February 1, 2063
Space, several light years from Earth
“Captain, there is an urgent message from the communication center.”
“Send it to my headset, please.”
The captain sat back in the chair. He rested his arms on the side railings and exhaled a long slow sigh. He figured his luck of wandering the galaxy without any stimulation was going to continue. “I wonder what wild adventure headquarters is going to send us on today?” he said sarcastically.
The message played in stereo on a smooth silver headset with soft black cushions. He pressed a small button on the right hand side of the chair and a woman’s voice filled the headset.
“Captain Kirock, the missing orb has been found on Tenegraw. A human activated the beacon and it began transmitting approximately fifty ‘earth’ years ago and we are receiving the communication data now. You may recall your ancient history classes, and the section pertaining to our initial stages of universal colonization. The Tenegraw project failed miserably, and one of the recording orbs disappeared. We closed the matter years ago… at least until the recent message from the machine. Human interaction prompted the orb to transmit the entire video log. It may be helpful to talk directly to him, but with over ten billion people on the planet, picking out his particular signal placed inside him may prove problematic. The teacher named Eeka confirmed the humans have been destructive, violent, and wasteful of their natural resources. Sound familiar? Headquarters has authorized your ship to investigate and take appropriate action when you arrive. Message end.”
Kirock removed his headset, “Navigator, set course for Tenegraw.”
“Captain, did you say Tenegraw? You’ll have to give the computer a minute or two to find the coordinates.”
“You heard me loud and clear. If I have to keep repeating myself I’d be delighted to find a navigator with better hearing to set my course.”
“Yes sir, I didn’t mean —”
“Tenegraw. Got it?”
“Setting the course right now,” sweat dripped down his long cheek.
“Navigator, what’s our estimated time of arrival?”
“Sixteen days. Sorry captain, at current speed we will reach our destination in 14 ‘earth’ days.”
“Thank you.” The captain motioned to his weapons officer to come closer with a wave of his hand.
“Yes, Captain, what can I do for you?” asked the tall, slender man. He stood seven feet, five inches high.
“Make sure your bells and whistles are ready for this trip. That new weapon of yours may be required. What do you call it again?”
“The planet buster.”
“Double check your protocols and procedures before we leave the parsec. I want every option possible available to me when we get there.”