In four hour shifts, Krate and Ash made it through the night. They bound Wormhole securely hand and foot, in case he should wake. Col. Lander checked his vitals from time to time, having no idea the amount of sedative he had consumed.

Two days passed thusly, with Wormhole unconscious, and the other two keeping their round-the-clock vigil. Late in the second day, Krate noticed something in the sky – a meteorite? A comet? It looks like a ship Ash said, remembering the arrival of Wormhole’s craft a few days earlier.

The men watched over the following hour and soon it was clear that another ship was descending toward them.

MEANWHILE…

Flash fell asleep, still wishing for communication. He had come to cherish his time sleeping. He never knew where his dreams would take him, or who he might meet there, but they always took him somewhere other than where he was. His dreams took him to places the TNI could not.

Flash found himself engulfed in bright light. A white ball of energy. He could see it with his eyes, but more importantly, he felt it surrounding him, filling him. He breathed it in and it tingled from his toes to the top of his head. He inhaled light and exhaled darkness until all he felt was light. Far from the cold darkness of space, he basked in this glow.

Something was moving, indiscernable within the halo, and as he watched it, it slowly began to take form.

Flash Meridian came a voice – a large, comforting voice, a rich, echoing voice. When it spoke his name, it spoke his entire being. All that Flash was, was summed up in that voice. Flash realized that he did not hear the voice with his ears, yet it spoke to him. From within… his entire being reverberated with that powerful, loving voice.

Even as he realized this, the movement formed hands, a face, and it touched his cheek softly. Soft as the petal of a flower. Fragrant and fresh.

MEANWHILE…

Droids? the face on the screen asked. Lady, I’m an exterminator, not a junk yard.

It’s not junk Gravity replied. She then explained the situation as Crystal stood nervously by, glancing at the Nebula X’s face for any sign of understanding.

What kind of joke is this? Raygun asked. I could work my entire life and never afford a state-of-the-art unit like that. No one exterminates them!

OK, OK! Raygun answered, but I’ll treat this as a salvage run.

OK Gravity said, but please hurry.

MEANWHILE…

Ash and Krate made their way to where the ship came down. It was even closer to their camp than Wormhole’s. As the two approached it, they drew their guns, wanting no more unpleasant surprises. This was a larger cargo ship. The door opened, and Ash and Krate approached it tentatively. A lone man in white disembarked and approached Azimuth and Lander.

Some welcome he said, glancing at the guns.

I wish I could talk to somebody.

Talk to it, Crystal. Gravity said. Suddenly Crystal was at a loss for words, she was clearly uncomfortable around the droid.

Do you have communications? Crystal asked, remembering her sister’s earlier question. Nebula X raised her hand to Crystal and a microphone extended from her finger. At the same time, a video screen opened on the droid’s chest and the screen flickered on. Um… Crystal said into the droid’s finger. she glanced at Gravity, then back at the droid. My sister wants to make a call.

As you wish. said the droid.

Gravity stepped up to the droid and said Directory. A list appeared on the screen. Exterminators. A list of names. She chose one at random.

MEANWHILE…

Wormhole drank the water. Ash looked at Krate, and Krate only smiled. Lander had not given up after all! It was a trick!

In a matter of seconds, Wormhole fell in a heap on the ground, completely sedated. That was a large dose, Ash said, it may kill him

He may wish it had, Krate replied.

The men took turns sleeping so one could keep an eye on Wormhole.

MEANWHILE…

Flash noticed a bright star in the view from the tube. He hadn’t noticed it before. It was so bright he wondered what it could be. Next time I’m on the computer, he thought, I’ll crunch it’s numbers. The heavens are so vast, and seeing them from a different vantage point can be disorienting. Flash was sure this was a major star, familiar to even amateur star-gazers back on Earth. As Flash’s eyes began to close, he said again I wish I could talk to somebody. For the time being, this was Flash’s wishing star.

MEANWHILE…

The girls were connected to an extermination service via an untapped private frequency. P. J. Raygun came the crackling voice as the picture faded in. Within seconds, the picture and sound were crystal clear.

We need help Gravity said into the Nebula X’s finger.

