MegaBoys from Outer Space

Yelid was a typical boy. Typical, that is for an inhabitant of the fourth planet in a giant twin star system. Its population called their home planet Bedem; It was located in a galaxy hundreds of light years from earth. The home planet was similar to Earth in atmosphere, geology and its intelligent civilization. One major difference however was its size.

The planet Bedem is over eighteen hundred times the size of Earth. Its inhabitants did not know of our tiny planet orbiting a small star in the far reaches of the milky way galaxy.

Relatively speaking Yelid was an average size ten year old. He and his friend Cory were out of school for the start of what could be called, Summer Recess, a time for fun, relaxation, exploration and adventure.

In truth and in keeping with the enormous size of Bedem, one year would be equivalent to hundreds of Earth years. To say that Yelid and Cory were thousands of earth years old, belies the point. If one were to see them together, one would recognize them as young boys, and not guess, given the size of their home world, that by Earth standards they would be approximately eight hundred feet tall, each! Here I am getting ahead of myself.

Yelid and Cory are best friends, Yelid with tussled blond hair, fair complexion and with striking blue eyes, was the studious one, sensitive, inquisitive and intelligent. His friend Cory was strong, well built, and slightly younger. He was the dark haired boy, with a bit more aggressive nature, and he possessed a quirky sense of humor that Yelid liked, they worked together on projects, and their peers called them, a team. Their teacher Mrs Graf had given the class a Summer assignment, the students would take a month to camp out, and explore the deep mysteries of the universe. As Bedem was an ancient planet, its civilization was technologically advanced way beyond human comprehension.

Vehicles called Monopods were used by Yelid and Cory to explore the galaxy. They were sophisticated one person, space craft. Egg shaped, and opaque from the outside. The sealed craft contained everything needed for Life Support; as well as Propulsion, Navigation and Communication systems, all intact. Sophisticated electronics allowed the craft to be piloted by its single operator sitting in the pilot’s console: An adjustable seat that when reclined, served as a bed. In the upright seated position, the instrument panel, and information displays were accessible.

Navigating the vehicle was accomplished using a simple head piece worn by the pilot. It transmitted his thoughts to the crafts operating system, and thus guided it by the power of his mind.

It´s operating system, much like an earthly computer, gave feedback and allowed communication with the home world, or with any other craft within range. The craft was structured to fit comfortably around its passenger. There was just enough room to stand upright, but not enough room for a second passenger. In travel, it was a seamless vehicle. At rest it opened up enabling the pilot to leave and enter. The mechanism was controlled by voice command. The wide bottom of the vehicle was it’s base, It traveled in free space, narrow side, heads up. Inside, the climate was comfortable. It was amazing that the thin shell of the craft could tolerate the deep freeze of intergalactic space, or the amazing heat generated by passing through suns or in most cases, re entering a planets atmosphere. The heat shields on the bottom of the craft glowed ever so slightly, as the ship would make its landings. Although storage space was at a minimum, the Monopod could generate food, water and air, through its sophisticated molecular generation technology.

The pilots would wear a simple form fitting outfit, to protect them from hostile elements outside the craft. They would be protected from external threatening conditions. Extremes of heat, cold and unfriendly atmospheres did not affect the explorer wearing his, “Exogear”. The suit was easily put on, or removed, and could in a few seconds time, be compressed into a thumb sized capsule, carried on a thin utility belt.

The belt was the only garment worn by Bedems, aside from when wearing their Exogear, which was only under emergency situations. The formality of clothing was not an issue with the inhabitants of Bedem. Aside from specialized garments signifying rank and title, or from the protective gear when occasionally needed, clothing was a convention long since lost in the primitive past when people were a slave to environmental conditions.

And so it was to be a simple month long assignment, Cory and Yelid boarded their Monopods, and with the instructions of their teacher, and the good wishes of their parents, embarked with thumbs up, on an exploration of the outer reaches of the nebula. It would be like a campout, a bicycle trip, They would find, and explore an unknown planet, map it out, do tests, and return with the information for their class science project, the results of their findings would be added to the galactic data base, accessed by all intelligent beings. Scholarships would be distributed to the most spectacular of discoveries, an honor sought by all the students of Mrs Graf’s class.

“Ma, can I go with Yelid?” Squeeked Punim, Yelid’s six year old brother. Yelid rolled his eyes up, his brother liked to follow him everywhere, He was OK, but he was a bit of a nuisance, and Yelid was relieved when his Mother told Punim,

“No, not this time, this is your brothers assignment. Maybe next time, but for now, give him a goodbye kiss, and wish him good luck.” Punim reluctantly obeyed.

“That was close.” Whispered Cory into his headset, so no one but Yelid could hear. The departure time was noon, and both boys were ready. They would travel within close proximity of each other, maintaining contact, and making decisions as they traveled the vast voids of space. They would be tracked and followed from the Exploration center, and would be monitored closely. In the event of any problems, they would be guided back to the safety of their planet. Yelid and Cory’s parents were assured that their children would be safe, and had not a care as the Monopod’s were launched. At the control panel at the Exploration Center, one of the technicians, in bending down to pick up his pen, missed the launching of a third Monopod, when there were only supposed to be two in Yelids group.