Excerpt of Intergalactic Witness Protection
I sound a gentle alarm to awaken my crew and guests as we approach the earth. Not because I need their help to land, but because I know their sentimental nature will want to be awake for this part of our journey.
Orion, Killa, and Reverend Shipping jump up suddenly. Nicholas keeps snoozing.
A likely scenario, really. Nicholas could sleep through the alarms blaring that we were about to fly into the sun.
āHome so soon?ā Orion mutters, wiping his eyes- clearing the sleep out of them, as the humans say.
āSo soon?ā Reverend Shipping grunts. āIt feels like itās been millenia.ā
āHave you ever been on earth?ā Orion asks, taking the ship off autopilot for his favorite part- entering orbit. āOr has Ganymede been your only taste of civilization? If it can even be called that.ā
āI was born on earth. My parents moved us to Ganymede when I was little to be missionaries to the moon.ā
āWell, it will feel like day to the night of the moon.ā Orion falls in line behind one of the landing satellites.
āIt will feel like so, but it will not truly be so. People are still themselves inside, no matter how much they hide it behind civilization.ā
Orion snorts. āThatās why Alicia Ivy is my favorite.ā
My hologram smiles at that in order to keep up the pretense that I am somewhat human and not stray too close to the uncanny valley.
Until I notice what appears to be a missile honed on our coordinates. Itās not close enough to be visible by human eyes yet, as evident by everyone elseās calm banter.
I reach out to the missile to see if I can gain access and learn its true path and not just the one Iāve calculated.
But I just hit military firewalls.
And continues the path Iāve calculated will take it straight to us.
Since I canāt seem to take control of the missile, I take control of the ship instead.
āAlicia Ivy?ā Orion says.
āI estimate that we are under an attack.ā
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