"Antar."
"Excuse me?" Vilandra looked over at her brother.
"Why would the ancients name the planet 'Antar'? It sounds like something from an old book. You know, one of those 'science fiction' books." He rolled his eyes when he said 'science fiction'.
"Who cares? We are supposed to be doing our work. What have you been doing?" She looked at him with a reprimanding gaze.
"Just looking at my beautiful sister." He grinned.
"Uh-huh. You're not getting out of trouble that way, so just forget it." She hid a chuckle.
"What way? Can't I even complement my sweet, lovely.." He began.
"All mission personnel please report to the main room." Their father's voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Well, that's us anyway!" Zan grabbed his books and jumped up.
"Zanny!" Vilandra growled.
"Lonnie! C'mon, I'll race you." He hurried out of the plant room.
___________________________________________________________________________
"Ah. There he is again with our orders. King Serkett." Kivar sighed.
"Kivar. Why do you always call him 'King' Serkett?" Ava laughed. "He's just the captain of this ship."
"Well he tells us what to do and where to do it. Just like the king of.something."
She laughed. "And that makes Zan a prince. Soon I will be royalty." She began to dance around.
"Stop fooling around, Ava." Her uncle reprimanded. He didn't have much authority over her for he was only a couple years older than her, but he was of legal age to be on a mission. "They'll kick us both of the ship if you continue to sleep with the captain's son."
"And you sleep with the captain's daughter, but that's okay, right?" She acted bored.
"Vilandra and I are not like that. Anyway if we were, I would have more of a chance. I am a doctor. You are just a slut."
"I'm not a slut, I'm just popular!" She stood toe-to-toe with him. "Besides you aren't really a good doctor."
"I'm an excellent scientist and an average doctor. I just wish I got more respect!" He pouted.
"Oh get over yourself. 'King' Serkett isn't going to give you a better position with all of his friends above you. He probably has someone lined up for Vilandra as well. You don't stand a chance." She put on some slippers.
"Better than you and Zan." He made a face and stomped out the door.
___________________________________________________________________________
"How do I look?" Rath said from inside his helmet.
"Like an idiot!" Giggled Vilandra.
"You look so much better?" Questioned Zan. "You have no boobs."
"Well you have an obvious package." She shook her head.
"Dude, I don't want to know why you sister is checking out your package. But now that she mentioned it.these are really tight." Rath wiggled trying to get his to settle better.
Zan crassly grabbed the crotch of his jumpsuit. "I hope I have enough circulation left to use little Zander after. I have a girl to make happy."
"I don't think you have to worry about Ava. She's happy with anything." Rath snorted. He was sneering but his face was completely hidden by the huge-eyed mask. The respirator inside kept him from suffocating, even though he couldn't breathe well with the jumpsuit on. "Why are we wearing these get-up's anyway?"
"Well, what my dad said is that the people of the earth-time we are going to will find us too familiar. He said it would really frighten them to see us as we are. Looking like them, but not looking like them."
"He also said I could implant the idea that we did anal examinations on them." Zan's silly grin was not covered up with the helmet yet.
"He did not!" Viandra rolled her eyes and put her helmet on. She put her mouth to the respirator and her voice came out in the predetermined clicks. There was a code that they all had to learn so that the earth- people of this time frame didn't understand them at all. Vilandra didn't think that it would have been a problem, but her father assured her that the earthlies would indeed understand them.
"Yes. We're not monkey's, Lonnie!" Zan grumbled at her coded question.
"We all came from primates." Kivar walked into the room and headed over to where his suit was hanging. "Some of us are just a little more higher on the gene pool than others."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rath clicked. He and Kivar didn't get along, because they both liked Vilandra.
"Whatever you think it does." They couldn't finish their conversation, though, because the captain and the two other officers who were part of the mission team came in.
"Get ready, people. We jump in five minutes." Serkett was referring to the time jump. "When we get there, we deploy the homing beacon. Zan, Rath, Ezra, and I will greet whoever follows and Tolm will pick us up in the location we specify. Vilandra and Kivar, you wait in the medical lab and prepare everything. Is that all clear? It should be; it's not rocket science or anything." He laughed at his own joke. He then called to his wife. "Olestra, start the sequence now."
"Okay. Commencing jump sequence." Olestra's young voice came over the interior speaker of their helmets. She was hardly older than Zan and Lonnie, but Serkett had married her quickly after their mother had died.
The jump was not really a jump, more like a phaze. They didn't have to hold onto anything. The ship glow-sparkled inside. They couldn't move or their matter could be mixed up. It was all so technical. A few minutes Olestra's voice came over the speakers again. "Jump completed successfully."
"Good. Thank you." He responded, then to everyone else: "To your stations. Olestra, position the homing beacon."
"Affirmative. Homing beacon in use. We are already experiencing fluctuations. Stand by for coordinates."
"Roger. You four follow me." He pointed to his fellow team members.
"We'll wait in the lab." Vilandra stated and turned toward the hallway.
"We will probably need some stretchers. Be ready here with them and Kivar can wait in the laboratory."
"Gotcha!" They both went back to the lab.
