Elliot Wilcox had always dreamed of space flight, but he never imagined he'd be building his own spacecraft in his garage in Sonoma. The OSULRC-1 looked like part rocking chair, part scooter, part computer—and yes, it even had a player piano because you needed music in space.
Its Photovoltaic Crystal Chip provided everything: gravity, oxygen, shields from radiation and debris. The craft was navigated through a cranial interface that responded to Elliot's unique heartbeat. What started as missions to Mars for fortune 500 companies looking for new mining opportunities had taken a dangerous turn.
The mission was successful, but it marked the beginning of Elliot's problems. During a family drum circle, his son Calistoga received a vision warning that continued use of the OSULRC-1's cranial interface would turn Elliot's brain to "noodles"—a warning that proved more prophetic than anyone realized.
Commander Silk wasn't content with borrowing Elliot's services; he wanted the spacecraft for himself. Using advanced nano-technology hidden in everyday items—Quigley's favorite "Taco Louie's Gooey Chewies" candies and Breckenridge's beloved orange soda—Silk programmed Elliot's son Cal's girlfriend and his daughter St. Helena's boyfriend to steal the OSULRC-1.
But Elliot was one step ahead. He'd removed the Photovoltaic Crystal Chip and reprogrammed the scooter's security to respond only to his heartbeat. When the controlled teens attempted the theft, they got a "barf ride from hell" up the winding Norbaum Road instead of a smooth escape.
The attempted theft brought everything into focus. Elliot realized that Silk had been spying on his family through their own security systems, learning their habits and weaknesses. The nano-technology wasn't just sophisticated—it was dangerous, capable of overriding free will by attaching to brain dendrites and issuing biological commands.
During a family meeting with Amelia Rose's "talking pillow" (which quickly devolved into pillow fights), Elliot explained how Silk had obtained military footage of Elliot's father and manipulated his family. The nano-tech worked like "blasting caps"—something their grandfathers had warned them never to touch.
Through his friend Dr. Fred, an acupuncturist who treated Elliot's increasing headaches and hearing loss from the cranial interface, Elliot made contact with Diana Lemmy. She ran nature camps as cover while handling classified business for the Pacific Fleet. Diana helped move Silk and his boss Ramirez to a secure location under a banyan tree in Hawaii—a fitting end for their schemes.
Meanwhile, Elliot continued his real mission: searching the stars for a planet with abundant water to end Earth's droughts. Guided by visions of his great-grandmother Columbus, a Sioux Indian from Minnesota, he learned to "finish the pipe" to find the water. On the sixteenth day after two new moons, following the path revealed in his dreams, he would discover what he was truly seeking among the stars.
The OSULRC-1 represented more than just advanced technology—it was hope for humanity's future, the bridge between Earth's limitations and the infinite possibilities of space. But as Elliot had learned, even the most wonderful inventions could become dangerous in the wrong hands.
As he looked out at his spacecraft on its landing pad, Elliot understood that some wars weren't fought with armies and weapons, but with innovation, family loyalty, and the courage to dream beyond the boundaries of what seemed possible. The real battle wasn't just protecting his invention—it was protecting the future it represented.