It's not often our little family gets to enjoy the out-of-doors anymore. Our favorite place for invigorating walks or occasional relaxing talks used to be our neighborhood park, that is, until recently. Now, we must always be on the lookout for our own best interests. Changes have gradually come about so that now there are only a few street patrol guards to protect those of us still adhering to poorly enforced government regulations designed to keep us safe from crime and, more worrisome, from unscrupulous nuisances called "worms." They are everywhere.

Today we have ventured out because this will be our last family outing together until I return from my present assignment in NASA's space program - or possibly, our last ever because of the magnitude of that new assignment. My name is Jay Nelson and I am an astronaut.

My best friend, my wife of ten years, Barbara and I are enjoying our last few hours together. Our only child, Suzy has just turned six. Here she comes, now, running as usual.

"Look, Daddy. Look what I've got! That little girl over there by that bench just gave it to me. She says it's a 'secret' and it's called 'cake' and 'it tastes good.' "  Looking up to me with blue saucer eyes, Suzy exclaims, "She says her Mommy made it. May I eat it?"

"Throw it away! And wash your hands!" I snap, looking with disgust after the other child, dashing away now in another direction.

My wife speaks in quiet even tones to our daughter. "Use your antibacterial gel, Suzy. Hurry." She cuts her eyes around to peer at me. "Those people shouldn't even be allowed on the streets! What if Suzy had tasted that piece of cake? Think what the consequences might have been. It's scary!" She looks at Suzy again and smiles. "It's okay, honey, as long as you didn't eat any of it, no harm done."

Suzy dutifully washes her hands with the cleansing gel and tucks the tube back into her uniform pocket. "Mommy? Daddy, did I do something wrong?"

"No, Suzy, you didn't do anything wrong," I answer, squatting down to hug her. "I'm sorry if I sounded mad, sweetheart. Come along, though, we have to leave the park. It's dangerous to be here, now, anyway. It's getting dark."

Watching Suzy continue to skip ahead, my wife complains, "It's always the same. If it's not this endlessly intolerable heat or those self-important street patrol guards sending us back home because of some criminal incident or unsafe air pollution readings, it's the 'worms' baiting us with their dangerously tainted foods. I'm almost sorry sometimes we haven't become 'worms,' ourselves. I can't even remember eating natural foods from the old times - it's been so long - can you? Like that beautiful contaminated cake Suzy was just given!  And, I truly miss real vegetables and meat.  Like steak! Remember what a thick juicy steak used to taste like? "

"You're evading the subject you really want to talk about, aren't you? It's not the loss of our favorite natural foods. It's why I'm making this space flight. I'm doing it for all of us -  all over the world!  We have to find another planet similar to ours. One that can sustain human life and one where we might find a solution to our dilemma.

"Imagine! Finally having succeeded in developing the technological skills to make possible this journey of twenty-five light years! Imagine being able to pinpoint one of three distant giant planets within the solar system of a star named HR 8799 which was discovered in the Pegasus Constellation as far back as 2008. And now, we are capable of traveling there. Why, it's absolutely mind-boggling!

"Oh, Jay, I'm sorry, I know we promised not to talk about it. And, I shouldn't complain in front of Suzy, either," Barbara says. "But the thought that the journey, itself, may take so long that you might never return from this assignment -  that we may never be together again! I just don't think I 'm very good at being an astronaut's wife."

"Your job is being Suzy's mommy and my wife and you're doing it perfectly," I say to her. "You're right, though, we do have so little time left that right now, we should just try to live for the moment - and for Suzy's future happiness. Shall we try?"

Suzy skips on ahead, and as if we hadn't a care in the world, strolling back to our assigned quarters, we hold hands like we used to do in better days. This will be our last night together. Tomorrow I'll be in isolation with the rest of the Traveler Five crew for NASA's highly publicized, forthcoming launch into deep space next week.

