, he went to the flight deck to check the progress of events leading to departure.

Michelle turned to Dianne and said, “One area you haven’t shown us is the hangar deck. I’d like to see the shuttles you’ll use to travel to and from the surface when the Challenger is orbiting Alcent.”

“Good idea,” Dianne responded.

On the way to the hangar deck, Michelle said to Connie, “You are about to depart on a long perilous mission filled with uncertainty. However, when Patrick asked Captain Jerontis to rate your chance of achieving success, he declared, ‘we will succeed!’ Is this wishful thinking on his part, or is he really that sure of success?”

“He actually is 100 percent confident that we’ll be successful.”

“But you’re attempting to do something that’s never been done. How can he be so confident?”

“There’s something that you must understand about Captain Jerontis, and that is that he approaches life with a very strong positive attitude. When he decides to do something, he just simply refuses to accept failure. He has more stick-to-it-tive-ness than anyone I’ve ever met. He just hangs in there and does whatever it takes to achieve his goals.”

“But this is a huge complex starship that must function for the next seven years. Any number of things could go wrong.”

“That’s true, but Captain Jerontis has participated in the design, construction, and testing of this starship from the very beginning. He probably knows more about it than anyone. If he’s confident in this starship, so am I.”

Michelle thought about the firmness of Connie’s comments. Then, she said, “I’ve talked to several crew members since my arrival, and all of them seem to be as confident in Captain Jerontis as you are. He seems to have the unquestioned loyalty of the crew. How has he won their loyalty?”

“Everyone knows that he’s an expert on the intricate details of this ship and how everything works.”

“There has to be more to it than that,” argued Michelle. “I know many intelligent people, and some of them just don’t inspire loyalty in anyone.”

“You just mentioned the key word.”

“Which word was that?”

“Inspire; Captain Jerontis inspires his crew to be confident in him.”

“How does he do that?” Before Connie could respond, Michelle said, “Let me make this personal. How does he inspire you to be confident in his leadership?”

“More than anything else, I appreciate his leadership style. He is a strong leader, but he is gentle. He never criticizes anyone; he encourages them. Also, I respect his knowledge, and I like the confident, cheerful attitude that he always displays. Then, there is the seemly limitless energy that he always comes up with when he has a deadline to meet. Perhaps his energy comes from his attitude, determination, and physical strength. He does have a strong athletic build, being six feet three inches tall and 230 pounds. He is lean and muscular, and his energetic, youthful appearance seems to inspire people into thinking that he can do whatever is required.”

Michelle noticed that Connie’s face lit up when she was talking about Captain Jerontis. Being a professional reporter, she decided to investigate this, so she said, “That was a rather long-winded answer to my question. You seem to know a lot about your Captain.”

Not expecting these comments and not prepared to respond to their implication, Connie thought about them for a few moments. Then, rather than respond to what was implied, she said, “I am the mission psychiatrist and medical doctor. I make it my business to know and understand everyone on this ship, especially the Captain.”

Michelle sensed that there might be another reason for Connie’s extensive knowledge about the Captain, but she decided not to pursue it, because she felt that she wasn’t going to get any additional information. Michelle looked into Connie’s eyes and smiled in a way that let her know she understood.

A few moments later, the group arrived on the hangar deck, and Michelle said to Dianne, “Those shuttles look like sleek high-speed aircraft. Can you tell me a little bit about them?”

While pointing at them, Dianne said, “The big one is a cargo carrier, and the small one is a personnel shuttle. Both shuttles have NTR propulsion systems that will allow us to travel between the surface of Alcent and the Challenger as many times as we need to without being concerned about running out of fuel.”

“What is an NTR propulsion system?” Patrick asked.

“NTR means nuclear thermal rocket,” replied Dianne.

Patrick appeared puzzled. “How does an NTR operate?” he asked.

“Its operation is quite simple. A working fluid such as liquefied air or ordinary water is pumped through the nuclear reactor’s heat exchanger, where it is heated to a temperature of several thousand degrees. This converts the liquid into an extremely high pressure gas that expands out the rocket nozzle creating enough thrust to accelerate the shuttle to orbital speed and altitude.”

“Why were NTRs selected to propel the shuttles rather than antimatter power plants?”

“Antimatter fuel is expensive to produce, and NTRs provide more than enough energy for travel between the surface of Alcent and the low altitude orbit the Challenger will be in. Also, NTRs are rugged, reliable power plants that are easy to operate. The technology involved is mature.”

While members of the press asked Dianne additional questions about the shuttles, Captain Jerontis was on the flight deck talking to Mike. “How is our final checkout proceeding?” he asked.

“Very well,” replied Mike. “The fact that we’re not finding any problems shows just how well-designed this ship is.”

“Not only that, but everything has been tested and retested so many times that all problems should’ve been found and corrected long ago.”

“We should be ready to test fire our engines in about three hours, but right now, we’ve reached a 45-minute break in the checkout schedule.”

“Good, let’s go to the engineering library. There’s someone there I’d like you to meet.”

Two minutes later, in the engineering library, Captain Jerontis said, “Mike, meet your replacement, John Moosebeck. He’s been glued to the computer since accepting the position and is rapidly becoming an expert on the intricate details of this ship. Right, Moose?”

Moose answered Jerry’s question by nodding his head and looking at him with the tired eyes of one who had been involved in hours of intensive study. Moose shook Mike’s hand and said, “Pleased to meet you.”

“So I finally get to meet the boisterous, flamboyant Moose I’ve heard so much about,” Mike said. Turning to Captain Jerontis, he asked, “How did you manage to motivate the bureaucrats at NIEA Command to allow you to replace me with your life-long friend?”

Seeing the gleam in Captain J.J.’s eyes and the mischievous grin on his face, Mike said, “Never mind. Forget that I asked that question; I really don’t want to know.”

Turning his attention back to Moose, Mike said, “Attempting to learn the intricate details of this ship in just a few days is a rather tall order. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“So far, I’ve limited my study to the most crucial systems. I’ve been looking at propulsion, flight control, and life support; and they aren’t much different than on the Goliath, just a bit more advanced. Maybe sometime tomorrow, you could brief me on any peculiarities that you think I should know about.”

“Tomorrow’s checkout schedule has a two-hour break at lunch time, and that would be the best time for me.”

Turning to Captain Jerontis, Mike said, “I am curious to know what clandestine plan you’ve devised for getting me off this ship and back to Earth without arousing anyone’s suspicions.”

“The Captain of the personnel shuttle that brought the media up is a friend of mine. Tomorrow, I’ll give him a tour of the Challenger and tell him there’s been a personnel change and that he is to give you a ride down to Earth. There’s no reason for him to be suspicious, and even if he were, I doubt that he’d question NIEA Command about it.

“On another subject, a really sharp-looking reporter named Michelle has requested an interview with our chief engineer. Maybe you could talk with her this evening.”

Mike grinned and said, “I don’t know if I want to be talking to a good-looking woman when I’m trying to get this ship ready for departure. That might be too big a distraction. Just how beautiful is she anyway?”

Jerry smiled while recalling Michelle’s features, “She has an attractive figure, a beautiful face, sandy-brown hair, and a light tan. She’s about five-seven, maybe five-eight and probably weighs around 130 pounds.”

Noticing that Jerry appeared to be breathing a little faster, Mike said, “It seems that she had quite an effect on you. From your description, it sounds like you took a pretty good look at her.”

“She definitely got my attention.”

“Well, if she’s as outstanding as you say she is, I guess I could find a little time to talk to her.”

Acting as though he would be doing Mike a big favor, Jerry said, “If it’s going to put too much of a strain on your schedule, I’ll tell her that you’re busy and handle the interview myself. Depending on how it goes, I might even figure out a way to make her part of the crew.”

“That’s okay,” Mike quickly replied. “I’ll talk to her. After all, she did ask for the chief engineer, and I haven’t yet been replaced.”

Moose grinned at Mike and said, “I heard she has a knack for asking tough questions. I hope she doesn’t hit you with something that you’re not prepared for. Maybe I should take the interview.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m sure I can handle it.”

Four hours later, all primary propulsion rockets had been throttled up to 65 percent of full power for 15 seconds and then, throttled back down and shut off. Mike, Moose, and Jerry were intently poring over the performance data. The first one to say anything was Mike, “I see no anomalies here. In fact, I don’t see how this test run could’ve been any better. Other than slightly increasing our speed and raising our orbit a bit, not much else happened.”

Jerry and Moose agreed, and Mike said, “Since this concludes today’s checkout, it’s time for me to look up a reporter named Michelle.”

Before Mike could depart, Captain Jerontis stopped him and said,

“Remember, as far as the press is concerned, and anyone else for that matter, you are the chief engineer for this mission.”

Mike nodded and left.

“I haven’t eaten in hours,” stated Moose, “and I feel like devouring a large combination pizza with extra pepperoni and cheese.”

“Do you ever eat anything besides pizza?” Jerry asked, while on the way to the cafeteria.

“Of course I do, but pizza just happens to be my favorite food.”

“I would never have guessed that.”

A little later, when Moose and Jerry were well into their meal, Moose said,“You sure have excellent food on this ship.”

“Yes, we do. We’re fortunate to have a chef who is blessed with an intuitive ability in the kitchen. What amazes me is that he does this with the basic ingredients and flavorings produced by our food synthesizers.”

“You’re lucky that someone with so much talent survived the strenuous training required of people for this mission.”

“Actually, he didn’t. He is the only person on this mission who didn’t do all that well in survival training. However, because of his culinary abilities, NIEA allowed him on the mission anyway, since they consider excellent dining essential to crew morale on a voyage of this length.”

“I agree. Good food is a bright spot in anyone’s day. But now that I’m here, he isn’t the only creative cook.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you forgotten all the good meals you’ve eaten at my house?”

“No, I haven’t, and I’ll have to admit that you do know your way around the kitchen. But right now, I’m more in need of a chief engineer than another chef.”

“Once we get underway, the engineering workload might not be all that demanding. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind helping out in the kitchen. Your chef can’t work around the clock, and he might like some time off now and then.”

“True, let’s keep that in mind.”

“On another subject, are you worried about anything in tomorrow’s checkout schedule?”

“Not really. We actually have a fairly light schedule. Our checkout procedures resume at 8:30 AM with a two-hour break at 11:30. If no problems are encountered, checkout will be completed at 4:30 PM. The most crucial event is the full power engine test at 3:30, but I don’t anticipate any problems. Our engines are just enhanced versions of the power plants you have on the Goliath, and they’ve been frequently operated at full power for nine years now. At 1:30 PM the next day, there will be a presidential farewell address, followed by our departure at 2:00 PM. Now that you’re part of the mission, are you worried about anything?”

Moose leaned back, briefly pondered the question and said, “Twenty years ago, you and I were part of a football team that won back-to-back national championships. As I see it, our current situation is quite similar. If you can provide the same inspirational leadership now as you did twenty years ago, we should all end up dying of old age on Alcent.”

“Now that my all-time favorite fullback is on the team, my job will certainly be easier. When Mike hit me with a replacement request, it threw me for a loop. The backup engineer is a very capable individual, but for some reason, I’m not comfortable working with him. I don’t think that he and I would ever have been a smoothly functioning team, and in a time-critical crisis, smooth teamwork is essential.”

“That has always been true for us. When we were playing college football twenty years ago, we instinctively worked together. It seemed like we were almost able to sense what each other was thinking.”

“Twenty years is a long time, but talking about football brings back fond memories that are so clear, it seems like they happened only yesterday. Have you ever considered that we could be comfortably retired by now if we’d gone into professional football instead of into space? Think about it, we could be having a relatively risk-free life on Earth; instead, we are about to embark on a mission we may not survive.”

“We all have choices to make. I believe an individual’s state of well-being at any point in his life is the direct result of all the choices that individual made up to that point in his life. Rather than play professional football, I chose to go into space because I enjoy the adventure of it. Facing and conquering the unexpected hazards one sometimes finds in an adventure into the unknown gives me an emotional high like none other. Knowing me as well as you do, you had to know what my decision would be when you gave me the opportunity to go to Alcent with you.”

