WEBVTT
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From the far corners of the unknown come tales of
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new worlds and impossible missions. These are the stories of
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one regular kid called to something, Irregular adventures a thousand
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light years wide and one afternoon long. Scout Rooks and
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the Astronaugs. From the ordinary streets of Kingstown come tails
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of the extraordinary, a crew of unlikely heroes and a
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galaxy that keeps needing saving. Right after school Salad Rooks
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and the Astronogs.
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Stove Rooks and Tonight Assaults on Thrios Part three. The
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story so far. Scout Brooks has been recruited into a
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secret society of space heroes called the Astronoggs, led by
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the eccentric Professor Nogg, a man who insists he can
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read Scout's mind and who has entrusted him with a
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mission that sounds impossible, travel across the galaxy and rescue
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Nogg's old friend Pharaoh, held prisoner by a hostile alien
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race for reasons Scout is only beginning to understand. Scout
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was unable to sleep that night. He kept thinking about everything,
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everything from the homework box to the mind reading and
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obviously the mission to a distant planet. He even thought
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about Chuck soaring high above the school grounds, fluttering in
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the wind like a flag. He thought about what Phil
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was doing over the weekend. Did Phil even do anything
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to begin with? Scout couldn't imagine what his hobbies would
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have been. Chuck fluttered back into the forefront of Scout's mind.
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That poor kid. Scout had hoped he was okay. He
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hadn't seen him since he lowered him down the pole
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the previous morning. Now it was Saturday and the sunlight
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was breaking through the blinds in Scout's bedroom. He rolled
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out of bed and picked up the small pin that
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Henrietta had put on his shirt the previous day, the
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one that had glowed green and allowed nog to read
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his mind. Scout inspected it, wondered how it worked, and
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then curiously pinned it to his T shirt. He wanted
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to test it out again to make sure it wasn't
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a fluke or some kind of ruse. Scout tried to
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think about something totally off the wall. He closed his
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eyes and pictured a banana with two googly eyes driving
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through his house in a toy army tank. Scout smirked
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at his nonsensical thought and opened his eyes. The pin
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was glowing green. Is Nog reading my mind right now?
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Scout wondered, Of course, I'm reading your mind right now.
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Nog's echoing voice responded in his head. If you have
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the pin on, I can read your mind. But why,
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Scout thought, It's just another strange device that Pharaoh and
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I worked on over the years. Nog's disembodied voice responded, Now,
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get dressed and report to bass. Where's the bass? Checked
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your frog Nog, It's all there, noog. Out. Scout quickly
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removed the pin from his shirt and laid it on
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his dresser. The green glow slowly faded away, leaving the
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pin looking dull and lifeless. Afterwards. Scout then grabbed his
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frog Nog and flipped it open to see the Astronog's logo.
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He tapped the screen and brought up the recent notifications.
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The top one was labeled directions to Fort Noggs. Fort Noggs.
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Scout laughed, that's kind of funny. He opened the location
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and saw that Fort Noggs was located across town and
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on a farm, of all places. Scout got dressed and
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crept downstairs. It was early and everyone else in the
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house was still asleep, so He quietly popped a tart,
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drank a juice, and left the note on the fridge
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for his family to see unless he woke up from
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a dream. The planned, Professor Nogg explained, was to send
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him to space. That couldn't have been a quick trip,
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so Scout wanted to cover his tracks and Casey was
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gone for the whole weekend. He scribbled on the note
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how the astronomy club was going on an impromptu field
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trip and that he'd be back as soon as the
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trip concluded. He knew it might not fly, but it
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was all he could think of. Scout grabbed his bike
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from around the side of the house and began to
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pedal down his driveway. However, someone stopped him at the
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edge of his proper. It was Chuck. Chuck, Scout said,
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surprised to see his friend this early on a Saturday morning. Scout,
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I'm sorry, I blew off lunch yesterday. Chuck said, It's fine.
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Scout said, blindsided and feeling hurried to leave before his
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parents or Mark woke up. We can talk about this
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later if you want. Why not now. The crack of
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dawn's always the best time to let your emotions out.
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That's what my mom says, is it? Scout curiously asked
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he never heard that. He wasn't even sure what that meant. Hey, Chuck,
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I have to be somewhere. Can I call you later
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this weekend? Chuck just gawked at Scout. I thought we
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were fringe, he said, Or are you on radars side? What? No,
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of course not. I'm sorry he strung you up the
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pole like that, Scout said, glancing back over his shoulder
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to make sure his dad or mom weren't standing in
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the doorway. I just really need to be somewhere. You're
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going so early on a shatter day, Chuck said. Scout
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wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't tell Chuck the truth.
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He also didn't want to lie a field trip with
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the astro Nogs. Chuck didn't respond seriously, bro, I have
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to go. We'll talk later this weekend. With that, Scout
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pressed on and pedaled away on his bike, leaving Chuck
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in his dust. Kingstown wasn't very large, but by the
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time Scout reached the other side of it on his bike,
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he was worn out, his legs hurt, he was sweating,
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and worst of all, when he arrived at Fort noggs.
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It didn't look like a super secret science fiction base
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at all. It looked like a lame, average farm. There
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was a farmhouse with a large barn off to one
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side of the property. Behind the farmhouse were rolling green
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pastures where cows and horses appeared to just be standing
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around and doing nothing. Scout dumped his bike next to
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the front porch of the farmhouse and knocked on the door.
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He waited as he caught his breath from the town
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wide bike ride. But no one was answering the door.