*****

As the President of the United States sends Traveler Five off with a televised special for the world to see, he is saying, " Sadly, space exploration is our only hope. With natural food sources on Earth completely  exhausted, the only answer to mankind's continued existence must lie somewhere out there. Our scientists tell us  there are other planets in our universe that can possibly sustain life as we know it. Certainly, then, we must seek them out. Previously, the Traveler Missions, One through Four, have taken our NASA astronauts to the very limits of known frontiers without positive results. Traveler Five, it is your task to pass  beyond those past explorations into space never before traveled. We wish you Godspeed."

Inside the module, I'm sitting next to Traveler Five's Mission Captain Hood. And, from his usual assigned position on my other side, Crewman Evans starts talking back to the television monitor: "Yeah, sure, Mr. President! Bureaucracy at work! Now, suddenly, we're the world's only hope. How did the world get into this fix, anyway?" He answers his own question. "By ignoring  decades upon decades of urgent warnings concerning Earth's impending environmental collapse,  that's how."

Evans is an expert at telling us our faults. When I've had enough I interrupt, "We've heard just about enough from you, Evans. What about my kid? Suzy’s never even tasted cake, for Pete's sake! Or milk! Or candy! What about my kid's children - someday - if she lives long enough to have any? How about your kids? How will they survive if we don't succeed? How will any of us continue to live like this much longer? And who wants to live this way, anyway? On vitamin pills and flavored mineral powders mixed with purified, distilled ocean water? Okay, so, now, the whole world's counting on us and it's our turn to see what we can accomplish. Maybe we're scared we won't find a solution to this predicament — but we've all got children, so we've got to try, right?"

Captain Hood scoffs at us, "Nelson, quit belly-aching! And, Evans, use your ‘knobby’ head!  Can't you see that poor man up there is just doing his job? Can't you see he's trying to build hope in this despairing nation — in the whole pitiful starving world? He's making a final desperate gesture — sending us out."

Evans smiles. At last, he agrees with something! "You bet your life!" he retorts. "Making an attempt at a journey like this one, ha! Traveler Five's going to end up just another piece of space junk out there just like all the rest — and with us inside it. Oh, what-the-hell, can't you ‘dumb-asses’ see — things are bad all over?"

*****

Two days out and I'm admiring the view of our receding beautiful blue planet Earth through the nearest porthole when I'm distracted by my forever irritating and talkative crew-mate.

"Come on, Nelson! Bet you can't even remember the last time you tasted real food?" That's Evans, always nit-picking!

He's right, of course. We have been on artificial food rations for so long, who could really remember the tasty smoothness of fluffy mashed potatoes? Crisp lettuce? As a kid, I never even liked lettuce in my sandwiches, but now, just the thought of it, fresh and green, and my mouth starts to water for that clean, fresh taste. Among the crew, discussions of real food frequently begin out of the urgency of our unsatisfied hunger. Everybody aboard knows it's these conversations about real food that keep us sane and fully functioning in the execution of our duties.

"It all began with altered weather patterns and melting polar ice." Evans insists today, as he expounds on tsunamis, major hurricanes, cyclones and floods which occurred early on in the 2000s. On other days, he bores us with discourses on famines and droughts occurring first in poor African and Asian nations —  then spreading to epidemics of new diseases  brought about by worldwide consumption of contaminated grains grown in overworked, undernourished and, ultimately, dangerously toxic soils.

Sometimes, he brings to mind urgent government recalls in the early 2000s of  meats unfit for human consumption. Meats, from slaughtered animals pumped full of hormones and fed polluted grains, possibly foretelling of the onset of Mad Cow disease.

Of course it's also true that since those frightful discoveries were made known, foolish independent thinkers, everywhere, still secretly attempt to produce their own meat from remaining hormone-riddled animals; continue growing their own grains, fruits and vegetables in contaminated soils using only polluted water still available to them. Thus, dangerous independent "worms" successfully start new strains of diseases to be dealt with by Earth's Global Medical Systems.

