Ethan tapped Tyler on the shoulder and gestured for him to follow. They stepped to the center of the bridge. The room went completely black. Suddenly they stood in the middle of a star field. The image surrounded the boys as if they were floating in outer space.
“Bob what are our options?” Ethan asked.
Large red rings popped up around three stars as Bob began narrating.
“Here are possible sites which are reachable within the time allotted. The most logical choice is Ahkahnomowuk, since the planet’s space terminal has enough traffic so you will not stand out. The second best option is—”
“Hold on Bob if you please. I have an idea.” Ethan cut Bob off before he could finish.
Ethan scanned up and down then side-to-side. “That’s it! Right there!” He pointed at a small solar system. “Bob please magnify this area.”
“Ethan, the entire system is void of any living beings, including microscopic life. There may not be a more inhospitable place in the galaxy.”
“Exactly! The Unu would never think of looking in this system. I say we park in the rings of this planet.”
Ethan gestured to a blue gas giant with rings running north to south over the poles. “We’ll blend into the debris of the rings. The strong magnetic field will mask our presence.”
“What’s the name of the planet?” Tyler asked.
“Onohuedint,” Bob responded.
“Don’t worry, we won’t be long,” Ethan chirped. “We’ll only stay a about an hour.”
“I can’t wait!” Tyler exclaimed. “Can we check out the rings?”
“So, you want to go to Onohuedint?” Ethan said with astonishment. “Well that makes this trip a lot more fun. Okay, let’s grab our stuff and head to the hangar. We’ve no time to lose.”
The two friends went back to the Captain’s Quarters to pack. Tyler put his toothbrush and toothpaste in his backpack and pulled it over his shoulders.
Hooper flew around the room packing Ethan’s bag as Ethan focused on a holographic projection from his Hungadunga.
“Thanks for helping me out Hooper. I truly appreciate the assistance.”
“You are welcome Ethan, Please be safe and enjoy your trip.”
“Oh you’re coming with us Hooper. You’re a big part of the plan. You better get yourself ready.”
Hooper’s green traffic light face dimmed as he spoke with a tremble in his voice.
“Plan? I know nothing of a plan. I have never been away from Bob more than an hour. How can I go on this trip with you?”
“Hooper, I’m the only kid to leave Earth let alone be a galaxy away from my parents,” Tyler chimed in. “If I can do this, you can too. After all you are Super Hooper!”
Hooper’s light started glowing a bit brighter as he turned to see Ethan nod his head.
“Okay, I will meet you in the hangar.” Hooper flew out of the room.
Tyler grew excited about floating over the rings of Onohuedint in the bubble so finding a bright red Fire Truck parked in the middle of the hangar messed with his head.
“Ethan where did you find this Fire Truck?” Tyler asked, incredulously.
“I had this made for my trip to Earth. I thought it would be an efficient way to travel since an emergency vehicle can go anywhere on Earth. You may remember me chasing your school bus on the trip to the museum.”
Tyler’s eyes almost popped out of his head and his smile burst so big it almost jumped off his face.
“Oh yeah! I remember that Fire Truck! Is this the same one?”
“The very same.”
“How do you plan on getting this thing to fly through space?”
“This is far from an ordinary Fire Truck.”
Ethan approached the big red emergency vehicle and waved his hand at the side of the truck. A door raised in the middle and steps unfolded below. Ethan placed his foot on the bottom step, and glanced back at Tyler. “Come on aboard Tyler. Sorry, but your first trip in a Fire Truck will actually be a space ship.”
“I’d rather be in a space ship any day.”
The boys stepped aboard.
“Welcome aboard Junior.”
“The ship is named Junior?”
“Yep! Junior.”
“Why Junior?”
“The official name is actually Bob Junior,” explained Ethan.
“So Junior is Bob’s son?”
“No, Junior is my cousin Bob. He’s my Uncle Bob’s son. We named the big ship Bob after my uncle and the small one Junior after my cousin.”
“Makes sense,” Tyler shrugged and mumbled.
The craft had a logical configuration not unlike a tour bus, RV or cabin cruiser. Storage in the rear, two bunks on either side located behind a small restroom, a kitchenette and a lounge area just behind the pilot chairs. The white décor appeared neat and clean.
“Hello Junior, did you get all the coordinates from Bob?” asked Ethan.
A squeaky pre-teen voice blurted out, “Hi Ethan! Yes, the route is charted and verified the rendezvous point with the contact.”