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Everything was quiet, aside from the wind chimes gently clanging
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against one another off to his left. Even the cows
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and horses behind the house weren't making any noise. They
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were the worst cows and horses Scout had ever seen. Lazy, full,
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lazy beef. Scout thought. He waited just another minute before
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giving up. Great His thoughts continued, I'm in the wrong place,
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not completely, Nog's voice reverberated in his head. Just look
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at the barn. Scout was having a hard time getting
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past the startling, bodyless voice of Professor Nogg. He wasn't
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sure if he'd ever get used to it, but he
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did as the voice in his head, told him, and
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looked at the barn. Sitting on the property. Standing in
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the open barn doors was Nog waving him over. Scout
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hurried over to him. Welcome to Fort Nogg's, Nog proudly stated.
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Scout surveyed at the barn. It was old, faded in color,
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and nearing a state of dilapidation. This isn't what I
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thought a top secret science fiction base would look like,
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Scout admitted to him, with disappointment in his voice. Nog winked, well,
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you're not inside yet. Come. Scout followed Nog into the
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barn and was immediately overwhelmed by the disappointment. Again. The
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interior was just as run down as the outside, possibly
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even more so. It was hey haphazardly spread around the floor,
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empty horse stalls, that old trough that was filled with
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discarded farm tools. Are you kidnapping me, Scout asked. Nog laughed, Well,
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if by kidnapping you mean teaching you the ways of
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the cosmos end giving you all the necessary training you'll
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need to fight an undocumented alien species and a galaxy
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that's two point five million light years away, Well, yes,
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I'm kidnapping you, Scout didn't find the professor's attempt at
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humor funny. He shook off the comment and waited for
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Nog to hopefully show him something else, something cool and
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worth his time. You'll learn not to underestimate me, Scout,
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Nogg said, extracting a small remote device from his lab
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coat pocket and pressing the only button on it. Just then,
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the floor in the center of the barn opened and
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a freight elevator rose up from under the ground. Scout's
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jaw dropped as he watched the elevator doors chime and
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slide open after you chosen one. This was the first
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cool thing Scout had seen on the farm and wasn't
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going to waste another second on the rusted farm tools,
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lazy animals, or scattered hey. He dashed into the elevator,
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with Nog right behind him. The door was closed, and
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Nog pressed a button labeled Basement Level two. The elevator
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traveled two levels below Nog's barn and opened to what
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Scout was expecting to see the entire time, a top secret,
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super cool, underground science fiction space base. There were control rooms, vaults,
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computer screens larger than full grown adults, beeps and boops
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sounding off all over the place, and strangest of all,
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there were noogs everywhere. Scout pointed at one of the
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nogs sitting at a high tech computer. Then he pointed
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to another one who was writing things down on a clipboard.
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A third and fourth Nog walked side by side, laughing
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about something, perhaps an inside joke. Why are there use everywhere?
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Professor Scout asked, Nog laughed, These are just my clone nogs.
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I find the best way to get work done is
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to do it myself, and when myself is just one person,
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I need more. Nog pondered his answer in a deep way,
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wondering if that would be a quote that would stand
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the test of time. He jotted it down quickly on
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a spiral notepad and slipped it back into his lab coat.
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So it's just all nogs down here, Scout asked, no
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Nog replied, These clue dogs do the majority of the
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technicals sci fi stuff. There's a crew of real people
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also follow me. Scout followed a Nog through the control
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room and down a glossy and sterile looking hallway. At
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the end of it, Nog used a digital eye scanner
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to open another sliding door. Once it opened and the
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two of them entered. Scout saw real people. There was
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a long oval table, a classic business style meeting table,
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in the center of the room. Sitting around it were
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four people. Three of them were older, and one appeared
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just as young as Scout was. The young one, a
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girl with dark hair and wearing a dark green jumpsuit
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with the frog Nog logo on the breast. Pocket smiled
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at the sight of another person her age. Nog took
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Scout around the table as the sliding door to the
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room shut. Scout, I'd like you to meet the Estro Noggs,
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Nog said. As they came to the first person. It
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was a man maybe in his forties, with a short
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buzz cut and a buff upper body. This is Captain
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Pepper's the Og, captain of the frog Hopper, your new spaceship.
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Scout shook Pepper's hand and they moved on to the
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next person. It was another man, tall, thick and bearded.
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This is Dusty Pork, Nog said. He's the weapons specialist
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who designed the laser phaser. Scout and Pork nodded to
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one another before Nog continued on to the third and
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final adult, a red haired woman with a ponytail and
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a strong physique. This is Becca Mullechik, or as we
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call her around here, Becca the Brave. She has gone
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on and successfully completed seven interstellar missions for me. Scout
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felt as if he was in the presence of a
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true space hero with Becca the Brave. He shook her hand. Finally,
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they got to the young girl, the girl who looked
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to be about the same age as Scout. She was
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tiny in stature and had a smile that Scout couldn't
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look away from. This is Mandy Lee, Nogg said, introducing her.
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You might know her from around school. Scout squinted, trying
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to know her from around school, but he barely had
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a chance to interact with any of the other students
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aside from Chuck and Phil, so he was drawing a blank.
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Mandy stood up and shook Scout's hand. It's nice to
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meet you, she said, in a small voice. If I
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don't look familiar, it's probably because I'm in the grade
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above you. Eight, Scout asked, realizing how dumb of a
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question that was. Afterwards, of course, it's eight, he bitterly
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thought to himself. Eight comes after seven, you moron. It's
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the only other grade in the school, Nog laughed out loud.
