Harry woke up with light being beamed directly into his optical nerve, from his VR implant. “Enough. I'm awake.” he grumbled. Keeping his eyes closed.

“Sorry to disturb you, Harry” came the calm voice of the Habitat's AI “but I have just detected a burst of high energy gamma rays.”

“What kind of intensity? Should we go to the storm cellar?” Harry hissed.

“The intensity is almost twice that of the last time but still well within the bubbles ability to deal with. I wouldn't have woken you normally but after the last time, you said...”

“I know, I know. You did the right thing.”

Pulling on his bathrobe, Harry glanced down at Julia's sleeping form.

“Warm up the control room, I'll be there in a few minutes.”

Harry checked the external radiation log files, as he sipped a cup of coffee. The burst had lasted less than a second but it would have been enough to dose anyone outside the bubble into radiation sickness. “Are you sure these figures are accurate?”

“Yes, Harry.”

“And there's no doubt that it came from the Organian Habitat?”

“None. The burst came from the new growth on the western conical structure. It has been doubling in size every 17 hours, or so.”

“Those irresponsible bastards! Get me a com line to the Organians. I want to have a little chat with the head freak.”

“I am in contact with their AI right now. I don't think they want to talk to you but I'm being persistent.”

“Damn right! They can't go spewing hard radiation at us and expect us to take it lying down!”

“Yes, Harry.”

Fifteen minutes passed, during which Harry focussed the Hab's external sensors on the offending growth. The pustulant grey globule pulsed as he watched.

“I swear I can see it growing by the second.” Organian technology gave Harry the creeps. “I have Hetar Arastan on the com for you, Harry.”

“Is that the guy in charge or are they trying to pass off some flunky on me?”

“The Organians do not have a hierarchical social order Harry, Hetar Arastan functions, among other things, as their communications person.”

“He's a flunky!”

“He's the only one equipped to communicate with humans.”

“OK, put the ugly bugger on screen.”

The screen in front of Harry flicked to the image of Hetar Arastan. The grey-green mass of lumps and tubes wobbled slightly and emitted a gurgling sound, which it took Harry a moment to recognise as speech.

“...communication not desired.”

“I don't want to have to look at your ugly mug either but you're not leaving me any choice. You have been zapping us with gamma radiation and I'm not going to stand for it!”

“Harry, the burst was omnidirectional, it wasn't directed at...”

“Not now Hab! Can't you see I'm talking to the alien?”

“Radiation burst unavoidable. Active deepscan structure enters adolescence. Difficult time for structure. Prediction of bursts impossible but soon over. Joyous time for all.” Gurgled Hetar Arastan.

“What the hell is he on about, Hab?”

“I think he's saying that they can't do anything about it but that it'll be over soon. Their technology is very different from ours. It's grown...”

“That's just not good enough! That growth, whatever it is, is putting our lives at risk.” Harry had begun to shout at this point.

The internal com cracked to life.

“Harry, what are you doing out of bed?” Came Julia's voice.

“Oh, crap.” Whispered Harry.

“I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short, He Tar Arn.” he said quickly, before terminating communication.

“Can you hear me Harry?”

“Yes dear. There was a radiation incident. Just making sure everything is OK. Nothing to be worried about.”

“Radiation incident? Have you been bothering the Organians again?” Came the patient voice of Harry's wife.

“That new growth has been shooting gamma rays at us. If anyone had been on the surface they would have taken a serious dose rads.”

“The surface.” She said flatly “Harry, we have been here for five years and the last time you walked on the surface was the day after we arrived. We don't walk on the surface. That's what we have robot's for.”

“That's not the point! We have a right to...”

“That's enough Harry. The Organians just want to be left alone.”

“I don't trust those freaks, Julia. They mean us no good.”

“Who was it warned us of that incoming solar flare, when our sensors were down?”

“The Organians. But...”

“And why were our sensors down, Harry?

“The theory was sound I just didn't compensate for...”

“Why were our sensors down, during a time of high solar flare activity, Harry?” Came the, now exasperated, voice of Julia.

“Because I was trying to modify them to scan the inside of the Organian habitat.” Admitted Harry, sheepishly.

“Come back to bed Harry.”

“Yes, dear.”