“I was pretty sure you’d accept. After all, my offer to you was just one more unexpected challenge for you to conquer.”

“It was definitely unexpected. You dropped it on me right out of nowhere, and it’s definitely a big challenge.” Moose checked the clock and said, “It’s time for me to go back to the engineering library. There are some systems I want to look at before I turn in for the night.”

“I’m going to my quarters to call my parents. I can’t see them in person before we leave, but the video phone in my quarters has a screen covering one entire wall. A phone call to my parents is almost like being at home with them. I’m also going to call my brother and sister.”

“Say hello to them for me,” requested Moose, as he headed for the engineering library.

“Will do, see you in the morning.”

Mike and Michelle entered the cafeteria just as Moose and Jerry were leaving. Mike introduced Michelle to Moose. After exchanging greetings, Mike and Michelle picked up menus and considered what to order.

“Can we order food to go and eat on the observation deck?” Michelle asked. “Viewing the Universe from above Earth’s atmosphere is rather spectacular. It might even be romantic.”

Mike assessed Michelle from head to foot. He smiled at her affectionately and said, “I have no objection to eating in such a setting with a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you. You have a nice way with words.”

A short time later on the observation deck, Mike explained to Michelle,

“Here in space, it’s easy to become disoriented, especially in the zero gravity situation that we’re now in, so let me tell you where we are. To start with, our current orbital position places us directly between Earth and Moon with the Sun at our backs. We can’t see the Sun because the shields are in place to protect us from solar radiation and to keep the observation deck in darkness. To our left is Earth with the face that we see half in daylight and half in darkness. The longitudinal axis of the Challenger is currently in upright alignment with Earth’s axis of rotation, so that when you look at Earth, the North Pole is at the top. To our right is the Moon, also showing a face that is half in daylight and half in darkness. That brilliant yellow star over there is Alpha Centauri A, and the bright orange star next to it is Alpha Centauri B.”

Michelle silently stared into the heavens. She was enchanted by the stunning beauty of the multitude of stars shining in brilliant contrast to the stark blackness of space.

Meanwhile, Mike stared at Michelle. She was enchanting.

After a couple minutes, Michelle’s eyes wandered back to home planet. “Earth looks so tiny from up here,” she said. “It really doesn’t appear much larger than the Moon.”

“We are considerably closer to the Moon than to Earth,” Mike said. “In round numbers, we are a little more than 125,000 miles from Earth and somewhat less than 105,000 miles from the Moon.”

“When I see Earth suspended against the background of infinite space, it seems so small and fragile. It’s hard to believe that it’s teeming with life locked in competition for finite living space.”

“I get the feeling that you’ve gained an entirely new perspective in regard to our place in the Universe,” noted Mike.

“This is my first trip into space, and viewing Earth and the Cosmos from here makes me feel like I’m a small insignificant part of it.”

“That’s a fairly normal reaction. I’ve experienced those feelings more than once. But however inconsequential you may be feeling at the moment, you’ve become the most important part of my universe.”

Mike’s words caused Michelle to glow with happiness. After a few moments, she said, “As a science reporter, I’ve written numerous articles on astronomy, and I’ve always known that even on a clear dark night, observing the heavens through Earth’s atmosphere greatly limits what you can see. But until now, I didn’t realize how much beauty is obscured by the atmosphere. For the first time in my life, I’m able to appreciate the vastness of space and truly enjoy its magnificent beauty. The stars are so numerous, it seems like I can see millions of them, and they’re so brilliant, sharp, and colorful that I feel like I’m peering into a galactic treasure chest filled with colorful jewelry. And to top it all off, Star Voyager data gives us good reason to believe that there might be an abundance of life out there, making the galactic treasure chest even more precious.”

Michelle stopped talking when she felt Mike’s arms encircle her from behind. She turned within his arms, so she could face him. In the soft romantic glow of light from the heavens, Mike noted that Michelle’s natural beauty took on an almost angelic appearance. He responded by giving her a long tender kiss. He felt an involuntary tremble in Michelle as she responded. With a supreme effort, Mike managed to gain control over his rapidly growing desire, and he said, “Before we get too carried away with this, I think you should tell me your decision in regard to what we’ve been planning.”

“The way I feel right now, I really don’t have any choice but to do what you’re asking me to do.”

Mike kissed her again and softly whispered, “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Now, I need to explain to you what we must do to achieve our objective. Let’s go to my quarters, where there won’t be any risk of being overheard.”

PRESIDENTIAL FAREWELL ADDRESS

Forty hours later, the Challenger and her human occupants were ready to go. All checkout procedures had been completed. The Goliath and personnel shuttle had undocked and moved away to a safe distance.

The security team that had guarded the Challenger during its construction was onboard the personnel shuttle for a ride back to Earth. Its job was now finished because the only people on the Challenger were its personnel, and access to the starship was no longer available.

Before the shuttle could return to Earth, the news team had to cover the starship’s departure. TV coverage would be provided by the SNS crew.

With engine ignition less than a half-hour away, the Challenger’s personnel had said final goodbyes to friends and relatives in preparation for permanent departure from Earth. All were facing TV screens awaiting the presidential farewell address, which was expected momentarily.
Appearing on TV, the presidential press secretary said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.”

The press secretary’s image was replaced by that of the president, who said, “Today is truly an epochal occasion as we are about to witness the birth of a new era in human history, the beginning of interstellar expansion. People have dreamed about interstellar travel for centuries, and that dream is about to be realized with the Challenger mission to the Alpha Centauri System. This mission illustrates that what can be conceived by the imaginative human mind can be achieved by free men and women working together when not held in check by a lack of resources or by a stifling political system. Captain Jerontis, we are proud to send you and your personnel, the finest men and women that America has to offer, on this historical mission. Establishing a new civilization is a big responsibility, and I urge all of you to study our history, learn from our mistakes, and not repeat them on Alcent. I urge you to learn from our greatest successes and carry these into your new civilization. Make it a great one that we can all be proud of. Our prayers are with you. Captain Jerontis, you and your crew are ultimate achievers. If you were to leave an inspirational thought with our nation’s youth on how to be successful, what would it be?”

“Mr. President, before I do that, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all Americans whose hard work, dedication, and sacrifice made this mission possible. I especially want to thank the American taxpayers for funding it.

“To our youth, I will simply say that your freedom makes you responsible for your future well-being. Each day, when you get out of bed in the morning, simply say to yourself: My future depends on the choices that I make today, and then, think about it.

“This simple concept was responsible for turning around the life of a close friend of mine. During his first eight years in school, he was disruptive and rebellious. He studied very little. He was well on his way to becoming an illiterate street thug. When he entered the ninth grade, his science teacher had a fairly large sign on his desk that faced the class. The sign said, MY FUTURE DEPENDS ON THE CHOICES THAT I MAKE TODAY. At first, this simple message didn’t mean much to my friend, but as the school year progressed, it started to have a profound effect on his daily activities. Instead of hanging out with the local street gang, he started doing his homework. After a while, he chose to go a step further and spend some time in the school library researching subjects of interest to him. Anyway, he went on to attend a university, where he earned an advanced engineering degree and became a sports hero.”

“I like that message,” stated the President. “If your new society is based on that simple concept, it should get off to a very good start. In fact, I like that message so much that I think it should be prominently displayed in all of our classrooms and offices. Too many of us forget that freedom of choice is a potent double-edged sword loaded with personal responsibility, and making the right choices in daily life is a personal responsibility. May you and your personnel always make the right choices.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

Captain Jerontis turned to his flight crew and gave the order to start the fifteen-minute countdown. A few minutes later, Connie appeared and handed him a note that said, “All personnel are at their stations.”

Jerry made eye contact with Connie and said, “Thank you!”

Shortly thereafter, the warning klaxon blared out its urgent sounding notes indicating that ignition was only three minutes away. A flood of excitement filled Jerry’s mind and body with the full realization that twenty years of hard work was rapidly coming down to a climactic moment. With a fresh flow of adrenaline, Jerry’s pulse increased, and his mind raced through a series of thoughts: I am leaving Earth, and I will never return. Will I ever regret this? Will our voyage be a safe one? Has the Challenger been sabotaged in a way that has escaped our detection? What challenges will we encounter on Alcent? Will I always make the right choices? I will certainly try. Am I going to miss Earth? Will I miss my family and friends? Of course I will, but I can deal with that.”

As the countdown entered the final minute, Jerry hoped that once they had ignition and were underway, his adrenaline flow would get back to normal. Meanwhile, his excited mind continued to race through thoughts of the past and aspirations for the future. Then, the final seconds ticked by: 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - IGNITION!

Alcent Adventures

2009-01-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

Chapter One

TIME: Day 28, Early Afternoon

Captain Jerry Jerontis, Moose, Zeb, and two crew members were on the Challenger, which was orbiting Alcent (the third planet of Alpha Centauri A) at an altitude of 200 miles. They were on the starship to pick up a water glider, construction tools, and building materials for small homes. Also, they planned to search Alcent for evidence that Zeb’s fiancee, Zonya, and her colleagues were still alive.

On Pioneer Island, the people who had arrived on Day 27 were on the beach of South Bay having a party to celebrate their completion of Earth’s first manned interstellar journey. Having lived inside a starship for nearly seven years, they were ready to cut loose on a warm sandy beach.

Doctor Connie Nemard, wife of Captain Jerontis, had arrived on Pioneer Island on Day 1 with her husband. They were accompanied by their close friends, Moose and Dianne, and were the first humans to land on Alcent.

Connie was not at the beach party; instead, she was working in an experimental vegetable garden. She wondered if plants brought from Earth would do well on this alien planet. While inspecting a tomato plant, she noted that it was loaded with blossoms and small green fruit. It appeared to be healthy and free of parasites.

It was a peaceful, slow-paced afternoon, and the radiant energy pouring down on Connie from Alpha Centauri A made her feel warm and drowsy. The feeling was enhanced by the pleasant caress of a gentle breeze. Maybe I should go to South Bay and stretch out on the beach for a short nap, thought Connie.

Then, a shadow passed over her, and she felt the downdraft from large wings. Connie looked up and saw a huge pterodactyl glide over her and land barely ten yards away. Instantly startled out of her drowsiness, she reached for her pistol and discovered that she was unarmed. How did I forget my gun? she wondered.

Connie was upset that she had carelessly forgotten her sidearm, but she did not panic, because she realized that if the pterodactyl had wanted to eat her, she would already be dead. Nevertheless, she felt endangered by the sudden appearance of the big predator. She hoped that it was one of the pterodactyls from Western Island. They had been friendly.

Intently focused on the huge creature, Connie attempted to identify it. Two things were immediately obvious. It had landed on one foot, and it appeared to be carrying something with its other foot. When the creature turned to face her, Connie saw that it was King, the big male from Western Island. Even though King had once saved her life, Connie still felt uncomfortable to be unarmed in the presence of a 400-pound raptor with awesome killing ability.

She wondered why King made her feel threatened by landing so close to her. He had never done anything threatening before this. Maybe he wasn’t trying to be menacing. Connie looked at the big pterodactyl and wondered what was on his mind. She didn’t have to wait long. King was still standing on one leg. He reached out with the other leg and gently placed on the ground what he was holding.

Connie immediately recognized the bundle as King’s offspring and noted that it appeared lifeless. King looked at Connie, then at the still infant, then back at Connie. His eyes seemed to be pleading for assistance. Just then, a second shadow passed over Connie. She looked up and saw Queen circling ever lower. When her altitude dropped below 50 feet, she banked into a tight turn and glided to a touchdown a few yards behind King.

Now, I am facing two of these creatures without a weapon, thought Connie. Fortunately, I don’t think they mean me any harm. It looks like their infant is sick and that they’ve come to me for help. Maybe pterodactyls really are capable of thinking. Is it possible that they have the intelligence of prehistoric humans? If so, they might think I am a goddess who descended out of the heavens and that I can make their infant well.

Connie made eye contact with Queen. Her eyes seemed to be asking for medical aid while she shifted her gaze back and forth between Connie and her baby. I wish they weren’t standing so close to their youngster, thought Connie. I would like to examine it.

