Ash Lander and Krate Azimuth left J-IV for their return to Earth. Having been unsuccessful in their attempt to save Flash Meridian, they still had work to do before going home. For decades, it had been clear that setting up a colony on Mars would enable much greater exploration in space. They were scheduled to rendezvous with a representative of NOMICON, the company that would be planning and building the colony.
Arriving on Mars before the Nomicon party, Ash and Krate did tests on the Martian soil and water. The horror of J-IV behind them, the two men worked well together gathering and testing samples from the Martian surface. The only sign of Martian life that they saw was the vibrant green algae that grew on the rocks in the water. Analysis of the water revealed that it was, indeed, H20. As the sun rose, only slightly more distant than it appeared on Earth, the men reflected on their lives and families back there. At times as close as 35 million miles away, they felt that they were almost home.
Ash Lander turned to see Krate Azimuth dipping his hands into a small pool to take a drink. Col. Lander knew that sufficient testing had not yet been done to determine whether this water was suitable for human consumption – they only knew it’s basic composition. But it was too late. So great was Krate’s nostalgia for Earth, that he acted as though he were there already and drank deeply from his cupped hands.
By the time Ash reached him, Krate was unconscious. A quick check of his vital signs revealed to Ash that he had a pulse and was breathing. As Ash carried Krate back to the ship, he looked up to see a ship descending toward them. The Nomicon Party…
MEANWHILE…
Flash Meridian sped past Neptune like a comet and wondered how he would decelerate as he neared the inner planets. Sleeping in a cryo-tube, time passed quickly – he spent as much as two weeks at a time asleep. Whenever he woke, the initial impression was that the view had not changed much if at all. But when he calculated his distance from the sun, it was clear that he was making very good time indeed.
MEANWHILE…
Crystal Weightless had a bit of a problem on her hands. The Nebula X, upon activation, launched into the demo mode, simulating her capabilities for who she assumed was her new and rightful owner.
Colored lights shot from her fingertips as a recorded voice droned from her mouth-aperture. X-RAY: Right index finger… INFRARED BEAM: Right Eye… HEAT VISION: Left Eye…” As each function was mentioned, a light beam shot from the corresponding area on the unit. Crystal just stared in horror and wanted to get away from Nebula X, the pod and Europa. When the droid demonstrated her sleep and shutdown features, Crystal slipped away and fled back to her school, vowing to never plunder another ship.