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Yes it is, he said, responding to s Out's initter
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thoughts and leaving everyone else in the room oblivious to
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the unheard communication. Scout shot Nog a glaring look and
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then ripped the pin off his shirt. Well, now that
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you've met the astro noggs, Nog directed his attention to Scout.
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Time is of the essence. Your training starts in five minutes.
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It was actually six minutes until the training began. Nog
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was wrong. Scout found himself on another lower level of
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Fort Nogg's, deep below the farm. He was with Dusty
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Pork and getting a crash course on a laser phaser.
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Scout held one in his grip, as did Pork. Welcome
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to the blasting gallery, Pork said. He pointed down the
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narrow range to where a giant octopus like monster punching
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bag dangled from the ceiling. On it, a goofy face
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had been painted on. That's Aunt Bertha, Pork said, with
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a chuckle. He was named after someone's aunt, Bertha, Oh,
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Scout said, Taking in every last important word, Pork said,
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Aim your phaser line up Aunt Bertha in the scope.
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Use the automatic targeting system like this, Pork explained, demonstrating
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every inch of the way. He activated the automatic targeting system,
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which projected a glowing red X on Aunt Bertha's face.
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Then simply pull the trigger, Pork said, pulling the trigger
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and sending a concentrated burst of electric plasma toward Bertha
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at the speed of light. Upon impact, it obliterated Ant Bertha,
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splashing gooey remnants all over the blasting gallery. Pork laughed again. Ah,
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I guess that's one less for Thanksgiving this year. Now
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you try. Scout stepped up to the line, aiming his
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laser phaser and watched as another Aunt Bertha was lowered
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in from the ceiling. He looked through the site scope,
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activated the automatic targeting feature, and wrested the glowing red
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X on Aunt Bertha's head. He pulled the trigger and
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watched as another octopus alien punching bag exploded into a wet, slimy,
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goopy mess. Pork had his Scout on the back. You're
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already a pro, he said, with the wink. Peppers owes
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me a crisp twenty. Scout looked at pro Captain Peppers
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didn't think I'd be able to do it. Captain Peppers
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is a little bitter that Nog thinks he's too old
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to go on the mission. But is any more qualified
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than me, Scout asked, sure, Pork said while being in
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his forties. Now, well, interstellar space can be hard on
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the body. Nog wants the next generation to be the
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heroes now for health and safety reasons, of course, as
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well as the future of the astro Nogs. It made
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sense to Scout out with the old, in with the new.
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After a few more Aunt Bertha obliterations, Scout moved on
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to his next training exercise. It was on a different
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floor with Becca Mullachek, or as they called her around
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the fort. Becca the Brave Becka sat down and used
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the holographic display to show off images and data from
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her seven interstellar missions. She explained and taught Scout about heroism,
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making tough decisions, and how to live as a space
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hero without the world knowing about it. There's a lot
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of pride in being a hero, Beca said, but it's
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something you don't want going to your head. Trust me,
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It did with me, and I lost a lot of
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friends because of how I acted. It took tragically losing
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a crew member to really put me in my place,
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she said. Since then, I've lived a very proud yet
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quiet existence. The world doesn't know about the threats we face,
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or about the things we've stopped from coming here to
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destroy us, and it needs to stay that way. To
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avoid chaos and disorder. There must be control and order.
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Beca placed her fingers to her lips, put an exclamation
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mark on the fact that what the astronauts did in
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secret needed to remain a secret. Finally, Scout reported to
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an underground hangar only one level below the grounds of
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the farm. Scout walked side by side with Captain Peppers
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as he led him through the hangar to where a
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space ship sat idle. Several clone dogs were working on it,
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some on top of it, some underneath. It was bigger
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than Scout expected, probably about the length of an eighteen
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wheelers semi with wings sprouting off from either side. There
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was an image of a frog wearing sunglasses on the
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side of it, and below that was the ship's name,
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the frog Hopper. This is it, Captain Peppers blandly said,
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you're a new ship, as the professor so generously put it.
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Scout gaunked at Peppers, remembering what Pork said about his bitterness.
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You've lugged a lot of miles in this bad boy
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hun Scout asked, trying to make friendly conversation, but Peppers
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didn't answer. Instead, he continued to barge toward the ship
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and up the ramp that led into it. Scout scurried
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in behind him. The ship was pristine and sterile. The
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walls and floor were shiny and gray, and Scout was
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eager to explore the entire thing. However, Peppers led him
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right into the cockpit and began to quickly and hurriedly
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explain how things worked. Scout was having a hard time
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keeping up, but desperately tried to comprehend everything he could.
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This was all going to be important. Scout interrupted, any
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chance you can slow down, I'm a little confused. Peppers
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stopped talking and faced Scout. No, he said, I can't
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slow down. If you slow down on a mission, you're dead.
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If you slow down the ship while cruising through the cosmos,
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you're on the risk of being pummeled by asteroids, are
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getting yanked down onto some desolate planet by its unforgiving
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gravitational pull. Peppers shook his head in disgusted.
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I can't believe Nog wants a kid to do this
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mission and a kid who wants to slow down.