Maybe I should call Dianne and ask for help, thought Connie. She reached for her communicator, but she came up emptyhanded and said, “I forgot my communicator and my gun. I am getting careless. I guess I’ll have to do this alone.”

Connie looked at King and Queen. She pointed at herself; then, she pointed at the infant while staring at it. She hoped the big pterodactyls would understand that she wanted to examine the youngster. She paused; then, while looking at the big birds, she made a pushing gesture toward them. Apparently, they understood, because they stepped backward a few yards.

“So far, so good,” whispered Connie, as she slowly walked toward the infant. She noticed that the big predators were watching her closely, but they made no menacing moves. When she reached the baby, she noted that it looked as limp as a rag doll. I wonder if it’s still alive, thought Connie, as she knelt beside it. Seeing no obvious injury, she reached out to turn it over. When her hands contacted the baby, she said to herself, “This poor thing is burning up with fever.”

Connie gently turned the small pterodactyl over. The problem was immediately obvious. There was a small gash in the baby’s right thigh. It was infected, swollen, and oozing smelly pus. This reminds me of the injury that almost killed Zeb, she thought. It even smells just as bad. I wonder if it’s the same bacteria. I could quickly find out in the medical lab, if King and Queen will allow me to take the infant there. They were alertly watching, so Connie pointed at the infant, then at herself, then at the large habitation capsule, which contained the medical lab.

Connie wasn’t sure if they understood, but they did step back a couple more yards. She looked at the big creatures and tried to read their minds. Then, she slowly and gently picked up the sick baby and started walking toward the medical lab. A brief glance over her left shoulder told Connie that King and Queen were following her, but they were keeping their distance.

After entering the capsule, Connie placed the sick infant on a table near one of the large windows. King and Queen stood outside the window and watched Connie take a blood sample and a pus sample. She entered them into the lab’s automated analysis machine. It quickly identified the problem microbe as the same one that had almost killed Zeb.

Connie started an I.V. with the antibiotic that was so effective at treating Zeb. Then, she poured some of the antibiotic into the open wound to clean it. She hoped the infant wasn’t allergic to it and that life-threatening damage hadn’t already occurred. When she was satisfied that the injury was clean, she closed it.

With the medical work done, Connie called Dianne to tell her about the presence of the pterodactyls and what she had just done. She finished with, “I think you should warn everyone to stay on the beach. Evidently, King and Queen have learned to trust you and me, but I don’t know if that trust applies to the people who came down yesterday.”

“I don’t know either,” replied Dianne, “but they can’t stay here forever. How are you going to get King and Queen to leave without their infant? And if you convince them to leave, how are you going to tell them to come back for their baby when it’s cured?”

“I don’t know. Any suggestions?”

“They seem to have understood the hand gestures you’ve been using, so you might continue with the sign language.”

“That does seem to be my only option,” agreed Connie. “But there is one thing that worries me about this.”

“What?”

“Suppose I am successful at getting them to leave now and return tomorrow at about this time, what will they do if I am unable to cure their infant and they come back to a dead baby?”

“That question is impossible to answer. We don’t know how intelligent they are, and even more important, we don’t know how emotional they are.”

“They were smart enough to bring their sick baby to me for help.”

“But that should’ve been an easy decision. We’ve helped them before, and they might think we are gods who can do anything.”

“That’s exactly what worries me. Suppose I fail to cure their infant, are they going to recognize that we have limitations? Or are they going to think that we are gods who let their baby die?”

“I see what you’re getting at. In the first case, they might appreciate your effort. In the second case, they might become angry and attack you.”

“If I fail, I’d better have my gun ready.”

“Whether you succeed or fail, I will be with you,” assured Dianne.

“I’m counting on that, but if I fail, I am willing to bet that they will still be grateful for my effort. Also, I believe that they have emotions, and that they will feel a sense of loss.”

“Based on our experience with them, I agree. And I suspect they are every bit as intelligent as early humans.”

“I am about to test their intelligence again,” responded Connie. “With simple hand signals, I will see if I can get them to leave and come back tomorrow afternoon.”

“You can do it, and I am going to put on a video headset and watch you with the camera on top the robot lab.”

Connie checked the baby pterodactyl and noted that its condition had not deteriorated. She also noticed that King and Queen were still watching her through the large window. To assure them that she was trying, she carefully searched the infant for additional injuries but did not find any.

I guess it’s time to test my sign language skills, Connie thought, as she cautiously stepped outside and faced the big raptors. Wanting them to leave, she pointed at them, then at Western Island. Next, she pointed at Alpha Centauri A, which was still high in the afternoon sky. With a large sweeping downward motion of her arm, Connie tried to indicate the sun setting. She turned to the east, pointed at the horizon, and tried to indicate a sunrise with a sweeping upward motion of her arm. She continued the upward motion until she was again pointing at Alpha Centauri A. Then, she
pointed at Western Island and with an exaggerated motion, attempted to indicate to King and Queen that they should return.

Wondering if they understood, Connie shifted her gaze back and forth between them, awaiting their response. They turned to each other and did some soft back and forth squawking. Then, they looked at their infant for a few moments before returning their gaze to Connie. “I don’t know what’s going on in their minds, but their eyes seem filled with hope and trust,” commented Connie. “I wonder if they understood my sign language.”

The answer wasn’t long in coming. King took one last look at his infant, then at Connie. He turned to the south and began running. He spread his wings to their full fifty-two-foot span, began flapping them, and quickly became airborne. Queen followed him, and together, they returned to Western Island.

After watching them fly away, Connie sat down on the front porch, feeling drained of energy. Her communicator beeped. It was Dianne. “I knew you could do it,” she said.

“I am glad that it’s over for the time being,” Connie responded. “I feel wiped out.”

“You should feel that way. You just faced a pair of fierce wild creatures who are expecting you to work a miracle.”

“I hope I don’t disappoint them, but however this turns out, there’s no longer any doubt in my mind that these birds are at least as intelligent as early humans. They might even be the smartest creatures on this planet.”

“They sure didn’t have any trouble understanding your hand signals,” responded Dianne.

“We’ll know that for sure if they come back tomorrow afternoon.”

“Until we know them better, I think everyone except you and me should be off the plateau tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good idea,” replied Connie.

Meanwhile, on the Challenger, Jerry was unaware that his wife had once again had an encounter with pterodactyls during his absence. He was helping Zeb search for Zonya, while Moose and his crew were loading the cargo shuttle.

Zeb was not from Earth. He was a humanoid who had come to Alcent from B-2, the second planet of Alpha Centauri B. He had lived alone for thirty years, because he had been deserted and left to die by his colleagues, who turned out to be enemies. Even worse, they abducted Zonya.

When Zeb was found by the people from Earth, he was near death because of a serious infection. Even though he still wore an ankle cast, he was now healthy and wanted to find out if Zonya was still alive. To search for her, he used his ability to communicate telepathically, while Jerry used the Challenger’s instruments to search for evidence indicating the presence of a colony of humanoids.

The Challenger had now been orbiting Alcent for 66 days, and its instruments had gathered a massive amount of data about the planet. Jerry wondered how best to wade through all of it looking for a humanoid encampment. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack. He decided that he needed to have the computer do the searching, but what would he tell it to look for.

Jerry needed to discuss the problem with Zeb, but he and Zeb could not speak directly to each other. Zeb had not yet learned English, and Jerry did not understand Zeb’s language. However, Michelle, mission reporter, had learned the basics of Zeb’s language and could carry on a conversation with him. Since she was on Pioneer Island, Jerry and Zeb had to speak to each other through Michelle using their communicators.

Jerry called Michelle. After exchanging greetings, he said, “Please ask Zeb if he’s been able to telepathically detect anything that might narrow our search area.”

Michelle did as requested; then, she reported: “Zeb has not found anything, but he believes that his enemies traveled far to the south along the ocean coast after deserting him.”

“Why does he think that?”

“He said he helped them build a large, sturdy raft. It was equipped with sails and capable of ocean travel.”

“I am aware of that, but why does he think they went south along the coast? They could just as easily have gone north.”

“Zeb said he telepathically probed the mission leader’s mind and discovered that his objective was located far to the south. He was unable to find out how far or even why this journey was so important. The mission leader was very good at guarding his mind against telepathic spying.”

Jerry thanked Michelle for her assistance; then, he considered Zeb’s comments. I wonder what that mission leader was searching for that was important enough for them to leave Clear Lake. Why would they undertake such a hazardous journey after landing in a superb area? What were they looking for? Now that 30 years have gone by, is Zonya still alive? What kind of camp would survivors be living in today? If they’re living a primitive lifestyle, they might have daily campfires to cook food. Our infrared telescopes would see them.

Jerry asked the computer to find the infrared data for Pioneer Island. He browsed through it until he found the infrared signatures of their many campfires. He instructed the computer to use this data as a guide and search the database for the area along the seacoast south of Pioneer Island. He further instructed the computer to begin the search by looking at data from small islands isolated from the countryside by at least 100 yards of water. Even if these people came here well armed, they would’ve eventually run out of ammunition, thought Jerry. Then, they would’ve become easy prey for the big T-Rexes, which means that they’re probably living on a small island where there aren’t any T-Rexes. Fortunately, these brutes aren’t able to swim.

“What else can I look for?” Jerry asked himself. He thought about what Zeb had told him a few days after they had found him. The large Apollo-type capsule they had landed in was very rugged and provided a good shelter. Also, it contained their computers, research instruments, and communications equipment. For these reasons, it was incorporated into the raft design. If that raft still exists, that capsule would provide an easily recognizable radar signal. Even if the raft doesn’t exist, they may have found a way to beach that capsule. Jerry thought about how heavy the capsule must have been and concluded, there is no way they could’ve moved it inland for any significant distance. Therefore, it would have to be on the ocean beach, a river beach, or an island beach.

Jerry used a computer to figure out what kind of radar return this kind of spacecraft would generate. Then, he asked the computer to search the radar data for evidence of the capsule’s existence.

The Challenger’s computers were the most advanced available in 2092, the year that it left Earth. They had enormous capability and were extremely fast. Even though Jerry had asked the surveillance computer to search a huge database for some small specific information, it only took it a few moments to fulfill both requests.

On the wall-sized video screen in front of Jerry, an outline of a small island appeared. There was a red dot near the center of it, indicating the presence of a campfire. While he was looking at the sketch, it began to take on a three-dimensional appearance as the computer processed radar data to do the island’s topography. Then, a red “X” denoting the presence of the landing capsule appeared on the beach near the red dot. “I’ve found them!” Jerry exclaimed. But no one heard Jerry, because he was alone on the flight deck. Zeb was on the observation deck, where he had to be to use his
telepathic ability to communicate with someone on the surface of Alcent. His telepathic powers were dependent on energy waves created by his brain. These energy waves could not pass through the Challenger’s metal hull, but they could pass through the transparent plastic hull of the observation deck. However, Zeb’s telepathic search for Zonya had been fruitless. When his communicator beeped, he answered it.

It was Michelle. “I have good news for you. Jerry has found a campfire on a small island. The data revealing the campfire was taken three days ago. Your landing capsule is also there.”

Zeb became electrified with excitement over the possibility that Zonya might be alive. But his emotions quickly cooled. Thirty years is a long time, he thought. Even if Zonya is alive, she may have fallen in love with one of her abductors. She may no longer be interested in me, but I would like to talk to her anyway.

“Are you still there?” asked Michelle.

“I didn’t mean to give you the silent treatment, but what you just said had quite an impact on me. Tell Jerry I will join him on the flight deck, shortly.”

By the time Zeb arrived, Jerry had displayed the island’s location on a second video screen. Through Michelle, Jerry told Zeb, “It is 1600 miles south of Pioneer Island. That puts it at about ten degrees north latitude.”

“That’s pretty close to the equator,” commented Zeb. “There must be a hot, humid climate in that region.”

Jerry called up optical data for the area. The images showed very dense jungle. “I would sure hate to try to find someone in there,” he said.

Turning his attention back to the island, Jerry noted that it was located in a fairly large river that flowed into the ocean. According to the computer, one had to sail 89 miles upriver from the ocean to get to the island. At the island’s location, the river was 400 yards wide and slow moving. The island was nearly a half-mile long, but it was only 90 yards across at its widest point. Jerry asked the computer for detailed images of the island. It responded, “High resolution images do not exist for this location.”