I guess that’s why you called, P. J. replied.

Yeah… Gravity stammered… Do you remove droids?

Sly Wormhole fought Krate to the ground and held his sabre close to his neck. Krate’s eyes closed in acceptance of his fate. He could see it all clearly in his mind. Wormhole would kill him on this remote outcropping of red rock. It seemed so pointless… His life so anticlimactic, but it was now over, and that was that. He said nothing, just waited for the beam to slice into his neck. At least there would be no blood. Sabre wounds never bled.

Ash helplessly looked on in silence, not daring to provoke Wormhole now that Krate’s life was on the line. Then he spoke. I give up.

Even Wormhole was taken aback by this. Lander beaten? Wormhole switched his sabre off and faced Lander glibly. What? Wormhole asked in disbelief.

There is nothing I can do now. If you kill Azimuth, I will never get off this planet. There is no one here to help me. We have to sleep sometime.

No, Ash! Krate whispered hoarsely. Don’t let him win!

Your friend is wise Wormhole addressed Krate. I’ll kill you anyway… eventually.

Ash Lander scooped a cup of water from a pool nearby and raised it to his lips.

Oh no you don’t, Lander, the winner takes the spoils, give that drink to me.

MEANWHILE…

Hurry, Crystal, I want to see this thing. Gravity said. Are you crazy? Crystal asked in reply, but she entered her code anyway. The door slid open and the girls peered in from the corridor.

The droid stood exactly as Crystal had left it. When the door opened, Nebula X re-activated and greeted her as before. You have returned.

Gravity stepped into Crystal’s chamber and stared at the droid. It’s beautiful! Gravity remarked. Does it have communications?

I don’t know! Crystal squealed, Let’s just get it out of here!

Do you have broadcast capabilities? Gravity asked the droid. Nebula X only stared, and did not acknowledge her question. So she tried again. Do you have the ability to send messages? There was still no response. Crystal watched impatiently, and stepped into the room. Are you asleep again? she asked sarcastically. I am not asleep again, Crystal Weightless the droid answered. The twins looked at each other for a moment and then Gravity spoke. It has imprinted on you, Crystal.

It will only respond to you

MEANWHILE…

Flash Meridian prepared to re-enter the kryo-tube. The incoming messages had ceased and he was feeling discouraged. He looked out at the stars and felt a deep longing. An emptiness within, mirroring his view from the ship. At least there was light out there. The stars burned brightly in the distance.

He thought again of his childhood on that Michigan farm, and how he used to make wishes on the stars before going to sleep.

I wish I could talk to somebody he said, and then felt silly for having said it aloud. Then he switched the radio off and lay down in the tube to sleep.

Crystal burst into the galley panting. The other girls just kept eating. They were used to Crystal’s dramatic late entrances to meals.

Grav, she whispered desperately, Come outside with me! Gravity rolled her eyes at the invitation, and gruffly announced Hello! I’m eating.

Crystal had no time to explain. She pushed Gravity’s dinner tray away from her and said Grav, I need you NOW” motioning toward the exit door.

Since you’re not going to let me eat, I might as well cooperate…

MEANWHILE…

Back on Mars, Sly Wormhole and Ash Lander dueled while Krate Azimuth punched codes into the radio. What good will it do? he wondered. They won’t be able to help us anyway.

Then he remembered he had his own saber in his duffle.

Wormhole and Lander were evenly matched. Both men fought deftly and employed sophisticated maneuvers, each surprising the other. Both men began to doubt their own abilities. Ash looked worried.

Wormhole stumbled. Krate saw his opportunity, grabbed up his saber and took Ash Lander’s place in the conflict. Wormhole was strong, driven by his rage. He fought like a madman, but Krate held his own against the monster.

MEANWHILE…

Flash Meridian passed through Saturn’s vacant orbital path, heading toward the sun – more or less. Over the past months of warp travel, he had spent the majority of his time sleeping in a cryo-tube. Because of this, he was well rested to navigate the asteriod field which would be his next expected event in space. Besides making his progress calculations on the computer, he was now in sporadic contact with Earth… At least he was receiving messages. As far as he could tell, his messages were not being received on the other end. Two way communication with Alpha Control is what he needed. His ship was slightly off-course, and he needed to rectify this situation. Firing his right booster rockets might correct his path, or it might send him hurtling uncontrolled in a different direction at this speed. So he continued to send radio signals, video feeds and computer messages, hoping they would be received.

