Commander Brakle helped guide the ship down to the opening between the trees to set the silver ship to a soft 5 point landing. The sound of the hull contracting due to the temperature changes made the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard – to a human. To them it sounded like the most sublime music of the universe. On Xlax, their home world, water simply didn‘t exist, but here in Mississippi in early autumn, water was plentiful and it was the mission of Commander Brakle to siphon off as much water as possible and vaporize it via the Annuals tube back to Xlax where the emperor could enjoy the one luxury no other Xlaxians could – a bubble bath.
After the ship’ hull came to local temperature, the search party exited the ramp in search of the big river to drop the Annuals tube in to begin the process. If any local were able to see them, they Xlax appeared to be resemble weasels or ferrets. The team raced across the open field and down the river bank and lowered the annuals tube into the water. Giving the signal, the big turbines inside the Xlax ship began to whirr and draw off the water, vaporize it, and transmit it across the galaxy directly into emperor Binxxl’s vast tub.
Unfortunately for the Xlax, they stood approx. 3 millimeters tall, so they were completely unnoticed by the humans strolling up and down the beach. The only one who did notice them was a dog named Beauregard. Beauregard wasn’t going to be fed for another few hours so he would, as dogs do eat whatever remotely smelt or tasted like food. Another unfortunate circumstance for the Xlaxians is that, to Beaureguard, they smelt like dog treats. Beauregard took one sniff of the six tiny Xlaxians’ and inhaled them before his 12 year old owner could stop him. Beauregard was about to eat the annuals tube when the 12 year old stopped him. Dave, the dog’s owner, pried open the dog’s mouth and extracted the annuals tube, which resembled an discarded tube of Chapstick, delicately picked it off the dogs tongue so as not to get any slobber on himself, and flicked it into the river.
No bubble bath tonight for Emperor Binxxl.