Chapter 1

Grett Mixillion woke up slowly and gently kissed his still-sleeping wife's forehead. As he got dressed no mention that anything exciting would happen at work today. Just track all twenty-four copies of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, make sure they are in the right place, and kindly refuse any request from a civilian to have a copy.

He stepped out the door with his suitcase in his hand, leaped into his air car and headed for Hantan's Diner for the best cup of aira which is known to an Earthling as: coffee.

Hantan's diner is galactically known for its heavenly aira. Hundreds flocked there every morning to gulp down aira and get ready for the tedious day most of them were anticipating.

Grett personally knew the employees very well. Massilia was a neighborhood girl he had grown up with, but she would endure a life of failures and end up as a waitress for the most common diner. However, as soon as Massilia got used to making aira, she would become known as the girl with the "wet black finger." The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy describes someone with a "wet black finger" as someone with a knack for making coffee as some one on Earth with a "green finger" has a knack for gardening.

Grett thought about this when he saw the Hantan's Diner's sign with: "Meet the woman with the wet black finger!" under it. He was lucky enough to look through The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy before it was locked in the safe for good. The decision was made by Galactic leaders because of the "Zaphod Beeblebrox kidnapping himself" debacle. Now only twenty-four copies exist and are kept by all leaders except for Zaphod. That copy was kept at The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Archive, where Grett worked.

Now Grett was sipping his coffee as a another routine day went under way. The building was dull, gray and it just blended in with its surroundings. Nothing special about it.

Grett walked in and flashed his employee identification to the receptionist and continued on to his dull gray office. He pushed the red button on the large monitor set up right above a portrait of his wife.

It clicked on and greeted warmly "Good morning Mr. Maxillion."

Grett totally disregarded the greeting the computer had sent and demanded, "Computer, track copy #1." This copy was kept at Magrathea by Hento Mojee the Prime Minister of Magrathea.

The computer monitored:

Tracking copy 1……… 5……..4……..3……….2……..1…….ding!

Under the planet label it said: Magrathea. Right were it was supposed to be.

This job is getting to damn tedious! Grett thought.

"Computer track copy #2."

Once again the computer monitored:

Tracking Copy 2...5……….4………..3………..2………1………ding!

It was in Rhenj, right where it was supposed to be.

Twenty-one more copies went by, nothing wrong with anything as usual.

"Computer track copy# 24," Grett barked his last command. This copy belonged to the Vogons.

For the twenty-fourth time the computer monitored:

Tracking Copy 24…………5………….4……….3……..2…….1……ding!

It took a while to get the planet down then it said: Earth.

This wasn't good.

Grett was panicking wondering what to do. It occurred to him that there was only one person capable to get it.

He picked up the phone and dialed. When he heard a woman's voice reply he requested, "May I speak to Arthur Dent, please?"