Worlds Without Number (8)

Worlds Without Number (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)


Lyda would not come in this morning. After a long talk with Tom last night she had decided to talk with her friend about the church she belonged to. Tom was very interested to find out about this church. He had instructed Lyda to ask about a prophet, and twelve apostles. He wanted to know their beliefs about God, the Savior, and the Holy Ghost. He wanted to find out what they taught about faith, repentance, and baptism. He told her about many things to look for that would be similar to the beliefs and practices of his church on earth. Lyda had agreed to find out. The previous evening had been very interesting and enlightening to her. The idea that a religion on one planet would be nearly identical to a religion on another was curious. What would that mean? She agreed with Tom, that if a religion were 'true' on one planet, it ought to be essentially the same on another.

During the morning Tom spent his time studying these new scriptures the best he could. He was still struggling picking up many of the words he came across. He had to do a lot of guessing from the context what the words were.

He tried to find out if there was any mention of the birth of the Savior. He could find none whatsoever. Had he missed it? He found several examples of prophets who taught about the atonement. One even prophesied about the crucifixion. This prophet testified in such detail, that Tom had to assume that he saw the crucifixion take place. How did that happen? Was he somehow transported through time and space to be grated a view of it? Was there some method of 'playback' as if the event were recorded somewhere? Tom read the passage where the Savior visited the planet again. It read so much like what he remembered of Third Nephi in the Book of Mormon. It seemed apparent to Tom the same Christ that was born on earth was also the Savior here. Did that seem reasonable? Perhaps the people on both planets were all children of Elohim. Or maybe Christ was the Savior for all planets.

Tom then looked for a story of a flood, similar to the events experienced by Noah. He could find none. Had he missed it? His reading skills were lacking. Was a flood necessary? He had heard some speculate that the flood was like a baptism for the earth. That always seemed strange to Tom. Could a necessary flood be a future event on this planet?

Tom looked up many things. He found many answers, and many questions. Many things seemed quite clear, a few things seemed confusing. Some of his previous religious opinions had changed, some became stronger. Overall it was a huge boost to his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The similarities between these scriptures and what he had on earth served to reinforce each other. And Tom made a commitment never to take his religious beliefs for granted again. He decided to pray.

He kneeled by his bed and began his prayer. Tom had never prayed quite like this before. It was a prayer of praise. His thoughts soared as he spoke of the greatness of God. His works have no end. All we have is his. Who can know the extent of his kingdoms, powers, and glories? Worlds without number! An image of God filled his mind. The image was similar to paintings he had seen, yet it was quite unique. He felt the complete acceptance of God. He received a forgiveness of his sins. He felt encircled by the arms of his love. A love that was shared by numberless children, on countless planets, throughout the immensity of space. He basked in the spirit of the moment for several minutes. Then the image changed. It was Lyda. She was dressed all in white and looking even more happy and pleasant than she usually did. Tom did not want to go back to earth. He wanted to stay here, with Lyda. Would she feel the same? The ship was quite capable of returning to earth without Tom. It was programmed to do so automatically after a long period of time. He could send all the information gathered. Who would care if he did not return? There was nobody for him there. Tom felt so right about this. Would Lyda feel the same way? His mind was wandering now, and he closed his prayer.

Lyda had said she would try to come back in the afternoon, depending on how the visit with here friend went. Tom could hardly stand it. He paced the room. His thoughts were of Lyda, of staying on this planet, and wondering how Lyda felt about him. She appeared several years younger than he was. Tom's age was a bit ambiguous. It was hard to say how old he was. As old as he felt he supposed. What would she see in him? If Lyda could not return his love, he may as well go back to earth. If she did, he simply would not return. He just needed to find out.

Finally a knock came at the door, and in came Lyda. She looked more serious than she normally did. Tom asked how it went. She told him that everything was just as he had said. A prophet, apostles, faith, repentance, baptism by immersion, priesthood, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Everything was in place. She then got even more serious.

'Tom, I want to get baptized'.