______________________________________________________________________
"Excuse me?" Vilandra looked over at her brother.
"Why would the ancients name the planet 'Antar'? It sounds like something from an old book. You know, one of those 'science fiction' books." He rolled his eyes when he said 'science fiction'.
"Who cares? We are supposed to be doing our work. What have you been doing?" She looked at him with a reprimanding gaze.
"Just looking at my beautiful sister." He grinned.
"Uh-huh. You're not getting out of trouble that way, so just forget it." She hid a chuckle.
"What way? Can't I even complement my sweet, lovely.." He began.
"All mission personnel please report to the main room." Their father's voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Well, that's us anyway!" Zan grabbed his books and jumped up.
"Zanny!" Vilandra growled.
"Lonnie! C'mon, I'll race you." He hurried out of the plant room.
___________________________________________________________________________
"Ah. There he is again with our orders. King Serkett." Kivar sighed.
"Kivar. Why do you always call him 'King' Serkett?" Ava laughed. "He's just the captain of this ship."
"Well he tells us what to do and where to do it. Just like the king of.something."
She laughed. "And that makes Zan a prince. Soon I will be royalty." She began to dance around.
"Stop fooling around, Ava." Her uncle reprimanded. He didn't have much authority over her for he was only a couple years older than her, but he was of legal age to be on a mission. "They'll kick us both of the ship if you continue to sleep with the captain's son."
"And you sleep with the captain's daughter, but that's okay, right?" She acted bored.
"Vilandra and I are not like that. Anyway if we were, I would have more of a chance. I am a doctor. You are just a slut."
"I'm not a slut, I'm just popular!" She stood toe-to-toe with him. "Besides you aren't really a good doctor."
"I'm an excellent scientist and an average doctor. I just wish I got more respect!" He pouted.
"Oh get over yourself. 'King' Serkett isn't going to give you a better position with all of his friends above you. He probably has someone lined up for Vilandra as well. You don't stand a chance." She put on some slippers.
"Better than you and Zan." He made a face and stomped out the door.
___________________________________________________________________________
"How do I look?" Rath said from inside his helmet.
"Like an idiot!" Giggled Vilandra.
"You look so much better?" Questioned Zan. "You have no boobs."
"Well you have an obvious package." She shook her head.
"Dude, I don't want to know why you sister is checking out your package. But now that she mentioned it.these are really tight." Rath wiggled trying to get his to settle better.
Zan crassly grabbed the crotch of his jumpsuit. "I hope I have enough circulation left to use little Zander after. I have a girl to make happy."
"I don't think you have to worry about Ava. She's happy with anything." Rath snorted. He was sneering but his face was completely hidden by the huge-eyed mask. The respirator inside kept him from suffocating, even though he couldn't breathe well with the jumpsuit on. "Why are we wearing these get-up's anyway?"
"Well, what my dad said is that the people of the earth-time we are going to will find us too familiar. He said it would really frighten them to see us as we are. Looking like them, but not looking like them."
"He also said I could implant the idea that we did anal examinations on them." Zan's silly grin was not covered up with the helmet yet.
"He did not!" Viandra rolled her eyes and put her helmet on. She put her mouth to the respirator and her voice came out in the predetermined clicks. There was a code that they all had to learn so that the earth- people of this time frame didn't understand them at all. Vilandra didn't think that it would have been a problem, but her father assured her that the earthlies would indeed understand them.
"Yes. We're not monkey's, Lonnie!" Zan grumbled at her coded question.
"We all came from primates." Kivar walked into the room and headed over to where his suit was hanging. "Some of us are just a little more higher on the gene pool than others."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rath clicked. He and Kivar didn't get along, because they both liked Vilandra.
"Whatever you think it does." They couldn't finish their conversation, though, because the captain and the two other officers who were part of the mission team came in.
"Get ready, people. We jump in five minutes." Serkett was referring to the time jump. "When we get there, we deploy the homing beacon. Zan, Rath, Ezra, and I will greet whoever follows and Tolm will pick us up in the location we specify. Vilandra and Kivar, you wait in the medical lab and prepare everything. Is that all clear? It should be; it's not rocket science or anything." He laughed at his own joke. He then called to his wife. "Olestra, start the sequence now."
"Okay. Commencing jump sequence." Olestra's young voice came over the interior speaker of their helmets. She was hardly older than Zan and Lonnie, but Serkett had married her quickly after their mother had died.
The jump was not really a jump, more like a phaze. They didn't have to hold onto anything. The ship glow-sparkled inside. They couldn't move or their matter could be mixed up. It was all so technical. A few minutes Olestra's voice came over the speakers again. "Jump completed successfully."
"Good. Thank you." He responded, then to everyone else: "To your stations. Olestra, position the homing beacon."
"Affirmative. Homing beacon in use. We are already experiencing fluctuations. Stand by for coordinates."
"Roger. You four follow me." He pointed to his fellow team members.
"We'll wait in the lab." Vilandra stated and turned toward the hallway.
"We will probably need some stretchers. Be ready here with them and Kivar can wait in the laboratory."
"Gotcha!" They both went back to the lab.
______________________________________________________________________