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At that, Peppers threw his arms up in surrender. The
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operator's manual is in the compartment under the seat. Any
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more questions refer to the text, and with that, Peppers
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walked away, le Scout alone in the cockpit of the
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frog Hopper. He sat down in the pilot's chair and
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looked around at all the controls, flashing lights and seemingly
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infinite buttons and switches. It was overwhelming. One minute, he
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was a brand new seventh grader, unsure of how to
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fit in, and now he was gearing up to go
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on a deep space mission to rescue a man he
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didn't even know from hostile alien forces. You'll have to
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excuse Peppers, a young voice spoke from behind Scout. He
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turned and watched as Mandy Lee sat down next to
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him in the co pilot's chair. He's just grumpy and
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can't accept the fact that his days in that chair
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are over, she said, pointing to the leathery seat in
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which Scout's butt was nestled comfortably. He seemed to really
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upset that Nogg wanted me to take his spot. Scout said,
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I'm kind of thinking the same thing. I'm not qualified
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for this. You are, Mandy said, with a smile. Peppers
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had his time. Now it's ours. You're going to Scout asked,
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Of course, she laughed. You are new, after all. You
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can't go in such a dangerous mission all alone. You
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need someone with experience and skills at your side. Scout smiled.
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Just as an old man's hand rested on his shoulder,
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Scout jumped, startled by the frail, bony touch. Professor Nogg
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loomed over him. It's time for your mission briefing. Scout sighed,
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stood up, and he and Mandy followed Nog to the
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mission briefing room, which turned out to actually just be
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the kitchen in Nog's farmhouse. Nog served up paper cups
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of blue drink and had a tin of butter cookies out,
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although most of the good shaped ones were already picked over,
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probably from Nog doing some middle of night cookie craving missions.
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Did Becca give you good advice, Nog asked? She did,
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Scout said, taking a sip of his blue drink, Anything
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quotable that I could repurpose for myself, Nog cunningly wondered.
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Scout shrugged, not caring much about Nog's aching quest to
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construct and deliver a quote that would stand the test
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of time. And I trust pork and peppers taught you
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well in their respective fields. The mention of pork and
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peppers instantly made Scout hungry. He licked his lips and
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looked over at Mandy, who gave him a look of disgust.
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Lick your chops on your own time, Scout, Nog said,
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We've got business to discuss, intergalactic business. Nog van dove
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headfirst into the details. The frog hopper has the ability
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to travel at the speed of light. The planet Thrios
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is located two point five million light years from Earth.
357
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That means it would take you two point five million
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years to travel there. We ate got that kind of time,
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00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:50.880
so a few of my advanced clone ogs have altered
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things just enough within the propulsion systems to bring that
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two point five million years down to two point five hours.
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It's unprecedented. Even Mandy's eyes widened. This is new, she said,
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Is that even safe? Nogg wanted to shrug, but he
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also didn't want to instill fear and doubt into the kids.
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00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:15.880
It's advanced, he decided to say. He looked at Scout.
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Did you watch the movies? Scout nodded. Yeah. They were cool,
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better than I thought they'd be. Nog smiled.
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Good.
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00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:27.960
What seems like science fiction to some is reality to others,
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and it also turns out better than you think. He
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scrunched his eyes and then jotted his words now in
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his spiral notebook with a satisfied smile. Dunn, good quote,
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he said to himself. Another thirty minutes went by as
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Nog filled Scout and Mandy in on everything he knew
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about trios, its inhabitants, the environment, and so on. There
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weren't as many facts as there were educated guesses, but
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it was all they had. You guys, think you're up
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to the task, Nogg asked the two kids. Mandy nodded
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with a proud smile, and for the first time, Scout
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felt confident in his new position. He puffed out his
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chest and nodded as well. Perfect. Nogg said, I know
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things have been a little slow, but there's been a
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lot to explain and build up to. From here on, Oute,
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it'll be NonStop science fiction action. Scout polished off the
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rest of his blue drink and clapped for the heck
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of it. Mandy joined in and eventually succumbing to the
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clapping pressure, Nog did too. As the three of them
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sat around the kitchen table clapping. Outside on the farm,
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someone was lurking, watching the house and waiting for Scout
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to come out. Scout Brooks has spent one single day
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training to become an intergalactic hero, laser phasers, spaceship controls,
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and a crash course in bravery from a woman who's
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been to the stars and back. But as the down
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to launch begins, someone is watching fort Noggs from the
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shadows outside. Who are they? What do they want? And
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00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.880
to Scout really ready for what's coming? Find out next
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time on Scout Brooks and the Astronogs.
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00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:22.799
New Worlds, Impossible Missions. Join us next time on this
399
00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:28.279
same frequency from more adventures from Kingstown and Outer Space
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00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:35.039
with Scout Brooks. And then So Brooks and.
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Thank you for listening to part three of the micro
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00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:51.640
Terror's special presentation of Scout Brooks and the Astronous Assault
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00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:55.079
on Thrios. Does Scout have what it takes to be
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00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:58.720
the next generation of space hero? Does pork and peppers
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00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:01.920
sound appetizing to you also, and who could be watching
406
00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:05.079
and waiting outside the farmhouse? Tune in next week for
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00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:07.880
part four. If you can't wait, you can read the
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00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:11.240
entire book early right now in the micro Terrorist fan Club.
409
00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:14.440
The book will also release on Amazon in paperback and
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00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:18.279
kindle formats on August twenty second. See you next week
1
00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:13.240
From the far corners of the unknown come tales of
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new worlds and impossible missions. These are the stories of
3
00:00:18.519 --> 00:00:24.800
one regular kid called to something, Irregular adventures a thousand
4
00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:30.719
light years wide and one afternoon long. Scout Rooks and
5
00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:36.759
the Astronaugs. From the ordinary streets of Kingstown come tails
6
00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:41.039
of the extraordinary, a crew of unlikely heroes and a
7
00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:47.520
galaxy that keeps needing saving. Right after school Salad Rooks
8
00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:52.600
and the Astronogs.