Jerry checked the Challenger’s orbital parameters. “It’s going to be six hours before we pass over that island. By then, it’s going to be dark. I would like to get some daylight pictures yet today.”

“Zeb agrees with you,” Michelle said.

Jerry looked at Zeb and noted his obvious eagerness. Then, he called Moose. “I need to change our orbit. Are you guys prepared for acceleration?”

“Give us a few minutes to secure the materials we just put on the shuttle.”

“Okay.”

Through Michelle, Jerry said to Zeb, “I am amazed that your enemies could sail 1600 miles on the ocean with nothing more than a raft equipped with sails. Then, there was the 89-mile journey upriver against whatever current was there.”

“That must have taken a lot of determination,” Zeb responded. “I wonder why the journey was made.”

“I would sure like to find out,” stated Jerry.

“Maybe Zonya can tell us,” suggested Michelle.

“If she’s alive,” Zeb said, sounding hopeful.

“We’ll soon find out,” commented Jerry, after receiving a message from Moose that they were ready for ignition.

Jerry entered the parameters for the desired orbit into the flight control computer and directed it to begin the antimatter engine ignition sequence. While the computer did its job, Jerry monitored instrument readouts. The main engines hadn’t been fired in more than three weeks, and even though he didn’t expect any problems, he wanted to keep an eye on them. However, they ignited on schedule and operated flawlessly for several minutes. After they were shut down, Jerry said, “In about 20 minutes, we’ll pass over that island at an altitude of 135 miles, and I will get some detailed images of the area.”

“I am going to the observation deck,” Zeb said. “I will try to telepathically contact the people living down there.”

When Zeb reached the observation deck, he looked down on the beautiful, life-filled planet far below and wondered: Is Zonya really down there? What about our mission leader? Is he down there and still alive? If he is, I will make him pay for what he did to Zonya and me. But how many enemies do I have down there? What if they have prospered and multiplied? What if Zonya decided long ago that I could not survive on my own? Would she have grudgingly embraced our enemies out of necessity? If so, she may have become fully interwoven into their community with children and
grandchildren. If that has happened, it will be very difficult for her to
leave and live with me. This will be true, even if she treasures the
wonderful relationship we once had, Zeb thought, sadly.

If the mission leader is alive, what will he do to Zonya if he finds out that I am healthy, on this starship, and looking for her? I guess that would depend on the relationship between her and the rest of the group. But no matter what the relationship is, he might still use her as a hostage to prevent me from settling an old score with him. It looks like I could cause trouble for Zonya by alerting them to my presence on this starship. Surely, they’ve seen this ship. I spotted it moving across the nighttime sky a few days after it arrived. But what do they know about it?

Zeb thought about the question. What they know depends almost entirely on whether the mission leader is alive and well. His telepathic ability was so good that he could even covertly probe an unsuspecting mind. If he had done that to these humans, he would’ve learned that this starship is not from B-2. But since he doesn’t understand English, there isn’t much else that he could’ve learned; unless, he was able to get into their minds deep enough to have looked at some of the images stored in their memories. If so, he might already know that I am alive, because all of the humans saw
pictures of me the day they found me. However, I don’t think that he knows I am on this ship, and I don’t think I should reveal my presence to him. That means I cannot telepathically probe the island in search of Zonya, at least, not yet.

I will learn what I can from the pictures that Jerry will be getting. While he’s taking them, I will stay here on the observation deck and keep my mind open to the possibility of telepathic contact from someone on the island. No! I can’t do that either. If the mission leader is alive and attempts telepathic contact with this ship, he will find me. He will recognize my mind and know I am here.

Zeb immediately left the observation deck and headed for the flight deck. There, the metal hull would block telepathic contact.

While on the way to the flight deck, he contacted Michelle and explained his thinking to her. He finished just as he arrived.

Jerry looked at Zeb and wondered why he had returned just as they were approaching the island. Jerry didn’t have to wait for an explanation.
Michelle provided one immediately.

“Tell Zeb I agree with his reasoning,” responded Jerry.

Then, images of the small island started appearing on the wall-sized video screen. It was quite rocky, and even though it had a few trees and shrubs, it was free of the dense jungle that grew on both sides of the river.

Jerry asked the computer for close-ups of the campfire site and the landing capsule. The images appeared instantly. Even though the Challenger was still a few minutes away from closest approach, the images already had enough detail to confirm that the encampment had been found. A small log cabin, a rock fire pit, and the landing capsule were all visible.

Jerry searched the island for other cabins, but found none. “Apparently, this is a small community,” he said.

As they neared closest approach, Jerry limited surveillance to the vicinity of the cabin, fire pit, and landing capsule. He asked the computer for maximum resolution images. These would show details down to a small fraction of an inch.

As the Challenger’s powerful optical instruments surveyed the campsite, sharply detailed video appeared. The log cabin looked sturdy and well maintained. The area around it looked neat and orderly. There was even a garden nearby.

The fire pit was equipped with a structure to hang cooking pots on, and there was a neat pile of firewood. “The cut edges on the firewood make it obvious that they still have usable saws,” commented Jerry.

Fifty feet from the water, the landing capsule rested on a gravel beach. Noticing that the beach was fairly flat, Jerry said, “They must have floated the capsule to its current resting spot when the river was a few feet higher than it is now.”

At that moment, Zeb’s heart skipped a beat when he saw a woman step out of the capsule and walk to a shady area next to a tall tree. She spread out a blanket and dropped a pillow on it. Stretching out on the blanket, she looked straight up into the cloudless sky for a few moments before closing her eyes. Then, a man lay down beside her. First, he looked closely at her; then, he let his eyes search the sky. Resting on the ground beside the man was a long bow and a quiver full of arrows. “It looks like he is wary of flying predators,” Jerry said.

Michelle translated the comment to Zeb, but he ignored it, because he was staring at the man and the woman. He asked Jerry if he could get more detail in the image.

Jerry asked the computer for image enhancement, and the image became a bit sharper. “This is the best we can do from this altitude,” he said.

Jerry turned to Zeb and saw that he looked very sad. “Want to share your feelings with me?” he asked, through Michelle.

“My worst fears have materialized. I am looking at Zonya, which makes me happy. However, the man she is with is the mission leader, the person who ordered that I be deserted and left to die, but they look so young.”

“They might be much older than they look,” commented Jerry. “Our optics are good, but at this distance, they are not good enough to show the facial lines that come with age.”

At that moment, two children entered the scene. One of them knelt beside the woman and tugged at her left arm. The woman sat up and faced the child. They appeared to be talking.

“This is even worse,” Zeb said. “It looks like my Zonya is not only married to my enemy, but it also looks like they have children.”

Attempting to console Zeb, Michelle said, “Things aren’t always the way they appear. There might be some other explanation.”

“Thanks for saying that, but right now, it looks hopeless as far as getting Zonya back is concerned. And I cannot settle an old score with my enemy either, because that would hurt Zonya, if she is now in love with him.”

“I think we should observe the campsite for a few days,” Michelle suggested. “We need more information before you jump to conclusions.”

Zeb silently stared at the image on the screen, attempting to glean more information from it, but it was starting to lose detail as the Challenger’s orbital speed carried it farther away. “Ask Jerry if we can stay on the Challenger for another day or two.”

Jerry discussed the request with Moose, who said, “The shuttle is full. There isn’t room for everything we came up here to get. We need to go down, unload, and come back tomorrow for the rest of the stuff.”

“Zeb and I are going to stay up here until tomorrow, maybe even longer.”

“Want me to stay and help with the recon?”

“The two crew members who came up with us aren’t pilots.”

“That’s true, but the shuttle is perfectly capable of going down under the direction of its flight control computer.”

“Good point, but our shuttles are critical equipment. An onboard pilot is a good backup to the computer.”

“Sounds like you want me to go down with the shuttle.”

“You are an expert pilot.”

“Thank you! We’re going to button up this bird and begin the procedure for leaving the hangar deck. In less than two hours, we’ll be back on Pioneer Island.”

“Have a safe flight.”

“Thanks!”

Jerry turned his attention back to Michelle. “It’s going to be about an hour-and-a-half before we’re back in position to take another look at that campsite. Until then, I’m going to take a second look at our video.”

“What are you hoping to see that you haven’t already seen?”

“I don’t know, but when we saw them in real time, it was quite emotional up here, and I may have missed something important. Tell Zeb what I am planning and ask him to stop me if he sees anything he wants to study. I will freeze the image and try to extract some additional detail with the image-enhancement software.”

“Okay and I will look at the images too. I might see something that you guys miss.”

“Good.”

A short time later, Zeb urgently held up his right hand and said, “Stop!”

Jerry froze the image. It was the picture of the woman sitting up in response to the child that had tugged at her left arm. The arm was outstretched.

“Can you increase the color contrast of her upper arm?” Zeb asked.

Michelle relayed the request to Jerry, who immediately circled the woman’s upper arm on the video screen. He asked the computer for maximum color contrast.

Her skin tone was golden bronze. With color enhancement, the tone appeared richer, but there was very little color variation over the length of her upper arm.

“What are you looking for?” Michelle asked Zeb.

“Many of the women in my society had tattoos on their upper left arms. It was the custom at the time we left B-2. Zonya was a passionate, warmhearted woman. The tattoo she wore was a flaming red candle shaped like a heart. Its symbolic significance is something she was proud of.”

“I don’t see a tattoo,” commented Michelle. “How big was it?”

“It was about two inches high and a little over an inch wide.”

“Judging from the detail in this image, we should see a tattoo that large,” Michelle said.

“You’re right,” agreed Jerry, who immediately asked the computer for a pixel-by-pixel color reading of the woman’s upper arm.

Jerry studied the color report and said, “There are no shades of red on her arm. Is it possible that this woman isn’t Zonya?”

“Please go back to the best image we have of her lying down and looking up,” requested Zeb.

Jerry scanned back through the images until he found the sharpest one. He froze it and asked the computer for maximum detail.

Zeb intently studied the woman for a full two minutes whilesearching his memory for some little detail he may have forgotten.

Finally, he said, “That woman looks enough like Zonya to be her twin sister.”

“Or maybe her daughter,” suggested Michelle.

Zeb became electrified with excitement as he considered the possibility.

“Her apparent youth was the first thing that I noticed,” he said. “Is it possible that I am looking at Zonya’s daughter and grandchildren?”

“The feeling I get when I look at her is that she might be between 25 and 30,” Michelle said. “The children look between five and ten. It all adds up.”

“The man she’s with also looks between 25 and 30,” commented Zeb. “Is it possible that he might be the son of my enemy? Is it possible that all of my former colleagues are dead and that these four descendants are all that remain?”

“There is only one house on the island,” commented Jerry.

“The landing capsule is also there,” stated Zeb. “It isn’t super big, but it is large enough to provide shelter for one or two people.”

“Are you ready to assume the risks involved in attempting telepathic contact?” Jerry asked.

Zeb considered the question for a few moments beforeresponding. “On our next orbit, it will be early evening on their island. They might have a campfire to cook dinner. It seems reasonable to assume that most of them will be present for their evening meal. Let’s see how many there are before I decide on attempting contact.”

“I like the plan, but our next pass over the island is 45 minutes away. Let’s use that time to continue studying the video we already have.”

Meanwhile, down on Pioneer Island, people were beginning to leave the beach party and return to Stellar Plateau, which was a large rock formation on the south lobe of the island. It rose 150 feet above the surrounding terrain, and measured 300 yards wide by 700 yards long. The east, south, and west faces of the plateau were nearly vertical cliffs. The north side was a fairly steep rock slide.

The interstellar pioneers had only two ways to get on and off the plateau. On the south end, they had built a wooden cage, open-air elevator suspended on a rope. Swinging during ascent and descent was prevented by guide ropes. On the north end, they built a hiking trail down the rock slide. It had a grade of 15% to 20% and seven switchbacks.

