The Interplanetary Visit

The Bug House

The house that was arranged for the Jupitian Prince was nothing short of a palace. It had a decent sized swimming pool and a small field. In addition to that, it was within walking distance to his would-be prestigious school arranged by PEIDB, to not only show the good side of Earth's education, but to spy on him, as well. However, despite all the pleasantness, the house was heavily bugged. Not with just insect bugs carrying audio and video transmitters, but spy bugs and microchips, as well. The phone line was heavily bugged. and every call was diverted to pass through the PEIDB headquarters for recording. The whole house was, in fact, a giant piece of spying equipment. The walls were built over infrared sensors, vibration sensors, thermal sensors, photo-magnetic sensors, electromagnetic wave sensors and background radiation sensors to detect the Jupitian's presence whenever he was in the vicinity. The vibration sensors detected any sounds and deciphered them at the PEIDB mainframe. Air pressure differences elicited by movement would be recorded by the highly sensitive barometric sensors, and together with the other sensors, would provide the PEIDB mainframe enough information to project a panoramic view of every tiny movement made by the Jupitian. Even a draft could not enter the house undetected.

In addition, the PEIDB mainframe had software that would keep records of files accessed and messages sent and received from the house. Every screen had optic fiber video surveillance; the radio was fixed with audio bugs; every light bulb in the house was fitted with video and audio bugs: every plug and adapter in the house had a hidden audio bug. The antenna, originally invented to receive data transmission, was now more transmitting than receiving data from the bugs to the PEIDB headquarters.

The swimming pool was filled with mercury-based bugs, which, like the vaccine bugs, were chemically treated to curb their poisonous nature. The water purifier in the house was also fitted with the mercury-based bugs, and when passed out from the toilet bowl, would end up right in the PEIDB headquarters. Fortunately, the PEIDB knew too little about Jupitians.

Indeed, the house would be the dream workplace of any aspiring nanotechnologist.

The Jupitians had reached a very energy efficient state of adaptation forced by their very hostile environment, and thus had no need to breathe, eat, drink, excrete or urinate. They had no need to consume anything since their bodies can recycle all their energy. Whenever extra energy was needed, they could absorb any sort of electromagnetic waves, the stronger the wave, the more energy absorbed. Though it might be that the Jupitian Prince was more highly adapted than the rest of Jupiter, there was no reason to believe otherwise at this moment.

Nonetheless, any insect that would enter the house, be it flies, spiders or mosquitoes, would be carrying bugs from SEB to monitor the Prince. There was hardly any way to stop the monitoring even if the Prince found out about the fixed bugs in the house. The entomological spies were carrying highly specialized nano-sensors that would send back information. These sensors were powered by the very electrical impulses of the insects and the micro-dynamos attached to their wings. It was indeed Earth technology at its best.

When the Jupitian Prince first saw the house, he was rather surprised. The house was huge for a commoner's, which he learnt from the Jupitian warship. He liked the peaceful and tranquil look of the structure. There was everything an earthling could ever want.

A computer of the latest technology in SEB standards, a full screen projector screen, built-in speakers in the ceilings for surround sound, and a huge bed that practically filled the entire room. The house was luxurious. There were three en-suite bedrooms on the second floor of the two-level mansion. Each washroom had a bathtub of plated silver. The faucets themselves were plated titanium.

Everything was beautiful and shiny. The stairs were made of teak and the handles, stainless steel. PEIDB had even arranged for cleaners to clean the place every day while the Jupitian was at school. Of course, the cleaners were engineers that were capable of maintaining and replacing the bugs if necessary.