'That's wonderful!' Tom exclaimed, and ran to Lyda and embraced her tight. She embraced him back. This was a good sign. Very good.

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Worlds Without Number (7)

Worlds Without Number (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)


Tom sat nervously in his usual chair. He was very eager to see what the scriptures on this planet would be like. What if they were significantly different? What if they were nearly the same? Either result would be fascinating. He mentally kicked himself once again for not bringing any scriptures with him. He had not read the scriptures regularly for several years, and the 'powers that be' on earth apparently had not thought this information was important. For most people on the earth at the time Tom left, religion was thought of as a superstition at best. But that was not much excuse for Tom. He could have brought the content of the scriptures with him without adding anything to the payload of the ship. He just had not thought it was important enough to bring along. What a fool he had been.


The familiar knock was made at the door, and Lyda entered the room. Today she came with only one book, 'The Sacred Words From God'. They greeted each other warmly, and Lyda took her usual chair at the table.

'Looking forward to this?', Lyda asked with her usual pleasant smile.

'Is it that obvious?', Tom replied.

Lyda replied that it certainly was. She observed that this was a very large book, and aked Tom where they should start.

'In the beginning', Tom suggested. Lyda raised her eyebrows, wondering if Tom was expecting her to read the entire book. 'OK', she said, and opened the book to start reading.

'In the beginning...', Lyda paused and looked at Tom.

'You have to be kidding me!' Tom shouted. He quickly scooted his chair as close to Lyda's as he could. They read through a creation story similar to the creation stories Tom remembered. He could not remember for sure, but the creative periods appeared to be in the same order given in the Bible. There was a garden, a man and a woman (with different names), a tree of knowledge, a tree of life, the whole thing. Very similar to what Tom remembered.

Tom leaned back in his chair, with his hands behind his head. 'This is crazy!', he exclaimed. Lyda asked what was so crazy. Tom explained that there were books that people on earth believed were also words of God that had a remarkably similar creation story in them. Why would there be such similar stories in this book? Lyda shrugged and said it was probably a coincidence. Perhaps there were similar myths about how each planet came to be. 'Not this similar', Tom protested.

Lyda asked if she should keep going. Tom suggested looking in the index for something like 'Jesus Christ', or 'Savior', or 'Son of God'. Lyda found something that sounded promising. She started reading some of the references. These references began to make it clear to Tom that they were on the right track. Lyda read one reference that really caught Tom's attention: 'The Savior appears to the believers'. 'Go there!', Tom nearly shouted.
Lyda smiled at Tom again. She placed her hand on his. 'You are pretty excited about this I see.' Tom chuckled to himself. He was rarely this enthusiastic about things. Lyda was seeing a rare behavior from him.

Tom explained, 'Lyda, if my religion is true on my planet, then it would be true here as well. The God of my planet would be very much like the God of your planet. Who knows? Maybe they are the same God. If this appearance of a savior to believers is what I think it is, it will be the most remarkable and wonderful event I could imagine. I have to know.'

Lyda could tell that Tom was serious and sincere. She gave his hand a squeeze as she released it, turned to the reference and started reading. She read of a group of people who had gathered together discussing the signs that the prophets had given which had come to pass. And that as they were talking a voice came from above which said: Behold my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.

Tom put his head in his hands, and shook his head slowly. 'Should I go on?' Lyda asked. Tom nodded and said yes.

She read about the Savior announcing to the people who he was. He eventually invited the assembled people to come to him. Tom interupted, 'let me guess. He is going to invite them to thrust their hands into his side, and feel the prints of the nails in his hands and feet'. Lyda asked what that was all about, and Tom explained. Lyda stared at Tom for a moment. 'Read! Read!' Tom instructed.

Lyda read on, and it was just as Tom had predicted. Lyda looked at Tom. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Tom looked the same way. Lyda continued and read about the calling of twelve apostles. She read of the savior teaching about repentance and baptism. The savior then began the familiar sermon on the mount. Tom would finish the familiar phrases after Lyda read the beginning of them. He did it without looking at the text. Lyda asked how he knew about this.