The pioneers had chosen to live on Pioneer Island for many reasons. Chief among them was that it was located in the middle of Clear Lake, which was twenty miles wide and forty miles long. This large body of fresh water isolated them from the hostile, dinosaurdominated countryside. On Pioneer Island, they sought additional safety by selecting the plateau as the site for their homes.

Dianne was the first one to return from South Bay. With her were Connie’s daughter, Denise, and Michelle’s son, Matthew. Denise was five years old with blonde hair and blue eyes. Matthew was six years old with hazel eyes and brown hair.

Dianne had already told the children that Connie had a baby pterodactyl in the medical lab. As the trio approached the lab, Connie stepped onto the front porch to greet them. Upon seeing her mother, Denise ran up to her and said, “I want to see the baby ‘dactyl. Is it still sick?”

“Yes, but it’s getting better.”

“Can I see it?”

“I want to see it too,” Matthew demanded.

“Okay, but I don’t want either of you to touch it, just look at it. And speak softly, because it’s sleeping, and we don’t want to wake it.”

The children agreed to Connie’s conditions, so she took them into the medical lab. The children cautiously approached the chick and stared at it in total fascination.

“It looks dead,” commented Matthew.

“I want it to live,” Denise said. “Will it get well?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It has a serious infection,” Connie responded.

“But mom, you saved Zeb when he was infected.”

Connie pointed at the I.V. and said, “I am giving it an antibiotic to kill the tiny bug that is making it so very sick.”

“Is that how you made Zeb get well?” Denise asked.

“Yes!”

“Then, this baby ‘dactyl will get well too.”

Connie smiled at her daughter and appreciated the innocent confidence that she expressed in her medical ability. I wonder if King and Queen think on the same level as my daughter, she silently asked herself.

On the Challenger, Jerry and Zeb were approaching the island where Zeb’s people had been discovered. The first images were starting to come in, but the island was still too distant to see fine detail.

“I see someone tending a fire,” Jerry said, “but I don’t know if it’s one of the people we looked at earlier.”

“I see a second individual entering the scene,” added Michelle, who was down on Pioneer Island watching the images.

“This person appears to be hanging a cooking pot over the fire,” commented Jerry.

A little later, when the Challenger was directly above the island, two children stepped out of the log cabin and headed for the campfire. “They look like the children we saw earlier,” Zeb commented. “Also, the man and woman look the same. It’s dinnertime, and there are only four people present. Maybe there really are only four of my people down there.”

“I think there are at least five,” argued Jerry.

“Why do you think that?” asked Zeb.

“There are five chairs around their outdoor table.”

Zeb examined the chairs. “Three of them look like they’re for adults,” he said. “The other two appear to be for the children.”

While the trio looked at the chairs, the children sat down at the table. “They’re sitting on the tallest chairs,” stated Zeb. “Now, the big question is: are there three adults living down there or are there two adults with an extra chair?”

“Let’s stop watching them for a few moments,” Jerry suggested. “I want to search their campsite for other tables and chairs.”

Realizing that their speed was rapidly moving them away from the island, Jerry completed the search rather quickly. “I don’t see any other tables, but there are three full-sized lounge chairs in front of the cabin.”

Speaking to Michelle, Jerry said, “I think Zeb should attempt telepathic contact on our next pass.”

“Why?”

“His only concern was that his enemy might still be alive, and that he might use Zonya as a hostage. We think there are only three adults down there. The woman looks like Zonya’s daughter. The man looks like the son of Zeb’s enemy. If the third adult is Zonya; then, Zeb’s enemy is dead. If the third adult is Zeb’s enemy; then, Zonya is dead. Either way, the hostage situation is impossible.”

“There are a couple key words in your argument,” responded Michelle.

“Which words are you referring to?”

“Looks like. The adult male looks like the son of Zeb’s enemy. But that man could be Zeb’s enemy. We cannot tell for certain from this distance. We know that the woman is not Zonya, because of the missing tattoo, unless she found a way to remove it here on this primitive planet, and that seems highly unlikely. Besides that, according to Zeb, she was proud of that tattoo.”

“You’re suggesting a bad set of circumstances for Zeb.

You’re saying that Zeb’s enemy could be alive and that he might have both Zonya and her daughter to use as hostages to keep Zeb from settling an old score.”

“It is possible.”

“I can’t deny that, but there may be a way that Zeb can find out without alerting them to his presence.”

“How?”

“Ask Zeb if he can telepathically probe their minds while they’re sleeping without waking them. If he can, find out if he can identify Zonya’s mind and his enemy’s mind.”

“If he can do all of that, I’m not sure that I want him living with us on Pioneer Island.”

“This is something we need to know about him, and this is a good time to find out, if he’ll tell us.”

“I’ll talk to him and let you know.”

A few minutes later, Michelle said, “Zeb told me that he can sense the presence of a sleeping brain, but he cannot identify it.

However, if the sleeping person is dreaming, he can sense the energy field created by this kind of brain activity and identify the individual. If the dream is vivid enough, he can sometimes even see what the dream is all about.”

“Can he do this without waking the individual?”

“Yes, unless he or she is sleeping very lightly and on the verge of waking up anyway.”

“Does he want to telepathically search the island for Zonya and his enemy tonight?”

“Yes, but not on the next orbit. He will wait until the orbit after that.”

After a few moments of silence, Michelle asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m wondering if I’ll have to learn how to guard my dreams after Zeb learns English.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about him. He’s not the kind of person who will be snooping around in your mind.”

“What about the people on that island. They might be tired of living in isolation, or their situation might be desperate. They might want to be rescued. They might want to live with us on Pioneer Island. Can we trust them to respect the privacy of our minds?”

“We don’t know if everyone in Zeb’s race has telepathic ability. That power might be limited to a few gifted individuals.”

“That is one more thing that we need to find out.”

“It’s going to be well over three hours before Zeb puts his telepathic ability to use. What are you going to do with all that time?”

“I haven’t been up here in four weeks, so I am going to roam around and get reacquainted with my starship. But before I do that, I’m going to the cafeteria to eat dinner. I am hungry.”

“Zeb is probably hungry too, and he would definitely appreciate a guided tour of the ship.”

“No doubt about that, but I will need you as an interpreter, so I can answer all of his questions.”

“Be more than happy to help out.”

More than three hours later, Zeb and Jerry were again approaching the island home of the humanoids from B-2. “It is really dark down there,” observed Jerry. “This is one of those rare occasions when both of our suns have set and neither one of our moons has yet risen.”

“Unless they’re sitting around a campfire, they should all be in bed sleeping,” stated Zeb.

“I don’t see a campfire,” commented Jerry. “But let’s make sure that they aren’t outside doing some star gazing on this rare dark night.”

Jerry accessed the Challenger’s nighttime reconnaissance capability. Its light intensifying software could turn a scene lit only by starlight into an image that looked almost like it was taken during daylight hours. After briefly searching the campsite, he said, “It looks deserted, and I don’t see any light coming out of their windows. We can’t be certain that they’re indoors and asleep, but it looks that way.”

“I am heading for the observation deck,” stated Zeb.

Jerry looked into Zeb’s eyes and noted the eagerness there. Then, he saw the anxiety. What can I say to him? Jerry silently asked himself. He has been alone for thirty years, and now it appears that all of his former colleagues are dead, except one. Which one? Will it be Zonya? If she is alive and well, will she welcome Zeb back into her life?

Zeb seemed to sense that Jerry knew what was going on in his mind, because he appeared reluctant to break eye contact. But he had to get to the observation deck, because they would soon be directly over the island.

“Good luck!” Jerry said. “Let us hope and pray for the best.”

“Thank you,” responded Zeb, as he turned and left.

When Zeb arrived on the observation deck, he put on his night-vision goggles and stared down at the island. He intently focused his mental energy and slipped into the trance that he needed to be in to telepathically search the campsite. He quickly detected the energy fields emanating from the brains of five sleeping individuals. Search as he might, he was unable to find more than five.

He shifted his focus from one to the next, hoping to catch one of them dreaming. The first dreamer he discovered was not familiar to him. Zeb was able to identify the originator of a mental process in the same way that people identify a known person from the unique sound of his or her voice. When hearing a stranger speak, it can usually be determined whether the speaker is adult or child, male or female. Zeb was able to use his telepathic power to recognize the unique signature of each person’s mental processes. He could easily identify known individuals. When tuning in to a stranger, he could usually determine whether the individual was adult or child, male or female.

Zeb focused his mind ever more intently on the dream he was watching and listening to. He thought it might be happening in the mind of the young girl. She was having a happy dream. It was about a special occasion, a party.

She seemed to be the center of attention; perhaps, it was her birthday. There was singing. A pair of new, attractively decorated moccasins ppeared. She tried them on, admired them, and walked around excitedly. Then, she gave an older woman a big hug and said, “Thank you grandma.”

Zeb instantly became very excited, but the dream abruptly ended, and he never saw the face of the girl’s grandmother. The young girl wasn’t yet very tall, and Zeb only saw that part of her grandmother’s body that she hugged.

He urgently contacted the minds of the others, but none of them were dreaming. The Challenger’s orbital speed was rapidly carrying Zeb away from the island, and he was very tired from the intense mental effort required for telepathic communication. He came out of his trance and dozed for several minutes.

When he woke up, he thought, there is no doubt that it was the girl who was dreaming. Which grandmother gave her the moccasins? If it was her mother’s mother, then Zonya is alive, or she at least was alive at the recent party. After all these years, I am so close to finding out, but I still don’t know. There’s no way I can sleep tonight. I have to talk Jerry into keeping the Challenger in an orbit that will bring us repeatedly over this island until I find out.

Zeb went to the flight deck. He called Michelle, so he could explain the situation to her and Jerry. After briefly pleading his case, Jerry agreed to the requested orbit.

Less than two hours later, they were again approaching the island. Zeb was on the observation deck intently focusing his mental energy. He dropped into a trance and began telepathically searching the island. Again, he found only five individuals. He switched his mental probe from one to the next hoping to find one of them dreaming.

In less than a minute, Zeb found a dreamer, and immediately recognized her. Even though in a deep mental trance, he cried out loudly, “I’ve found Zonya! She is alive!”

Michelle heard the announcement and translated it to Jerry.

Zeb viewed the images in Zonya’s dream and saw that it was about him when he was much younger. He saw himself asking her to marry him. Then, he saw and heard Zonya say yes. She kissed him, and they passionately embraced. What a happy moment that was, Zeb thought.
Zonya’s dream continued and he saw her become very sad. He saw her bound hand and foot as she lay on a sturdy log raft. She was crying as the raft sailed away leaving him behind. Zeb thought, she still dreams about that dreadful event 30 years ago when she was abducted, and I was abandoned. I must end this sadness.

Hoping to overpower Zonya’s dream, Zeb gathered every bit of mental energy that he possessed. Telepathically, he exclaimed to her, “I am alive! I am in the starship passing over your island!”

The strength of the message struck Zonya with such force that she was instantly shocked out of a sound sleep. She bolted into an upright position. Sitting on her bed, she supported her head with her hands while resting her elbows on her knees. That dream was so real, she thought. It almost seemed like Zeb was telling me that he’s still alive. I wish that were true, but after all these years on a planet as savage as this one, it doesn’t seem possible.

Still in telepathic contact with Zonya, Zeb listened to her thoughts. Then, he reaffirmed, “I’ve had some close calls, but I am alive.”

“This is too good to be true,” she replied. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been terribly lonely. I need to touch you, to feel your arms around me. Then, I will know that you really are alive and that my mind isn’t playing tricks on me because of wishful thinking.”

“You can rest assured that I am definitely alive. Like I said, I’ve had some close calls, but I’ve been lucky. During my darkest hour, I was rescued by some wonderful people from Earth. They saved my life. At this moment, I am in their starship. We’ve already passed over your island. In a couple minutes, we’ll drop below the horizon, and I’ll lose contact with you. I need some information before that happens. How many of you are there?”

“There are five of us.”

“Who is the young woman that looks like you?”

“She is our daughter.”

“Our daughter?”

“Yes! I was a few days pregnant at the time we were separated.”

“I’ve missed her childhood, and I wasn’t there to help you raise her. Now, I really have a score to settle with the man who separated us.”

“He is already dead.”

“Good! But who is the man I saw with our daughter?”

