The house was safe again, although a little bit more untidy, but at least Vluffy didn’t have to worry about big nasty two headed roaches chasing him down the hall anymore.

The Tourist Office would put it back up again before somebody noticed and didn’t come to Deanna for a holiday on the white sandy beaches, where they could watch little marsupial Braking Dolphins swimming backwards through the tour boats’ propeller in the strong current, or to blow up Cocka Snoek in the Whatoosie River with a little help from the Skeggs Valley Dynamite Fishing Club.

The machine demanded access codes. As he entered the first, a faint whispering sound startled him, causing him to snatch up the sweep laser. All was silent again. It had sounded like metal on metal. Could he have imagined it? He listened intently.

He slumped down in the command seat and shut off the irritating alarm. He sighed again. It seemed to be a wonderful day for Mykl d’Angelo, captain and owner of the ‘tramp’ freighter Pegasus. As wonderful days went on his personal scale, this one was rated one of the best.