Aliens Of Boyds Planet

The tug gently pushed the Prometheus into the docking bay. With a thud the docking clamps locked to the hull. Then there was silence.

Captain Jackson stood from her command chair and leaned over the control consol. After pressing several keys on her input board, she walked through the Crew Quarters and entered the air lock. She pressed the red button and began the compression cycle. The door behind her closed and the pumps could be heard equalizing the pressure between the air lock and Delta Station. The outer doors opened and Captain Jackson stepped into the station.

"Welcome back, Jenny," said Teron Seph, the cargo manager on Delta Station.

"Thanks, Teron. Is Syd in his office. I need to report."

"I think so, Jenny. Heard about the troubles you had out on Boyd's."

"Load me up with 400,000 on fuel would you?"

"Sure. Have it done in an hour. You going out again?"

"Yeah," Jenny remarked as she strode toward the lift for Level 5 and the Station Manager's Office.

"Ah. Welcome back, Captain. I've already ordered the repairs to the Prometheus," said Syd Bell, Station Manager. "I read your report. Nasty business. We've sent a decontamination team to Boyd's Planet to clean up that mess. And what about your infected crew?"

"I spaced the lot of them, Syd. Pitched them out the airlock and bye-bye."

"And the ship? Did you do a scan for alien organisms?"

"Yes, Syd. Nothing showed up. Although there were five crates loaded on Boyd's that I couldn't scan for some reason. They were quarantined in the aft section. They're well marked," Jenny said thoughtfully.

"Good. Good. I'll have them moved to the lab where the tech boys can go through them to see if there's anything there."

"Thanks," Jenny said turning on her heel and headed for the door. "I'll check with you later. I need some hot food and sleep, Syd."

Jenny went to a small lunch café' down on Level 3 that was near here office/apartment and ordered a light meal.

*****************************

Dr. Thom Sparks moved carefully in his environmental suit. "No need to hurry," he thought. "The tiniest tear and I could be infected. He moved slowly as he turned the locking handle on the steel crate from the Prometheus. With an audible click one end of the crate swung aside. Dr. Sparks peered at the contents stacked inside.

As he backed away, he instructed a M514 maintenance robot to remove the first box from the crate. It was somewhat larger than expected. When setting on the examination table the box almost appeared to be a coffin. Dr. Sparks scratched his sandy hair as he examined the box. The markings said, "MINING EQUIPMENT FOR REPAIR." Dr. Sparks moved an X-Ray scanner over the box. Nothing. The X-Rays could not penetrate the box. Again, Dr. Sparks scratched his head.

Moving to the side of the box, Dr. Sparks opened the retainers holding the lid and slowly raised the lid and peered over the side. An arm with a claw-like hand shot out of the box and pierced he abdomen. Sparks tried to scream, but no sounds came from his throat. Instead he sank to the floor.

Damon Sark sat up in the box. "Up, sister. We have work to do," he said with a wry smile. Dr. Sparks opened his eyes and stood. After a moment, Sparks turned to his communications console.

"Mr. Bell?" Sparks said to the monitor screen as Syd Bell's face appeared. "I have something very interesting in one of the boxes from the Prometheus. Please come down here."

"Oh, Doctor. Good. What have you found?"

"You'll have to see for yourself, Sir. Are you coming?"

"Yes. I'll be right there."

***********************

Jenny Jackson rose from here bed and looked at the clock. She'd been asleep for nine hours. "God," she thought. "That was well needed." She padded to the shower and stood under the stinging spray of warm water. The weariness of sleep washed away and she was refreshed.

As she dried herself, the communications unit on the bulk head beeped. Jenny pressed the green button on the unit and Syd's face appeared. "Good morning, Syd."

"Jenny, you brought back some interesting cargo from Boyd's Planet. You should go down the Level 3 and see it," Syd suggested.

"Okay. I will after breakfast, Syd."

"Oh, you should go now, Captain. You'll find it most interesting."

"Hmmm. Okay, Syd. Whatever you say." Jenny pressed the green button again and the screen went blank.

Jenny dressed in clean coveralls and boots. She popped on her usual baseball cap and left her apartment and headed for the lift.

"Jenny. Welcome back."

Jenny Jackson turned to see Rob Wist, another freighter captain. She waved and said, "Syd wants me down in the lab." She pressed the call button on the lift.

"Oh yes, Jenny. You need to see what you've brought us. Nearly everyone on the station has seen it."

Jenny turned towards Captain Wist. "Really? What could be that interesting?"

"Oh, you have to see for yourself, Jenny. I will change you life."

The lift arrived and Jenny stepped in with a wave at her friend. The doors closed and began to descend. Jenny reached out and pressed the STOP button. "Something is wrong," she thought. "This will change my life? Everyone has seen this?"

Jenny reached out and pressed the button for Level 5. The motors on the lift whirred and the lift moved upwards. The doors opened in front of Syd's office. A number of people stood around in the corridor. Jenny thought it was odd. No one chatted. In fact, there was no sounds at all.

