Ralph turned around. “Hey fellas, we’re going to make a quick jump into a wormhole so don’t get your undies in a twist to hop up and run around,” he said with a wink and a smile.
Tyler and Ethan laughed and nodded.
The saucer ripped across the solar system on a beeline to the jump point. As they passed the sixth and last planet in the system, the wormhole appeared.
Twenty Three Oh Six slid into the opening and careened through the colorful tunnel.
“We are at optimal velocity Ralph. All systems functioning normally.”
“Thank you noble steed, good work. What’s our time to the destination?”
“At least twelve hours, Ralph. I suggest you get some rest.”
Ralph raised his eyebrows, chuckling under his breath. “Jeez, she’s starting to sound like my Mom.”
Ethan and Tyler laughed.
“All right fellow travelers, you may release yourselves from the surly bonds of your chairs and follow me,” Ralph said after unbuckling himself. “I feel the need to put a grub on!”
Tyler and Ethan found themselves once again trailing behind Ralph. Out the door they went behind the bellicose saucer captain into another room.
“You lads peckish?” asked Ralph. “We have a cornucopia of epicurean delights.”
Tyler gazed at Ralph in astonishment.
“I like big words, so sue me,” Ralph explained with a wide grin. “I love the challenge of finding new words and inserting them into conversations.”
“Me too, Ralph. My teachers kind of laugh when I use words that a six-year-old shouldn’t know.”
Ralph looked at Tyler with a caring expression. “I never talk down to kids. They can pick up vocabulary like a sponge if used properly. Besides, kids are not afraid to ask what a word means. Most adults smile and nod even though they have no clue. You fellas are smart. I’m not going to edit myself. Is that cool with you?”
Tyler thought it was cool. The boys nodded knowingly...but they meant it.
The cafeteria appeared to be something you’d find in any Earth school or hospital. Four rows of long benched tables led up to a long rectangular pass through the wall.
Ralph walked up to the opening as he turned to his guests to explain the process. “The menu-bot is loaded with both Earth and Ganrean delicacies. Take your pick.” Ralph peered down at Tyler in an inquisitive manner. “I bet you have a penchant for Mac and Cheese with hotdogs. Am I not correct my omnivorous friend?”
A smile erupted on Tyler’s face and he nodded his head vigorously. “Yes please!”
“You heard Master Tyler. Please prepare him a plate of his favorite meal.”
Ethan ordered his favorite meal as well. The smiling boys walked to a table and straddled the bench seat next to each other.
Ralph shuffled up to the table carrying what appeared to be a bouquet of flowers sprinkled with a rainbow of odd shaped pieces. Ralph’s food looked amazingly beautiful.
“I do love the look of Unu food,” Ethan said. “It’s as if they’re eating art at every meal.”
Tyler took a gulp of his Mac and Cheese, delighted to tell his host how great it tasted. “Wow Ralph! What is that? Are you going to eat it?”
“Unu can’t smell,” Ralph said with a forlorn expression. “Subsequently we can’t taste either, over time eating became more of a visual experience. Texture is extremely important as well. We have a saying on Unu, ‘You eat with your eyes first’.”
Ralph’s face lit up and Tyler watched with fascination as he consumed his meal. Ralph’s dinner ritual unfolded with a combination of eye popping, lip smacking and ‘Oooo’s’ and ‘Ah’s’as Ralph hovered and hunted for the most interesting pieces.
The way Ralph chewed intrigued his guests. He rolled the food around in his mouth, cocked his head back and chomped like the Cookie Monster. Even through the wild and frantic chewing, he managed to keep it all in his mouth. Not one crumb hit the table or floor.
At one time Tyler had a hang up with people eating with their mouth open. He found it bad manners and gross, but he eventually discovered that most kids his age ate with their mouths open, and his inventory of potential friends dwindled. He soon realized the way a person eats is not a reflection of the quality of the person. Besides, Tyler really liked Ralph; this was the way everyone from Ralph’s planet ate so Tyler accepted his friend’s uniqueness with a smile.
The meal wound down as a small round object the size of a baseball floated into the cafeteria and landed on Ralph’s shoulder. Ralph nodded knowingly as the silver ball made frantic beeps and clicks, then he stood up with a serious expression on his face.
“Gents, I’m afraid I have an urgent message waiting for me and must split. I’ll be on the bridge if you need me. Please, take your time and continue eating. I’ll catch you later. Peace out.”
Ralph marched out of the room with confident determination, while the boys finished and cleaned up.
“Ralph may need a hand. We should go to the bridge,” Tyler said.
“Yes, let’s head there for an update,” agreed Ethan. “This may not even affect us at all but Ralph did seem to be concerned.”
“Okay, let’s get going. Do you remember the way?”
Ethan nodded and gestured Tyler to follow him. They made it the bridge in no time.
Ralph stood in front of a screen with Hooper flying in tight circles behind him. He glanced over his shoulder toward Hooper. “Hoop-man, would you mind dialing it back a bit? The erratic orbit blended with your unique eccentricity is a tad unnerving. Please stop hovering, it just adds to the tension.”
“Okay.” Hooper landed on the console in front of Ralph. “I fly in circles when I get nervous. It settles me.”
Ethan cleared his throat, which startled Ralph. He spun around like a Motown backup singer to see his young friends.
“Well the plot thickens. Turns out my Unu brothers uploaded a nasty virus to the Ganrean power grid and took out the AMPP system.”
Ethan’s jaw almost hit the floor.
“I know, I know,” Ralph responded. “It looks bad but Ganrea installed the back up.”
Tyler could tell this was serious but had to know more. “What does this mean Ralph?”
“AMPP stands for Anti-Matter Power Provider,” Ethan piped up. “This device runs the entire planet. The AMPP powers everything from the lights to transportation.”
Ralph gave them a reassuring smile. “The backup went online without a hiccup and nobody noticed any disruption,” he said. “We need to find out what’s going on now. If Unu hits them with another virus, they’re done. Cooked man. No telling what’s happening on Ganrea. Any ideas fellas because I’m stumped.”
Ethan gave a sly grin. “I know exactly what to do. I overheard my Dad talking one night during a meeting with his Cabinet. Dad insisted they move the third AMPP off-planet.”
“Why Arthur, you sly dog!” Ralph's face lit up. “Brilliant! I take it from the cheeky expression, you know where the AMPP is.”
“Absolutely!” Ethan replied. “I admitted to my Dad how I heard his conversation. He thanked me for my honesty and told me where he'd sent the AMPP. He must have planned to tell me all the long. While prepping me for this mission my Dad made a point to review the location for the AMPP.”
Tyler glanced back and forth between Ethan and Ralph, anxious to get moving. “We need to grab that AMPP. Where is it Ethan? Can we get there before the next attack?”
“The AMPP is on Ikzonia, which is an uninhabited water planet outside the Wakeasha system. The planet is on our way to Ganrea so we have time. Ralph, would you please bring up your navigation screen?”
Ralph began manipulating the controls to enter the destination. “Our course is routed and we are ready to go.”
“I do hope we can get this done quickly,” Hooper fretted. “Ikzonia is known for its horrific weather. The less time we spend on the planet the better.”
“New course plotted and away we go!” Ralph said in a silly voice.
“This is turning out to be an awesome adventure,” Tyler whispered to Ethan.