“Brilliant, thank you Junior. We’ll get underway once Hooper is on board.”
Tyler wandered the ship inspecting the surfaces and the many nooks and crannies. He walked up to the pilot’s seats and sat down, then ran his hand along the dashboard and spun the chair around a couple times—things any Earth boy would do.
Just then Hooper flew up and landed on the dash. “Okay guys, I am on board and ready to go.”
Tyler pointed at Hooper and snickered. “Hooper, you look like one of those hula dolls sitting on the dashboard wiggling with the bumps!”
“Tyler, pointing is not polite,” Hooper chided.
“I’m sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t point or tease you.”
“Apology accepted. Are you ready to depart?”
“Yeah! Let’s go!”
Ethan sat in the chair next to Tyler, touching the control panel with his finger as Junior lifted off the deck and slowly moved forward. Bob’s voice came over Junior’s audio system with pre-flight announcements.
“Ethan we are about to punch out of the wormhole. Timing is critical. When I give the signal, Junior will exit. As soon as you are clear, I will jump back into the wormhole. The entire mission should be no more than three point five seconds.”
“I will take good care of them Bob,” Junior added. “I promise.”
A portal opened to expose the wormhole’s wash of pigments rushing by. Junior lurched forward toward the door and held fast. In an instant the colors washed away to reveal stars.
At that exact moment Junior shot like an arrow out into space followed by a flash of light, and Bob was gone. Junior steered toward a solar system in the distance.
Ethan noticed Tyler fidgeting in his seat. “I know you want to, so why don’t you hit the lights and run the siren. The control is the red dot on the dash.”
Tyler smiled and touched the dot, and the blue lights and strobes began flashing. The siren sounded on the inside of Junior and the boys started laughing.
Hooper interrupted the boys’ fun with some common sense. “Perhaps we should not flash the lights in case we draw attention to ourselves.”
Ethan smiled. “This solar system is lifeless so we’re perfectly safe, but this why I wanted you on this trip, Hooper. You’ll keep us on point.”
Tyler reluctantly stopped the flashing lights and siren while Ethan focused on the screen ahead of him. The boys shot past a big orange planet and flew on to Onohuedint. Tyler tried to get a glimpse of the planet as they buzzed by, but their velocity caused a strange warping effect to the surface.
“Ethan this is the fastest Fire Truck ever!”
Hooper zoomed between the boys.
“This ship is quite a capable vessel. We should be at the rendezvous point within the hour.”
“What does rondy... uh, rondyview mean?” Tyler asked, timidly. “I didn’t want to ask such a dumb question but I don’t know the word.”
“Nonsense Tyler,” Ethan explained, smiling. “No such thing as a dumb question. There is no room for embarrassment or insult in the quest for knowledge. Rendezvous literally means a meeting place. If you like we can speak more simply.”
“Oh, no. I love learning big words and find ways to use them in sentences. My Dad tells me big words all the time...and I mean ALL THE TIME.”
Tyler chuckled and smiled.
“Phenomenal! We shall be more fastidious in elevating the complexity of our vocabulary for our wise friend Tyler.”
“Who are we meeting at the rendezvous?” asked Tyler.
“His name is Hurly Blowinchunks but you can call him Ralph. He is a Swivgo agent. Ralph will escort us to Ganrea. He’ll be able to get us past the blockade.”
Tyler winced, “I thought the Unu were stinky. How can we stand being near him Ethan?’
Ethan starred back at Tyler with an empathetic expression. “Ralph has worked extremely hard on fitting in. He knows how some of his culture’s ways are offensive. Ralph is a bit sensitive about his aroma, especially since he cannot smell. Ralph created an odor sensor, which he wears on his wrist to monitor himself. Ralph also studied and learned several languages.”
“But you said the universal translator took care of that?”
“No, the Unu language is a series of screams, gurgles, burps and farts, which are untranslatable. Subsequently most Unu learn many languages in order to communicate with other worlds. In fact, the Unu have no manners, nor polite words like ‘please’ or ’thank you’. The entire language is made up of questions and demands. When Unu like Ralph finally understand and comprehend how the rest of the universe acts, they are shocked and relearn everything.”
Ethan noticed Tyler’s intense face. “Please be kind to Ralph when you meet him, he is somewhat self conscious.”
“I will be polite and treat Ralph with respect.”
“Thank you, Tyler, I suspected you would.”