Discovatron

By Simon Meriva

A peace-loving intergalactic space ship crew are off on a mission to find a new world upon which to live. As they journey through time and space, they explore numerous planets, but due to incompetent planning, bungling, or just sheer bad luck they end up disappointed in their quest.

 

In some cases they inadvertently cause some serious inter-planetary incidents.

 

The hapless crew are coming towards the end of their mission when they visit a strange, blue/green planet in Galaxy Six. This planet succumbs to the grip of a deadly pandemic, but only the crew know the true story* about the origin of the disease.

 

Can they battle unfriendly life-forms, dodge hazards in space, beat their sister ship, overlook hackneyed alien clichés and be the crew that finds a new planet to call home?

 

61,400 words approx.

 

 

 

*It might be the truth. Who knows for sure?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Woolleycat Media
• Release date: Jan 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9781838197216

Simon Meriva

Simon Meriva is a grumpy, fifty-something, cat-obsessed, overweight train-crew worker residing in the south of England and latterly with rather too much time on his hands. This spare time is taken up with gardening, DIY, reading, slobbing around with a bottle of beer in hand and occasional fruitless trips to the local gymnasium. Latterly he has taken to writing, for which he apologises in advance to his poor, unfortunate readership.

Book preview

Prologue

The People’s Republic of China was desperately unlucky. They received the blame for the Coronavirus outbreak even though the truth was far different. People from other countries condemned them, without knowing the full facts.

Conspiracy theories abounded. Did it start in a wet market? Was it a man-made virus that was released unwittingly? Or worse, deliberately? Was it a plot to take over the economic control of the world?

The fact is, nobody can be certain.  Until now.

Chapter 1.

A gentle humming sound would have become noticeable on the ground, had anyone been in the vicinity to hear it. The sound gradually got louder, while a faint yellowish glow began to be cast upon the ground, getting a little brighter as the strange object descended.

Lieutenant Medway began the final landing sequence in his tiny space-craft.

Taking manual control for the last of the manoeuvres, he identified what looked like a suitable spot to park his machine. A large, flat open space, that was covered in tall, thick vegetation which was swaying in the gentle breeze.

A couple of yards above ground, he pulled a lever, and lowered the four legs, nodding to himself when the green light came on.

In the dark night, Medway's facial features were barely visible from outside his craft, only his eyes could be seen amid his dark face, which were reflected in the soft glow of his instrument panel.

Slowly he brought the craft gently down onto the ground with barely a bump. Satisfied with himself, having made a perfect landing, he switched off the power and then unbuckled his seatbelt.

Switching on the communications handset, he checked the frequency, then keying the microphone he spoke briefly into it.

The eagle has landed.

Flicking a switch, he then turned and waited as the screen on his left flickered into life and began to display readings of the exterior environment of his little ship. Data scrolled past rapidly, until a summary finally displayed.

He smiled to himself as he saw the atmosphere was within a couple of percentage points of his home planet, most importantly the oxygen levels were almost exactly the same.

'Just as the scientists predicted!' he thought to himself. He smiled, revealing a hint of white teeth for a moment, in contrast to the darkness of his face.

Relieved that this wasn't yet another wasted journey, he unbuckled the safety catches on either side of the exit hatch and opened the portal.

Sticking his head out through the hatch he breathed in, the first inhalation of the fresh night-time air of the planet. He felt an immense sense of pride being the first of his kind to ever visit this strange and exciting new world.

The communications device beeped to signify an incoming transmission and then a disembodied voice came over the airwaves.

Roger that!

He realised the four-minute lag in communication between himself and the command ship was going to be annoying but there was little he could do.

He scouted around the immediate area, unable to see very far since he had arrived at night, the trip from the command ship to the planet surface having taken a lot longer than expected. Also, the tall vegetation in which he had landed covered the lower three-quarters of his craft.

'Hopefully the darkness will give me some cover, so I don't get spotted by any life-forms too early!' he thought.