Come in, Alpha Control…

Come in, Alpha Control…

At least it gave him something to do. But when Flash was in the tube, his dreams became more and more vivid until he began to feel that his space journey was the dream, and his experiences while sleeping were his true and real life.

MEANWHILE…

Crystal told Gravity that the Nebula X was in her chamber. Her body trembled as she explained to her sister. Gravity was concerned, but being level-headed and practical, she quickly devised a plan… Call an exterminator.

How? Crystal begged, almost sobbing by this time. The communication lines are all tapped. I’ll be found out for sure. Everyone would hear if I sent out a blanket request by radio!

An idea flashed across Gravity’s mind so that Crystal could see it in her face. What? Grav!

Tell me! What?

Gravity was already hurrying down the corridor, Crystal in tow. We’re going to your Chamber.

But the droid is in there! And the lines are tapped, and I’m scared. The girls arrived at Crystal’s door. Open it. Gravity commanded.

Crystal’s jaw dropped, and the hairs on her neck stood on end. No way… she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. This is not happening to me But it clearly was. How did you find me? she addressed the droid.

Your prints were left on the box, Crystal Weightless. Crystal backed out of the doorway and braced herself against the corridor wall. The droid knew her name. She was good at getting herself into binds, but she always turned to the same person to get her out. Gravity she thought out loud. Hitting the red button by the door, she hid the Nebula X from view and raced wide eyed to the galley where the other girls had already started eating.

MEANWHILE…

Tension continued to build at the Lander camp on Mars. What few comments Wormhole made were laced with innuendo. Ash’s anger grew until he could no longer contain it. The sun was setting when Ash finally turned to Wormhole and said You’ll never get away with this, Sly.

I already have, you fool! came his scathing reply. With those words, Wormhole rose to his feet and reached for his saber. Instinctively, Lander did the same.

Don’t do this, please! Ash tried to reason. Wormhole only chuckled and removed the safety bolt from the butt of his weapon. A blaze of green energy, a contained beam, shot from the handle, illuminating the campsite which had quickly grown dark. The blinding flash of light burned into Ash and Krate’s eyes, and Sly Wormhole stood, powerful, with his own huge black shadow spilling over the valley behind him like ink.

Ash activated his saber as well, intending only to call Wormhole’s bluff, but both men knew that Wormhole was capable of killing without remorse.

Why are you doing this? Ash asked, but Wormhole only came back with a hideous laugh.

MEANWHILE…

Flash keyed his coordinates into the computer. Uranus sparkled off behind the TNI, but Saturn’s orbit placed it on the other side of the sun, and only empty space lay between him and Jupiter’s path. the screen flickered and Flash adjusted the communications disc toward the Earth.

His gamble at Pluto had paid off by sending him only a few degrees off from his desired course. Still, with the distance he had to travel, those few degrees would place him millions of miles from his target.

The screen went white and then scrolled text from top to bottom. Not his own calculations or database, but transmissions from home! I’m here! he shouted. I’m alive!

Flash Meridian sped through space like a bullet with nothing to mark the time. No day, no night, the sun imperceptibly brightening. He slept, waking to eat, to calculate, to sleep again.

As he slept, he dreamed. His mind took him back, it seemed, through every memory of his life. In sleep, he mentally returned to his parents’ home, where insignificant details presented themselves to him, begging to be noticed… explored… appreciated.

He reached out to touch the painted window sill, flooded by the full afternoon sun, beyond it was the view of the blue sky and green fields outside. What was common to him then had now become a distant and foreign planet. Domestic details, so unlike the clean, efficient, practical features of his ship, held a significance greater than themselves. Almost microscopically, Flash studied the simple function of a door hinge, the weave of carpet threads, the glazed pattern on china plates.

Time passed quickly while he dreamed. He returned to the day, as a child, that he buried a bird he found dead on the gravel driveway. He thought of the relationship between the decomposing body of the bird to the grass, the grass to the air, and how everything on Earth created an interdependent system.

