After they'd escaped Pezu, the crew of the Christa were all happy to finally be able to pause the trip back to Starcademy and re-supply and relax. Harlan and Suzee also agreed that it would be a good idea to set up the universal message device and speak to their families again.
" You know, Harlan, I didn't get to speak to my family because they were taking my sisters to the science museum. And I know Cat would have loved to speak to you guys. So, if we can set this thing up, let's call up my dimension and see how they're doing," Suzee said as she, Harlan, and Radu moved the 'Intergalactic Telephone' as Harlan called it to a spot a few feet away from the ship.
" Hey, that's a good idea. Hey, Radu, you gonna try contacting Elmira on this thing?" Harlan asked.
" No, she's probably deep in Spung space and any message to her is probably screened."
" Yeah, Harlan. Remember how we've had trouble on planets already? At least this time we're on this planet by choice. You know, it feels good to get out of the ship for a few days," Suzee smiled, the three of them setting the device down and stretching.
" So, let's fire up this baby and call Cat! I haven't seen her since she was struggling to get away from Warlord Shank," Harlan smiled.
" Well, that's easier said than done. You see, I have no clue if this thing will reflect properly and contact properly. I'll need to test it before we send any messages away from here, and I'll also try to get the most indirect path for the message to reflect. That way, we won't have another space pirate bearing down on us," Suzee explained. Commander Goddard walked over.
" Ah, I see you're getting our only way of contacting anyone outside of our ship. Good going cadets," Goddard smiled.
" Thank you, Commander. Miss Davenport, Rosie, Bova, and Thelma are already getting food to restock our food levels. After Eaty, we've needed a whole lot of food," Suzee said as she began her tests.
" Well, it's good that we actually were able to restore Thelma's memory circuits after Rosie was forced to melt her memory to kill Pezu's virus," Goddard smiled.
" What memory?" Suzee asked. " We still have never gotten her to remember anything about the Christa's original mission."
" Just... get the machine running. Admiral Cody will want a progress report if we're able to get this thing to work here," Goddard sighed.
" Yeah, and I'll be glad to see if maybe the admiral is willing to override Miss Terrell's decision to fire Miss Davenport. Ya know, she's been a really cool teacher in the past year we've been away from Starcademy," Harlan chuckled.
" Yeah, but will your step dad or Cat recognize you with those braids?" Suzee chuckled.
" Yeah, maybe it is time I took them out. After all, I'm not the leader of the Hil people anymore. But you did say you liked them," Harlan said with a smile.
" Not anymore," Suzee smirked.

Bova and Rosie were down at a beach trying to catch some fish.
" So, Bova, do you think you and your dad will do a lot of talking today?" Rosie asked as she cast her line into the water again.
" Probably not. I bet we won't be able to reflect the message beacon through the ionosphere," Bova said, his line not bobbing at all.
" Oh, Bova, why do you always have to be so negative?" Rosie asked.
" Let's not go through that again, Rosie. It was a pain being so positive the whole time," Bova shuddered, just as Rosie's line began bobbing.
" Oh! I got something!" she cried as she began reeling in her line in.
" Great. Just my luck. Cheery girl gets all the fish, and all I get are the worms we're using as bait," Bova muttered. When Rosie finally got the line in, it turned out it wasn't a fish- it was a bottle
" Hey! Bova! This bottle has a message in it!" Rosie exclaimed, " Come on, let's take it to Commander Goddard."

When they arrived, the message in the bottle was put out of their minds because Suzee had been able to raise Catalina.
" Cat!" Rosie cried.
" Hey, Rosie!" Cat smiled.
" Cat just got through a meeting with the Science Wing back home. They say they might be able to find a way to get Cat back here," Suzee exclaimed.
" Yeah, but there's only one problem. The scientists say that the trip would be one-way. There's no way for Suzee to get home to her family. And, Suzee, your sister really misses you and the fact that you missed her recital," Cat sighed.
" I know, Cat, but I'm certain that it's a small price to exploring this dimension and the species in it. Also, Starcademy and UPP scientists could probably find some way to get me home," Suzee smiled.
" Then it's settled. Cat, get into uniform and inform the ring of scientists that you're able to come home. And I'll bet your family would love to hear something from you," Goddard smiled. Cat nodded and the message blanked out.
" It'll probably take a few hours to get Cat back," Suzee explained.
" Good. We can prepare the ship and her section of the room for her return," Goddard smiled. Rosie suddenly remembered the bottle.
" Oh! Commander! Bova and I were fishing, and I pulled in this bottle! I thought it would be a good idea for Thelma run a contamination check on it before I opened it," Rosie explained.
" Good idea. Thelma?" Goddard cried. As usual, the human-emulating machine popped up behind the commander.
" Yes, Commander?" " Ah!" Goddard jumped, " Thelma, how do you do that!? Never mind. Thelma, I need you to run a decontam process on this bottle Rosie found. Then we can check the message in it."
" Yes, Commander," Thelma said and placed a finger on the bottle. " Analysis complete. There are no harmful entities inside or outside the bottle. It is safe to open."
" Good," Goddard said and opened the bottle and pulled out the piece of paper and opened it. " There's nothing on it except five-six-nine-mark seven-eight-four."
" Maybe they're coordinates we need to go to," Harlan said.
" Thelma?" Goddard asked.
" Those coordinates match a planet an hour away from here," Thelma stated.
" Then we should probably load up the message machine and go there. There might be someone in trouble," Goddard said.
" Right, but, we might want to let Cat know that she won't be able to contact us," Suzee said as she powered the machine back up.
" Alright. You do that while I go get Miss Davenport and we can all head back the ship," Goddard said.

