Due to a scientific breakthrough in the 28^thCentury the Earth had become a slow dying planet. A discovery was made of a miracle micro-organism with the power to rejuvenate life. Its capacity was to greatly extend the human lifespan. At first glance this miraculous breakthrough was a milestone in our history. It was so sort after that it was considered even enough to die for.

That’s one for life’s little ironies. Today we have an average lifespan of over three hundred years. The last officially known reported death was a decade ago of a male who died of natural causes aged 422 years young. This miracle helped create the earths over population, hence, a slow dying planet.

The Micro-Organism Rejuvenating Enzyme, known as (MORE) has a partner. This miracle partner E. Coli Yttrium Ecocide, known as the (EYE) and lovably referred to as the {Extreemwilly} ‘ExtremelyYouthful Enzyme’, the MOREwould just remain idle and would be used as an additive for wrinkle cream but mix the two ingredients together they explode into a miracle drug that creates a type of immortal serum.

MORE combined with theEYErejuvenates all the body’s cells, blood, skin and tissue. The EYE reduces their progressive degenerescence. MOREbinds itself to the blood protein of the EYE’s antibody; this antibody produces a catalyst that causes an extremely slow progression of cell degeneration.

This partnership has only two side effects one is longevity and two is the appearance of a youthful body. Hey, the perfect duo, what can I say but it’s a classic, MORE thanmeets the EYE.It took a few years before they found a third side effect. The longevity aspect of the drug caused all females who became pregnant to have their gestation period increased for an extra three months; this however, didn’t slow down the earth’s birth rate.

At some point world leaders came to a similar conclusion it was time for a programmatic approach to stop the earths eventual demise. The one beneficial solution they settled with was to create a space station large enough to house and support all forms of life from earth.

So, began the race for space and for the first nation to conquer the stars will be the one nation who will hold the power to decide the people’s fate. The fight for space dominance between the earth’s three super powers was at first a welcome one.

We were so eager to believe them when they delivered this formal address to the earth’s population. It was more like ‘what the’ speech. I quote, “Our goal is the preservation of humanity. We shall focus our energies on a successful solution to secure our future. Hand in hand we’ll walk among the stars and there build a new world for earth’s inhabitants. We’ll once again as in days of old, thrive and prosper as one.” end quote.

Not many of the world’s populace understood the spoken words. Walk hand in hand, among the stars, this is the ‘what the’ moment. Take anyone’s guess as to how that thinking was meant? No matter what the century leaders sprout words from their lips only to have nonsense spill out.

They have no clue to what the populace really wants. We the people want, (what do we want!), we want to know who is to build what, and who will prosper, and how soon it will happen.

Everyone maundered on for weeks about the speech as plans for the highly controversial Space Station were put into motion. In the infancy stage the plans progress was painfully slow, and frustration reigned. Plausible locations had to be scraped due to the fundamental problem of major obstacles in the form of thousands of satellites that orbit the earth’s sphere.

They exhausted every possible avenue but still no answers. Until some young smart ass, I believe it was Meg, the coffee girl, who suggested the most logical place to build the first space station would be around the earth’s moon. Well utter chaos erupted, and it was a total melt down.

Thousands of documents were scraped new data and calculations were used. Extra analytic specialists were brought in and sleep was a luxury for the extensive team members for every computer ran night and day. I’m sure Meg didn’t receive any credit or even gratitude for her insightful logic.

When all calculations were finalised, the team allowed themselves a pat on the back and then began the real fun. Guess what real fun, well orbiting the earth’s moon there are not one but three space stations.

These stations are known as the arcs, as in The Ark, because they will be housing and supporting many different creatures including humans. The reason for three is because each dominant nation wished to be the first to conquer the stars. The arcs orbiting the moon were coincidentally all completed at the same time.

You guessed it; this calamity caused a bitter rift between nations and catapulted earth into war. This war caused fallout so enormous that the radioactive particles hurled out beyond the atmosphere and into deep space.

The nation’s leaders were oblivious to the significance of how far this fallout had projected and what or who would be affected, or they just didn’t care. Three Commanders, William Arlen from the Western Region along with Commander Samos Wagston of the Central Region and Commander Joel Nondebt from the Eastern Region finally band together to remove and execute the governing bodies who selfishly caused this senseless war.

Unbeknown to the three nations this ripple effect of radioactive fallout had been closely monitored by an alien race who knew all too well the catastrophic results of war. The rippling effect they were monitoring came within proximity to their own planet, and if the ripple fallout expanded any further it would have annihilated an entire species into extinction, so they chose to intervene and alter the outcome of the fallout.

This alien race known as the Aziff pronounced (As-if) came with high intelligence and vast knowledge. Their outstanding advancements of technology and science were unimaginable and as mere humans, impossible for us to duplicate for at least another millennium or two. The Aziff appear humanoid except for their unusual contrast of colours, which draws the eye to their uniqueness. I would use the word handsome.

