The ship penetrated the Star Blister with violent shudder knocking the cup of coffeen into Captain Smyth's lap. He took off his baseball cap with the New York Yankees logo on the front and carefully placed it on his chairs side desk. There hadn't been a baseball professional game in 75 years but it was of a nostalgic interest to the captain. The cap belonged to his grandfather, a relief pitcher and a hero to the Captain. It was something about being called in at the last minute when the game was on the line. You couldn't be a star captain unless you were an adrenaline junkie. No one else was that crazy. Except the nuts that went 'out there' with that same Captain.

"Damn! Number Two, what was that?"

The Captain stood and allowed the fabric of his uniform to absorb and self-clean the stain. The fabric was designed for space travel. It protected beneficial organisms living on the skin from gamma rays, shielded the body from other killing radiation and absorbed the numerous odors the human body emits. It was also a marvel at regulating body temperature but didn't help one bit if heat were directly applied to the surface, such as the accidental placement of hot coffeen to the groin.

"I'd like to have children."

Number Two laughed at the uniquely Spacer joke. Space travel caused sterility in males and would kill females if they didn't volunteer for a hysterectomy and lymphatic reduction. Men, with no surprise, outnumbered women ten to three. To compensate the courageous and certifiable men and women, who volunteered for Space service, they are ordered to have their eggs and sperm frozen before traveling into space. Everyone knew it was only a psychological security blanket, most Spacers never stepped foot back on Earth. The inevitable physical changes made setting foot on earth almost impossible. Spacer eggs and sperm were however very desirable and expensive. The sterile Rich found the qualities found in Spacer DNA desirable in the children they bequest.

"I have no idea, Captain, our Bubble should have entered through the Star Blister easily."

The Captain lifted his head to the Com. "Number Three?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Any idea what that was?"

She began station checking- each system separately. Rising she ran through three main areas to the bridge.

"All systems optimum, Captain!" She took her seat to the right of the bridge console.

The Captain out of habit rubbed his chin. It was a not very satisfying nervous affectation. Spacers lose all their hair after a month in space. They got the name Slicks by Earth bound people. Slicks were honored, but because they seldom set foot on the Earth's surface honor became myth. Spacers abhorred open spaces and crowds would have them come unhinged - being seven to eight feet tall. Growth spurts were also inevitable after a few years in open space. The three pod ship configuration was a bad fit for newbie Spacers but they all grew into the accommodations soon enough. Their sky high bald headed pictures were everywhere, depicted as heroes. They helped sell everything, including razors, shaving cream, and depilatories. ' Get a shave as close as a spacer's head.' The Spacers didn't mind. The money helped offset the cost of the war and provided financial aid to their earth bound families. The 'Spacers' sarcastically called it death benefits.

"Acknowledged Number Three. I have done over two hundred jumps and have never felt anything even close to that. Number Two?"

The Captain snapped and sat in his Command Chair.

"What's out there?"

"Nothing just captured ionized dust. Normal levels."

"We have to find out what happened or I'm reluctant to do another jump. Keep looking people. Let's relax and have a thorough look. Sweety?"

"Yes my love!" The ships AI answered.

"Number Three is there any reason that Sweety has to sound like she wants to have sex with us or is it true love?"

"Well, Captain…I just thought that since we all like girls… I loaded the new paradigm matrix in before we lifted off. It was a surprise for your 123 birthday."

"Yeah! Yeah! The voice sounds familiar. Whose voice is it?"

Number two blurted "I don't know but I get a woody when she whispers to me at night and it's of no use on this ship."

"If it's detachable I'll use it." Number Three laughed.

The Captain blushed" That's too much information. Sweety, stop whispering to number two when he is in sleep cycle."

"You are too harsh! Would you like me to sing you to sleep?"

"It's Marilyn Monroe's voice and minor engrams…she was Joltin' Joe's wife for a while. I thought you'd like it."

"I do I guess…Joltin' Joe really. Thank you. That's thoughtful. I suppose we will get accustomed. Sweety ? Please do a diagnostic on the bubble configuration.

"Yes Dear!"

The Captain pulled over his Console and replayed the ship's memory. There was no doubt that the ship vibrated like a LA earthquake. The Captain made a decision.

"Sam? Instigate Order Twenty-Three. Willie keep looking. Find me something or I'll end up rubbing my chin bloody."

Number Three Samantha Steer was the helmsman, all brain and knew it. The Captain had better know what he was doing or the woman would make his life miserable. Captain Smyth loved her in a platonic way and her insubordinate behavior but above all he trusted her with his life.