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00:00:50.600 --> 00:01:08.920
Stove Rooks and Tonight Assaults on Thrios Part three. The
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00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:12.200
story so far. Scout Brooks has been recruited into a
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00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:16.200
secret society of space heroes called the Astronoggs, led by
12
00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.519
the eccentric Professor Nogg, a man who insists he can
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00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:22.560
read Scout's mind and who has entrusted him with a
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00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:26.879
mission that sounds impossible, travel across the galaxy and rescue
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Nogg's old friend Pharaoh, held prisoner by a hostile alien
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00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:41.159
race for reasons Scout is only beginning to understand. Scout
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00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:44.640
was unable to sleep that night. He kept thinking about everything,
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00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:48.120
everything from the homework box to the mind reading and
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00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.920
obviously the mission to a distant planet. He even thought
20
00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:56.000
about Chuck soaring high above the school grounds, fluttering in
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00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:59.519
the wind like a flag. He thought about what Phil
22
00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:03.439
was doing over the weekend. Did Phil even do anything
23
00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:07.400
to begin with? Scout couldn't imagine what his hobbies would
24
00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:11.800
have been. Chuck fluttered back into the forefront of Scout's mind.
25
00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:16.520
That poor kid. Scout had hoped he was okay. He
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00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:18.879
hadn't seen him since he lowered him down the pole
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00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:22.680
the previous morning. Now it was Saturday and the sunlight
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00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:27.080
was breaking through the blinds in Scout's bedroom. He rolled
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00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:28.919
out of bed and picked up the small pin that
30
00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:31.919
Henrietta had put on his shirt the previous day, the
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00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:34.960
one that had glowed green and allowed nog to read
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00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:39.319
his mind. Scout inspected it, wondered how it worked, and
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00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:42.840
then curiously pinned it to his T shirt. He wanted
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00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:45.000
to test it out again to make sure it wasn't
35
00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.759
a fluke or some kind of ruse. Scout tried to
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00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:52.360
think about something totally off the wall. He closed his
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eyes and pictured a banana with two googly eyes driving
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00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:59.879
through his house in a toy army tank. Scout smirked
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at his nonsensical thought and opened his eyes. The pin
40
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was glowing green. Is Nog reading my mind right now?
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Scout wondered, Of course, I'm reading your mind right now.
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00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:16.919
Nog's echoing voice responded in his head. If you have
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00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:21.360
the pin on, I can read your mind. But why,
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00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:25.560
Scout thought, It's just another strange device that Pharaoh and
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00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:30.280
I worked on over the years. Nog's disembodied voice responded, Now,
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00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:35.400
get dressed and report to bass. Where's the bass? Checked
47
00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:41.000
your frog Nog, It's all there, noog. Out. Scout quickly
48
00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:43.000
removed the pin from his shirt and laid it on
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his dresser. The green glow slowly faded away, leaving the
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00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:51.159
pin looking dull and lifeless. Afterwards. Scout then grabbed his
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00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:54.039
frog Nog and flipped it open to see the Astronog's logo.
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He tapped the screen and brought up the recent notifications.
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The top one was labeled directions to Fort Noggs. Fort Noggs.
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Scout laughed, that's kind of funny. He opened the location
55
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and saw that Fort Noggs was located across town and
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on a farm, of all places. Scout got dressed and
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crept downstairs. It was early and everyone else in the
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house was still asleep, so He quietly popped a tart,
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drank a juice, and left the note on the fridge
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for his family to see unless he woke up from
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a dream. The planned, Professor Nogg explained, was to send
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him to space. That couldn't have been a quick trip,
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so Scout wanted to cover his tracks and Casey was
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gone for the whole weekend. He scribbled on the note
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how the astronomy club was going on an impromptu field
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trip and that he'd be back as soon as the
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trip concluded. He knew it might not fly, but it
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was all he could think of. Scout grabbed his bike
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from around the side of the house and began to
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pedal down his driveway. However, someone stopped him at the
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edge of his proper. It was Chuck. Chuck, Scout said,
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surprised to see his friend this early on a Saturday morning. Scout,
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I'm sorry, I blew off lunch yesterday. Chuck said, It's fine.
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Scout said, blindsided and feeling hurried to leave before his
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parents or Mark woke up. We can talk about this
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later if you want. Why not now. The crack of
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dawn's always the best time to let your emotions out.
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That's what my mom says, is it? Scout curiously asked
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he never heard that. He wasn't even sure what that meant. Hey, Chuck,
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I have to be somewhere. Can I call you later
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00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:43.839
this weekend? Chuck just gawked at Scout. I thought we
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were fringe, he said, Or are you on radars side? What? No,
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00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:52.480
of course not. I'm sorry he strung you up the
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00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:55.959
pole like that, Scout said, glancing back over his shoulder
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to make sure his dad or mom weren't standing in
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the doorway. I just really need to be somewhere. You're
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going so early on a shatter day, Chuck said. Scout
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wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't tell Chuck the truth.
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00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.240
He also didn't want to lie a field trip with
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the astro Nogs. Chuck didn't respond seriously, bro, I have
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to go. We'll talk later this weekend. With that, Scout
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pressed on and pedaled away on his bike, leaving Chuck
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in his dust. Kingstown wasn't very large, but by the
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time Scout reached the other side of it on his bike,
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he was worn out, his legs hurt, he was sweating,
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00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:39.439
and worst of all, when he arrived at Fort noggs.
