Alternativa Planeta Tres

Museum Catalog Note "Planet Three: Alternative" by Ralph Barby continues the Espacio 676 series. The narrative follows spaceship captain Rossend Dard and pilot Llop of the private vessel Esplai 11-9, contracted by the Confederation government to transport scientists Dr. Erika and Dr. Valva to Planet Four in the RA star system. Their mission: to advance terraforming begun by an earlier "Phoenix" expedition by distributing freeze-dried seeds and microalgae, and deploying thermonuclear bombs to melt polar ice caps and increase atmospheric humidity. The story opens with the crew approaching their target world—a barren, reddish planet with minimal water. Complications arise when their sensors detect artificial satellites already in orbit around Planet Four, suggesting unknown visitors. An android crew member named Trece intermittently detects organic life despite initial assessments of planetary sterility. The discovery prompts speculation about whether inhabitants of nearby Planet Three—a less-evolved petroleum-dependent civilization—might have rapidly advanced. Tension mounts as the crew debates whether these unknown visitors pose a military threat.