They have long metal-gold hair, with sparkling opal eyes and light grey-slate skin, and atop of their binaural ears are three little forest-green horn-like protrusions, which children find fascinating. They also take care to conceal their horn-like protrusions in mixed company.

As a small child of five I met two Aziff for the first time at the entrance door to my Father’s Office. One was a visitor speaking to the other one guarding the doorway. I thought both looked beautiful but being this close was a little frightening. As I stood quietly behind the visitor, I noticed one of his ears was exposed.

My eyes zeroed in on three little forest-green horns on top. Before I knew it, my curiosity kicked in and I was pointing to his three little horns as I blurted out, “What are.” I was instantly silenced when he spun around so quickly, I had to take a step back, for fear of being knocked to the ground. As I looked all the way up to his face, I spotted his horns swirl and flash from forest-green to bright-pink.

The duty guard roared so loud with laughter that it caused tears to flow. Mine burst from being startled and the guards from utter amusement. As the visitor’s looked down at me crying his expressions of shock, wonder, and embarrassment raced across his face. You’d swear he’d never seen a tiny female earth child before especially one leaking.

The poor visitor became so flustered he couldn’t even speak, so he just turned and rushed from the premises. You could hear the guard’s laughter following in the echoes of his hurried footsteps. I never saw the visitor again, who was Ambassador Yike until some years later I literally bumped into him while I was visiting his home planet Alta.

After this first disastrous meeting with the Aziff I was determined to obtain as much information on the enemy as I could. Even though they really weren’t the enemy, well maybe a few but the majority are friendlies. It’s bugged me for years the not knowing what the colour changes or swirls and flashes meant. I eventually uncovered their mystery when I reached my twelfth year a few months before my father sent me off to the Star Academy.

I sort out one of my father’s colleagues who happened to be an Aziff named Salton. He told me that when an Aziff is startled, frightened or in pain, be it emotional or physical, it triggers an unintentional colour change in their binaural ears where three little horns protrude. The swirls and pulsations, not flashes, are extremely important. They indicate what type of emotion is released and only another Aziff, at a glance can decipher what emotion is being projected.

I realised at that moment why Ambassador Yike horns had changed and why he’d run off. He was so startled by his first encounter with a tiny human female and a leaking one as well, that he had no idea how to respond or answer my innocent personal question. Salton said, “To better understand the Aziff, I’ll give you a copy of one of the ancient texts.”

My father looked at Salton and asked, “Is it wise to give a twelve-year-old a copy of one of the ancient texts.” Salton just laughed and explained, “It’s a simple short version, of fifty pages, that only covers the emotions. It is what we give to our entire burr.” Both my father and I gave Salton a puzzled look and together asked, “What’s a burr.”“Oh,” Salton exclaimed, “They are our young ones.” Together dad and I nodded in comprehension.

A few minutes later Salton returned and placed the ancient text into my outstretched hand. It was small enough to carry in my pocket, which I always do just in case I came across an Aziff displaying their emotions. It became essential to me and I regarded the book as a bible on Aziff emotions.

Salton looked me in the eye and said, “Now if or when one Aziff choses to display his emotions around you again, you needn’t ask him, and embarrassment can be avoided.” I shyly replied, “Well I wasn’t embarrassed, I was more surprised by the way he spun around so fast and I just got scared that he might have hit me.” Incensed Salton replied, “Ambassador Yike would never have struck you little one.”“Oh, I meant he might have bumped me accidentally to the ground.” Salton relaxed and nodded his head in understanding.

I checked out the ancient text and pulled up short. I looked back up at Salton and questioned, “This copy you gave me has a couple of pages missing.” He unashamedly said, “Those pages were removed because they concern sexual emotions, which are only given to our older burrs who have reached eighteen seasonal cycles of our planet.”

My father interrupted and said, “When you are of that age you will be ready to receive the full information.” However, if you see that all six little horns change colour to a solid light grey-slate the same colour of the Aziff skin, you will run.” Salton couldn’t hide his snort at my father’s attempt at humour.

I managed to say, “Why?” before Salton held up his hand and with a sigh said, “No more questions Ulva, the rest is to complex for your level. After your eighteenth year you will receive the rest of the detailed information. It will explain everything.” I’m so glad I didn’t voice my curiosity as I wondered if an orgasm has an emotional colour.

I’m sure my father; probably even Salton would have suffered a conniption if I asked. I’m certain my father would have been mortified to realise that at my age I know of an orgasm. He would also be relieved to know that in my body awareness classes our tutor mentioned an orgasm is the completion of the intercourse act and I have no knowledge of how it is achieved. I suppose when I’m old enough I’ll have to find out, for research purposes of course. Shaking my head, I mumble, “Things I do for research.”