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It didn't look like a super secret science fiction base
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at all. It looked like a lame, average farm. There
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was a farmhouse with a large barn off to one
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side of the property. Behind the farmhouse were rolling green
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pastures where cows and horses appeared to just be standing
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around and doing nothing. Scout dumped his bike next to
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the front porch of the farmhouse and knocked on the door.
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He waited as he caught his breath from the town
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wide bike ride. But no one was answering the door.
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Everything was quiet, aside from the wind chimes gently clanging
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against one another off to his left. Even the cows
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and horses behind the house weren't making any noise. They
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were the worst cows and horses Scout had ever seen. Lazy, full,
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lazy beef. Scout thought. He waited just another minute before
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giving up. Great His thoughts continued, I'm in the wrong place,
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not completely, Nog's voice reverberated in his head. Just look
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at the barn. Scout was having a hard time getting
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past the startling, bodyless voice of Professor Nogg. He wasn't
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sure if he'd ever get used to it, but he
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did as the voice in his head, told him, and
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looked at the barn. Sitting on the property. Standing in
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the open barn doors was Nog waving him over. Scout
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hurried over to him. Welcome to Fort Nogg's, Nog proudly stated.
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Scout surveyed at the barn. It was old, faded in color,
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and nearing a state of dilapidation. This isn't what I
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thought a top secret science fiction base would look like,
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Scout admitted to him, with disappointment in his voice. Nog winked, well,
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you're not inside yet. Come. Scout followed Nog into the
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barn and was immediately overwhelmed by the disappointment. Again. The
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interior was just as run down as the outside, possibly
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even more so. It was hey haphazardly spread around the floor,
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empty horse stalls, that old trough that was filled with
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discarded farm tools. Are you kidnapping me, Scout asked. Nog laughed, Well,
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if by kidnapping you mean teaching you the ways of
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the cosmos end giving you all the necessary training you'll
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need to fight an undocumented alien species and a galaxy
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that's two point five million light years away, Well, yes,
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I'm kidnapping you, Scout didn't find the professor's attempt at
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humor funny. He shook off the comment and waited for
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Nog to hopefully show him something else, something cool and
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worth his time. You'll learn not to underestimate me, Scout,
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Nogg said, extracting a small remote device from his lab
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coat pocket and pressing the only button on it. Just then,
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the floor in the center of the barn opened and
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a freight elevator rose up from under the ground. Scout's
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jaw dropped as he watched the elevator doors chime and
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slide open after you chosen one. This was the first
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cool thing Scout had seen on the farm and wasn't
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going to waste another second on the rusted farm tools,
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lazy animals, or scattered hey. He dashed into the elevator,
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with Nog right behind him. The door was closed, and
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Nog pressed a button labeled Basement Level two. The elevator
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traveled two levels below Nog's barn and opened to what
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Scout was expecting to see the entire time, a top secret,
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super cool, underground science fiction space base. There were control rooms, vaults,
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computer screens larger than full grown adults, beeps and boops
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sounding off all over the place, and strangest of all,
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there were noogs everywhere. Scout pointed at one of the
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nogs sitting at a high tech computer. Then he pointed
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to another one who was writing things down on a clipboard.
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A third and fourth Nog walked side by side, laughing
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about something, perhaps an inside joke. Why are there use everywhere?
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Professor Scout asked, Nog laughed, These are just my clone nogs.
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I find the best way to get work done is
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to do it myself, and when myself is just one person,
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I need more. Nog pondered his answer in a deep way,
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wondering if that would be a quote that would stand
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the test of time. He jotted it down quickly on
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a spiral notepad and slipped it back into his lab coat.
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So it's just all nogs down here, Scout asked, no
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Nog replied, These clue dogs do the majority of the
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technicals sci fi stuff. There's a crew of real people
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also follow me. Scout followed a Nog through the control
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room and down a glossy and sterile looking hallway. At
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the end of it, Nog used a digital eye scanner
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to open another sliding door. Once it opened and the
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two of them entered. Scout saw real people. There was
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a long oval table, a classic business style meeting table,
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in the center of the room. Sitting around it were
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four people. Three of them were older, and one appeared
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just as young as Scout was. The young one, a
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girl with dark hair and wearing a dark green jumpsuit
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with the frog Nog logo on the breast. Pocket smiled
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at the sight of another person her age. Nog took
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Scout around the table as the sliding door to the
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room shut. Scout, I'd like you to meet the Estro Noggs,
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Nog said. As they came to the first person. It
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was a man maybe in his forties, with a short
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buzz cut and a buff upper body. This is Captain
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Pepper's the Og, captain of the frog Hopper, your new spaceship.
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Scout shook Pepper's hand and they moved on to the
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next person. It was another man, tall, thick and bearded.
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This is Dusty Pork, Nog said. He's the weapons specialist
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who designed the laser phaser. Scout and Pork nodded to
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one another before Nog continued on to the third and
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final adult, a red haired woman with a ponytail and
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a strong physique. This is Becca Mullechik, or as we
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call her around here, Becca the Brave. She has gone
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on and successfully completed seven interstellar missions for me. Scout
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felt as if he was in the presence of a
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true space hero with Becca the Brave. He shook her hand. Finally,
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they got to the young girl, the girl who looked
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to be about the same age as Scout. She was
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tiny in stature and had a smile that Scout couldn't
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look away from. This is Mandy Lee, Nogg said, introducing her.