Out here in space, his surroundings were so clinical, so sterile, so unnatural. Out here in space, he was completely alone, and he longed for that soft, rich world he once knew.

MEANWHILE…

Tension was building at the Lander camp. Krate was fully recovered from the sedative, and Wormhole never left the two men alone, though Krate and Ash tried to get time away from him to devise a plan.

For the most part, the camp was silent with suspicion.

MEANWHILE…

Back at the Space School, Crystal attended most of her classes, but she was clearly distracted. She lived in fear that a Federation officer would come looking for her in regard to her stealing. Never before had anyone at the school seen Crystal so subdued.

After a day of staring into space, of fiddling with things on her desk and doodling with pencil in her notebook, Crystal made her way back to her chamber to sleep. No dinner, she just wanted to go to bed. She punched in her access code, and the door slid silently open. Crystal only stared, shocked by what she saw.

The Nebula X was standing motionless in her chamber. A light flickered in its right eye sensor and the droid spoke. You have returned…

Ash simultaneously monitored the descent of the incoming ship and Krate’s condition. A sample of Krate’s blood revealed a strong sedative in his system. Further testing revealed the source: algae. Inadvertent discoveries like this could revolutionize the use of anesthetics back on earth. Sleep it off, Krate, Ash said quietly as he disembarked to find the Nomicon ship. Compass in hand, Ash set out over a nearby ridge, and found the craft about a half hour later. It would be good to see some other people from Earth. Ash imagined this monumental meeting as he approached the ship. The initial handshakes and welcome, the catching up of Earth news later over dinner. The Nomicon ship gleamed in the Martian afternoon and Ash’s heart pounded with the thrill of it all. There had been many times already that the mission’s setbacks could have cost them their lives. Who was the mysterious space girl who had saved them? Where was Flash? The door of the ship began to lower. Ash was anxious to bring an in depth investigation against…

…SLY WORMHOLE!

Wormhole stood smugly in the open door of his ship. Ash felt suddenly nauseous, but was careful not to allow his shock to show.

Lander… said Wormhole slyly. He knew he had the upper hand. Major, Ash responded with a salute. Welcome to Mars, sir. Thanks, Lander. How is Azimuth feeling? Ash detected a knowing chuckle in Wormhole’s question, and did not respond.

MEANWHILE…

Flash could see Uranus far, far to the right of his path toward the sun. He scanned his route for any potential collisions. Though he wouldn’t be in the main asteriod belt until he passed Jupiter, there was always a chance that he would encounter them in the entire Jovian range. Then after a meal, it was back to the cryo tube and uneventful space.

MEANWHILE…

Crystal Weightless confined herself to the school and lived in fear that her plundering would be discovered. While her classmates and teacher noticed a change in her behavior, the only person she confided in regarding the Nebula X was her twin sister, Gravity. Her classmates assumed she was up to something. Her teacher preferred to believe Crystal had finally settled down and was taking more of an interest in her studies. Paranoia raged in Crystal’s thoughts and dreams.

MEANWHILE…

Ash led Wormhole back to the ship, where Krate was awake and still feeling groggy. When he saw Wormhole, he was consumed with fear and rage. Both men secretly wished they could kill Wormhole before he had a chance to further sabotage their expedition and lives. Outwardly, they maintained a facade of comraderie and respect. They weren’t fooling anyone.

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.

Ash Lander and Krate Azimuth safely aboard their ship, Crystal extracted fuel from the core of J-IV and filled their tanks. Having done a good deed, she went back to her mischievous hobby of looting unmanned cargo pods. These slave ships contained anything from food and water to high tech equipment, and Crystal loved the surprise of opening them. She fancied herself a child on Christmas morning rather than the pirate that she was. So many ships were lost that she felt no guilt for the few she scavenged. The Federation built in loss due to attrition, and she knew that her ships were numbered among them. Rarely did she find anything of great value.

Occasionally, however, she found something really special.

