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Featured Free Story of the Week: Panspermia: Genesis — Prologue
Panspermia: Genesis
Prologue
By Saddletramp1956
Copyright ©2026 Saddletramp1956
Panspermia: The hypothesis that life exists throughout the universe, distributed by cosmic dust, meteors, and asteroids, suggesting that life on Earth did not originate here but was transported from elsewhere.
Mike Jennings sipped his coffee quietly as he scrolled through the hundreds of photographs and datasheets that had been transmitted from observatories around the world and now resided in his local database. His job was to monitor a comet that ATLAS, or the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, had recently discovered.
What made this comet unique is that it originated far outside the Solar System, making it the fourth confirmed object to have done so since 2017. The last object was 3I/ATLAS in July 2025, a huge comet with a nucleus estimated by some to be more than three miles wide. It would have caused a global catastrophe had it struck Earth.
He remembered the stir it caused and the suggestion that it could be an alien spacecraft. 3I/ATLAS was, after all, only the third known interstellar object to enter the Solar System. Observations from major telescopes, however, confirmed that its nucleus was made up of ice, not extraterrestrial technology.
But this object, his superiors said, was believed to be at least twice as large as the previous comet, and far more dense. Worse yet, initial calculations indicated the comet would cross Earth’s orbit and come within a few million kilometers of the planet. A hair-raising ‘near miss’, as cosmic distances go. Part of Mike’s job was to verify that claim.
He chuckled wryly to himself as he considered some of the conspiracy theories that had cropped up since the discovery of 4I/ATLAS. They ranged from the sublime to the utterly absurd, with some blaming global climate change, and others pointing bony fingers of blame at the current occupant of the White House.
Sighing, he set his coffee down and began inputting the latest data into his spreadsheet. He wrapped that up and turned back to the photos as the servers chewed on the latest numbers. If nothing else, he thought, this comet should give an impressive light show.
And he was right. A few months later, 4I/ATLAS dominated the night sky for several days and wowed observers all over the world. Mike was correct that it would be one of the closest comets to pass Earth at just over six million kilometers.
A few days after the comet crossed Earth’s orbit, observers were treated to another spectacular light show as the Earth plowed through the debris stream from the comet’s tail.
…
James and Anita Echols were two of the millions of people outside watching the cosmic display. Being an avid sky-watcher, James had taken several pictures of the comet through his large backyard telescope on the hill behind their North Idaho home. He also took as much video of the meteor shower as he could.
Suddenly, their attention was drawn to a large fireball that lit the countryside when the meteor exploded with a deafening report almost directly overhead. They both flinched and involuntarily ducked, even though the event must have occurred at least a mile above their heads.
“Oh my God,” Anita exclaimed. “Did you get that?”
“I sure did,” James replied, holding up his camera. “That was pretty low.”
“Look,” she shouted, pointing south toward Coeur d’Alene. “There’s more of them!”
“Damn,” James replied as he watched two more meteors explode in mid-air. He quickly brought up his camera and caught a third meteor exploding in the night sky. Looking west toward Spokane, they saw a few other explosions in the distance. James took a video of the display, shocked at what he was seeing. Distant thunder rumbled around them.
“Have… have you ever seen anything like this?” a trembling Anita asked as James continued recording.
“No, never,” James replied, astonished.
“I don’t like this,” Anita declared, fear on her face. “I’m going back inside.”
“Okay,” James said, absently, concentrating on his videography.
“Come back with me? Please? It’s not safe out here, and I’ll be scared if you’re out here by yourself.”
James smiled as he considered his young wife’s concerns. He had no fear of the light show overhead, but understanding his wife’s concern, he made his decision and nodded.
“Alright,” he told her. “Just let me pack up my scope.”
“I’ll help you,” Anita offered, relieved.
Working together, they quickly disassembled his telescope, stored everything in the carrying case, loaded the case onto their ATV, and went back to their house. When they got inside, James noticed a small oily blob on Anita’s bare shoulder.
“What’s this?” he asked, looking at the small blob.
“I don’t know,” she said nervously, inspecting her shoulder in a wall mirror. It resembled pine sap, but was less sticky.
“Let me wipe that off,” James offered, grabbing a paper towel. “Do I have any on me?” he asked when he finished.
“There’s a small dark spot on your shirt,” she said after examining him. “What is that stuff?”
“No idea,” he told her. “Were you under any trees?”
“No,” she said.
“I don’t know what to tell you. Why don’t we get out of these clothes and take a shower?”
“You can’t fool me. You just want an excuse to get me naked,” she said while slyly pulling the straps of her sundress over her shoulders with her thumbs. Anita smiled as she teased her husband, having recovered from her previous fear.
“Of course,” James teased back. “You’re the sexiest woman I know, and I love seeing you naked. I’ll be naked with you, so…”
“Well, that’s different, then,” Anita replied with a wicked smile. “Last one in the shower is a rotten egg,” she added before leaping onto the stairs while unbuttoning her dress.
“Wait for me,” James called out as he chased his wife up the stairs.
…
Two hours later, they lay in bed, watching the local news. Naturally, the night’s meteor shower was the main topic.
“Observers around the country reported a number of explosions as meteors believed to be the result of Comet I4/ATLAS entered the atmosphere. No injuries were reported, although many were left with shattered nerves, and others were more than somewhat concerned.
“Scientists say anyone who finds a meteorite should not touch the rock, but immediately contact authorities who will arrange to have the rock picked up by trained specialists,” the news reader said.
“Got that?” James chuckled. “Don’t pick up any meteorites.”
“Don’t worry,” Anita replied. “I won’t.”
…
More to come.
…
Chapter One will be available to subscribers on Patreon and Substack on Tuesday, June 16. Chapter Two will be available on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.