Steeling himself, he pushed his tall, thin body out through the hatch, stepped out onto the leg of the landing craft and climbed down the ladder, making his first step onto the surface of the planet.

As always when he stepped on to a brand new world, he felt excitement and awe.

Although it can be bloody dangerous, I really do have the best job in the universe! he declared to himself.

He looked around, wanting to take in his wider surroundings this time from ground level.  He could see nothing through the thick vegetation. He had to climb back upwards, onto his craft, to be able to see over the lush green vegetation in which his craft had landed.

A short distance away was a large structure, barely visible in the dark, possibly some kind of an alien habitation.

From what he could see, it was grey in colour, had four windows on the elevation facing him, and an entrance portal. He began to walk quietly towards the structure, pushing his way through the undergrowth. As he drew closer, noticed the entry portal towering way, way above his head.

He began to develop even more of a feeling of unease. Already nervous, being the first of his kind to visit this strange planet, the height of the portal added to his disquiet. Rather than attempt to enter the dwelling, he set off to one side towards the corner of the building.

He found he had to take care, because every seven or eight steps, there was a wide, deep crevasse in the pathway, which he needed to step over.

The darkness of the night made it harder to spot hazards, but as his night vision improved, the risks lessened. The crevasses, he realised, were regularly spaced, and arranged in perfectly straight lines, almost as if they had been placed there intentionally, rather like the paving that was common back at home. He shook his head, planning to have another look at this strange surface later.

As he rounded the corner, he found an enormous strange blue contraption. It appeared to have massive circular wheels in each corner, supporting a huge box-like body with an entry hatch in the side visible to him.

It's a bit like those at home! he said, quietly to himself. But why is it so huge?

Walking towards it, he realised that the vehicle appeared to have pneumatic tyres, again not unlike those from his home planet.  His unease deepened further as he realised the bottom of the tyre wall alone was almost as tall as himself.

Reaching up, he was able to touch the wheel rim which was cold and metallic, again just like those at home.

However this conveyance, whatever it was, was much, much bigger than anything he ever encountered on his planet.

––––––––

He stood quietly in the darkness as he further considered his situation. Looking between the vehicle and the habitation, back and forth, he came to terms with the realisation that he, and his colleagues, had a serious problem.

Oh bloody hell! he muttered aloud.

He rushed back to his landing craft and switched on the communication device. As he did so he caught sight of the battery power level indicator which was dangerously in the red zone.

Keying the handset he began a message to his superiors back on the command ship.

Yeah this is Lieutenant Medway on Lander One, we have a problem. We seem to have an issue in terms of scaling. he declared, as calmly as he was able.

Judging by the size of the portal to the first habitation I’ve come across and what appears to be some kind of ground vehicle, the sentient beings here would seem to be at least twenty times larger than ourselves.

The handset let out a strangled squawk before shutting down.

Oh, crap. mattered Medway. He watched as the rest of the systems in his little craft shut down, its power source exhausted. He looked at his watch, realising the gesture was meaningless, as time was probably very different here.

Time was always different, on every planet he had previously explored.

He looked up at the night sky wondering how long it would be until daybreak when his solar powered craft would begin to recharge.

Chapter 2.

Commander Troutman slumped back down in his large, important looking chair on the command ship, high above Lieutenant Medway's landing craft on the planet below. He sighed heavily in despair as he buried his medium-brown, furry face in his front paws.

Booger! he swore, in full hearing of his crew, all of whom now looked despondent at this latest development. Looks like yet another cock-up! I’m glad I’m not responsible for this one!

Yeah, but, I don’t know how anyone could have foreseen this one, Commander replied his second-in-command, Captain Catt. But for sure heads are gonna roll over this I reckon. she finished.

Tracey Catt was somewhat younger than her commander, her fur still dark and luxuriant over her pretty face despite fast approaching middle age.