“He is the son of the man who caused us so much grief.”

“Our daughter is married to the son of our enemy. I don’t like that.”

“It’s OK! He is a wonderful young man. He’s like a son to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“His father was killed before he was born. His mother died two months after he was born. At that time, all of our colleagues were dead, and I was alone with two babies to care for. Our lives were filled with constant danger. Somehow, I managed to survive and protect the children, but I was very lonely. Back then, I was sure that you were alive. How I wished that I could’ve had you at my side. However, I knew how far apart we were and that you could not join me, because you were unarmed, had no boat-building tools, and didn’t even know where I was. But now, you’ve come back. When will I see you?”

“I need to discuss that with Jerry, the Captain of this starship. It is getting late, and I can’t ask him to stay up any longer. I will ask him to have us pass over you tomorrow morning. Then, we can discuss getting together.”

“I can’t wait,” Zonya responded, as the Challenger dropped below the horizon and contact was lost.

Mysterious Alcent

2009-01-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

Chapter One
Tonya
TIME: Day 43, 5:45 PM

On Alcent, the third planet of Alpha Centauri A, three small groups of interstellar pioneers united to form a new nation. To celebrate their union, they were having an all-day party on the sandy southern beach of Pioneer Island, the home of the Earth people. The other pioneers were from Zebron, a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B, and Proteus, a planet orbiting Delta Pavonis.

Trang, the Captain of the starship from Delta Pavonis, was sitting at a picnic table with Jerry, the Captain of the starship from Earth. Trang’s communicator beeped. After answering it, he turned to his wife Geniya and said, “It’s Tonya, she’s finally come back from the jungle.” Going back to his communicator, Trang said, “Glad you’re home, honey.”

“Dad, I always return safely,” Tonya replied.

“I know, but I always worry about you. I wish you would stay in touch with us while you’re gone.”

“I can’t do that. It would break my bond with the jungle. Achieving oneness with the jungle is how I stay alive. I sense where the dangers are and avoid them.”

“That’s what you always say, but we always worry about you. We wish you didn’t spend so much time in the wilderness.”

“I love it in the forest. I feel in harmony with the creatures that live there. Using my special telepathic gift, I influence the animals to accept my presence. Sometimes, I can even get certain creatures to befriend me.”

“I know you are gifted with special powers, but Geniya and I worry about you when you disappear for weeks at a time.”

“This time, you’ll be glad I went away, because I discovered something that will blow your mind.”

“What’s that?”

“We aren’t the first people to live here. I discovered some old caves that have artwork and script on the walls. The writing could only have been put there by intelligent beings.”

“I would like to see those caves.”

“I will show them to you, but where are you? There’s nobody here. Where is everybody?”

“That’s a long story. Great things have happened while you were gone. Our people on Aphrodite have been rescued. We have our starship back and under repair. And our space shuttle is back in operation.”

“WOW! How did you do all of that?”

“Some wonderful people have come here from Earth, and they helped us.”

“They must be really special. I’d like to meet them.”

“You will, because we’ve united with them and some people from Zebron (B-2) to form a nation. We are going to be working together to build a strong society.”

“This is very exciting news, but you still haven’t answered my question.

Where is everyone?”

“We’re having a party on Pioneer Island. This is where the Earth people live.”

“Where is Pioneer Island?”

“It’s in the middle of Clear Lake. That’s the big lake that Mystery Lagoon flows into.”

“Now, I know where you are. When are you coming home?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Good, I want to take you to the caves I found.”

“We also found some caves, and we think they were made by beings with high-tech equipment.”

“Really! Where?”

“We flew upriver from the falls in Mystery Lagoon. When we reached the foothills, we found caverns that were cut into a granite cliff.”

“You said we, who was with you?”

“Jerry, he is the Captain of the starship from Earth.”

“When will I meet him? I want to thank him for everything he’s done for us.”

“Hold on a minute, and I’ll find out.” Turning to Jerry, Trang asked, “Want to go cave exploring tomorrow?”

“Where?”

“Tonya found some in the jungle where we live, and there’s artwork on the walls.”

“That sounds interesting, and I don’t have any pressing plans for tomorrow.”

Speaking into his communicator, Trang said, “You will meet Jerry tomorrow. He wants to see the caves.”

“Good, I will show both of you my world before we get to the caves.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Hiking through the jungle, it will take us about a week to get to the caves. That will give me a chance to show you my world.”

“A week in each direction is too much time. I really can’t be away that long. I now have a starship to repair. Maybe we can fly to the caves.”

“I am familiar with the jungle, but I don’t know if I can find the caves from the air.”

“Let’s try, because I can’t be gone for two weeks.”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do, but I do want to show you some of my world.”

“Are you familiar with the jungle around the caves?”

“Yes.”

“After exploring the caves, you can show us that area.”

“That’s a deal. See you tomorrow morning.”

“Goodbye honey.”

Turning to Geniya, Trang said, “I wish she didn’t disappear into the jungle for weeks at a time.”

“She always comes back,” responded Geniya. “You have to respect her survival skills.”

“She doesn’t just survive,” stated Trang. “She actually thrives in the wilderness.”

“How does she deal with the lupusaurs?” Jerry asked.

“Tonya is blessed with unique telepathic powers,” responded Trang. “She is able to get into the heads of animals better than anyone I’ve ever known.”

“Lupusaurs are intelligent, aggressive hunters,” stated Jerry.

“I know, but Tonya is able to sense their presence from a great distance. Then, she can either avoid them or use her mental powers to influence their behavior.”

“That’s an amazing ability to have. I can see why she feels safe in the wilderness.”

In addition to her mental powers, she’s very good at using stealth. In the jungle, she’s as hard to find as a shadow on a dark night.”

“It sounds like she’s the best person to guide us in the forest.”

“No doubt about that, but she never wants to take anyone with her. She says people distract her and prevent her from becoming one with the jungle, which is what she needs to do to be safe.”

“Why is she making an exception this time?” Jerry asked.

“She wants to meet you and show us the caves.”

Jerry turned to his wife Connie and said, “It looks like I’ll be going cave exploring tomorrow.”

“That should be interesting, but I worry whenever you do something dangerous.”

“We’ll be armed and alert,” responded Jerry.

“And we’ll have a very well qualified guide,” added Trang.

TIME: Day 44, 7:00 AM

Connie accompanied Jerry to the south end of Stellar Plateau. When they stepped out of the ATV (all terrain vehicle), they embraced warmly. “Be careful today,” she said.

“You can count on that,” responded Jerry. He gave Connie a goodbye kiss and said, “See you tonight.”

Jerry stepped into the open, wooden cage elevator and descended the 150-foot cliff down to South Bay, where he joined his crew and Trang, who were waiting on the beach. They rode a boat out to Jerry’s cargo shuttle, which was anchored in the bay.

Jerry went directly to the cockpit and sat in the Captain’s seat. He invited Trang to sit in the copilot’s seat.

Wanting to depart immediately, Jerry pulled in the anchors, fired up the shuttle’s nuclear reactor, and activated the steam turbine. Shifting the marine propeller into gear, he taxied out of South Bay and brought the shuttle up to 40 mph. Now riding on its hydrofoils, the shuttle seemed to yearn for more speed. Suddenly, its NTR (nuclear thermal rocket) thundered into action with a deafening roar that shattered the early morning stillness over Clear Lake. The shuttle quickly accelerated to 200 mph and pitched into a steep climb.

Still standing on the south end of Stellar Plateau, Connie watched the shuttle take off and begin its ascent to space. When it reached the cold stratosphere, the water vapor pouring out of the NTR condensed into a brilliant white vapor trail. Connie beeped Jerry with her communicator and said, “Your climb into space is a spectacular sight.”

“We’ll be above the atmosphere shortly,” he responded.

Two minutes later, Jerry shut down the NTR, and the shuttle followed a ballistic trajectory toward Crater Lake, 1600 miles to the south. Less than 20 minutes after takeoff, the shuttle descended into the upper atmosphere. It made a steep descent to 5000 feet; then, it went into a moderate gliding descent to Crater Lake, where it landed on its hydrofoils at 195 mph. Its hydro-drogues deployed and quickly slowed it to less than 40 mph. Then, the shuttle floated on its hull and came to a stop.

“We’re here,” Jerry announced. “Let’s go to the cargo bay and help Jim get the chopper ready for flight.”

“Tonya has never been up in a helicopter,” commented Trang.

“Jim is an excellent pilot,” stated Jerry, “but he’s only 25 and still likes to fly aerial stunts. I’m sure he can make this a thrilling flight for her.”

“That may be, but I don’t think he’ll scare her.”

“Why is that?”

“Tonya has a fearless, daredevil personality. With nothing more than a rope, she’ll climb a tall tree and then use the rope to swing to a nearby tree.”

“It sounds like she and Jim have something in common. They just might get along quite well.”

Jerry and Trang went to the cargo bay. Jim was there and had already opened the cargo bay’s large upper doors. He pressed a button, and the cargo bay’s elevator deck rose to the top of the fuselage, where it served as the flight operations deck for the helicopter.

Turning to Jerry, the highly spirited Jim asked, “Would you mind helping me get this bird ready for flight?”

“Not at all,” replied Jerry.

“Count me in,” Trang said.

The men went to work on the helicopter. First, they deployed the rotor blades; then, they released the tie-down mechanisms.

“Let’s go pick up my daughter,” Trang said.

The men boarded the helicopter and flew four miles to the sandstone cliff that Trang and his people lived in. They had excavated caverns in the cliff with entrances well above ground. For extra safety, the entrances had sturdy doors that served as barricades.

Standing in one of the cave entrances, Tonya watched the helicopter land on the rocky open area in front of the cliff. She immediately climbed down a ladder and ran to meet her father, who had stepped out of the aircraft. He ran to his daughter and welcomed her with a big hug. “I’m glad you’re safely back,” he said.

“I love you dad. I will never let anything happen to me. I will always come back.”

“I appreciate that.”

“I want to meet your friends from Earth.”

“Only two of them are here.” Grasping one of Tonya’s hands, Trang walked side-by-side with her to Jim and Jerry, who were standing next to the helicopter. Facing them, he said, “I would like you to meet the spirit of the jungle, my daughter, Tonya.”

Jerry grinned at the title Trang gave his daughter; then, he said, “My name is Jerry and this is Jim.”

Tonya looked into Jerry’s eyes to sense his character and personality; then, she smiled broadly and said, “Thank you for helping us.”

Returning the smile, Jerry said, “You’re welcome.”

Tonya turned her attention to Jim, looking into his eyes to explore his inner being. The penetrating gaze galvanized Jim, who couldn’t help but notice the youthful beauty of the young woman facing him. He noted her lean, but ample figure, her brown eyes, and black hair. She seemed filled with a vibrant zest for life.

The silent evaluation of each other continued for several seconds until Jim started to sense that maybe Tonya could read his thoughts with her telepathic powers. This possibility made him feel uncomfortable. He didn’t want her to know how she was affecting his feelings so soon after meeting her. He decided to break the mental connect. “Would you like to go flying?” he asked her.

“That might be exciting,” Tonya responded.

“It’s fun, and I can make it as exciting as you feel up for.”

“Maybe we should save the wild ride for another time and just go find the caves on this flight.”

Sounds like she wants to go flying with me again, Jim thought, as he tingled with excitement. He smiled and said, “Yesterday, you told your father that you didn’t know if you could find the caves from the air.”

“Since then, I’ve given it some thought in terms of what might be visible from the air, and I think I can get us pretty close.”

“You can sit in the copilot’s seat. That will give you a panoramic view of where we’re headed. I’ll follow your directions.”

“Let’s go find those caves,” stated Jerry.

Immediately after takeoff, Tonya pointed at the distant mountains. “That’s where we need to go,” she said.

Jim headed the helicopter toward the east as directed. “It’s an endless sea of green down there,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult to find caves in that.”

“Around the caves, the jungle is even thicker than it is here,” commented Tonya.

“How can it be thicker than that?” Jim asked, pointing at the dense treetops.

“It rains more there than here,” replied Tonya.

