Chapter 15

WEDNESDAY 7:00 A. M. CST Crossing the Martian Plane of the Ecliptic

As Miklit arose from the depths of hibernation to stand its assigned sensor watch, a strange peace seemed to descend over its being. After this awareness impinged on Miklit, a communication proceeded to display within its mind, 'Greetings and welcome to the Sol system. Please remain calm, as you are in no danger. We have taken the liberty of safeguarding the self-destruct mechanism your craft was equipped with and will be transporting you to a safe haven shortly. We have also determined your metabolism needs and are happy to inform you that environmental suits will not be needed. Do you have questions at this time?'

Miklit took this pause in the communication to glance at Pilot and noticed that it had a smaller version of Miklit's memory scent bulb jammed into its sense cluster and was repeatedly triggering it. This action finally brought home the fact that Pilot was as homesick as Miklit had been. Gathering its appendages, Miklit performed the formal ritual of apology and attempted to communicate it's abject sorrow about its oversight. Even though Pilot gave an abbreviated acknowledgement back, Miklit could still feel its mind-voice growing weaker.

Turning it's mindset to the new entity, Miklit sent, 'My companion is suffering a cascade failure shutdown which will result in its termination. Is there a medical facility nearby? I would not see my traveling partner expire after covering the distance we have to make contact.'

Two things seem to happen simultaneously following this exchange. One: Pilot disappeared from the ship's cabin, and Two: The solar system vista in the scanner panel was replaced by a view of rolling green hills with scattered beech trees and a pleasantly lighted sky. Although this was a startling transition, Miklit still was amazed to not feel the expected panic rise up from its circulatory pump. 'Excuse me, but what just happened?' Miklit sent.

'Your companion was transported into the care of our most senior healers and seems to be responding well to treatment already. Your vessel was also transported to a safe resting place. One caution though; please allow thirty of your time parts to pass for your ship and the surrounding environment to reach temperature equilibrium. I fear you could be harmed if you were to exit the vehicle now, as it still carries the ambient temperature of deep space.'

Miklit responded with, 'I thank you for the timely assistance and the effective care given to Pilot. If I might ask, who am I communicating with?'

'Please direct your vision sensors to the exterior of your vessel. I do not have a personal designator, but you may address your comm signal to Guardian. Either myself or my brothers will respond since we all share a common information network.'

As Miklit viewed the scanner panel, it was as if its vision were blurred by something. The hills and trees could still be seen, but to Miklit this looked like it was viewing things though a patch of very dense atmosphere. 'Are you there, Guardian?'Miklit queried. 'It appears that my scanner is malfunctioning. I am receiving a very blurred transmission.'

'Yes, I am here. Allow me to step back a few paces and perhaps that will clear up the transmission difficulty.'

The blur on the scanner panel finally resolved itself into a creature that Miklit had never imagined in its wildest fantasies. Without giving any true thought, Miklit broadcast, 'Are you the dominant species on this planet?'

With a touch of humor, the being transmitted, 'No. We are the guardians of the dominant species. You should be meeting with them shortly after debarking from your vessel.'

At this response Miklit could feel its circulatory pump give a startled pause, as the repercussions of the statement sank in. If the dominant species had domesticated this huge creature, they could literally be anything.

WEDNESDAY 7:20 A. M. CST News Stand, Chicago, IL

Just as Mike was gearing up for the morning rush, Elnore's voice rang out in his mind, 'Michael, I've news to report. All five of the alien probe ships now reside at Lake's Edge and were transported without serious incident. We are in the process of communicating with each of them even as we speak. So far, the entities that occupied the primary vessel show the most openness in their transmissions. The others seem to be playing their cards close to the vest. We will continue with our efforts and keep you updated. I would suggest that you set aside some time later this morning to join us in this endeavor. I'm not sure yet if we hit the jackpot or stirred up a hornet's nest with this encounter.'

'Well, you sure do know how to start hump day off with a bang, ' Mike responded with a chuckle, then added, 'We have a conference call scheduled with the President for 8:00 A.M. this morning. Looks clear right now; let me port over and we'll see if we can't learn something worth passing up the food chain.'

After transporting to Lake's Edge, the first thing Mike ran into was the Crystal Dragon keeping watch on Miklit's craft. 'Greetings, My Lord, Mike beamed as he bowed to the Dragon.

'Greetings returned to you, My Lord. The being inside this vessel is called Miklit. This species employs a tri-part reproductive system and Miklit is what would be called a binder. It appears that its people were the ones that detected the energy wave generated here and the others are simply hitch hikers. We have run a diagnostic scan and I'm happy to report that you may interact with Miklit's kind without fear of transmitting disease organisms either way. They are based on a completely different genotype.'

'Excellent news my friend and my most sincere thanks for taking the lead in this contact.'

Mike then turned toward the craft and broadcast, 'Greetings Miklit, welcome to our home. We would be honored to host you for your stay with us. I have a meeting that can't be avoided, but if you should need anything we can provide, simply let Guardian know of your requirements and it shall be obtained. I shall return shortly so we may communicate freely. Until I see you again; I wish you well.'