Her diminutive stature hid the fact that she was strong and determined, both physically and mentally. Her wings rustled slightly as she shook her head.

We’ll just have to wait and see what else Lieutenant Medway has to report in a few minutes. stated the commander.

The crew sat at their respective workstations, their shoulders slumped as they patiently awaited further reports from the landing craft. 

Elation at the arrival, and the successful landing of the craft, had swiftly turned to desolation at the news that their race might just be too small to exist on the new planet. A gloomy atmosphere now pervaded the bridge.

When no further reports were forthcoming from the lander, the communications officer began sending messages repeatedly to Lieutenant Medway asking for him to reply.

That bloody four-minute lag is a pain in the arse declared Commander Troutman.

We should have had something back by now replied the Communications Officer worriedly, before coughing into his front paw. It's been twelve minutes since the last message!

Maybe he’s just walked away from the ship again and is exploring the surroundings said the commander as he ran his front paw over the brown fur on his head.

Standing up, he shook out his thin black leathery wings, before settling them carefully down, neatly folded again, on his back.

He paced around the control deck, nervously, feeling the weight of command upon him, while worrying about his colleague and friend several hundred moils below on the planet surface.

He caught sight of himself in the reflection of one of the blank screens on the bridge, making a mental note to eat less and to get back in to the ship's gymnasium some more.

He adjusted his light grey tunic, so it didn't appear to bulge so much around his ever increasing belly.

Troutman thought sorrowfully that he, like all of his kind, didn’t use his wings so much nowadays, no doubt a contributing factor in the obesity epidemic that was plaguing his race.

There had been centuries of changing circumstances back at home. Some called it 'progress', but he hesitated to use that word.

Home was now full of air pollution and overpopulation, meaning that it was easier to walk, drive autocars or take the excellent metro system in the cities.

Flying was just so damn dangerous, especially with all the self centred me me me generation who didn’t give a stuff about anyone other than themselves.

I blame the electroweb! he muttered to himself.

He shook off his maudlin thoughts and looked around at the bridge with pride. This was the ship he had helped to create.

Brushed steel panelling, finished with blue trims all round was the design theme for the walls and the workstations, the floor was a non-slip rubberised compound with raised nobbly bits.

The ceiling curved above his head, with a suspended raft which held another screen to provide a view above the ship.

The workstations were sleek and purposeful looking, lots of buttons and dials, computermabob screens everywhere, a proliferation of lights, some steady, some flashing. He was convinced a lot of them were just for show, but either way, the whole place gave an air of professionalism and purpose.

The brushed steel panels, nobbly rubberised flooring and blue trims were repeated throughout the ship, even in the 'below stairs' areas for storage of supplies and engineering facilities.

Some of the younger crew members believed the design scheme made the ship look somewhat dated, but Troutman loved her just the way she was.

He shook his head as Jim Wightman, the communications officer, repeated his request over the radio.

Lieutenant Medway, this is command ship Discovatron, come in please, over. He coughed lightly once more.

You alright, Jim? enquired the commander. You’re coughing a lot today.

It’s just a touch of carina cough is all. replied the burly communications officer, turning slightly.

Oh, OK, sounds worse than it is then.

Strange how the carina cough virus only seems to affect our species and the carina itself, replied Wightman. And strange how it is very mild in nature for us, it just seems to hang around for ages once the sufferer caught it.

It can be rough on the carina though, the first time they get it, but after that they seem to be immune, whereas we get it over and over! said Troutman. Still, we can't hate the carina, they're just such sweet little aminals! Even though the disease originated in 'em.

They are such a popular pet back on our home planet. agreed Wightman.

It's so mild for us though, at home we have the cure available over the counter for a less than a mabel a pack, and vaccinations are easy to obtain, but nobody bothers! the commander shrugged, and scratched his chin, the fur on which was just beginning to show a few greys.

Call me as soon as you hear anything. he ordered, before wandering off in search of a cup of beer.