I studied the ancient text for days with Dalfee, and she ended up so confused she refused to help me further decipher the text. I managed to convince 1 BAD ROBOT to include this ancient text in one of his tutoring lessons, explaining how important it is to know how the alien species think. 1 BAD ROBOT was intrigued with the idea. The text describes the emotional functions of the three little horns atop of each ear and explains the importance of the colours, swirls and pulsations.

We discovered that the Aziff in their normal or unemotional state have their binaural ears with all six little horns remain a solid Forest-Green colour. This natural main colour complements their light slate-grey skin and this emotion is my favourite only because it’s simply the easiest to remember. As we progressed through the ancient text it becomes more and more complex.

The bright pink colour represents four emotions with the varying swirls and pulsation that identifies which emotion is in play. Startled emotion has the right ear front horn swirling fast with the right ear rear horn pulsating twice with one second in-between pulses and the middle horn stays a solid bright-pink colour. The horns on the left ear remain in the normal solid state.

Embarrassment has the right ear remaining in its normal solid state, but the middle horn on the left ear displays a solid bright-pink colour with no swirls and only one pulsation fading in and out every three seconds. The shy emotion has both ears with slow moving swirls on the two back horns no pulsations.

An uneasy Aziff with no swirls has each horn of both ears working from front to back constantly pulsating once in tandem in the rhythm of one-two-three and repeating it until they are once again calm.

Next is reddish-brown I believe is for angry and hostile. Angry is darker brownish and has no swirls with five quick pulsations for each middle horn on both ears with a two second gap in-between.

Hostile leans towards reddish-brown and has both ears, all six horns pulsating and swirling at random but all six horns pulsating bright red with no swirls is kill, which means run like hell.

Emotional pain is a lighter purple and has many soft swirls with three slow long pulsations and one short pulse on each middle horn, much like a damaged heartbeat.

Then there is dark purple that is for immense physical pain. It all depends on what side of the body the pain is that the back horn will react as the colour fading in an out with slow pulsations.

If the pain is central both back horns react. A bright purple with quick one-two pulses of both front horns for when you hit your finger or kick a toe. That’s as far as I got with the detailed explanations of Aziff’s emotional projections.

The following colours I gathered only scratch the surface and point out what colour indicates a feeling of an emotion not the actual understanding of what type or emotions are being projected.

The Light-blue is for fun loving and being happy response and green-gold is for sad and regretful.

Blood-red is mad, crazy mad. Danger is whiter with a touch or ruby-red and harm is a mix of silvery-white. The blue-black colour is for dying and just black is death, so I’m told. There are far too many other variable displays of swirls and pulsations to mention, but I’m certain we will learn as we go, or we just ask.

We have a long way to go but as time passes and we progress further into the future, earth will become integrated into a newly forged civilized universe. The alliance will benefit humanity and all other species that are scattered throughout the universe.

I’m confident future generations of humans will embrace and co-exist in harmony with the aliens living among us on earth and conclude that we all need each other to exist for without the alien assistance and before their intervention humans were on the brink of extinction.

Alien leaders initiated First Contact in the Year 3033.03.10.We learned later that the aliens were reluctant to contact earth, for they deemed human’s primitive and didn’t want to deal with a race of barbarians, but after they observed earth for a short time, they thankfully reconsidered.

Brilliant, all it took for mankind to invite an alien race, to initiate a first contact was to hurl an almighty fallout of radioactive particles into space. Not a desirous invitation for humanity to make. Initial talks were held on the alien Star Cruiser and then further discussions had occurred on the surface of the earth’s moon where the aliens constructed a small base for negotiations to take place.

The three space stations would have been ideal if they hadn’t sustained extensive damage from the war. Over the next several months after sensitive yet intricate negotiations, both parties accomplished an acceptable alliance and were successfully concluded at the end of May3034. Earth received the needed technology only upon a sworn blood oath of death, to cause no further Wars.

Though I do suspect the Aziff may have tipped the scales in their favour to gain an advantage; because at their insistence the Aziff convinced the world leaders to construct earth’s space station at the approbate location. This location gives the alien Stalletbite Star Cruisers easy accessibility and ample space for more fluent manoeuvrability.

Their ingenious technology had created Stalletbite, which is a metal substance with a strange texture, which I believe at times, gives off an impression of being self-aware or I might just have an overactive imagination. The metal not only shines like polished-silver, it is light weight and durable. It also does a neat trick, it has a reflector type beam to track and hold spacecrafts either to dock or have them orbit the Base Station.

The best feature however, is outstanding; it could generate its own power. This power can turn itself off and on by producing a magnetic pulsating energy, which allows crafts to travel through space in a considerably reduced amount of time. What took earth space ships months or even years to travel now incredibly takes only hours or days to accomplish?

