Chapter One

Satisfied that all indicators showed the passenger as a healthy young female Cherthian of the royal line, the AI scanned nearby space. It spotted the energy patterns from the destroyed gig, and spotted a second hyperspace wake that passed through, and apparently returned coreward. There were no other ships in detection range. It considered activating the emergency beacon, and decided against it. The Erscan vessel that was following the gig would be the first to respond, being the closest, and allowing the Princess to fall into their hands was not an option.

The sector of space they were in was rimward of the Cherthian star empire, beyond its boundaries. It placed its sensors on automatic to search for non-Erscan hyperspace wakes, and set the emergency beacon to activate upon identifying one.

As stellar information continued to be gathered, the AI realized that the pod was in a star system, with so far five identifiable planets. Projections revealed that the system probably contained at least eight planets, possible nine or ten. A belt of asteroids occupied the orbital position of the fifth planet. The AI began scanning the inner planets for energy signatures that would indicate a civilization. The AI received weak signals from the third planet. They were a direct broadcast of binary codes on a carrier wave signal, sent in a loose beam to the pod's current sector.

At first the AI suspected that it had been spotted by the third planet, then another transmission from out in space to the third planet was received. The AI scanned that area of space and discovered a primitive space probe. This was a positive discovery. The third planet was developed enough to explore its own system, but the technology used was about seven hundred years behind the Cherthians, based on the Cherthian scale of development.

The AI decided that the third planet was the best option for its passenger. It considered using thrusters to move towards it, but a passing Erscan cruiser would detect it. There was a flock of asteroids that was passing nearby, and the orbital projections of the flock indicated that it would intersect the orbit of the third planet, as the third planet was passing through the asteroids. The AI directed the pod into the flock using minimal power, and coasted with the space debris. Further analysis indicated that the asteroids consisted of cometary debris, and that it would intersect the third planet in about three months. The AI settled down into an information collection mode, using minimal power as it coasted through space towards the third planet.

As it approached, it sought a suitable landing area. There were a variety of signals coming from the planet, and the AI recognized them as communication signals, transferring information and entertainment across the globe and into space. The AI began building a database of information to download to the Princess via synaptic link when she woke up.

The AI received many types of signals, and discovered a narrow band that was used solely for guided landing systems for aircraft. It filtered out many of these, seeking the most developed or sophisticated signal. It wanted to bring the Princess down on the most developed section of the planet, and decided that the complexity of the automated landing signals were a good indication of local tech levels.

The planet was also divided up into various political sections, according to the informational broadcasts the AI received. Some of these broadcasts did not correlate to other observable facts, and were filed as such in the database it was creating. Several of these political factions were engaged in warfare, but most of the advanced signals were from a relatively peaceful continent in the northern hemisphere of the planet. It was obvious that this was the most developed and civilized part of the planet. The AI concentrated on that section of the planet, and built a dictionary and a lexicon of the local language to feed to the Princess upon her awakening.

The AI finally decided on an aircraft facility on the East coast of the northern continent, aiming for a water landing within 500 ft of the airport. It was about to make its final course corrections when it received a directed laser communications beam, transmitting digitized and precise landing instructions from a location farther north and inland from the coast. The AI only received a quick blip of information, but it was clearly the most advanced signal it had received so far. It altered course to land at the signal's origin point, and started making preparations for waking the princess. Planetfall was expected in six hours, and the asteroid field would still cover its entry.

Mike Dunross slapped his hand down on his clock-alarm and rolled over, disturbing his bed companion. The ringing refused to stop. He grunted and hit the snooze button again, with no effect.

Jill yawned and sat up in the bed, glancing at the alarm. Mike made a grunting noise as she moved, and she smiled at the slow and gentle loving they finished just a couple hours ago. The phone rang again, and as Mike wasn't making any effort to wake up, Jill answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Jill? I'm sorry. I got the wrong number. I was calling Mike," said a youthful voice tinged with surprise.

"Hi, Eddie. You got the right number. Just a sec." Jill reached over and shook Mike. At first there was no effect, and then he rolled over, facing her and snuggling next to her warm body. Jill sighed and shook him again. "Mike, wake up. Eddie's on the phone."

"Hmmm?" mumbled Mike. Jill repeated her statement, and Mike opened his eyes. He looked up at her and wrapped his arms around her and started nibbling at her waist.

"Mike, stop that!" shrieked Jill.

"Why?"

"Eddie's on the phone." Jill pushed the handset into his face.

Mike let go of Jill and grabbed the phone, and sat up in the bed. "And I thought you wanted to do it again."

"Just talk to Eddie, okay?"

Mike sighed, and then realized that his second in command had heard everything. He rubbed his hand over his face and spoke into the phone. "Uh, what's up, Eddie?"

"Apparently more than I thought, chief."

"No wisecracks. It's quarter after One in the morning. Whaddaya want?"

"We had something crash into the parking lot. There's a huge crater. I think you better get over here, sir. Mister Adams is going to be pissed."

Mike completely woke up. "What crashed? A plane? How big? Anyone hurt?"

"No sir. Not a plane. I think it was a meteor, sir. No one was hurt, but there's a huge mess down here."