––––––––

Lieutenant Medway shrugged, realising there was nothing he could do about his predicament until sunrise, whenever that might be. 

Maybe if the command ship had orbited for a couple of days before sending out the landing craft, then they could have figured out the changing of the days and nights.  Then he could have made his final approach in the daylight.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing! he muttered aloud, as he began to walk off, in the opposite direction, away from the habitation, to explore this new world a little more.  He coughed gently as he moved away.

As he walked, he remembered his girl, Sergeant Felix, way back up there on the good ship Discovatron.  She was in charge of the ship's stores, an ideal situation for them both with several smaller store rooms and cupboards at her disposal in which they could make out.

I'd love a sight of your hind right now, Sharon! he said to himself as he took a breather from struggling through the undergrowth. He looked up at the strange, unfamiliar night sky.

He had been surprised as he entered the planet's atmosphere a few hours before by the sky being blue in colour, but as night had fallen, it had turned black. He was still reminded of home, though, as he could make out clouds, way above him, moving slowly in the breeze across the black sky.

Between the clouds, he was able to see the glinting stars high up in the heavens.

One of those is home! he said, wistfully, before returning to battle his way through the undergrowth.

Eventually, he reached the edge of the thick, lush green vegetation and stepped out on to a hard, grey surface, which appeared to be artificial and not unlike the Cemestone that they had back at home. 

He looked around as another huge machine roared past, similar to the vehicle that he had seen next to the habitation. However, this one was red. He was buffeted by the turbulence of the autocar's passage as it raced past on a smooth, black track, next to the pathway on which he stood.

The lighting above the track-way lit everything up with almost the brightness of day, a slight orange glow reminding Medway once again of home.

His handsomely dashing features could clearly be seen, the largish nose, square jaw and dark eyes showing within his brown fur which still showed the full darkness of youth.

Across the immense highway was what appeared to be a large advertising billboard, similar to those he remembered from his childhood. Most of them at home had been removed in the ever increasing desperation to acquire building land, but still one or two remained.

Grabbing his binoculars from his utility belt, he tried to read the wording, but unsurprisingly it was mostly in some strange alien alphabet. 

He was then astounded, as he cast his gaze lower to read the smaller text below, to see it was translated into his own language!

'Welcome to the City of Wuhan! Please drive carefully.' it read.

They can't have known we were coming, surely? he said aloud. 

His surprise set off another mild coughing fit, which quickly abated.

Bloody carina cough! he muttered. Its so harmless, just bloody annoying that it hangs around like a fart in a lift!

The lieutenant decided to unfurl his wings and take to the skies, in the hope of getting a better view of his surroundings.  Soaring to the height of a nearby tree, he looked around, but could see little in the darkness, except for the bright lights of the nearby city.

'I'm guessing that must be this Wuhan place?' he pondered. 'I'll steer well clear of that until I've got more information about this world.'

Suddenly, a dark, winged shape flapped past rapidly, around the same size as himself.  Cautiously he followed, and watched as it flew into a small gap in the roof of the habitation nearby. 

Another alien being emerged from the gap, perching on a small ledge then looking around before flying off.

The inhabitants look the same as us! he cried excitedly, abandoning caution and flying towards the gap. Medway's earlier fears about the enormity of the life-forms of this strange alien planet were forgotten, now that he could see they were a similar size to his kind after all.

Landing on the tiny ledge, he knocked on the woodwork to the side of the opening.  Hello?  Anyone at home? he continued as he entered the attic of the building.

There was no reply, except for some squeaking, chirping noises from within.  As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw ten or twelve dark bulbous shapes suspended from the ceiling rafters, and two pairs of eyes watching him from across the roof space.

Hi!  Um, sorry to intrude, but, well, I come in peace from another world! he began, awkwardly, keeping a sunny smile on his face.

The creature on the left made an unintelligible squawking sound, then fell silent, as Medway realised, that these beings were all naked. He adjusted his tunic awkwardly.

"Ah.