Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction

by Terry Compton

  The crippled Bug explained, "You will check out the computers in the robots and other equipment. You are to program these computers to interface with the mother ship computer so the mother ship can control the robots and equipment. We will have someone else check your work, so do not think about sabotaging any of the programs. You have had a sample of our training methods and we can extend the pain a long time before you pass out the next time."

  Tik laid her ears back to show her displeasure but she didn't say anything. A large robot brought a disassembled robot to her work station. She ran some diagnostic tests and found a couple of bad parts. She turned to the Bug who had been observing her.

  "These parts are bad. I can't make them so where do I get replacements?" Tik said sourly.

  "Use that computer terminal to check about replacement parts. If we have them in the mother ship, a messenger will bring them. If we don't have them, the computer will tell you whether to salvage this robot or to send it to storage for later repair when we get the parts," the Bug explained.

  Tik checked with the computer and found out there were no replacement parts. The computer wanted to save the robot, so the computer had a messenger robot bring a piece of equipment for Tik to work on and picked up the broken robot to take away to storage. Tik checked out the piece of equipment and found a broken circuit board. She took her time but did repair it. She started reprogramming the equipment under the watchful eye of the crippled Bug. She finished the job and the messenger robot brought some more work. Tik took her time on all of the repairs but she kept busy all day. She figured she could have almost tripled her output if she was being paid; but if she was slave labor, she only would do enough to keep above suspicion. While she was working, Tik started to plan how to sabotage the main computer without anyone being able to trace it back to her. First she needed access to the computer and the ability to make changes. She knew she didn't have time to do a long program or to hack the mother ship computer, so she needed another plan. She knew the mother ship computer would be interfacing with everything she worked on; so if she put a piece of code in everything she worked on, maybe she could set up a Trojan horse that would let her into the mother ship computer. She knew that she was going to have to take some time to plan everything down to the last detail before she started. If the pieces were coming from all the different things she worked on, it would be very difficult for anyone to find. She needed to find out how the mother ship interfaced with the different pieces of equipment and the robots. Her spirits lifted as she knew that she had a chance to strike back at the Bugs -- even if it took some time. Finally the Bug signaled it was time to line up again. The line walked back to the dining hall and everyone received the same garbage they'd had for breakfast.

  Tik choked down most of her food that night. She ate in a hurry and looked around trying not to be obvious about it. She tried to communicate with the creatures in her line but no one seemed to understand her language. She noticed that all the creatures grouped together were of different species. She guessed this presented a language barrier. She saw all different sizes and shapes of creatures in the dining hall. None of the lines lingered very long. They ate and then went on their way. Tik did notice a nine-foot tall purple creature with funny-looking hair. She was sure it was the same species as the Dar Es Salaam Traders that stopped at her planet. This one seemed to be missing its translator that all the Traders normally wore. Tik would like to get closer to this one. She knew that if it were a Trader, she could at least communicate by sign language. The crippled Bug came to the table and told them to line up. As soon as they were in line, they started for the cells. The other two creatures in Tik's cell went straight to their bunk. Tik tried the door again and then went to her bunk. She took her tool bag to the bunk and opened it up. She took out a mini-computer that she carried to help with programming and to take notes. She started planning how she would lay out her program to get into the mother ship computer. She made notes of the general outline and then put everything away. She lay down and slept better.

  The bell went off and Tik jumped up. She was eagerly looking forward to getting to her work station to start checking out the interface between the computers she worked on and the mother ship computer. Tik looked around in the dining hall but didn't see the Trader this morning. She found out that if she wolfed down the food and didn't think about it, she could get it all down. As soon as everyone was through, the crippled Bug took them to the repair room. The routine was the same that day as it had been yesterday but the Bug didn't seem to hover over her as much. When it wasn't at her station, she tested the interface of the computers. By the end of the day, she understood how it worked and she had developed a plan for programming. In the dining hall she tried to communicate with those around her but there was no response. She saw the Trader again; but there was no way to get close to him or to get his attention without attracting attention to herself, so she just observed. When the door swung shut again, Tik tried it again with no luck. She hurried to her bunk and took out her mini-computer. She started writing the code she needed. She arranged it so that she could take small pieces to put in every computer that she worked on. The mini-computer would track where she was at in the code to help her keep things straight. Tik made good progress that night and she knew that she would have the code finished in two more nights. Tik went to sleep very excited about the prospects of getting revenge.