Soon the Christa was back in space and heading for the planet Gemta.
" Hey, Harlan, what do you think we'll find on Gemta?" Radu asked.
" I don't know, but I doubt we'll find a person. Gemta is a gas giant with a gravity larger than Jupiter, which means no one can survive on it."
" Well, maybe they're on a ship in orbit," Suzee suggested.
" Maybe. Or maybe it's some kind of treasure on one of its moons. Yeah. Now that's what I'm talking about," Harlan chuckled.
" Or maybe it's a super-charged engine that'll get us back faster," Suzee smiled. " I sure that's just what you were thinking about," Radu chuckled.
" Well, whatever it is, we're about to find out. We're coming up on Gemta, Commander," Harlan reported.
" Commander, I'm reading some kind of engine material in orbit around the planet. There's also some debris- and it has Spung energy markings," Suzee reported.
" Commander, if the Spung were here, then they'll definitely be returning. We should leave the area," Miss Davenport said.
" I don't think so, Miss Davenport. These markings are rather similar to that of the ship currently docked at Pezu's station. I'll bet they were part of the same fleet, and the Spung will assume that they're victims of Pezu's virus and were destroyed will all of their data. After all, we are only three light-years from her station," Suzee reported.
" Be that as it may, Bova, put us on yellow alert and have the engines ready to head back to our little vacation planet. I don't want to take any chances," Goddard said.
" Commander, I've found the energy source of the engine material," Suzee stated, " It's coming from a small ship or large escape pod that's in a slowly decaying orbit around Gemta. If we don't do something, any crew onboard are going to be dead in. thirty minutes!"
" Rosie, what are the life sign readings on the ship?" Goddard barked.
" One life sign, very faint. Commander, the reading is human," Rosie exclaimed in surprise.
" Then let's get close enough we can pick the person up and get anything from the ship. T.H.E.L.M.A., Miss Davenport, stay here and watch for any sign of Spung. Rosie, I'm going to need you to come with us and take this person to the med lab. Bova, Harlan, Radu, you're with me and we're going to take any of the supplies and personal things off the ship in case Suzee can't get the ship up from the atmosphere. Okay, team, we've got our assignments. Let's move, move!" Goddard barked.

Mere minutes later, Rosie was healing the person in the med lab. He had Caucasian skin and dark hair. Rosie couldn't see the eyes yet, as they were still closed. He was wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. Harlan, Bova, Radu, and Commander Goddard had found the ship very empty except for small music chips in one drawer. Everything else was in the data files Suzee had already sent back to the Christa, and now Suzee was alone on the ship trying to get it out of the gas giant, but having little success. Rosie was now trying to save the young teen.
" Commander, he's got a small amount of radiation poisoning, but the majority of his injuries are from an explosion of the front console in his ship," Rosie reported.
" Well, that explains the scorch marks on the console here," Suzee said over the ship-to-ship communication array.
" I think I've got enough resources over here I can save him without any help, but I'm not certain," Rosie said as she gave the teen another once over with the scanner.
" Commander, the ship is running on low power. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the ship has like no power source," Suzee reported. Rosie heard a groan from the teen.
" Commander, it sounds like my patient is waking up," Rosie stated.
" Alright, I'll be right there," Goddard said. The teen's eyes opened slowly. They were ice blue. Rosie walked around from behind the chair. " Hi! I'm Rosie Ianni." She smiled and waved.
" You're. Mercurian?" the teen groaned, " But. there weren't. any Mercurians on the. colony."
" Colony?" Rosie asked as Commander Goddard entered.
" I'm Commander Seth Goddard."
" Terrien Walker." " What happened?" Goddard asked as Rosie began to take care of a few more of Terrien's injuries. " I was part of a group of people going to start a colony on a planet a few light years from Gemta. Our colony ship was attacked by the Spung. We used some of our light armaments to cripple one, but we were losing. Then the scout vessels suddenly self-destructed- except for one. It ran, but not before firing a shot at our engines. We had an engine core breach. The captain ordered us to abandon ship and we'd rendezvous on a nearby planet. It was supposedly simple. But what we didn't count on was an automated weapon system from one of the Spung ships blasting at every escape pod. I tried to escape from one blast, but it blasted my hull. It caused an explosion at my console, and I lost consciousness. Seth Goddard? But, you were stationed at Starcademy?" Terrien asked.
" I haven't been at Starcademy in a year. How long were you and the colony ship out?" " About six years, give or take. My parents were onboard. Do you know where they are?"
" I'm afraid we didn't pass any habitable planets on our way to the location of where a message in a bottle had coordinates for Gemta."
" Then. that means that. my family and friends are all gone," Terrien gasped.
" I'm sorry. But, right now, we're trying to save your escape pod. The odd thing is, it doesn't resemble anything that we know of that Earth has used."
" That's because we were using a mixture of Human, Mercurian, Saturnian, Uranusian, and Andromedan technology to see if we could get to our destination faster. But all it did was create a new type of engine trail. We hoped it would be okay for us to use as our engine supply. But all it did was convince the Spung that the humans were developing a weapon to use against them." Goddard sighed.
" Look, I know you're upset about everything that's happened, but I could use some help salvaging your pod."
" I've had losses before. Working on something help keep my mind off of them."
" Good. Rosie, prognosis?"
" The radiation poisoning is minor. As for the explosion, I think that time would be the best healer of that. If after we get his ship, he stays onboard the Christa and spends good time with the arms and receives regular heat therapy from me, then I don't see anything wrong with him working on his pod. But I want him to spend a little time in the bunk room before he goes to work," Rosie reported. Goddard nodded and Harlan escorted the new crewman to the boys bunkroom.
" Why did you tell him to do that?" Goddard asked.
" If he's alone, he can spend a little time figuring out how to cope," Rosie replied.
" Will he be able to work on his pod?"
" I think so."
" Good, because we're going to need as much help as we can get if we're going to save his pod."