Then there was a yell, "There's one. Convert her." The crowd turned as one and moved towards the lift. The right hand of each seemed to morph into an ugly, curved claw as they approached. Jenny pushed the button for Level 1 and the doors closed just as the crowd reached the lift. The lift moved downward to the Docking Deck.

The doors opened. The Docking Deck was deserted. Jenny moved quickly through the airlock to the Prometheus, then to her cabin. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out her holstered blaster. She strapped the blaster around her waist and went into the Communications Center.

Hurriedly, Jenny typed out a message to Fleet Command. Then pressed the SEND key. A face appeared on the screen on the communications console. "We are sorry. But all communications are down. Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience," the face said with a recorded smile. Then the screen went blank.

Jenny ran to the Cargo Hold. It was completely empty. All five quarantined crates had already been removed. She paused to think. There was a sound she hadn't heard. She listened. The sound came again.

Drawing her blaster, Jenny moved to the rear of the hold. The sound seemed to come from a maintenance locker. Jenny opened the locker.

"No. Please," a woman's voice screamed.

"Shut up. Who are you?" Jenny asked.

A head of jet black hair appeared from behind some hanging conduit. "It's me. Cheri Skit. Is that you, Captain, Jackson?"

"Yes. You can come out Cheri. What the hell are you doing in there?"

"Hiding. They changed. I mean. Just changed. And..."

"And they were trying to get close to you. Right?"

"Yes. And their hands. They changed."

"I know. Something alien that was picked up on Boyd's Planet. Who are you, anyway?"

"I work in Electronics Maintenance. They sent here to check out your scanners. What's going on?"

Jenny thought about this for a moment, then said, "It seems aliens have taken over the station." Then after another moment, "We can't take on the whole station. So we escape."

"Escape?" Cheri said. "How?"

"In the Prometheus, of course."

"But you can't. The locking clamps have to be released from out there in the Cargo Deck. You can't just take off."

Captain Jackson sat down at the communications console to think. "Maybe we can if we are very lucky. I may have a plan."

Cheri listened while Jenny Jackson outlined what she needed her to do.

************************

Jenny was busy doing her preflight check list. Cheri was down in the hold. Just as Captain Jackson had told her, there was a partially disassembled maintenance robot in the after storage locker. This was something the Engineer has been tinkering with but never got to work quite right. Cheri worked at disassembling more of the robot. All she needed was one arm and the servo-motors attached. For a power supply, Cheri cannibalized the LTS radar for its battery back up. The radar would work fine as long as there was ship's power. Soon, Cheri had a working robot arm.

Captain Jackson brought an IPS Hyperlink card that would allow the arm to be controlled from inside the Prometheus.

"But we won't be able to see what's happening with the arm."

"I know. But if the plan works, we won't have too," Jenny said with a wink.

***********************

Cautiously, Jenny and Cheri moved across the Docking Deck. It seemed to be deserted. At the docking control consol, Jenny programmed the launch. "Now all we need is someone to press the yellow button," She said with a smile.

Cheri mounted the robot arm above the console. The robot's finger was poised just touching the button.

The far door opened and a crowd of people burst onto the Docking Deck. "There are two more. Get them," a shout went out.

Jenny, aimed her blaster at the leader as he ran towards them. One squeeze of the trigger and he dropped. The others continued on.

"Quick. Back to the ship," Jenny yelled as she and Cheri ran for the airlock. The first of the crowd reached the airlock just as Jenny pressed the cycle button. She aimed and fired her blaster again. The doors closed and the airlock cycle began. Hand clawed at the inner airlock door. As Jenny and Cheri stepped through the inner door, Jenny turned and fired her blaster at the cycle panel. The inner door slammed shut.

In the Command Center, Jenny nodded and Cheri pressed the DOWN button on the robot arm. For a moment nothing happened. Then there was a hiss and the docking clamps released. Jenny hit the engine throttles and the Prometheus moved away from Delta Station.

Jenny worked furiously to plot a course to Beta I which circled Saturn. Cheri sent message after message to Fleet Command, but communications in the sector were somehow blocked.

The burn lasted 7.52.299 minutes. The Prometheus accelerated towards Sol, then after the burn drifted still accelerating as it fell towards the sun.

"I make it five months, 13 days to Beta, Cheri," Jenny said, pursing her full lips.

"Yes, Captain. And about 4 days before we can send to Fleet Command."

Captain Jackson leaned back in her chair. "So?"

"Yes. So," Cheri said as she leaned over to kiss Jenny's lips. "What do we do for the next four days, Captain?"

Jenny stood and grew taller. Fir sprouted on all her exposed skin. Claws appeared where her hands had been. She let out a low growl.

Cheri too began to change. Her skin darkened to a green and fangs extended at the corners of her mouth. "You would be amazed at what I can do with my tail, Captain."

Captain Jenny Jackson let out another low growl then took Cheri's hand and guided her toward her cabin.