  The next morning Tik was so excited that she had trouble wolfing her food down and she thought it tasted terrible. She tried to communicate with those around her with no luck. Tik was ready when she got to her work station. She started implementing her plan with the first computer she repaired. The Bugs seemed happy with her work and now left her alone unless she had a question. It took a month to get all of the code programmed into the mother ship computer. Tik activated the Trojan horse that day.

  She could hardly eat that evening. She wanted to get back to her cell to try her new program. Tik skipped her usual task of checking the door and went straight to her bunk instead. She took out her mini-computer and tried her program. She was in! She tried some different things and found out she was blocked from a lot of the mother ship computer. She didn't care. She was in and now could hack into whatever she wanted.

  Tik spent another month getting into all levels of the mother ship computer. She started to notice that she didn't have much energy. She was forcing herself to eat everything the Bugs gave her but she still felt listless. She tried each meal to communicate with someone but nothing happened. Once she was into all levels of the mother ship computer, Tik learned the lay out of the mother ship and where the bugs stayed. She found out where her cell and the repair room were located in the mother ship. She found the hangar for the incoming and outgoing planetary ships. She had a lot of information and could wreak havoc on the Bugs but it didn't help her get off the space ship and back to her planet. Tik got into the navigation part of the mother ship computer and found out where they were at. It was a long way from her home planet and she didn't see any way that she could get back there. She continued to work on the mother ship computer and started setting all the equipment and robots on the mother ship to listen to her voice commands and do as she said.

  One day she realized that she was getting sicker and weaker. She programmed the mother ship computer to have a robot take her and her tool bag to the dispensary for creatures such as herself. The crippled Bug evidently got his orders from the mother ship computer also because he didn't say a thing as the robot took her away.

  At the dispensary, there was a Bug with a healer unit. The Bug checked her out and then gave her an intravenous fluid. The fluid made her feel a lot better in just a short while. The Bug with the healer unit left her alone and she quickly got out her mini-computer to search the mother ship computer for her diagnosis. The diagnosis said she was malnourished and low on certain essential vitamins. The intravenous fluid contained what she needed but the mother ship computer said another medical solution need
ed to be found because it wasn't cost effective to keep giving intravenous fluids. Tik checked to see if she could drink the fluid but it was only a temporary fix. It would stave off the malnutrition but eventually she would die if her system didn't digest the food properly. Tik told the computer to order the fluid for her as part of her normal diet. Tik had just put up her mini-computer when the healer Bug came back into the room.

  The Bug said, "You have been reassigned. I will give you more fluid tonight and in the morning a supervisor will take you to your new job."

  "What's the matter with me? Why am I so weak and sick?" Tik asked testily.

  "You don't need to know. We will take care of you as long as you do your job," the Bug retorted gruffly.

  "Where am I going to be working? Where will I sleep?" Tik asked as a test to see what the Bug knew or would tell.

  "Your supervisor will show you all of that tomorrow. For now, relax and I will give you more fluid," the Bug told her like one would tell a child it was time to go to bed.

  Tik waited until she was sure the Bug had gone for the night and then checked her mini-computer again. She found out she would be going to the repair hangar to work on computers there and also to input the amount of salvaged fuel that was dumped into the mother ship's stock pile. Tik worked for another hour or so before she put her computer away and went to sleep.

  The next morning Tik woke up feeling much better. She still didn’t have the strength that she had when she came on the mother ship but she felt she could work something out now. The Bug with the healer unit brought her something to eat and Tik ate everything there. She knew she would have to eat everything to keep her system from starving her to death. Later she would have to research what she needed to keep her system working. She had just finished eating when a Bug with different colored trim on its robe came and told her to follow.