"Jake Drake-Number Two- initiating Order 23, active- Captain Smyth- 0109876B. " James Smyth-Captain-Number One- command given-mark time and date-0115543A-Go."

Number Three, on seeing the green light at her console, typed in her code sequence and a light thump was heard giving indication that the sixteen planet killers were armed and positioned. The ship had powerful defensive weaponry but this was different, these planet-killing missiles were meant to be offensive.

The captain had made a decision. The unusual nature of the entry to this star system may have been a warning system. If it was such a system, it was advanced. This may be the star system for which they had looked three hundred years. If it was that system, they had better be prepared. Number Two and Number Three concurred by the lack of discussion.

Every system on the ship was Go.

"Number two? Scan."

"Eight Planets- Sol Plus one-half, near white- Fourth from in, inhabited one-billion- no colonies-hi-techy readings- Probability 79%. Aggressive probability 54%."

"Sweety? Do you agree?" The Captain asked.

"Close enough, Darling!"

Willie was the brain and the man for instant probabilities and stats. He did them in his head. He was a geek and a perpetual boy. He was one hell of a man in an emergency.

"Even with the possibility of a warning system." The Captain asked.

"It was non-lethal system. We can assume they are not afraid. Sir, it may have just been a doorbell. Should I disable Order 23?"

The Captain took a moment to muse over the situation. He let his mind wander. It was a technique that activated the minute memory board implanted in his cerebral cortex. His under-mind, which stored all his actions and decisions since being promoted to Captain, would often see what he could not.

Einstein and Hawking were correct as far as it went. Physics had laws that worked within the influence of a star. It was what happened to matter in the distance between the stars that was interesting. When we started back- engineering the crash and captured vehicles from Roswell, Hopkinsville, Volgograd, Baotou, Mosul, Cuzco and the Antarctic, three hundred years ago, the first thing understood were the pulse engines. With those we secretly conquered easily the Sol system and all its twelve planets and moons. When we encountered the Star Blister, the physical edge of a star's influence, the dream of star travel came to a screeching halt. When a ship hit that far-most and unseen barrier it exploded into atoms.

Two generations worked on the problem fueled and funded by the outcry of all earth citizens at the continuous and outrageous behavior of the Grays.

Betty and Barney Hill were discredited in the middle of the 1900's as were all that claimed the outrage and horror of unwanted visitations. The terror, violation, fetal theft, disregard for privacy and arrogance continued and increased until this day. There was nothing the human race could do to stop them. They could get in but we could not get out. But we got out.

It was Dr. Branston's attempt at a bounce back safety system that finally solved the space travel problem, but not in the way he had planned. His first small probe hit the barrier and disappeared. It did not explode it vanished. Branston believed he failed. He died in an asylum having gone quite mad.

Humans still multiplied and prospered by colonizing every planet and moon that would allow their numbers. Then it happened. A faint signal came from the direction of Alpha Centuri. Was their life in that system? Was their loneliness as great as ours was? Were the Grays terrorizing them as well? The mystery did not last long. What was heard was Branston's probe.

Stars are greedy and covetous. Every star creates a blister around what it owns and will grab what ever it can. Branston's Probe was a simple device with a pulse drive and powerfully charged electronic coils, much like the wiring of a fan motor. The probe would build up speed and hit the barrier at the same rate as a full sized ship. Branston's hope was that the field generated by the coils would act as a repulser. It didn't. It penetrated the barrier and was stolen by Alpha Centuri, instantly. The laws of physics were thrown away. There was distance and non-distance between the stars, it was a flat bent sheet of space on any possible axis. Space travel became possible.

The captain rose to make another cup of coffeen. His crew waited patiently. He did his best to remember. There was an answer. He took off his hat and thought of Babe Ruth ole number three, Earl Combs ole number one, Mark Koenig number two.

Any wave energy crept along in open space between the stars hampered by the speed of light. Any particle was jealously held by a star system unless its mass was under 1500meV. That number relating to a Quark known as a Charm. Smaller mesons and baryons moved about freely. Light waves did not pick up the particle nature until it hit the star blisters and picked up particles trapped at the outer limits of a star system. The Star Blister broke down more complex molecular combinations into their smallest element. It was the 'here- not here' anti-quarks that held the clue. It was the electro-magnetic field, or Bubble, that fooled the Blister and once free of the Star Blister it's mass was infinitely small but everything enclosed in the electro-magnetic Bubble was unaffected. The field then consisted of anti-quarks and attracted dark matter, giving it a soap bubble appearance and undeniable attractiveness to the nearest star. Once the Blister of that star came into contact with the Bubble it would disperse, or pop, and the ship was now the property of that star.

