“Prepare a Toucat landing craft, Engineer Simpkin,” ordered Captain Tigger, “and I suggest that Lieutenant Moppet and Vulcat Tabitha descend to the planet’s surface.”

“Affirmative, Captain Tigger,” replied Vulcat Tabitha, “the computers have detected an extremely long strip of what appears to be parkland, which, although it has a populous route through it, affords cover in the dense bushes and trees.”


Helmscat Mungojerrie steered Oumiaowermiaower nearer to the planet’s surface and announced, “at this current geolocation, this planet’s dark cycle will begin in three twenty-fourths of the revolution.”

Chef Bullpuss stepped on to the bridge, “some nourishment for the explorers,” he said, “all your favourite snacks; and I have prepared a catty bag of emergency rations which you’ll find in the lockers on your Toucat.”

As night fell, the two adventurers boarded their small craft and silently descended to the chosen spot. Very few stars were showing and low clouds were obscuring the crescent moon.


Moppet and Tabitha quickly unpacked essential equipment and supplies, and remotely activated the Toucat to leave the surface and assume a watchful role overhead. This ensured that communications from the adventurers were picked up by the Toucat and relayed to the mothership, where all information received could be quickly analysed.


They had just finished effectively hiding the supplies beneath a tangle of brambles, when some strange sounds were detected from the track below them. The sounds increased as a grumbling, shambling figure approached.

The Space-Lynxes stood up straight and motionless, slightly hidden by the trunks of nearby, small trees.

“One of the planet’s anthropoid indigents,” whispered Vulcat Tabitha, “mostly harmless!”

“Or a cleverly disguised humanoid robot,” grinned Lieutenant Moppet, “masquerading as an inebriated and incapable middle-aged male.”

The fellow had just completed an incoherent ditty, something about belonging to a major Scottish city, when his attention was drawn to the two pairs of enormous eyes that an unanticipated ray of moonbeam had illuminated.

“Suffering pussycats!” he exclaimed, “I shouldn’t have had those last two drinks! The felines around here are three times larger than normal.” And with that comment, he increased his pace as best he could, and breathing stentoriously, disappeared into the night.