'It's true Lyda. It's all true'. Tom had never said anything with more conviction in his life.

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Worlds Without Number (6)

Worlds Without Number (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)


The next two weeks brought a near continuous and intense language training. Lyda was an expert teacher, and Tom a gifted student. They were now able to have simple conversations with each other. Now that Tom knew the basic structure of the language he progressed rapidly.

But language study was not the only thing going on during this time. Tom had been allowed to go to his ship and retrieve some clothing and personal effects. He met with people he had assumed were scientists at the ship. With his limited language skills he tried to explain how it all worked. It was no easy task. These scientists were understandably very interested in the technology. Tom hoped that they would not take the whole thing apart and not be able to get it back together. He would hate to be stranded here. Or would he?


Another group of people met with Tom and Lyda to view the contents of the 3D image projector. Again, explanations were difficult. There had been quite a bit of excitement when the observers discovered that many of the animals of earth appeared identical to animals found on this planet. From what Tom could gather they didn't have anything like a giraffe or an elephant, but many other animals they did have. What might that mean? Similar evolutionary patterns with variation? God placing a set of animals on one world, another set somewhere else with the two sets being similar but not exact? Who knew?

Tom had also been allowed to launch one of the flying drones one night. This drone would reach a low orbit and be able to map the planet with great detail in a couple of days. He was also able to set a rover out on the grounds of the compound to take the various readings and samples it needed. Tom was glad for the cooperation thus far. Apparently he was no longer viewed as any threat.

For Tom the best part of the whole experience was meeting Lyda. He had grown very fond of her during this time. He was a bit disappointed in himself for flirting with her occasionally. Tom was not a flirt by nature, and it was unprofessional of him. It just came out. He even asked her if she was married once. When she told him that she wasn't he wanted to give a simple acknowledgment, but with his current language ability he had apparently said something like 'wonderful' instead of 'I understand'. His mistake was really no mistake at all, and he imagined that Lyda was aware of that. She was a very perceptive individual who seemed to be able to read body language as well as she taught spoken language.

It was nearing the end of their studies for the day, and Tom decided to ask some questions he had been wondering about. He asked Lyda about religion on this planet. Lyda gave him the names of a few of the religions on this world. She tried to tell him some of the basic beliefs, but confessed that she was not a religious person. She did not know much about these religions and had a difficult time explaining what she knew to Tom. They had not studied many religious terms. She asked him if he was religious.

Tom explained that for much of his life he had been very religious, but with his profession keeping up on it was very difficult. He confessed that deep down his beliefs were quite strong, but that he had not participated in his religion socially for a long time. Lyda asked about his religious beliefs. Tom's mind went blank for a moment. What should he say? What could he say? He decided to try to express some of the Articles of Faith. He tried to sketch out the Plan of Salvation. He expressed the basic ideas of the atonement. And it happened again, just like on his mission, he taught beyond his language ability. His mind seemed so clear. He thought for certain Lyda had been touched by the spirit as he testified of Christ. She asked how he was able to explain this so well, and Tom just shrugged.

Lyda had this far-off stare in her eyes. Tom asked what she was thinking. She said that she had a friend that had similar religious beliefs to what Tom had expressed. Tom was excited by this and asked if he could meet this friend. Lyda said that was unlikely. The government had decided to keep Tom a secret from the general public, at least for now. Tom asked if this friend would have any scriptures in the best way that his language skills allowed. Lyda said that this friend had given her a book called, 'The Sacred Words from God'. Lyda had not read it, but still had it. Tom asked her if she could bring that in, and Lyda thought that she could. She had not had to justify any of the other books that she had brought. She would bring this book with her tomorrow.

Tom was excited to see what these scriptures would be all about. What would they be like? Would they have a creation story? A flood? An Abrahamic covenant? A virgin birth of a Savior? Baptism? So many questions. Tom had not learned to read very well yet He would need Lyda to read for him. But that would not be so bad. If this friend was a member of the church he hoped , Lyda needed to learn what 'The Sacred Words from God' had to say anyway.