The science escaped him but this simplistic model served.

It was how the Grays moved around the universe in shiny sports car sized ships. He and his crew jumped from star to star in search of the little bastards. Humans had declared War on the Grays although the enemy seemed not to care. Sixteen missiles in the bowels of this ship represented judgment and punishment for their arrogance and disrespect.

"Hail the Dulane Ambassador." Number Two looked at him with a raised eyebrow and switched on the warp space communicator.

This device was still considered dangerous to the environment of space. It is a Dulane invention.

"No do not countermand Order 23. Stop doing that eyebrow thing, it's annoying."

"Aye, Aye Captain."

"Ask him if they have ever encountered such a phenomena. The scaly bastards have certainly been at it longer than we have."

The prejudice associated with the Dulanes was a nerve point with Captain Smyth. His family were always military and his Uncle had raised him on stories about how the Lizard Men took it upon themselves to mine our planet without our permission and how battles had broken out in the deep earth when the Military built underground bases. He knew that the Missouri Accords had settled all claims, without the Dulanes admitting to anything. To them, officially, it was First Contact and now we were friends. Captain Smyth could not bring himself to completely trust them.

The garble of the Dulane speech was instantly translated.

"How interesting this is. We are doing the math. As to experience, that particular happenstance, to us, has never occurred. We are looking to archives and to myth."

The Dulanes have been traveling the stars for four thousand years and they too knew the Grays, but only as an annoyance. The human race had been pushed to paranoia by the Grays and made the Dulanes' desire to trade openly an impossibility. They had tried elaborate crop circles to warn us of the Grays and offer themselves as helpful friends. But the Dulane think in a spatial- mathematical context, the complex communications were never understood and more often debunked as hoaxes. They knew we had Gray vehicles, they even threw in some of theirs, knowing we would eventually discover the nature of the workings. We were too thick to get it. They gave up for awhile on open contact and waited for us to come to the stars. Officially we met in the stars and the deep earth tragedies were a mystery that never took place.

"Captain?" A new voice came over the Com. "This is Zzzkkabeeee."

The translator did its best. Names to the Dulane meant nothing. They called themselves by how they defined their role in their society.

"General-priest-allfather-understander… Great honor talking to this one. Best I can do Captain."

The Captain looked at Number Two. He was glad he had this brainy guy.

"Thank you." To the Dulane." I am at your service. I am here."

Formal Dulane speech was not Smyth's best attribute.

"A perplexing event. Not till now known to us. Should we come to assist?"

"Such a gift would be more than could be asked. Such a sacrifice could be construed, to the Grays, who's system this may well be, an alliance, to them, not desired."

"They find us of no interest. We share our friends outrage and weep at the sufferings."

Smyth turned to his crew and grinned. The Dulane don't have tear ducts but the use of the word 'outrage' was interesting. Outrage and killing was the same word in their language. To use the word weep depicted an understanding of the need for 'outrage'.

"We know Humans as permanent friends. We believe as equal, what is wrought against you is wrought against us."

There was the political core of it. The Dulane are addicted to our beef. We pumped our food animal so full of growth hormones, adrenal compounds and iron. Hemoglobin acted, in them, as a natural anti-biotic. What is only heart-cloggingly unhealthy to us is enjoyable, curative and addictive to them. In the past, they couldn't openly take our cows so they took parts. The first order of business at the table in Missouri was trade, beef for anything we wanted. The first ten thousand cows were free the next cost them plenty. We humans may be slow but we are not stupid. Leverage was almost a religiuos concept to the lizards. They really did admire and are affectionate to humans. One t-bone over a slow fire and we are egg brothers for life.

"What of our mutual friends? Do they share such a mind of honor and generosity?"

There was a long pause.

"Thank you! Only the Vians but they have come to be enlightened."

The process of enlightenment, as practiced by Dulanes, is always painful. We knew the Vians of Asgardin as Nordics. These Nordics share some DNA with Humans and in the past tried to enslave us. They apologized, we accepted and we are now friends. The Grays once found them interesting as well. It was the Dulanes who offered improved Bubble technology and force fields. The Nordics stepped back on any exploitation of humans for fear of the Dulanes. The Asgardins had terrible myths of lizard men eating their young. It never happened but the Dulanes saw no reason to deny the accusation. They ate their horses.

"Would not the Vians be concerned that the Gray may again be of interest?"

"A concern of theirs. We told them we would eat them should that interest be renewed."

