On a bright, sunny, summer afternoon the Bombers baseball team walked onto the local little league field. They were not a part of the little league. For various reasons they weren't allowed to join the little league. Who wants to listen to a coach and umpires yell at you when you can just play.
Ray, the team's unofficial captain, took the pitcher's mound. He was tall for a ten year old. The eight other children found their places around the field.
Greg walked to the plate. He swirled his bat around as he stared down Ray.
Ray wound up, and kicked his left leg high in the air, leaned back and threw the ball as hard as he could. Greg swung hard, but there was only sound of the ball hitting the catcher's mitt. The rest of the players cheered.
Gary, the catcher, threw the ball back. Ray kicked his leg up, and threw as hard as he could. The fastball screamed toward home plate.
And suddenly, it froze-in midair.
Greg swung, and fell on his back.
The others stood looked at the ball, too afraid to move.
A beam of light surrounded the baseball. From the outfield, Charlotte shouted "Look up there!" All nine children looked straight up, to see a large floating ship. A flying saucer. A UFO.
No one moved.
A door opened from underneath the ship. For some reason, the children didn't run. Nine shapes floated down to the ground, and nine baseball players appeared in front of them. "An alien baseball team," whispered Rachel.
Nine[MT1] baseball players, with hats, jerseys, gloves, and some carried baseball bats. The nine players looked around, some kicked the dirt, some swung their bats, and one felt the grass. They all looked like nine and ten year old little league baseball players. They didn't have green skin, or large round black eyes, or a lizard tail. They looked normal. Several begin to throw a baseball, and shag fly balls. Several stretched, one ran the base paths.
A tall player in the front stepped forward. He took the floating baseball and smiled at it. He was skinny with back hair, and was the same height as Ray, spoke, "My name is Darvin. We are the Solar System Strikers. Do you want to play?"
Ray looked at his teammates. They looked back with their eyes wide as saucers, their mouths hanging open. Ray kicked the dirt. "So you think you can play?"
"Yes. We can. We are very good. We are traveling team and looking for other good teams to pay."
Ray looked at his team. Gary's eyes were wide and bright, and he nodded his head vigorously.
"Yes. We'll play you. Who will call balls and strikes?"
Darvin pulled out a silver disc and laid it down behind the plate. Another Striker ballplayer grabbed a bat, a second one squatted down behind the plate. Ray and his team cleared out to see what was about to happen. Darvin threw the ball over the plate. The batter didn't swing. But from behind the catcher arose a holographic video and a voice that said "strike!" The hologram showed where the ball crossed the plate. Darvin threw a second pitch, this one just outside the plate. The voice behind the catcher yelled "ball!"
Gary's mouth dropped open, "I gotta get me one of those!"
"A holographic umpire," Sam spoke in awe.
"How will we know to trust your umpire computer?" asked Ray.
Darvin looked at Ray and tilted his head, "Do you always trust your human umpires?"
"You gotta point!" Ray nodded his head, clapped, and said "Yes. We'll play you. You're the visitors, you bat first."
Ray took the mound, and the eight other players ran to their positions, Gary at catcher, Robbie at first, Rachel at second, Sam at shortstop, Greg at third, Craig in left, Dale in center, and Charlotte in right.