Evans should have been born an hundred years ago when he could have been an environmentalist, 'properly informed' and rightfully concerned when there was an environment to protect. In the 2000s there were only a precious few forward-looking world citizens led by a forward-looking, troubled American man named Al Gore, who diligently worked at warning and advising the unconcerned populace of eventual worldwide disaster unless dangerous levels of greenhouse gases could be successfully brought under control. Holes in the atmosphere were even then allowing the polar caps to start melting, beginning the endangering of many now extinct animals, such as the beautiful polar bear and the sleek arctic seal.

Now, Evans reminds us at every opportunity that an international population's 'lack of interest' over Earth's commencing global warming ultimately became 'irreversibly insurmountable.' Today, Earth is ‘there.’ Whatever happens, unless our Traveler Five venture is successful, everybody soon pays the same price — death.

 
We teach our children as we were taught, that in the beginning, God said: "Let us make man in our image."  Out here in the vastness of space it is easy to believe that God must have fashioned other planets similar to ours peopled by human beings in solar systems light years away from our own.

Giving credence to that hypothesis, back on November eighth of the year 2008, it was announced that astute astronomers had discovered inside the Pegasus Constellation, a giant star supporting a solar system containing three planets, one of which appeared to be suitable for supporting life as we know it. They named the star HR 8799. Perhaps in setting our course for that sector of our universe we may discover our Earth’s salvation.

*****

Mentally - I'm foggy!  But, suddenly, I am jolted into consciousness by the sound of an anxious human voice.

It takes a second or two for the spoken words to register: "Traveler Five! Traveler Five, come in, Traveler Five. Traveler Five, answer please.”

I feel throbbing pain, and I’m  aware my forehead is bleeding because I taste the saltiness of warm blood as it trickles down my cheek and into the corner of my mouth. Now, I remember hearing that same voice over and over again: "Traveler Five, come in, Traveler Five."

Finally, I find strength enough to answer: "Traveler Five, Houston! I read you."

"Roger, Traveler Five. Traveler Five, where the hell are you? Traveler Five, can you give coordinates?" A pause. "Damn, Traveler, we're glad to hear from you! Nelson, that you?"

"Yeah, Nelson, here. That you, Davis? Got me a little bump on the head, but  I can’t tell you what happened. All of a sudden there was this jolt like we'd hit an asteroid or something. Whole damn crew went flying around all over the place, bouncing off walls - into instrument panels. I woke up under a piece of metal casing. I must have hit it on edge, cut my forehead and blacked out. Don't remember anything after that — until right now!"

"You guys had us all pretty worried down here. Give me those coordinates, now, please, Nelson."

"Sure - God in Heaven, Davis! Hold it!"

"What's going on? Nelson? We're pretty shook up down here, too, you know. It's not everyday we lose a Traveler mission ship! We need those coordinates right now. Can't afford to lose you again! Do you still copy, Traveler? Answer, please, Traveler Five!"

"Davis? God, Davis! They're all buckled into seats — not necessarily their own  — but dead! I've checked — and everybody's dead, Davis! Everybody - but me! They've all got gaping head wounds! I need a minute, okay? I think I'm going to be sick."

"Copy that, Nelson! But Rescue will need tho - co-or - nates."

"God help me, Davis, I'm all alone up here! Wait a minute, I've got to crawl over Hood to get to the controls"

"You're cutting out! Bet - hurry!" "

"Roger. Davis? Davis? No coordinates! Did you get that? Panel's busted. Hold it - er - nope! No response to controls! Uh, traveling at - whoa - off the dial! Good-bye, Jupiter! Just passing Io, now. Beyond that, I see a graveyard of space junk. Our ship is heading out into deep space — towards a spectrum of bright lights as far as I can see. It's fabulous - fabulous! Wait, what’s this?  Looks like I've got company. Hold on!"

Static.

“Uh, Houston, this vessel is being towed! Davis, did you copy that?"

Static.

*****

I'm cold - shivering. I think I'm naked. Though how and why I came to be, I have no recollection. But, as I try to lift my hand to touch the throbbing, bleeding wound on my forehead I realize that I am lying on my left side completely immobilized - bound hand and foot by a strong rope. I know my eyes are open, but I see only darkness. I hear an intermittent drone - deafening, like a motor - there, it's gone again.