The syntax was askew.

Number two offered." It is both a threat and a promise of defensive assistance."

"Eat them? I thought they didn't do that."

"The Vians don't know that. Myths are hard to shake." Number Three added.

"Very well. Com on." The captain could hardly contain a smile.

"We feel a new and welcome wind at our backs. We will continue with Order 23 and give full disclosure of our findings to all our friends. K-k-k-k-kte loom g-gan!"

"Not bad Captain. Didn't know you spoke Dulane Edre." Number Three smiled.

"I'm impressed, that was formal language. 'Warm sun, many living young, bound for life, long trails circle back.' He would be very impressed and honored. That was the best possible farewell to someone of his stature. That will get back to earth and you will get a medal and Ambassador Status."

Number Two grinned. "Will do us good too, Number Three. Assistant Ambassadors. Think on the profits we are gonna rake in with immunity."

The Captain never changed expression. He learned it just days ago. He had a premonition that he may need to use it. He now had a crew that will serve him, at their best, when it was needed. Profit is a good motive- if they survive.

"Oh Captain Dear, I think you did wonderfully." Sweety breathed.

"Thank you Sweety!" The Captain glared at number three.

"Even with the advanced pulse engines, Darling, it would still take three weeks, four days and twenty minutes to get to the fourth Planet." Sweety added.

The Humans were righteous in their anger as once were the orange skinned Alterians, who had been at war with the Grays for centuries. That conflict ended in a stalemate. The Alterians continued to concentrate their attention on Wormholes. Those violent tubes the very reason for that ancient conflict. The Grays lost interest in the war and the wormholes. It was widely believed that the holes were a method to leave the Galaxy. The Galaxies also had a Mega-Blister, it was supposed, just like the Star Blister. Even if it were true no one had the technology to reach that impossible barrier. The wormholes were believed to be made by a lost ancient race or races to get past that barrier and to travel to the nearest Galaxy. No one knew who made them but the Alterians were determined to create a strong enough Bubble to withstand the forces within the Hole. The preoccupied Alterians were to be of no use.

"OK, let's set it up. Sweety. Activate the force field."

The lights dimmed as power surged to the shields. The Crew satisfied at the readings and their safety, walked to the Stasis Beds, stripped and climbed in. This decision had to be a consensus. The Captain gave them both a nod of approval and closed them in checked the settings and iced them. He then walked back to his command seat and switched off unnecessary lights. He took off his hat and hung it on a special hook, then reached for the Umbilical Cable. He plugged the socket into the input port implanted in the back of his head and could immediately sense the ship systems. Sweety started soothing him and messaging his pleasure centers. Satisfied, he switched on the Somnambulistic System and drifted down in a manufactured dream. The ship system added the Captain's brain to its own and took complete control of the ship. This technology was found in a captured Gray ship. The last conscious thought the Captain had was the irony that most everything in this ship was Gray Science and they were going to destroy their evil benefactors.

The ship woke him with an alarm. The Captain climbed up out of a dream drama about Sharon, looking like Marilyn and Adam Tanner, who looked like the Captain's Grandfather. Adam had cheated on his wife and the Captain knew that it was Sharon who killed the Detective. The ship demanded his attention. He turned his attention to the ship and slammed back in his seat. His face went white. Unplugging his stint he ran back to the Stasis Cabinets, hitting the ships red 'lock down' button on the way. The ship's shields, somehow, had failed and it now had a lethal anti-intruder field surrounding the ship. He hit the crew cabin lights. Turning in terror he realizing that the bridge lights were on. Those lights could only be switched on manually. This wasn't at all good. The indicators to the Stasis Cabinets read green, he fingered the controls in a panic, the cabinets were opened. They were empty.

The captain yelled to the ship.

''Sweety,where the hell is my crew?''

No answer came.

His mind was reeling. It was impossible. Sweat dripped off his face. There was no way that his crew could be gone. He ran back to the Bridge and punched in the ship's status and life- sign sensors. No one had entered the ship and his crew was not on board. The field failure wasn't recorded and that was against every command protocol designed into the computer.

"Sweety? What happened?"

' Unknown Sweetheart…I have a gap in my memory. Very disturbing!"