"Okay, Eddie. I'll be right down." Mike hung up the phone. How in hell could a meteor crash at the airport without waking everyone up? He shook his head. It had to be a plane or something. Eddie was a good kid, but he read too much of that science fiction stuff. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and started searching for his pants.

Jill looked at his concerned expression. "What's the matter?"

"Not sure. Eddie said that something crashed into the parking lot. He thinks it's a meteor or something. I have to go check it out. Don't go away."

"I won't." Jill pinched his butt as he stood up to pull his pants on.

"Stop that." Mike swatted at her hand, and then bent down to kiss her. She responded ardently enough to make him briefly reconsider his decision, but he broke the kiss and stood up, and started putting on his shirt. He looked down at her athletically toned body and short brown hair that framed her pixie-like face. "I'll be right back, Honey."

"Okay, lover. I'll be waiting." She moved the sheet aside to show him how she would be waiting, and he closed his eyes and left the room before he could be distracted. He passed by the elevator, and walked down one flight of stairs to the main floor.

As Chief Of Security for CyberTech, he had living quarters in the Adam's Mansion. The Mansion was the headquarters for the entire CyberTech corporation, and it was located deep in the Maine woods. TJ Adams, the owner and CEO, had an airport and test facilities built near the mansion. It was from this airport that Mike received the call from a flustered Eddie.

As Mike reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard one of the hall doors open. TJ, dressed in pajamas and a robe, wheeled out into the mansion's main hall. Mike waited for TJ, and they headed towards the main doors together. "Mornin', TJ. Eddie call you too?"

TJ shook his head. "I called him. I was still up reading, and saw something hit and explode."

"I'll let you know what I find out, TJ. Sorry to disturb you with it."

TJ snorted. "I'm going over. I want to see what got Eddie so upset. I hope our insurance will cover it."

"I'm sure it will. I'll call our agent after I see what happened." Mike held the door open for TJ, and they went down the ramp. "Your car or mine?"

"I don't have my keys. Give me a lift?"

"Sure." Mike helped TJ and his wheelchair into his Cadillac. They drove down to the airport, located just down the road from the mansion. As they approached, they saw the blinking runway lights, and just off to one side, they could see a red glow just above the tree tops. They turned the last corner to reveal the disaster scene in the airport parking lot.

Mike slammed on the brakes when he saw the mess. All he could see was the crater wall, which extended up about ten feet, and looked to be fifty feet across. The top glowed orange and red, and molten rock and pavement flowed sluggishly down the crater walls. All Mike could think of was that a volcano had spawned in the parking lot. Bits of glowing rock and burning debris was scattered over the entire area, and thick black smoke was issuing from somewhere in the center of the crater, occasionally obscuring the stars and the half-lit moon. The sodium lights illuminating the parking lot contributed to the eerie view. The area looked like another planet.

The airport emergency vehicles were already in attendance, hosing down the sides of the crater, the foam and water throwing up steam, giving the area even more of an otherworldly appearance. From the distance the firefighters were standing, that crater must be really hot, as they were equipped with the latest and most modern equipment. Others were extinguishing small fires that were created by flying debris. Mike slowly drove around the crater, avoiding burning junk and men, and made his way to the security office. As Mike and TJ got out of the car, Eddie approached them from where he was watching the firefighters work.

"Okay, Eddie, what the hell happened here?" demanded Mike.

Eddie smiled at Mike. "Sorry I interrupted you. I was makin' my rounds when I saw a flash. I looked up, and there was this streak of light in the sky. At first I thought it was just another meteor from the Perseid meteor shower we were expecting tonight. However, it looked like a ball of fire, and it was getting larger. I ran for cover, and managed to dive behind a car when it hit. It didn't make a lot of noise, but what a mess. I called the fire department, and then you. TJ called right after I talked to you."

Mike grunted and turned to look at the crater again. He could feel the heat from it, even though he was at least three hundred feet away. TJ rolled up next to him and stared out at it too. "Well," said TJ, "It's not a aircraft. They wouldn't make a crater like this. It could be a meteor or something, but it didn't make enough noise, and it shouldn't be burning like this."

As if on cue, there was a loud hissing noise from the crater, and the thinning black smoke suddenly became a thick white cloud, resembling steam. The red glow diminished, along with the heat. In a few seconds, they began to get chilly as the cool summer night breeze blew through, washing away the remains of the heat and acrid smell of the chemical extinguishers. The firefighters started moving closer as the molten pavement and rock cooled and congealed. As they reached the base of the crater wall, one of the firemen came towards them and reported.

"TJ, Mike, it looks as if the situation is under control. It's cool enough to approach now."

TJ nodded. "Thanks, chief." TJ looked up at Mike. "Well, are you going to go look?"

"I'll go," volunteered Eddie.

"No, I'll go," said Mike, and he started to walk towards the crater, TJ, Eddie, and the Fire Chief following right behind him. As he got closer, he noticed that he still didn't feel and heat, and the white smoke had dissipated, with just a few thin wisps of steam rising out of the crater. The only light now was from the light poles and the flashing lights of the emergency equipment.

