Chapter 1

The sentient being that pulsated on the pod-wall knew nothing of why it existed. Its earliest thoughts were a confused jumble of genderless nonsense that made no sense without a framework of reference. The nameless goo didn’t know if it were male or female and in point of fact didn’t really know for certain what difference it might make.

All it could discern as an actual fact was that it had been traveling an unknown distance for such a long time that it didn’t seem possible there could actually be a beginning and had no confidence in ever finding an end to the endless circle of meaningless life and never-ending space.

It was the silence and the darkness of the void that soothed the creature and yet the very same elements filled it with a terror that it would never discover the purpose of the journey or understand its mission.

Now and then, fragments of instructions floated to the top of its consciousness. They were like clues to a puzzled searcher looking for direction and some sort of vague purpose for its existence. The innocent looking rock-pod acted as a mode of transportation to an unexplained destination not revealed to the sentient being at the beginning of the voyage. The creature’s sensors “felt” the change in speed as the artificial conveyance slowly adapted to the pull of the target’s gravity force directly in its path. This was the closest it had been to a fixed point of reference in many long years of travel and its intuition dictated that the journey was finally and inexplicably over. The alert systems built into its entire structure started countdowns for emergency adaptation procedures and it settled down and relaxed in the midst of the puddle of goo hoping that the pre-programmed guidance directions were still functioning in perfect harmony according to the intricate design.

The crumbling remains of two other goo puddles slid down to the deck of the rock-pod marking the demise of its pair of uncommunicative companions that were unable to survive the boredom of remaining viable and cohesive in the travel mode of stand-by status. The surviving goo mass was somewhat disgusted by the two puddles, because they represented its own worst fears of uncertainty and lack of confidence that it was truly destined to be right where it was. The dark traveler came to the conclusion that they were not suited to the mission and their end was better for all concerned. Still, it was better to be the survivor and not one of the crumbling messes down on the dirty deck lacking any need for pity or sense of loss.

The far distant stars twinkled like dancing ballerinas in the black void, but the rock-pod passenger knew them well. It saluted them as valued points of light that reassured it of the power of complex order in the midst of chaos.

The gaseous liquid interior of the rock-pod stabilized and slowly thinned out as the artificial transport cut through the dense atmosphere of the fast-approaching planet. It was located for observation on the tiny viewing screen in the center of the miniature console. This planet was mostly a water-based surface one and there was no doubt it had been around a long time for this sector of the Universe. None of the other planets around this single star system seemed to have any form of sentient life and that was a relief because other similar systems were rift with interplanetary strife right inside their own system like all such primitive cannibalistic societies.

The sentient being knew this target was selected because it was right on the verge of moving into self-caused extinction in the very near future. It was unusual for a single planet to have such a war-like species that so aggressively literally ate itself to be in control. The richness of the wild-life and the plant life was so unique that the target selection made a lot of sense to at least make an attempt to preserve it in continued existence for the time being. Perhaps, at some future date, it might become more important to the ruling council on the highly structured central world not far from the sentient goo’s home planet.

Now, it was the sentient being’s duty to absorb the instructions being released prior to the landing. The data was well-organized and the sentient goo lifeform glowed with joy at the prospect of finally getting out of the restraining rock-pod. It had become more of a prison than a conveyance, when all was considered in calm reflection.

The alarm system was pulsing with unexpected impatience alerting the semi-liquid cognitive mass that its approach was not entirely undetected by the current residents of the less-than-welcoming world. It was reassured of the anticipated level of resistance from the rowdy inhabitants well-schooled in the basics of violent reaction to any perceived threat. It constantly repeated the words of thought that merely stated,

“Par for the course! Par for the course!”

The being felt like some silly parrot expressing a thought of unknown meaning filled with illogical construction, so mystifying that it could not be considered actual communication. The blues and greens of the water-logged world came into focus and the rock-pod skirted above the surface so low that no tracking system had the ability to monitor its direction. Some of the large underwater creatures sensed its approach and shouted out warnings to their compatriots just in case it landed in their midst. The control system had already sighted a flat surface in front of a line of sharply rising solid surface features directly in front of its approach pattern. It was certain that were the intended destination and it settled down into defensive puddle position to prevent the danger of unwanted termination on impact. The protective shell covering offered it a quick method of survival. It did not ignore the advisability of shifting its mass inside the restraining thing making certain every last flickering tendril of energy was safely inside.

The searching explosive devices began to lose their fuel limits and fell harmlessly into the watery grave underneath. They sank inexorably into the depths of the vast oceans and seas becoming part of the darkness never to be seen again by human or animal eye. Of course, it did not have any semblance of a sense of humor or it would have laughed at the ridiculous aspects of defending against the unchallenged powers of the organized universe with any hope of winning the day.

A working boatload of fishermen watched the glowing sphere pass over them with the sonic boom following slowly in its wake. They looked at each other, shrugged, and immediately went back to work unimpressed by the importance of its passing. It was slighted by their indifference but on studied contemplation, it was for the best, because its mission depended on secrecy and complete lack of interest by the violent populace.

The rock-pod slowed considerably now and a smart operator on a monitoring system could have figured out it was controlled by forces other than simple gravity or natural laws of science. That analysis would have been confirmed by the way it started to veer to the west and settle into a definite landing approach pattern on the edge of a populated area somewhere between Texas and Mexico almost right on the volatile border between the two sparring countries vying for economic superiority in a changing world. Strangely, it was a low-level drug cartel search system that detected it first confirming the government’s lack of skill in purchasing detecting devices.