" Here's the guys bunkroom," Harlan said.
" Thanks. Uh, can I have a few minutes of privacy?" Terrien asked. Harlan nodded, and walked out. Then the tears came.

Harlan heard Terrien's sobs over the loss, and remembered how it was when he lost his father. Stardog Ellison Band, lost during the war, his body returned to UPP. Harlan's mother shooed him out of the exam room where the corpse of his father lay. That night, young Harlan snuck into the exam room, and saw a mess of flesh and blood, a vivid reminder of Spung cruelty. The first words he heard about the corpse were 'Andromedan.' Harlan had vowed to himself to see the Andromedans pay for it. Now he knew the Spung had ordered the Andromedans to do it or they would have destroyed an entire generation of Andromedans, Radu, his best friend, included. A single tear rolled down Harlan's cheek as he remembered the nauseating experience. Five, ten, eleven minutes passed before Terrien emerged, red-eyed and weary, but seemingly ready for work.

Suzee and Terrien were alone on the pod, since Harlan, Radu, and Bova got too confused with all of Terrien's technobabble.
" So, how'd you end up with these guys?" Terrien asked as he reconnected some wires into their sockets.
" Why do you think I wasn't with this guys from the beginning?" Suzee asked.
" I've seen the looks those two were giving in the eyes of people with some of my friends before I left on the colony ship. They were the kind of looks that guys give girls they have little clue about but want so much more that clues, if you know what I mean," Terrien chuckled.
" Well, in a sense I've always been with them, it's just, for the first half year, I was invisible to them, but due to an explosion, one of their crew, and my best friend, was transferred to my dimension and I got trapped here," Suzee explained.
" And, let me guess: They've been fighting for a date from you," Terrien smiled as he pulled himself up from below the console.
" Close enough, anyway. So, what's the prognosis, Ship Doctor?" Suzee asked.
" Well, we can salvage components here and there, but this ship is a goner," Terrien sighed. Suddenly the ship was rocked.
" Suzee, Terrien, the pod is falling almost too far into Gemta's atmosphere. Get back to the ship and let's go!" Goddard ordered.
" Right! Guess we can't salvage those components now," Suzee stated.
" Well, let's just try and salvage our lives," Terrien cried as the two ran through the walkway.
" Commander, we're in. Go! Go!" Suzee cried.

" Band, let's go!" Goddard ordered.
" We're outta here," Harlan said as he pumped the engine resources to a limit and sent the ship hurling towards the relaxation planet as the pod exploded.

A few hours later, the crew was on the planet awaiting Cat's return to their dimension.
" Terrien, I know we can't replace your family, but, we'd like you to join our quest back home," Goddard sighed to the young teen.
" I do have an aunt back on Earth, so, Commander, you've got a new passenger," Terrien smiled as a flash of light appeared in front of the Starcademy cadets and Catalina appeared in front of them.
" Cat!" Harlan, Rosie, and Suzee cried.
" Hey, guys!" Cat cried, " I bet you don't think Suzee's imaginary any more, Harlan."
" I'm betting he doesn't," Terrien chuckled, then took a good look at Cat. He gave a wolf whistle.
" Who's this?" Cat asked.
" I'm Terrien Walker," Terrien said.
" Oh great. Now we're in trouble. He's hitting on Cat," Bova chuckled.
" Thelma?" Cat said, looking at the gray outfit the human-emulating machine had worn since the crash.
" It happened when we crashed on that planet. Now, we should probably either get back on board or spend a few days here on the planet," Harlan chuckled.
" I haven't relaxed in a place that's semi-like home in months. Let's stay a few days," Cat sighed.
" Good chance for me to get to know you, Cat," Terrien chuckled.