He stopped at the base of the wall. It went up at about a sixty degree incline. He felt some warmth from the wall, and slowly reached out a hand. It was very warm, but not enough to burn him. He started to climb up, and noticed Eddie was starting up too.

"Wait here, Ed. Let me see what it is first. Go find a Geiger counter in case it is a space rock. I want to know if it's radioactive."

"Yes, Sir." Eddie sounded disappointed, and turned to the fire chief to find out if he knew where there might be a detector.

Mike scrambled up to the top of the wall, and mindful of his own warning, quickly stuck his head up for a quick look. The crater was deep, the center easily twenty feet below the surface of the parking lot. When he saw what was in the center, he forgot all about caution. "Holy Mother of God!"

Everyone looked up at him in surprise. Eddie and the Chief, disregarding any possible danger, rushed to the top of the wall and looked over. Eddie was speechless, and the Chief uttered, "Where in hell did that come from?"

What they saw was a gleaming metal cylinder half buried in the center. They saw about two meters of it standing up, and it was one and a half meters in diameter. The top of the cylinder was domed, and blended in smoothly with the sides. There were a series of small openings around the base of the diameter and around the top. As they watched, the openings closed, leaving the cylinder with a smooth, unbroken appearance.

"What is it? What do you see?" demanded TJ, frustrated by his inability to see for himself.

"Some kind of metal missile of some sort. It might be a satellite. It doesn't seem damaged by the crash," said Mike, glancing back at TJ.

"There isn't anything due to come down in this area for several years," said TJ. "I just checked a couple of days ago with Skywatch over the Net. There haven't been any launchings, either."

"Maybe it's a military bird. The government wouldn't update Skywatch if it was secret." said Eddie, not removing his gaze from the cylinder.

"Can you tell what it is?" asked TJ.

"No. Whatever it is, it looks as if it's in a protective shell of some sort. Looks heavy," replied Eddie.

"Can you tell who it belongs to?"

"No. I can't see any markings. It's all smooth shiny metal."

TJ looked over at Mike. "Mike, can you see anything?"

Mike shook his head. "There aren't any markings. It just looks like a huge shiny cold capsule sticking out of the center of the crater."

Eddie looked over at Mike. "I feel like I'm at Grover's Mill."

The allusion was lost on Mike. Before he had a chance to say "What?", the metal cylinder began to make noises. There were a series of electronic pings, then a loud click and a ker-lunk. A line appeared around the base of the domed end that slowly widened with a scraping noise. The top of the cylinder was lifting upwards. The three men watched speechlessly.

"What's going on up there?" demanded TJ.

"It's opening!" yelled back Eddie.

"Shit, shit, shit," TJ bounced in his chair in time with his exclamations. He had to see what was going on. He waved at the nearest firemen. "Hey, you guys. Give me a hand here. Help me get up there. I gotta see what what's happening."

Two of the firemen came over, and draping an arm around each of their shoulders and grabbing his legs, they carried him up the wall high enough to see what was going on. The gap in the top of the cylinder had widened to about six inches and stopped. After a second, there was a whirring noise, and the top of the cylinder tilted up and over, revealing an opening. The cylinder wall appeared to be a quarter of a meter thick, and there was a glimpse of movement in the dark opening.

"Shit, I don't even have a gun with me," muttered Mike.

"I don't think it would make any difference," replied TJ. Mike jumped in surprise to hear TJ voice right next to him. He considered telling him to get back down, then thought better of it. TJ never let anyone or anything from stopping him when he wanted to do something. It was because of his strength of will that CyberTech was as profitable as it was.

As they continued to watch the cylinder, a dim purplish light appeared in the opening. Everyone ducked down enough so that they just barely see. TJ nudged the two that were holding him. When the two firemen ducked, TJ lost his view. They lifted him up so he could see back into the crater. Shadows cut dark shapes into the purplish light and something moved inside the cylinder. Images of Aliens from the movie of the same name flashed through Mike' mind, and he felt himself break out into a cold sweat. He searched his mind for anything that could be used as a weapon. There was a shotgun under his seat in the car, but he probably wouldn't be able to reach it in time.

The shadows suddenly blocked out most of the light coming from the cylinder. Eddie screamed, "It's coming out!", and everyone instinctively ducked down behind the wall again.

TJ nudged his helpers again in irritation, and they lifted him up. Mike heard him say, "I don't believe it. In a million years, I wouldn't have believed it." Mike lifted his head again, and understood what TJ meant.

Hovering over the cylinder was what appeared to be a fantastic suit of armor. There were two legs, two arms, one head, and a tail, all encased in what appeared to be armor out of a science fiction movie. It was just floating about two meters above the open cylinder, and the purplish glow was emanating from something on it's back. The entire suit was a florescent pink color, with gray stripes running down the sides and limbs. They could here a faint hum coming from it as it slowly began to rise, quickly rising above the edge of the pit, and slowly turned around, surveying the area.

It stopped, facing the men, who had descended the wall as the figure rose. It seemed to shake its head, and then there was a click, similar to the activation of a PA system, and they heard a voice coming from the figure speaking English with an odd accent. "I don't think my insurance is going to cover this."

To Be Continued