“That makes sense,” commented Trang. “Clouds coming in from the ocean are heavy with moisture. They lose much of that when they rise up to get over the mountains.”

“It does rain frequently,” Tonya said. “The area is steamy with humidity. Small ponds, marshes, and streams are everywhere. The abundance of water and the warm climate support a lush jungle of plant life, which supports a broad diversity of animal life. There is even a species of small monkeys living there that rarely come down out of the trees.”

“I wonder why we never see any monkeys in our area,” questioned Trang.

“We don’t have the right kind of trees,” responded Tonya. “The monkeys are supported by two species of trees; one produces fruit, and the other produces nuts with soft shells that they’re able to bite through.”

“I suppose you’ve climbed high into the trees to study the monkeys,” commented Trang.

“Of course.”

“How did they react to that?”

“I used my mental powers to convince them that I wasn’t a threat, and they accepted my presence. In fact, there was one that even seemed to like me.”

“How did that one behave toward you?”

“He brought me some fruit and sat on a branch next to me while I ate it.”

“I get the feeling you’ve spent a lot of time with those animals.”

“I have, and I even slept a few nights in a tree in their midst.”

“I’m starting to see why your father introduced you as the spirit of the jungle,” Jerry said.

“I am at home in the wilderness.”

“Can you telepathically identify the monkey that befriended you?” Jerry asked.

“Yes.”

“How far away from the caves does his group live?”

“About a mile to the south.”

“Can you telepathically locate them from a distance?”

“I can sense their presence from a half-mile away.”

“Maybe we can get close to the caves by finding them.”

“It’s worth a try,” responded Tonya.

Twenty minutes later, Tonya located the monkeys. Jim flew one mile to the north and slowly circled the area. “Do you see anything familiar out there?” he asked Tonya.

“Not a thing. It’s just a sea of green.”

“Well, this is your backyard, so pick a spot. I’ll hover and lower you and your guests to the surface.”

Gazing out over the area, Jerry said, “It would be nice if we could find a small break in the trees to drop down through.”

With her favorite rope coiled around her left shoulder, Tonya said, “If you’re in the mood for a little climbing, I can get us down to the surface from any treetop.”

“Those trees might be 200 feet tall,” commented Jerry.

“That’s true, but they’re easy to climb.”

“Let’s look for a break,” Jerry insisted.

“Over there,” Trang said, pointing to the right.

Jim turned to the right, and in a few moments, he brought the helicopter to a hover over the opening in the forest. Looking down into the jungle, Jerry said, “There’s a large rock formation down there.”

“That’s where we need to go,” stated Tonya. “I think we’ll find the caves there.”

“Let’s go down and take a look,” Jerry said.

Jerry, Trang, and Tonya entered the helicopter’s cargo bay and stepped onto the center section of its floor, which was detachable and could be lowered to the surface with a ceiling-mounted winch.

The floor panel was equipped with safety rails that Jerry deployed to form an open cage. “Is everyone ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes,” they eagerly responded.

“We’re going down,” Jerry said to Jim.

“I’ll hold this bird steady,” he replied.

Jerry pressed a button, and the floor section released and began dropping away from the helicopter as the winch played out cable. As the trio steadily descended, Tonya’s finely tuned senses seemed to meld with the surrounding jungle. Jerry was impressed with the change in her demeanor. She reminded him of a tigress with kittens to protect. She appeared totally focused and alert, but seemed relaxed and ready to pounce. I can see why she thrives in the jungle, Jerry thought.

When the cage landed on the rock formation, everyone stepped out, and Jerry sent it back up to the hovering helicopter. “We’ll call you when we’re ready to be picked up,” Jerry said to Jim.

“I’ll be waiting,” Jim replied, as he began the flight back to the shuttle.

The rock formation the trio landed on was free of tall trees, but because of frequent rain, it was covered with a thick carpet of moss punctuated by numerous ferns. Toward the west, the rock formation abruptly ended with a 60-foot drop over a nearly vertical cliff. Toward the east, it was buried by a jungle-covered hill that gradually rose nearly 300 feet. It was only 30 to 40 feet from the cliff to the hillside. From north to south, the rock formation stretched only 200 feet before the dense jungle took over.

Tonya led the way to the south and entered the jungle, her senses on full alert. Carefully picking her way through the thick vegetation, it took several minutes to descend a landslide to the base of the cliff. She turned north, and in a few minutes, the trio emerged from the jungle and was once again on a carpet of moss and ferns covering the rocky area at the cliff’s base.
Tonya pointed upward and said, “There’s a large opening up there that is sealed with a transparent cover. I believe it is the outside end of a skylight that illuminates the five rooms in the underground complex.”

“You might be right,” Trang said. “The caves we discovered also have skylights.”

“It looks like the Ancient Ones started more than one colony on this planet,” Jerry said.

“That’s possible,” agreed Trang, “but why would they divide themselves? It seems like one large colony would be stronger than two or more smaller ones.”

“Maybe not,” argued Jerry. “A natural tragedy could wipe out an entire colony, but if they are divided into several smaller colonies, the tragedy would only take out part of the whole.”

“Good point.”

“Let’s go in and look at the artwork,” suggested Tonya.

“How good are your senses?” Jerry asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know with certainty that we aren’t going to be ambushed by some wild animal looking for an easy meal?”

“I am familiar with the animals in this area, and there’s nothing of consequence in the cave.”

“It looks like a good place for lupusaurs to raise their pups.”

“There is evidence that it has been an animal den, but it’s vacant at present. Are you ready to go in?”

Without waiting for an answer, Tonya headed for the cave entrance. Trang and Jerry followed, but despite Tonya’s assurance that the cave was deserted, they were alert with their rifles ready. The trio entered the tunnel, which was lit by soft, diffuse light from ceiling panels. “This looks like the same kind of lighting system that was in the cave we discovered,” Jerry said.

“Apparently, light carrying tunnels extend from these ceiling panels to the outside skylight,” noted Trang. “And since it’s fairly well lit in here, the tunnels must have mirror finishes to prevent loss of light as they bend and turn to get to these ceiling panels.”

Twenty feet inside the cave, the trio came to the first side rooms. The entrances were seven feet high with round tops. Trang and Jerry looked into the rooms, which were 20 by 25 feet. “Nothing here except some old bones with teeth marks on them,” noted Jerry.

“All five rooms have old, chewed-on bones in them,” stated Tonya. “That’s why I think animals have lived in them from time to time over the centuries.”

“Have you found any human artifacts?” Jerry asked.

“Everything is gone except for the artwork on the walls in the last room.”

“The caves we found were also free of artifacts,” stated Jerry.

“All we have from the Ancient Ones is a knife and a belt buckle emblem that we recovered from the bottom of Mystery Lagoon.”

“How could an ancient, apparently high-tech, people disappear without leaving anything behind?” questioned Tonya. “There should be weapons, tools, pottery… something.”

“That’s our thinking too,” commented Trang.

“Let’s go look at the artwork,” suggested Jerry.

“It’s in the room at the end of the hallway,” responded Tonya, as she headed for the room.

On the way, the trio briefly stopped at the other two side rooms, which looked like the two already visited. After a quick inspection, Trang said, “Nothing new here.”

Upon entering the last room, Jerry and Trang were surprised at the amount of artwork carved into the stone walls on all sides of the room. One scene immediately caught Jerry’s attention. “That’s the same scene that’s on the belt buckle emblem,” he exclaimed, “but a great deal of detail has been added to the wall.”

Trang looked at all four walls and said, “My daughter has found a treasure trove of information here. There are not only pictures and diagrams, but also lots of text that might give us some answers if we can figure out how to read it.”

“We’ll have to do that another time,” stated Tonya. “The local pack of lupusaurs is headed this way. We have to leave or deal with them when they arrive.”

“I need to get detailed video of this and put it in the computer,” stated Jerry. “How much time do I have?”

“I’ll go meet the lupusaurs,” responded Tonya. “Maybe I can delay them for a while.”

“How are you going to do that?” Jerry asked.

“Oh, I have my ways,” responded Tonya, as she turned and ran to the cave exit. Once outside, her telepathic powers were no longer dampened by being inside a rock formation. Using her mental gift, she began a search for the lupusaurs. She quickly found and recognized the energy field emanating from the pack leader’s brain.

She had experience with this pack and its viciously aggressive leader. She had taunted him from the safety of a tree, throwing baseball-sized nuts at him.

Trang followed Tonya out of the cave. She turned to him and said, “Please stay here until I return.”

Before Trang could object, Tonya raced into the jungle on a well used game trail. Light on her feet, she moved swiftly toward the advancing lupusaurs. When she was 400 yards away from the cave, she sensed that she was close to the animals, so she stopped to put her plan into action.

She spotted a tree with a large low branch that extended across the trail. A few yards up the trail from the overhanging branch, Tonya dropped her shorts, squatted, and urinated on the trail. With a stick, she spread some of the urine soaked soil across the trail and onto the bushes on either side. On the way back to the tree, she picked up several golf-ball-sized rocks and put them in a pouch attached to her belt. Then, she climbed the tree and made herself comfortable on the overhanging branch, which was only 13 feet
above the trail.

In less than a minute, the lupusaurus pack leader trotted around a bend in the trail. Picking up the urine scent, he growled angrily and approached the urine-soaked line across the trail. He stopped and smelled it, recognizing it as the scent of one who had teased and eluded him before. Loudly, he howled out a fierce challenge. How dare this human thing intrude in his territory and mark it as her own.

“I am up here,” Tonya screamed. “Come and get me.”

The lupusaurus glared at Tonya, barked menacingly, and charged. He jumped as high as he could and snapped his jaws shut, but he was a couple feet short of grabbing Tonya’s feet, which were hanging down from the branch. The lupusaurus howled in angry frustration.

Tonya laughed loudly, moved her feet in a dancing motion, and said, “What’s bugging you? Is there something in your territory that you can’t attack?”

The lupusaurus howled fiercely and glowered at Tonya’s teasing movements. He gathered all of his strength and jumped straight up with total determination. The height of the leap surprised Tonya. The animal’s jaws snapped shut only inches from her feet.

“That was good,” exclaimed Tonya, “but you’re going to have to do better if you want me.”

Tonya looked into the lupusaur’s eyes and felt his hatred and determination. The animal stared back. His jaws rapidly opened and
closed several times, while saliva flowed out of his mouth.

“Do I look that tasty? It must be maddening to know that you can’t have me.”

Being a cunning animal, the lupusaurus began looking for a way to get to his prey. His eyes followed the branch to the tree trunk. He charged toward the trunk, leapt up the trunk, and tried to claw his way up to the branch. But he came up short and fell back to the ground, where he howled and barked in frustration.

The 21 animals making up the rest of the pack were also howling and barking as they milled around under Tonya. The noise was deafening. The pack leader barked out a command, and his pack became silent as all stared at Tonya. They seemed to be thinking about how to get to her.

Tonya noted that the jungle had become deathly still. “It appears that you and your pack have terrified everything into silence except me,” taunted Tonya, as she removed a rock from her pouch and threw it at the lupusaurus leader. It struck him on top of his nose. He howled at the insult and the pain. He became more determined than ever to kill his tormentor. His eyes followed the branch out to its end. Suddenly, the animal charged into the bushes, leapt on top of a boulder, then onto the branch Tonya was sitting on.

Tonya drew her pistol and aimed at the lupusaurus, but she did not fire. Instead, she stared into the animal’s eyes, and using her telepathic powers, she projected an image of a large, angry, sabertoothed cat into its brain.
On the ground, a lone saber-tooth could be quickly killed by a lupusaurus pack. But the lupusaurus pack leader wasn’t on the ground. He was alone in a tree, and what looked like an easy meal had suddenly become a huge, angry saber-toothed cat. It was a shocking surprise, and the lupusaurus instantly froze in position.

Tonya telepathically projected saber-tooth snarling sounds into the lupusaur’s brain to reinforce the saber-tooth image. She began slowly approaching the animal while increasing the strength of her telepathic intrusion into his brain.

The lupusaurus remained frozen in position, determined to stand his ground. Tonya telepathically suggested retreat while continuing to inch closer. She suggested the position of strength the animal could have by being on the ground with his pack.