When it stops, and it has stopped at least three times since I first became conscious, I can almost taste the silence, but I'm not aware of any movement around me. No voices. Nothing but the cold, the darkness, and that ear-splitting intermittent sound. I have no way to measure how long I have been in this semi-conscious state, suspended between waking and sleeping.

Vaguely, and in little bits and pieces - fleeting mental pictures come and go - slipping away from me into the cold and darkness before I can grab hold of them firmly enough to explore them. Think! What happened on our flight that sent Traveler Five, with sixteen astronauts aboard, rocketing away from our planned space course past Jupiter and it's moon, Io, at such unbelievably accelerated speed that it couldn’t register? How did it happen that when I checked all my shipmates, they were dead?  Did we reach our destination? Where am I, now? And why am I, alone, still alive?

There, all at once,  the wall glides to one side, allowing brilliant light to enter into my dark, cold cavern. Using the universal language devised by space scientists years ago for just such occasions, I yell out into the brilliance, "Hello! Can anybody hear me?"

In answer, a thunderous voice also speaks in the universal language — but not to me: "Here! Take this bowl for me, will you, please, Gnisu? Ah, yes, here they are!"

Suddenly, I am whisked out of the aching cold into an atmosphere of  warmth, exotic music, appetizing aromas and, hovering over me are two colossal female - and lovely  - human beings.  The hard plane upon which I rest is deposited onto a flat surface of sorts. I try to squirm free of my bonds but it is impossible, I am well-trussed.

Well trussed? I am trussed — like poultry for roasting! Fear courses through me.

The first woman speaks again: "Gnisu, I'm so glad you were able to get away to join us for dinner tonight. SRS can get along without you for one evening."

The second woman, clothed in form-fitting iridescent attire, obviously a uniform, speaks: "Mai! Honestly, I need some time off. My work is so terribly  discouraging. Every time we go out seeking evidence of other humans in answer to these mysterious radio signals, I see how bad it is out there and I am appalled by what this sector of our universe is coming to? Space junk - literally everywhere! Dead suns - we just count them one after another! And, polluted planets — they’re out there, though every one we have come upon so far within our present range of travel is barren! In all the expanses of the universe we have explored, we of Space Relief Searchers, have yet to find another planet displaying past or present human habitation. Why, we are possibly the only thriving planet with a viable sun populated by humans in this quadrant of our entire galaxy. We know, now, for any evidence, we must go yet farther out.

"Of course, you're right." Mai, the first colossal woman smiles smugly as she agrees. "Today, the way things are going — well, don't mention it to your coworkers at SRS but Drow and I, we're going to start looking out for ourselves!  Earlier today, Drow went out space fishing and brought back this small catch of 'edibles.' He snared the simple antiquated metal shell, entered it, searched out the live contents among the shambles inside; cracked the hard little skulls of all the scrambling 'edibles,’ he could find then towed the snared shell containing those ‘edibles’ back home. When he got here, he prepared them for cooking. It's such a shame that he had to space fish for these bony little things! They're not much but, at least, they're safe to eat!

Bony little things? Safe to eat? Fear courses through me. Straining against my bindings, I twist to peer over my shoulder and there on the - the large platter – behind me, dead, naked, and trussed as well, is Evans, and lined up beyond him are thirteen other deceased Traveler Five crewmen and Captain Hood.

“Help me! Hear me, please, in the name of God, don’t kill me, now, too!” My small voice is drowned out by the excruciatingly loud one emanating again from woman number one, Mai:

"Oh, dear, Gnisu, will you look at this? All the other 'edibles' are ready for cooking, but this one on the end is still alive! See, it's little mouth is moving! Can you hear it squealing? It's foolish, I know, but I'd swear I could almost make out words. 'Edibles' — talking? How unappetizing!"

Now, that I am sure these women see me, I call out to them once more at the top of my voice: "Hey, why can't you hear me — please!"