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You might know her from around school. Scout squinted, trying
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to know her from around school, but he barely had
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a chance to interact with any of the other students
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aside from Chuck and Phil, so he was drawing a blank.
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Mandy stood up and shook Scout's hand. It's nice to
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meet you, she said, in a small voice. If I
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don't look familiar, it's probably because I'm in the grade
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above you. Eight, Scout asked, realizing how dumb of a
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question that was. Afterwards, of course, it's eight, he bitterly
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thought to himself. Eight comes after seven, you moron. It's
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the only other grade in the school, Nog laughed out loud.
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Yes it is, he said, responding to s Out's initter
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thoughts and leaving everyone else in the room oblivious to
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the unheard communication. Scout shot Nog a glaring look and
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then ripped the pin off his shirt. Well, now that
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you've met the astro noggs, Nog directed his attention to Scout.
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Time is of the essence. Your training starts in five minutes.
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It was actually six minutes until the training began. Nog
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was wrong. Scout found himself on another lower level of
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Fort Nogg's, deep below the farm. He was with Dusty
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Pork and getting a crash course on a laser phaser.
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Scout held one in his grip, as did Pork. Welcome
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to the blasting gallery, Pork said. He pointed down the
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narrow range to where a giant octopus like monster punching
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bag dangled from the ceiling. On it, a goofy face
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had been painted on. That's Aunt Bertha, Pork said, with
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a chuckle. He was named after someone's aunt, Bertha, Oh,
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Scout said, Taking in every last important word, Pork said,
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Aim your phaser line up Aunt Bertha in the scope.
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Use the automatic targeting system like this, Pork explained, demonstrating
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every inch of the way. He activated the automatic targeting system,
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which projected a glowing red X on Aunt Bertha's face.
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Then simply pull the trigger, Pork said, pulling the trigger
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and sending a concentrated burst of electric plasma toward Bertha
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at the speed of light. Upon impact, it obliterated Ant Bertha,
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splashing gooey remnants all over the blasting gallery. Pork laughed again. Ah,
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I guess that's one less for Thanksgiving this year. Now
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you try. Scout stepped up to the line, aiming his
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laser phaser and watched as another Aunt Bertha was lowered
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in from the ceiling. He looked through the site scope,
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activated the automatic targeting feature, and wrested the glowing red
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X on Aunt Bertha's head. He pulled the trigger and
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watched as another octopus alien punching bag exploded into a wet, slimy,
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goopy mess. Pork had his Scout on the back. You're
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already a pro, he said, with the wink. Peppers owes
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me a crisp twenty. Scout looked at pro Captain Peppers
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didn't think I'd be able to do it. Captain Peppers
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is a little bitter that Nog thinks he's too old
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to go on the mission. But is any more qualified
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than me, Scout asked, sure, Pork said while being in
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his forties. Now, well, interstellar space can be hard on
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the body. Nog wants the next generation to be the
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heroes now for health and safety reasons, of course, as
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well as the future of the astro Nogs. It made
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sense to Scout out with the old, in with the new.
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After a few more Aunt Bertha obliterations, Scout moved on
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to his next training exercise. It was on a different
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floor with Becca Mullachek, or as they called her around
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the fort. Becca the Brave Becka sat down and used
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the holographic display to show off images and data from
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her seven interstellar missions. She explained and taught Scout about heroism,
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making tough decisions, and how to live as a space
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hero without the world knowing about it. There's a lot
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of pride in being a hero, Beca said, but it's
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something you don't want going to your head. Trust me,
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It did with me, and I lost a lot of
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friends because of how I acted. It took tragically losing
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a crew member to really put me in my place,
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she said. Since then, I've lived a very proud yet
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quiet existence. The world doesn't know about the threats we face,
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or about the things we've stopped from coming here to
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destroy us, and it needs to stay that way. To
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avoid chaos and disorder. There must be control and order.
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Beca placed her fingers to her lips, put an exclamation
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mark on the fact that what the astronauts did in
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secret needed to remain a secret. Finally, Scout reported to
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an underground hangar only one level below the grounds of
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the farm. Scout walked side by side with Captain Peppers
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as he led him through the hangar to where a
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space ship sat idle. Several clone dogs were working on it,
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some on top of it, some underneath. It was bigger
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than Scout expected, probably about the length of an eighteen
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wheelers semi with wings sprouting off from either side. There
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was an image of a frog wearing sunglasses on the
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side of it, and below that was the ship's name,
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the frog Hopper. This is it, Captain Peppers blandly said,
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you're a new ship, as the professor so generously put it.
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Scout gaunked at Peppers, remembering what Pork said about his bitterness.
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You've lugged a lot of miles in this bad boy
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hun Scout asked, trying to make friendly conversation, but Peppers
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didn't answer. Instead, he continued to barge toward the ship
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and up the ramp that led into it. Scout scurried
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in behind him. The ship was pristine and sterile. The
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walls and floor were shiny and gray, and Scout was
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eager to explore the entire thing. However, Peppers led him
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right into the cockpit and began to quickly and hurriedly
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explain how things worked. Scout was having a hard time
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keeping up, but desperately tried to comprehend everything he could.
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This was all going to be important. Scout interrupted, any
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chance you can slow down, I'm a little confused. Peppers
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stopped talking and faced Scout. No, he said, I can't
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slow down. If you slow down on a mission, you're dead.