It was a war of nerves that Tonya was determined to win. Confident in her telepathic ability to control animals, she continued the face-off. She sensed that this lupusaurus was ready to bolt and just needed an extra push, so she added a second saber-tooth to her message. She placed this one on the branch directly above the lupusaurus causing him to look up. Convinced that he was facing two deadly enemies, the lupusaurus jumped off the branch and joined his pack.

Wanting to go back to the cave, Tonya needed to get the lupusaurus pack out of the area. She decided to try appealing to their hunger. Into the mind of the pack leader, she placed an image of a herd of antelope back up the trail from which the pack came. The strategy worked. Surrounded by his pack, the pack leader barked out a fierce challenge to what he thought were a pair of saber-toothed cats in the tree above him. Then, he turned and headed west in search of antelope. One by one, the pack members turned
away from the tree and followed him.

Tonya waited for the pack to clear the area; then, she nimbly dropped to the ground and headed back to the cavern. When she arrived, she found Trang and Jerry waiting for her in front of the cliff.

“Did you find the lupusaurs?” Jerry asked.

“Yes.”

“How far away are they?”

“They left the area. They’re headed west.”

“I thought they were coming this way.”

“They were, but I had a little communication session with their leader, and they left.”

“Let me get this straight. A pack of vicious hunters were headed this way, and you went out and talked to them, and they left.”

“That pretty well sums it up.”

“That’s incredible. I’d like to know how you did that.”

Tonya told Jerry and her father the complete story. When she finished, Jerry asked, “What will they do when they find out that you sent them on a wild goose chase?”

“By the time they figure that out, they’ll be miles from here. Anyway, this jungle is so full of life that they’ll find something else to kill and eat. They won’t be back today.”

“You sound very sure about that,” noted Jerry.

“I was only 15 when I started making solo trips into the jungle. Since then, I’ve spent more time in the forest than out of it. I’ve studied the lifestyles of the creatures that live here, and I have a very good understanding of lupusaurs. This pack will find something to kill and eat. Then, they will contentedly sleep for a few hours.”

“Okay, I’ll take your word for that, but I’m surprised that your parents allowed you to go into the wilderness alone at age 15.”

“We didn’t have much choice!” exclaimed Trang. “She had a mind of her own and sneaked off for a few hours at a time. We would’ve had to lock her up to keep her home, and we couldn’t do that.”

“I might’ve been rebellious,” stated Tonya, “but I was never irresponsible. I was always tuned in to my surroundings, so that I could avoid danger. I became very good with stealth techniques.”

“Geniya and I recognized your capability and sense of responsibility. That’s why we gave you as much freedom as we did.”

“Well, I’m glad you did. I’ve become very comfortable in the jungle, and now, I’m going to show you some of its beauties.”

Tonya became very still. Her mind was telepathically searching the nearby trees. When she found what she was looking for, she said, “Stay relaxed and don’t make any sudden movements.”

Jerry and Trang did as requested, and Tonya walked about 20 feet toward a tree. She stopped and extended her right arm.

Momentarily, a bird with a 12-inch wingspan and brilliant red and green feathers flew down from the tree and landed on her arm. Tonya turned her head and faced the bird. In just a few seconds, it started chirping a happy song. Tonya turned her attention back to the tree and extended her left
arm. The bird’s mate glided down from a branch and landed on her
arm. The birds started chirping back and forth with their singing communication. Tonya listened to their cheerful sounds for a couple
minutes; then, she lifted her arms a bit, and the birds flew back into
the tree.

“That was quite a demonstration,” noted Jerry, as he and Trang approached Tonya. “Can you influence all creatures like that?”

“Enough of them to keep myself entertained. Would you like to walk into the jungle and meet more of the creatures that live here?”

“Sounds like fun,” responded Jerry.

Pointing down the game trail to the west, Tonya said, “Somewhere down that trail, there is a lupusaurus pack.”

“No thanks!” exclaimed Jerry. “I’ve already had enough experience with lupusaurs.”

“Okay, then we’ll head down that trail.” Tonya pointed toward the north and headed for the trail. Trang and Jerry followed her into the dense rainforest.

Two hours later, they returned to the top of the rock formation. “Have you seen enough?” Tonya asked.

“That was a very interesting nature tour,” responded Trang.

“Too bad Jim wasn’t with us,” commented Jerry. “He would’ve enjoyed it. Dianne has trained him to be a biologist, and he is keenly interested in the plants and creatures that live on this planet.”

“Really!” exclaimed Tonya. “Maybe there are some things he can teach me. Do you need to go back to Pioneer Island right away?”

“What do you have in mind?” Jerry asked.

“I’d like to take Jim on the same tour I just gave you and Dad.”

“He’d like that,” stated Jerry. “How much time do you need?”

“A couple hours should be enough,” responded Tonya with a bright-eyed smile.

Noticing Tonya’s demeanor, Jerry said, “I sense that there’s more involved here than just a nature walk.”

Tonya gave Jerry a silent smile that spoke volumes. He grinned in return and called Jim. “We’re ready for pickup,” he said.

“I’ll be right there,” responded Jim.

“We have a tour guide here, who would like to show you some of what lives here. I have to tell you that there’s an amazing diversity of life here.”

“I’d love to see some of it,” Jim said, sounding excited.

Twenty minutes later, the helicopter arrived. Jim lowered the cage into the clearing, and Jerry stepped aboard, but Trang hesitated.

“I’d like to do the nature hike again, in case I missed something,” he said.

“Dad, I promise, I’ll take you into the jungle again, but not now.”

Trang grinned and stepped into the cage. “I wonder why she doesn’t want me along,” he said.

“That’s a big mystery,” replied Jerry with a smile. Facing Tonya, he said, “Jim will be down shortly.” Then, he pressed a button and the winch inside the helicopter started pulling the cage skyward.

When they arrived on the chopper, Jerry took control and sent Jim down. “Call us when you’re ready for pickup,” he said.

“Will do,” Jim replied, as he began his descent. Jim alertly looked into the surrounding trees while steadily dropping into the clearing. However, the leaves were so thick that he couldn’t see beyond them. He wondered how many different kinds of creatures lived in the trees. What would Tonya show him?

She was now only ten yards below him. He looked down at her. She was smiling and seemed filled with enthusiasm. Jim returned the smile and thought, she sure is beautiful.

Momentarily, Jim landed, stepped out of the cage, and pressed a button to send it back to the hovering helicopter. He turned and began walking toward Tonya, but she didn’t wait for him, she met him halfway. They stopped a few feet apart and silently looked into each others eyes. The eye contact was electrifying. Involuntarily, they stepped into a tight embrace followed by a tender, loving kiss.

“Welcome to my world,” Tonya whispered.

“This isn’t the kind of welcome I was expecting.”

“I wasn’t planning to greet you this way; it just happened.”

“I’m very happy that it did,” responded Jim, while still holding Tonya in a warm embrace.

“I am too,” she whispered softly. Looking into Jim’s eyes, Tonya exuded a kind of sweetness that captivated Jim and filled him with desire. Unable to resist her charm, Jim kissed her passionately, freely allowing his rapidly growing desire to flow into the kiss. He felt a mild tremble pass through her. She sighed and seemed to grow weak in his arms. Jim held her with a gentle kind of strength that firmly supported her.

“This is all happening so fast,” Tonya whispered. “We just met and you’re knocking me off my feet.”

“Are we moving too fast for you?”

“No, I like what you’re doing to me. You have me churning inside, and I love it.”

“What do you think you’re doing to me?”

“I know what’s happening to you, but I want to hear you tell me.”

“You’ve got me burning up with desire, and I don’t know how much longer I can control myself.”

Tonya snuggled tightly against Jim. “Who said you have to control yourself?” she asked sweetly.

“No one,” responded Jim, breathing hard.

“What are we waiting for?” Tonya asked, with her very being radiating the inner glow of overpowering passion.

“Where can we go that will be safe?”

Tonya closed her eyes and used her telepathic powers to search the surrounding jungle. A half-minute went by. “We’ll be safe for a while, and we can go over there.” Tonya pointed at some giant ferns.

“There’s a soft bed of moss in that fern garden. We’ll be comfortable there.”
Grasping Jim’s right hand, Tonya led him toward the ferns at the edge of the forest. The ferns were nine feet tall. Their large fronds were forest green and made a natural umbrella over the moss bed. Pushing the fronds apart, Jim and Tonya entered the secluded natural garden.

A half-hour later, they emerged from seclusion. “I’ve never been made welcome like that before,” Jim said.

“I hope that wasn’t a complaint.”

“Definitely not, in fact, I’d like to go through the welcoming procedure again.”

“So soon?”

“I might need to catch my breath first.”

Tonya smiled, “I’m ready anytime you are.”

“Why don’t we go for a walk in the jungle first?”

“Are you more interested in the jungle than in me?”

“You fascinate me, and the jungle is your home. I will learn more about you if you show me why you enjoy the jungle so much.”

“I was only teasing you, but that was a great comeback. What would you like to see?”

“This whole area is new to me, so show me the things that are of greatest interest to you.”

“Right now, food is of interest to me. I’m hungry, how about you?”

“I’m starving, what’s good to eat around here?”

“Fruit, nuts, berries, and mushrooms are plentiful. Some plants grow tubers that are quite tasty. Streams and ponds have fish in them, but that requires a campfire. I’m not into eating raw fish.”

“Let’s save the fish dinner until we get to Pioneer Island.”

“Did you just invite me to the island?”

“Yes, do you want to come?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On what kind of welcome I will get.”

“What kind of welcome do you want?”

Tonya smiled invitingly.

“It’s going to be difficult for me to top the welcome you gave me, but I’ll try.”

“Okay, I accept your invitation. Now, let’s find something to eat.”

Holding hands, Tonya and Jim walked to the north end of the clearing. Several squirrel nut bushes were growing in a sunny area at the edge of the forest. They were healthy and loaded with nuts.

“Let’s start with these,” Tonya said.

A few minutes after they started eating the delicious nuts, Jim’s communicator beeped. It was Jerry. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but an emergency has come up, and we need to go back to Pioneer Island. How long will it take you to get to the clearing?”

“We’re in the clearing,” Jim replied.

“Good, we’re on the way.”

“What’s the emergency?”

“I’ll explain after we pick you up. See you in 20 minutes.”

“We’ll be ready.”

Speaking to Tonya, Jim asked, “Are you ready to visit Pioneer Island?”

“Will I be with you?”

“Yes.”

“Then, I’m ready. Why are we leaving so soon?”

“I don’t know. All Jerry said was an emergency has come up, and he would explain later.”

“I hope it’s not serious.”

“He sounded like it is.”

Twenty minutes later, Tonya and Jim heard the sound of a hovering helicopter. They looked up and saw the cage descending. When it arrived, they stepped into it and were lifted to the helicopter.

Jim entered the cockpit. “What’s the big emergency?” he asked Jerry.

“We have to go to Alpha Centauri B.”

“Why?”

“Rex called. There are terrorists operating in his area, and they’ve kidnapped his wife, son, and daughter.”

“What do the terrorists want?”

“I think they want our starship.”

“Why do you think that?” Jim asked.

“They’ve told Rex that he has to find them a ride back to their homeland, or he’ll never again see his family alive.”

“The Great War totally destroyed Rex’s country, so they have no way to return the terrorists to their homeland.”

“That’s the point, and the terrorists know that. They also know, or should know, that Rex and his wife Shannon have been in daily contact with us. They should know that Rex will ask us for help. If we agree to help, that will bring us and our starship to them.”

“And you think they want revenge for what we did to them?”

“That’s a possibility,” stated Jerry. “We did blast their chemical warfare weapons out of existence.”

“Revenge might be their objective, but they still have the problem of getting to our starship, which will be in orbit. How are they going to do that?”

“That’s what we have to figure out. When we get home, we’ll have a meeting to brainstorm that question and develop our strategy.”

“You need to have your chief engineer at that meeting,” stated Trang. “I have direct experience at confronting his military mind, and he’s good.”

“Mike and his wife Michelle will be there,” responded Jerry.

“Michelle has been in daily contact with Rex and Shannon. She understands their language and has taught them English.”