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Worlds Without Number (5)

Worlds Without Number (1) (2) (3) (4)

Morning came with a bit of a surprise. There was a light knock on the door, which then swung slowly opened, and in walked a woman. She was the first woman he had seen since his arrival on the planet. Her look and dress gave the impression of intelligence. Her facial expression and body language showed enthusiasm and confidence. Tom also couldn't help but notice that she was young and quite pretty. She carried a few books, and placed them on the small table along the far wall of the room. She then walked up to Tom and shook his hand. She smiled at him very pleasantly and said a few words slowly and clearly. Tom had no idea what she said but listened closely. She pointed to herself and said 'Lyda'. She paused for a while and said 'Lyda' again.


Tom knew what was going on. She was going to be his teacher. Tom was thrilled. He said, 'Lyda' just the way she did. He then pointed to himself and said, 'Tom'. Lyda repeated his name and smiled pleasantly again. She gently grabbed him by the arm, and lead him to the table and motioned for him to take a seat, which Tom eagerly did.

Lyda showed him the books that she had brought. These were books that might belong in an elementary school. Lots of pictures, and few words. For about an hour Tom learned basic colors, shapes, verbs, and numbers. Lyda would help him say very simple sentences, and Tom would practice. The lesson was going very well. It was difficult with no base language that they had in common. Lyda showed him a picture of a person eating, and had him say the word for it, which Tom did. She then said what Tom assumed to be something like 'Tom hungry'. He repeated it just like she said it. She said 'Tom hungry' again, and Tom repeated it. A couple more times. Tom thought he might be pronouncing something wrong and tried a few more times. Lyda laughed, and then Tom finally got it. Then Tom laughed and pointed to his stomach and said 'Tom hungry!'

Lyda stood up and offered Tom her hand. Tom took it and she lead him to the door. She opened it, and down the hall they went. Tom with his poor fitting white jumpsuit, no underwear and bare feet, walking down the hall still holding the hand of his beautiful and competent teacher. He felt a little silly, but for the first time on this planet he felt more like a guest than a hostage.

The strange pair entered what was obviously a small cafeteria. There were a few people there talking and eating, but everyone stopped as Lyda and Tom entered the room. Everyone stared at them. Tom felt a little embarrassed, but Lyda walked on with the same confidence and optimism she had shown all morning.

They got their food and found a place to sit down. Lyda had Tom say the name of the foods he ate. The food was different from what Tom was used to, but he was hungry enough to eat about anything. Lyda taught him how to say just about everything that there was in the cafeteria, and Tom soaked it all in.

After they were done eating they returned to Tom's room. They cracked open the books and worked on the new language all afternoon. The long day of intense language training reminded him a bit of his training prior to leaving for his mission to China. Eventually Lyda got up and said something that Tom thought meant, 'Good-bye, I will see you tomorrow.' And Tom said something which he hoped was along the lines of 'Tom will be happy'. He probably said it wrong or awkwardly, but was rewarded by Lyda's pleasant laugh again. When she left Tom admitted to himself that this was the best date he had had in years. At least to him it was.

Tom turned back to the books. He knew that the sooner he learned the basics of the language the sooner he could seek some cooperation to complete the purposes of his mission, and he was eager to learn all he could about this planet. And besides, he had a teacher to impress.

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Worlds Without Number (4)

Worlds Without Number (3)
Worlds Without Number (2)
Worlds Without Number (1)

Tom was escorted to a small room which resembled an examination room at a doctor's office. The group that escorted him immediately began removing his protective clothing, and placing it into a large container. They did not stop until Tom was completely naked. Tom did not resist. The container was sealed after all of Tom's clothing was placed inside. The leader took the 3D holographic display, and the group left him alone. The room had a glass window in it, and as Tom looked through it he saw the faces of the planet's inhabitants for the first time. They appeared perfectly and completely human!