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If you slow down the ship while cruising through the cosmos,
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you're on the risk of being pummeled by asteroids, are
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getting yanked down onto some desolate planet by its unforgiving
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gravitational pull. Peppers shook his head in disgusted.
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I can't believe Nog wants a kid to do this
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mission and a kid who wants to slow down.
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At that, Peppers threw his arms up in surrender. The
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operator's manual is in the compartment under the seat. Any
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more questions refer to the text, and with that, Peppers
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walked away, le Scout alone in the cockpit of the
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frog Hopper. He sat down in the pilot's chair and
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looked around at all the controls, flashing lights and seemingly
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infinite buttons and switches. It was overwhelming. One minute, he
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was a brand new seventh grader, unsure of how to
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fit in, and now he was gearing up to go
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on a deep space mission to rescue a man he
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didn't even know from hostile alien forces. You'll have to
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excuse Peppers, a young voice spoke from behind Scout. He
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turned and watched as Mandy Lee sat down next to
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him in the co pilot's chair. He's just grumpy and
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can't accept the fact that his days in that chair
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are over, she said, pointing to the leathery seat in
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which Scout's butt was nestled comfortably. He seemed to really
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upset that Nogg wanted me to take his spot. Scout said,
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I'm kind of thinking the same thing. I'm not qualified
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for this. You are, Mandy said, with a smile. Peppers
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had his time. Now it's ours. You're going to Scout asked,
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Of course, she laughed. You are new, after all. You
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can't go in such a dangerous mission all alone. You
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need someone with experience and skills at your side. Scout smiled.
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Just as an old man's hand rested on his shoulder,
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Scout jumped, startled by the frail, bony touch. Professor Nogg
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loomed over him. It's time for your mission briefing. Scout sighed,
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stood up, and he and Mandy followed Nog to the
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mission briefing room, which turned out to actually just be
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the kitchen in Nog's farmhouse. Nog served up paper cups
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of blue drink and had a tin of butter cookies out,
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although most of the good shaped ones were already picked over,
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probably from Nog doing some middle of night cookie craving missions.
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Did Becca give you good advice, Nog asked? She did,
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Scout said, taking a sip of his blue drink, Anything
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quotable that I could repurpose for myself, Nog cunningly wondered.
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Scout shrugged, not caring much about Nog's aching quest to
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construct and deliver a quote that would stand the test
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of time. And I trust pork and peppers taught you
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well in their respective fields. The mention of pork and
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peppers instantly made Scout hungry. He licked his lips and
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looked over at Mandy, who gave him a look of disgust.
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Lick your chops on your own time, Scout, Nog said,
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We've got business to discuss, intergalactic business. Nog van dove
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headfirst into the details. The frog hopper has the ability
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to travel at the speed of light. The planet Thrios
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is located two point five million light years from Earth.
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That means it would take you two point five million
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years to travel there. We ate got that kind of time,
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so a few of my advanced clone ogs have altered
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things just enough within the propulsion systems to bring that
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two point five million years down to two point five hours.
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It's unprecedented. Even Mandy's eyes widened. This is new, she said,
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Is that even safe? Nogg wanted to shrug, but he
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also didn't want to instill fear and doubt into the kids.
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It's advanced, he decided to say. He looked at Scout.
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Did you watch the movies? Scout nodded. Yeah. They were cool,
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better than I thought they'd be. Nog smiled.
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Good.
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What seems like science fiction to some is reality to others,
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and it also turns out better than you think. He
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scrunched his eyes and then jotted his words now in
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his spiral notebook with a satisfied smile. Dunn, good quote,
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he said to himself. Another thirty minutes went by as
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Nog filled Scout and Mandy in on everything he knew
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about trios, its inhabitants, the environment, and so on. There
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weren't as many facts as there were educated guesses, but
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it was all they had. You guys, think you're up
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to the task, Nogg asked the two kids. Mandy nodded
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with a proud smile, and for the first time, Scout
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felt confident in his new position. He puffed out his
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chest and nodded as well. Perfect. Nogg said, I know
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things have been a little slow, but there's been a
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lot to explain and build up to. From here on, Oute,
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it'll be NonStop science fiction action. Scout polished off the
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rest of his blue drink and clapped for the heck
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of it. Mandy joined in and eventually succumbing to the
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clapping pressure, Nog did too. As the three of them
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sat around the kitchen table clapping. Outside on the farm,
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someone was lurking, watching the house and waiting for Scout
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to come out. Scout Brooks has spent one single day
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training to become an intergalactic hero, laser phasers, spaceship controls,
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and a crash course in bravery from a woman who's
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been to the stars and back. But as the down
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to launch begins, someone is watching fort Noggs from the
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shadows outside. Who are they? What do they want? And
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to Scout really ready for what's coming? Find out next
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time on Scout Brooks and the Astronogs.
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New Worlds, Impossible Missions. Join us next time on this
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00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:28.279
same frequency from more adventures from Kingstown and Outer Space
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with Scout Brooks. And then So Brooks and.
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Thank you for listening to part three of the micro
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Terror's special presentation of Scout Brooks and the Astronous Assault
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00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:55.079
on Thrios. Does Scout have what it takes to be
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00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:58.720
the next generation of space hero? Does pork and peppers
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sound appetizing to you also, and who could be watching
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00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:05.079
and waiting outside the farmhouse? Tune in next week for
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part four. If you can't wait, you can read the
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00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:11.240
entire book early right now in the micro Terrorist fan Club.
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00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:14.440
The book will also release on Amazon in paperback and
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kindle formats on August twenty second. See you next week
