A short novel of aliens, science, and extraterrestrial possibilities-served with a punch of humor. Political unrest. Environmental damage. A world in decline. Earth appears to be headed for another global extinction. Far off on Planet IXon, supplies of life-sustaining methane are running low. The IXonians commission their giant computerized Ranatron to explore new sources of this vital hydrocarbon. Follow Ranatron's interplanetary...