Construction was to commence after the initial conclusion of thenegotiations but was delayed till the end of October three years after. The stage one space station was to take only four years to construct. It took five only because in the first year the blue prints were changed as often as a baby’s diaper.

The actual start date was 3037.25.10and four years later as predicted; in the year 3041.25.10the first stage, one through five was ready for human settlement, but no one thought beyond completion and it was in desperate need for someone to take charge of the utter chaos.

My father, Phelan Radolf was just that someone. He was twenty and the youngest of his siblings at that time and already a well-established prominent figure amongst the Nations West Region.

Phelan was acquainted with four others, who are all well-known influential young men in their own regions and invited them to join him in forming a group who would with their combined efforts take charge and successfully conquer the needs of the Star Base.

They also made plans to form elections and organised several committees to attack various tasks. They arranged to move large numbers of the populace to the Star Base and see them settled. They familiarised themselves with the alien base stations operational systems, which was a daunting task. The collective power of these five young men played a vital role in the success of the preparations for the leading up to the Official Opening of the Star Base.

The Year 3051.25.07; Sectors six through to ten was deemed opened, but not quite complete they simply required cosmetic finishing touches to be applied. Although fifteen years was predicted a further estimated margin was allowed for unforeseen complications. This margin gave construction crews breathing space and no one had any conniptions over meeting a deadline.

On this same day construction had began on the final stage of the Zero Sector complex aptly named by the rookies as the BaseZment. This sector will house multiple defence force equipment and military personnel with quarters for their immediate family’s wives, husbands, and children.

Luckily construction of the Zero Sector did not interfere with the main base facility. They wisely designed the BaseZment complex as a separate section and the only way it connects to the main base is through several large walkway boarding tunnels. The breadthwise of tunnels will fit one hundred and fifty people with legs astride standing comfortably side by side.

The outer perimeter of the dome is eerie though; it has the ejector pods surrounding it like hundreds of ogling eyes. The Star Base was also cleverly designed to accommodate future growth.

Relief from growing tensions finally came as the last piece of Zero Sector was rested into place with a glorious two days to spare. A tremendous shout of tools down was heard by all, and a deafening roar of cheers rang out, and the only things on the horizon were the celebrations.

Three days later in the year of Star Base Date: 3052.10.08the Grand Opening and the Official Naming Ceremony was held and The United Planetarium Star Base, (UPSB) Station was officially born. The location of the UPSB Station now orbit’s the ninth (outermost) planet named Pluto in our solar system.

Pluto was declared a dwarf planet rather than a planet proper way back in the 21^stCentury. I believe it was around August 2006by the then known the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

This UPSB Station became our second Home Base and is designed to monitor all activity on and off the base and to handle quarantine and distribution of supplies. It’s also our last line of defence against any threats to humankind. Winthrope Yehudi Zada, our highly strung, but extremely hunky quantum physics specialist, is always upgrading systems to the BaseZment to maximise security and defence. He really needs to get a life, or get laid, and I wouldn’t mind helping in the latter.

Well talking about getting laid I remembered my father mentioning on this historical day he had met my mother, as in HAD, because twelve months later to the date in 3053.10.08, my eldest brother Ulfred was born? My father left that juicy little tidbit out when he sat me down and told me stories on, how I met your mother? The following years produced the rest of my brothers and me.

In 3055.22.08the twins were born first Ulger then a minute later Ulmer popped out. They are identical in every way and only I can tell them apart. There was an eleven-year gap before Ullock was born in 3066.18.02, and in 3069.06.09I was born on the UPSB Station orbiting Pluto.

Ulfred grew up to become a fine strong man, who will become a diplomat just like father. He is well respected, and family means everything. His calming presence and a level head give him an edge and he will one day take fathers place as a member of The United Collective Front Authority Group, (UCFAG).

Ulger owns and runs Eagle Flight, his Trading Company and his freighter Claws is his pride and joy. He’s hot headed and harbours a bad temper, but he is also courageous, fearless, sometimes reckless but he would lay down his life to protect family.

While Ulmer his twin, is devoted to the job as a powerful Chief and Commander of the UPSB Station Starfleet, he hides emotions deeply and is extremely protective of his family. He is powerful and displays a fierce countenance, which puts fear into the hearts of men where ever he goes.

Last of my brothers, but not least is Ullock who entered the Star Academy at fifteen and studied to be a jet fighter pilot like me. He’s a self-assured young man, even to the point of becoming overly cocky. He’s fun loving easy going and carefree, never takes himself seriously or anything else for that matter.

He has a few select friends, but mostly keeps to himself and rarely seeks out his family, but I know he loves us. He was constantly bullied when he first arrived at the Academy, because his last name belonged to one of the privileged families. It’s a sad fact he had to avoid his family and dissociate himself from the Radolf name so he could fit in with the other cadets.