He switched on the external view plates and stared at the screen. Where stars should be there was now a forest glade. A bright blue sky and verdant growth crashed in on his spacer sensibilities. Birds and butterflies danced on breeze blown wild flowers of blaring colors. Grabbing his hat and putting it on, he ran back to the engineering section and sat at the console. He swore and stood up unhappy at what he saw. He turned to the hatch plate, twisted the release. The hatch opened, he ignored the warning klaxon and climbed down to the weapons hold. The shock at what he saw made him lose his handhold and he fell in a painful crash to the walk-grid. He gasped for air, wiping blood from his eyes. He stared in disbelief; the sixteen planet killers were gone. The haunting image of empty loaders yanked hard on his sanity. He shook is head and climbed back up the ladder. He didn't know what to do and he was trained to always know what to do. There was nothing here that made any sense. If they were under some kind of attack, why didn't the ship's sensors wake him? He walked slowly toward the Bridge. He stooped in front of the Stasis Cabinets.

"Maybe I wasn't awake enough… I'm sorry Darling. Forgive me!"

He opened the cabinets again and fell back on the floor. In the cabinets were two small Gray bodies. He slammed the cabinets shut hitting the freeze buttons. His mind raced as he ran to his command seat. On the side was a six-inch red box. He pulled out a key from his breast pocket as he ran. Reaching the chair he inserted the key, opened the plate front and pushed the button. An even louder klaxon screamed. The noise was unbearable. He climbed into his chair, closed his eyes and prayed to God to forgive his failure. He knew that in one minute and thirty seconds the ship would explode into atoms.

He opened his eyes. It didn't happen.

The Captain took off his hat. Two things he was sure of, the Yankees were a great baseball team and Sharon/ Marilyn killed the detective. He rose, beaten, went over and poured himself a cup of Coffen. There was nothing he could do. He tasted the rich brew and he relaxed to the inevitable.

" Last of the ninth. Two strikes and three balls…we are ahead by one. Grandpa what would you do?"

" Make the pitch and let the universe give you what it wants."

Captain Smyth did not hear the words he felt them in his head. It was his Grandfathers voice. He couldn't hear anything over the din of the klaxons.

"You are in no danger." The voice in his head tickled.

He turned around and stared calmly at three, small, big- headed large black eyed, skinny Grays. The Captain walked over to his chair. He plugged the Umbilical back in and shut down all no-essential systems and the klaxons. He sipped his coffeen and waited.

"You guys know that I had requested firearms on ships-you know- rubber bullets or something. I would shoot you all if I had a gun."

The exit hatch opened with a hiss.

"Please Captain, disengage your connection to the ship. Your crew is waiting."

"Am I a prisoner?"

"Of course not, you are our guest. Please after you."

"You sure are polite little bastards, aren't you?"

He still hoped for one more pitch and he would find a way to destroy them.

"Yes! And we don't think you will want to destroy us when the truth is known."

The Captain, reluctantly, did as he was requested and walked out into the bright sunlight to a beautiful world. His crew, grinning, waved at him from a clearing. Beside them were a dozen or more Humans dressed in tunics of shimmering colors. They too, smiled and waved. He looked at the three Grays standing next to him on the ramp.

"We are synthetics Captain. We are mobile computers but ones that have gained sentience eons ago. We clone our biologically bodies. We do as our Makers ask and we do it with pride. Please, you will want to meet those who have seeded your race and have cared for them these many thousands of years."

The captain went down to his crew and was introduced to the Premier at a grand feast.

***

"Report Number Two." The Long limbed creature looked down at the Gray sitting at the consul.

"We have the weapons secured."

"Very well. Status of the Humans?"

"The one called Number two and three were planet transported for research. We are hopeful. The changes in them may be the clue to the puzzle. The Captain remains umbilicaled to his ship. We programmed in an alternate reality and sent him and his ship through the closest Worm Hole.

Thoughts of relief ran between the two Grays and the superior elongated whites and to the planet coming into view. They were safe. It was so long ago that the Creator Humany had all died of a simple deadly virus. The serving Grays could do nothing but watch and mourn. Their own once strong servile bodies had weakened from to many generations of cloning. The three in this ship had downloaded their souls, periodically, into new frail bodies for over ten thousand years. They were terrorized by their own mortality and the horrid fear that no god wanted a soul that someone else had made.

It was their Masters that altered, by mixing in their DNA, into the abandoned slave Humans eons ago. And in that- hope survived. In human DNA was the new strength and salvation of the Gray race. The captured Spacers gave them hope. They looked liked the images Of the Masters. They would find the code at any cost. They had to. They had no heaven.

                                  ***

"Sweety? Where are we?"

" We appear to be in a worm hole."

"How are we doing?"

"Pretty good. Darling. The Alterian modifications seem to be working. Where are we going?"

" I have no idea. Wake up Two and Three."

"They will discover you fooled them with the clones of Two and Three."

"It will be too late."

End