In spite of his nakedness Tom walked directly to the window, almost to the point of pressing his nose against it. Sure enough, two eyes, two ears, a nose and a mouth. If he did not know better he would assume he was on earth. After a few moments he tried to motion with his fingers his observation that he and his hosts shared the same features. While the observers did talk and comment to each other, they did not appear to share Tom's interest in charades.

Tom felt a large amount of air movement in the room, which became a strong wind. It blew his hair around, and he had to brace himself to keep his balance. After several seconds the air movement and the associated noise stopped. The people that were watching him left the window area and in a few seconds entered the room. Perhaps he had been pronounced clean.

They guided Tom to the middle of the room and had him sit on the examining table. Tom was poked , prodded and scanned for several minutes. They took a sample of his blood and saliva. One of the people handed Tom a small cup, and with the shameless efficiency that only a scientist could muster, pantomimed peeing in the cup. Perhaps they were more interested in charades then they initially appeared.

Once they had all the information they wanted they left the room and closed the door. A few seconds later an individual returned, and handed Tom a plain white jumpsuit type garment. Tom gladly put it on. One size did not necessarily fit all. The individual left and Tom was alone again.

Nearly an hour passed when a small group again appeared at the window. They were obviously talking about Tom. He was getting a bit nervous, and wondering what would happen next. This small group left the window area, and the door opened. They motioned for Tom to follow them, and he did.

They lead him to what looked like a small one-room apartment. One member of the group showed him around, and attempted to describe the room. After a few words, he seemed to realize the futility of his description and stopped giving it. After a few awkward moments the group left him in his new home. What now?

Tom began to review his eventful day. He had been met initially by what he guessed were military men of some kind. There had not been any obvious media presence - did the general public know he was here? The planet seemed to be a couple of centuries behind earth in their technology, but they weren't fools. They had taken reasonable precautions with him.

But these were human beings! Just like him! The thought brought him an unexpected relief. Tom had imagined being met by all manner of strange creatures. But the fact that this planet was inhabited by human beings was fascinating. What did that mean? Do evolutionary processes generally yield common results that are more likely than others? If the human beings were the same, would the plants and animals be the same as well? Surely not everything in this world would be the same.

Does the fact that there are humans here prove that God exists and creates men in his own image? Were these people children of God? Children of Elohim? Would there be Christianity here? Would the 'church' be here? Would they have a prophet? What of their scriptures - if they had any? Would there be a creation story similar to Genesis? A fall? Would they have their own savior - or would Christ be their savior as well?

What are they going to do with me?

Tom laid on what seemed to be the bed, put his hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling. Why were his thoughts so centered on religion? It had been a few years since he had thought much of it at all. But no matter how much he tried to focus on the real purpose of his mission, his mind would go straight back to the religious implications of what was happening. Was the church true? If it was true on earth, would it not also be true here?

His mind raced for hours. He did not sleep much.

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Worlds Without Number (3)

Worlds Without Number (1)
Worlds Without Number (2)

The hibernation chamber automatically began bringing Tom back to a conscious state. The painful tingling in his arms, legs, hands and feet would continue for hours. His muscles would take longer than that to regain most of their strength. Tom would not return to full strength until after he spent some time at full gravity, or better yet, full gravity in a gym. Waking from hibernation was often the worst part of any trip. He told himself that this would be the last trip he would take. He was getting to old for this. He should settle down and get his life back. Maybe get married, and raise a family. Maybe go back to church. He had contemplated retirement after his previous mission, but this trip was to good to refuse.

Tom floated about the cabin of the ship, checking all the systems. Everything appeared to be normal. He looked out the windows and could make out the planet that must be his destination. From here it looked remarkably like earth. Tom used the ship's instruments to learn what he could about the planet. It was slightly smaller than the earth. Over the next few hours he was able to learn that there was an atmosphere, and water, and that the temperatures would be bearable. So far so good.