Unheeding of my voice as her attention is focused on her visual examination of me, Gnisu says to Mai, "Haven't you noticed? This surviving little creature is a perfect reproduction of our human male. It is a human male! Oh, my God! I pity these other deceased little men — seeing them like this — yet, here is one — still alive! Don't you see? This little man is living proof there actually is one solar system out there in farther reaches of the universe, containing at least one other planet populated by living human beings – only, small like these!

Mai laughs. "'Edibles,' human? You think? Now, Gnisu, don't be ridiculous! Relax!  Of course, we're not cannibals! Still, I wonder how Drow managed to skip over this one when he was preparing them? No matter. I'll call him to come, now, and finish his job."

I knew the answer to Mai’s question. I had only been knocked unconscious by the metal casing when it hit me. Drow had found me bleeding as if from his blow; he had disrobed me along with the others, and when he got home, passed me by as another ‘edible’ already dead and cleaned. Still, Mai has just dashed all my hopes.

Finally, accepting the futility of my exhaustive efforts to be heard, and facing the reality of my imminent demise, I think, lovingly, of my family — of Barbara and of Suzy, and I say a prayer for their future — and then, I say another prayer — for all despairing humans — large like these, and small like me — across all of God's once pristine Universe.

In some awkward form of farewell, I turn back to gaze at Evans. He's dead, I know that! But, I swear, he's smiling, and I can  almost hear him saying once more, "Didn't I tell you: 'Things are bad all over?' "

"Please God —" I pray, aloud. "— have mercy on us, all. Yes, and especially on Evans! He recognized our plight and tried to make us understand, when we were deaf to his warnings."

But it is Gnisu speaking, now: “I've just reported our situation. At SRS, right now, our leaders are ecstatic! Our searches so far have been empty. Drow, in his basically unintentional criminal act, in finding these distant space travelers has proved that we humans will be able to come together across diverse galaxies and through understanding and shared knowledge of our species, seek solutions benefiting the whole of our universe."

Hurriedly, Gnisu puts away her personal communication device and speaks again to Mai.  “Sorry, but we'll all have to forego your planned dinner tonight. I realize these other little 'edibles' as you call them are hopelessly beyond my help but as a conscientious and dedicated Space Rescue Searcher, I must insist that they be given proper cremation and their remains returned to their families, wherever that turns out to be. I’ve just ordered them picked up. There will be investigators here shortly to interview Drow as to where exactly he made his discovery. I’m leaving, too, and I'm taking this diminutive astronaut along with me.  I’m pretty sure he has the answers to all our questions.”

While Mai watches open-mouthed, Gnisu unties my bindings, and gently lifts me from the hard, cold platter, wrapping my nakedness in her sweet smelling handkerchief. Considerately, she  speaks softly  to me, "Sir, we have been receiving your planet’s radioed distress calls for decades. Our searches have never been broad enough. My superiors are excited over your arrival and are eagerly awaiting our appearance at SRS. Our mutual and  vitally significant interplanetary rescue concerns need to be addressed without delay. May I ask your name, sir?" 

I speak my first words finally loud enough to be heard. “I am Major Jay Frederick Nelson, Astronaut, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States of America, Planet Earth." To her questioning gaze, I grin. "Properly clothed, I can show you."

With officious respect, Gnisu salutes. From the folds of her handkerchief, I return her salute. Traveler Five's mission of hope has been successfully accomplished.

Carefully, she deposits me into her form-fitting uniform pocket for the trip to SRS Headquarters where she will present living evidence of human beings existence on other planets.

Warm and comfortable at last, I just grin. Hey, I'm going home!

**Author's Note: By writing this story in Microsoft Word, I discovered my aliens' names: "Mai" = I am, (backwards.) "Gnisu" = Using,  (backwards.)  "Drow"  = Word,  (backwards.) I am using Word.

 ***Associated Statement of Fact:                        

 
Scientists Take First "Extrasolar" Planet Photos

A new sun with three planets has been discovered in our galaxy by astronomers. If confirmed, these would be the first direct images of "extrasolar" planets.