We were asteroid mining off Jupiter's main moon, Titan. It was deemed a routine expedition; the company had done it a million times before. The pay was good, the work easy, and me, Joe, and Tif had not a care in the world.

"Who is up for a space juice before shuteye?" Tif asked when it was close to knock-off.

"I'll tag along, but only if you're buying," I replied.

"With what we make in a day you can buy your own drinks," Tif laughed.

I laughed along with her, simply because she was right.

"Wipe your feet," Joe reminded us. "Before you climb back onboard."

"Whatever you say, grandpa," I replied, still laughing.

That grey dust sticks in all the crevices, annoying, but surely harmless. Nothing survives in space, not without oxygen. Nothing human anyway. It's like I said before, routine job, not a worry between us, except for old grandpa Joe.

By the time we hyper-jumped home, the tiny seedlings hidden in that fine sand had germinated. The shuttle's climate proved to be perfect for growth. Did you know that the Sicklemont bush has seeds so fine and hearty that they can survive anywhere? I sure didn't. Joe found the fully grown bush in my bed when he came to wake me. I'd been breathing in those seedlings all night long.

"What the hell?!" I heard him say, and that was enough for me to share my misfortune.

Between us, we made sure that Tif did not stand a chance.

We returned changed, ready to spread the seeds of our masters. The Earth was completely unprepared. Mother Nature was going to get her revenge, and it was not going to take her long.

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