The ship had been able to use the repeating signal from the planet to make whatever course corrections that were needed. This made Tom's job a bit easier. He would not need to take manual control of the ship until after he entered the atmosphere. From there he would need to select a place to land. This could be a bit tricky, depending on whether he was going to have some type of a reception waiting for him. Over the last several days the ship had transmitted the same repeating signal that was being sent from the planet, back at the planet. This was the best that Tom could do to call ahead. Would the signal be received? If not he would have to pick a likely spot on his own.

After the ship entered the atmosphere, Tom decided to steer for one of the larger continents that was on a convenient approach angle. And then, off in the distance he saw what appeared to be several airplanes headed directly for him. He slowed way down and waited to see what they would do.

The planes resembled pictures Tom had seen of military aircraft from earth from about 200 years ago. Not exactly alike, but similar. They looked fairly sophisticated, and seemed to have some type of weapons available. Tom hoped they would not be necessary. His ship had no weapons of any kind, and Tom probably would never use them if he had them anyway. He was definitely being escorted. One of the pilots appeared to have tried to communicate with Tom, but he could not know how to reply. The ship was still sending out the repeating signal that had been received on earth years earlier.

Tom followed the lead of the pilots to a large, somewhat deserted looking, runway that had a couple of boring buildings nearby. He began to wonder if he were being taken hostage. Tom's ship did not really need the runway, and settled easily near where the planes had stopped. The sensors of the ship let him know that the air was fine - very similar to earth. He looked out the windows, and saw what appeared to be several human-like beings surrounding him. He could not tell for sure what they looked like, because they all appeared to be wearing protective clothing with some type of respirator. Tom knew that was very sensible, they did not want to risk exposure to any contaminants that might be present. Tom put on his own protective clothing, and grabbed the holographic display. The rest could wait for later - hopefully.

Tom emerged from the ship, and was met by a large group of 'people' who were each holding what looked to be some type of gun, and pointing it toward him. Not the most friendly reception he had imagined. He instinctively raised his hands. After a brief moment Tom timidly said, 'I come in peace, take me to your leader.' He could not help but smirk at the uselessness of his words. One of the group, who appeared to be the leader, motioned to a few others. They came up to Tom, and grabbed him by the arms. A few others circled around behind with their guns ready. With another motion by the leader, the whole group escorted Tom to the nearest building. Tom wondered what he had got himself into.

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Worlds Without Number (2)

(Note: This is chapter 2 of what I hope is an enjoyable series that will be a kind of LDS based sci-fi short story with doctrinal issues considered. Please feel free to offer suggestions, comments, or constructive criticism)

Worlds Without Number (1)

The countdown had begun. In several minutes the ship would launch on the first journey to what was assumed to be an inhabited planet. A trip that would take a few decades to complete. All systems had been checked thoroughly several times, and all Tom could do was wait and think.

The last few weeks had been spent in intense preparation. Rare spare time was spent avoiding the media, and answering repetitive questions when he could not. He had been asked to speculate several times about what he might find when he arrived. For some reason they thought since he was the astronaut that he ought to know. He had avoided making any public speculations, but private curiosity forced him to consider the possibilities.

The scientific part of Tom wondered about what evolutionary processes would produce on a different planet. Even minor differences in climate and planetary events could dramatically change the evolutionary path of an entire world. The very thought of documenting an entire planet of entirely new species was very exciting to Tom, and he smiled to himself as he considered it. Would he be safe? And what of the intelligent life? Wouldn't it be fascinating if the intelligent life on this planet was completely different from human beings?

The religious part of him had other thoughts. Tom had not been an 'active' Mormon for a long time. His line of work made that sort of thing nearly impossible. He still generally believed many of the teachings, at least those he could remember. He had served a mission, and received his endowment in the temple, but had never married. His devotion to his education and his career choice had made that unlikely, and even unwise. While he had not given religion much thought over the recent years, the religious implications of what was going on had not fully escaped him. The media questions had helped make sure of that. Now he thought -- Wouldn't it be fascinating if the intelligent beings on this planet were human beings just like us? Children of God? What if all the plants and animals were just like the ones we have on earth? He chuckled at the thought of a group of PhD's trying to explain that.