On a jaunt near Europa, some 417,000 miles above Jupiter, she picked up the signal from a slave ship passing in the vicinity. She used her manipulator to guide it, by radio control and landed it softly on Europa’s surface. Her pulse quickened as she approached the small craft, anticipating what she may find inside. Tools, repair materials and fuel were common, and were often of no use to her, being highly specialized items. Food was good. Clothing was equally desirable, and could be sold back at the school to the less adventurous girls.

Crystal deactivated the shield as she approached the pod, and quickly removed the cargo bay door. A large bondi box was partially exposed beneath packs of dried food. The food was a major score. The box most likely held satellite components or some unidentifiable techo mass, which she would discard into space. Jamming her backpack and pockets, she gathered as many of the food packets as she could carry. Almost as an afterthought, she decided to unlatch the box lid and see what it contained.

As she released the latch mechanism, the lid opened itself, and a soft light pulsated from within the translucent box. It contained a Nebula X, which Crystal had only seen in the weekly entertainment transmissions. This was no ordinary cargo. The Nebula X was the latest fashion droid.

Oh wow, Crystal gasped, frozen in mid-air as she hovered above the sparkling treasure. Someone would be looking for this. Crystal gazed at the flawless chrome skin and ruby lips, the crown of blue nebula encircling her head, and the dress made of gold. The Nebula X’s sapphire eyes, though dormant, seemed to watch her float. This suddenly made Crystal feel uncomfortable, so she decided to close the lid again. She did not want this pilfering to be traced to her, especially now that such a costly item was involved.

As Crystal drifted down to where the box lay, the Nebula X suddenly sat up with a quick, mechanical motion that startled her. The droid had been activated.

Halfway between Neptune and Pluto, the full realization of his situation hit Flash Meridian. He was nearing the edge of our solar system. All transmissions from the rescue party had ceased, and he knew he had to take charge of his own destiny.

Pluto had been visible for some time, and was now looming larger in vast, empty space. It was his last chance. To approach close enough to be held by Pluto’s gravitational pull long enough to slingshot back toward the sun. The sun now appeared as a distant star. It would take precise calculations to aim himself at it, and he would be relying on pure, dumb luck. Still, it was his only hope. There was a good chance that he would impact Pluto. There was a chance that his ship, the Trans-Neptunian Interloper, would be torn to bits in the attempt. There was a possibility that the human body would not survive the tremendous g-forces involved in the semi-orbit. None of this mattered. His demise would be guaranteed if he stayed with his current course.

Flash sat, hurtling through the void at previously unimagined speed, yet feeling no sensation of speed whatever.

MEANWHILE…

Ash stared, bewildered, at Crystal, unable to move or speak. Her movements were deliberate and efficient.

Ash’s panic subsided. Whether she was a dream or not, he was comforted by her presence.

Now I’ll take care of your friend, she said

Krate’s affliction was no accident. Someone had sabotaged the mission by planting a chip in Krate’s brainstem. By this time, Krate actually posed no threat to Ash. His own torment was so great he writhed in violent spasms.

When Crystal cut the chip loose, he fell, still, unconscious.

Ash surmised correctly, that this was the doing of Major Sly Wormhole. Once in deep space, Krate was supposed to kill Ash before self-destructing. The mission was unsuccessful, but the chip was removed before any permanent damage was done to either man.

MEANWHILE…

Flash looked up to see a sky dominated by the frozen surface of Pluto. Never had he seen a more inhospitable place. He looked away, wishing that he would not become a part of that landscape.

Stress on the TNI was building as Pluto’s pull increased. It was all Flash could do to remain conscious under the strain.

Soon it was over. The shaking. The Noise. The sickening force. The computer indicated that he was now traveling away from Pluto much faster than he had approached it. The sun was barely visible, but it lay in the general direction he had hoped to find it. He paused only for a moment to celebrate this victory. He had to prepare once again for warp. It would take decades off his return trip.

Though he had had no signal from Earth for some time, he continued to broadcast reports from his tiny cocoon in space. The thought that someone might hear made him feel less alone.

MEANWHILE…

Krate and Ash awoke in the safety of their camp on J-IV. All was back to normal – as it was when they landed to retrieve core samples. Sorry, said Krate. It’s all good, Ash responded.