Chapter 1:

Beneath a starry sky

Two weeks ago…

"Now if you look to the right a bit, you can see Ursa minor." Artemis directed the telescope to the right position, and allowed Miles to peer into the eyepiece. "Do you see it?", he asked. After a minute or two, the young Fowl looked up at his older brother and smiled. "I see!" he exclaimed, as if the secrets of the Universe were written in the sky.

Artemis smiled. He forgot how infectious the twin's happy attitude was. At that point, Artemis Sr. came out onto the balcony, carrying the other twin, Beckett, on his back, fast asleep. "Right," he exclaimed. "I think it's time two certain people in this household got ready for bed time." Miles rushed to his father.

"Daddy, come look! Arty was showing me Orsa manor!" Dragging the old man to the telescope, Artemis could not help but feel a small pang of sadness. His child hood had not been so carefree… "Stop that!", he scolded himself. There was no point in fretting about the past.

Fowl Sr. looked up from the telescope. "Your right, Miles. I can see it." Rousing Beckett from his sleep, he put the boy on the ground beside his brother. "Now, bed time. Go get ready and say good night to your mother."

"Okay, Daddy", they said simultaneously. They rushed inside, playing tag as they went.

Pulling up a chair, Mr. Fowl lowered himself into it with a grunt, then, pulling off his prosthetic leg, turned to his eldest son. "You know, Arty, it really makes happy seeing how much the twins look up to", he said. Artemis nodded. "I suppose I should be flattered, but I worry sometimes if I'm the best role model."

"Don't be. Between you and me, we'll have those boys running the world soon enough." Sharing a chuckle between them, Fowl Sr. turned his head to the sky. "Although, I have to ask. What's with the recent interest in Astronomy?"

Artemis felt a pang of guilt. In truth, it had been recommended to him. He had spent the last month at the J. Argon Clinic, being treated for his Atlantis Complex. After a conference with his mother, Dr. Argon decided the best course to avoid a resurgence of the complex was to have Artemis's attention focused on something else. Or in Foalys terms, "An outlet for his crazy". So he settled on astronomy.

"No reason," he said. "Just something to do. And I must say, it's quite relaxing, sitting out here stargazing." He swiveled the telescope towards his father. "But there's something that's been troubling me. Look there"

Artemis Sr. put his eye to the telescope. What he say was quite unusual. It looked like a meteor, but the colour and movement were all wrong. The elder Fowl lifted his head, and shot a quizzical look at his son. "Alright genius, what is it?"

"I have no idea", the genius admitted. I've cross-referenced it with every thing in the books, but nothing came up. What's more," he continued, "is that I've been picking up odd frequencies on Butlers old HAM Radio." He gestured to the device on the table next to him. "Almost as if it's sending out a hailing frequency. As if it's a vessel….."

Both father and son went quiet as they considered that possibility. Finally,

"Probably not, Arty. Might just be some interference from some satellite."

"Yes, probably." But as his father got up and said good night, Artemis could not help wondering if he was wrong. "Poppycock," he thought crossly. "You've been watching too much television. You'll have to get Butler to stop watching those old sci-fi movies….

Artemis got up, deciding it was time he turned in as well. But before he left, he could not help sneaking one last glance at the object. "What are you, really?" he wondered.