Just a couple of minutes left. The image of his mother came into his mind. Of all the people in his life that he had missed, he missed her the most. What would she think of all this? Just then he imagined his mother asking, 'Aren't you going to pray, Tommy?' He scoffed at the thought at first. He had not prayed in a very long time. Why should he start now? The thought nagged at him. Tom knew that he was being monitored, and did not want to be heard, or appear to be praying. He started a silent prayer in his mind. At first it was quite routine, but increased in sincerity and feeling as he went on. He felt a peaceful calm that had been missing for quite a while. He also felt that what he was doing was important, and was what God had intended. His mind and body relaxed, and the ship started to move.

'Wish I was going with ya,' a voice from the control center said.

'I could use the company,' Tom replied, 'I just don't have room for anyone else.'

People had often asked why only one astronaut usually went on these missions. Weight and room were two primary reasons. Tom knew that in many cases even one astronaut was often not necessary. The rovers and the flying drones were quite capable of mapping an entire planet and gathering the regular data in just a few days without any help. The astronaut was often along for the ride just in case something didn't work properly. Being a good technician was often the most important function an astronaut served. Even that turned out to be unnecessary much of the time.

The earth was now left far behind, and Tom went through the complete checklist one more time. When it was completed, he prepared himself for the hibernation chamber and pressed the 'sleep' button. The next several years would seem like minutes.

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Worlds Without Number (1)

Tom was excited to go again. He was now accustomed to traveling to distant planets. The speed that the ships were able to go made what used to be impossible, just a few years out of your life. The unfortunate part was that life on earth proceeded at the usual rate, and when one returned from the first mission, friends and family were a generation older - or long dead. That sacrifice had been made long ago. There was now little to keep him from making another trip. Why not? There was little else for him to do.


But this trip would be completely different. All the other missions were to dead planets, and everyone had known that. These planets provided little or no breathable air, no trace of water, ridiculous temperatures - no chance of life. But SETI had finally found what it had been looking for all this time. A signal. A simple repeating mathematical signal from deep space. It was perhaps the most exciting communication that anyone on earth had ever received - and not just to those that find mathematical patterns exciting. This was the most sure sign of intelligent life there could be. Better than evidence of water or atmosphere - Mathematics, and the ability to communicate it over vast distances.

Tom had been through all kinds of training for this mission. An obscene amount he had thought. Sure, there had been significant upgrades to the ship he would be on, but the rest really all boiled down to 'I come in peace, take me to your leader'. Why did it take weeks to learn that? Tom would be taking a few 'artifacts' from earth, and a holographic projection display that would provide 3D images of plants, animals, people, and the geography of the earth. The images were full color and about as lifelike as one could imagine. Hopefully a holographic 3D image would be worth 1,000 words in an unknown language, with an unknown culture, to an unknown - species?

One of the reasons Tom had been selected for this important mission was his almost supernatural ability with languages. He had first developed this talent in his youth. His father's military career had taken the family all over the world. In his youth, Tom had become quite fluent in German and Japanese, along with his native English. He liked languages, and his mother had encouraged him to keep up on this knowledge and ability. In high school he had added Spanish and French. And then while serving a Mormon mission he had mastered Chinese. It all came so naturally to him. Many members of his faith had told him how blessed he was because of his 'gift of tongues'. He embraced this talent and made the most of it. His experience as an astronaut, his ability to pick up new languages, and the fact that he was here, made him the perfect choice.

Because he really had no family or friends to speak of, saying good-bye was not an issue. Who would he say it to? He had very few affairs to get in order. And the last few days before the launch seemed terribly long. He had become a bit of a celebrity because of all this, and even though much of the public would not live to learn the results of the mission, the excitement of what was going on was intense. Tom had become quite a loner, and was uncomfortable with all this attention. He was beginning to look forward to a few days of happy solitude, and several years of deep hibernation, as he prepared for this historic trip. He had never been an 'alien' before.

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