  They worked their way through several different passages before they rode an elevator toward the outer skin. Once they got off the elevator, they walked a short distance and entered a huge hangar. There were several planetary flyers, other space ships and some large robots in various stages of repair. Robots and an assortment of varied creatures of differing sizes were swarming over everything. They were taking things apart or putting them back together and it took Tik several minutes to tell which was which. The Bug kept her moving across the hangar to another room. She noticed one space ship towards the rear of the hangar. It looked like it had seen its better days. It was much larger than the planetary flyers the Bugs used and Tik wondered where it came from. Her escort took her to a Bug that appeared to be the overseer in the room.

  The new Bug announced, “My name is Wurden. You will be working here entering salvage parts into inventory and weighing, classifying and entering salvaged fuel. You will also send messenger robots to get parts that the technicians will need. I will be here until you are competent to do this alone. Do you understand?”

  Tik replied sarcastically, “Yeah, I get it. How do you classify all the different parts? Do you assign them part numbers or just stick them on a shelf somewhere?”

  “We classify them according to use category. You will decide which general category the part fits in and the computer will make a final determination. The computer will assign a shelf number and a messenger robot will store the part. There is a camera here that helps the computer identify the parts and what they are used for. The messenger robots that bring the parts here interface with the computer and tell it where the part came from and which ship or large robot it came off of,” the Bug declared smugly.

  “I see. Do you get a lot of salvage ships? Where do they come from?” Tik asked.

  “That is none of your business. Just concern yourself with quickly and properly classifying the parts as they come in. It is critical you weigh, classify and enter proper numbers for the salvaged fuel. There are five grades of fuel and we don’t want to mix them,” Wurden stated haughtily.

  “What happens when you mix them? Do they blow up?” Tik asked innocently.

  “It most certainly does not. The mother ship has too many safeguards for that to happen. All it does is to degrade the fuel which makes the ships and equipment use it up faster!” Wurden declared pompously.

  Tik held her tongue and went to work. She had trouble guessing what the parts were and how they should be classified. Wurden was very impatient and she still wasn’t feeling all that well. Tik was holding her temper but just barely. She was fairly slow and toward the end of the day two messenger robots brought parts and set them on the counter for her to classify. She was concentrating on the computer and didn’t notice the large creature encased in the safety gear approaching. The creature moved rather clumsily in the protective gear and when it walked by the counter, it bumped into the robot delivering a part, causing the robot to dump the part right in Tik’s lap. Her tight hold on her temper snapped and she leaped on the counter and was ready to attack the robot when she saw the cause of the problem.

  She started screaming at the large creature, “You big lummox. Why don’t you watch where you are going? You’ve damaged this robot and almost killed me. Did you do that on purpose?”

  The creature just kept walking -- completely ignoring her. It walked into the energy-shielded cubicle for recycling salvage fuel. The robot on the deck couldn’t get up, so it lay there thrashing around, trying to find a foot-hold or something. It started making a beeping alarm sound that added to the commotion. Another messenger robot was trying to get to the counter and couldn’t get around the one on the deck.

  Just then Wurden glided up on his disk and asked, “What is going on here? Why are you standing on the counter instead of entering parts?”

  “Just look at that big clumsy ox. He knocked that messenger robot over and knocked this part on top of me. I was almost killed and that thing just keeps shuffling along like it doesn’t understand plain old everyday Mis'stear," Tik complained.

  "It doesn't understand Mis'stear. It’s a Sandghost from the planet Prokne. It has some fuel to weigh, classify and log in. Go tend to it and I will get this robot upright. You are falling behind and need to get more proficient at your job," Wurden stated primly, like he was talking to a small child.

  Tik complied but was muttering under her breath the whole time about big clumsy Sandghosts and smart-alecky Bugs. She classified the fuel, logged it in and then went back to her counter. There were two messenger robots waiting and she still had to catalog the part that had been dumped in her lap. She concentrated on her job but kept muttering periodically. Finally the day was over and Wurden came to lead her away to the dining hall and her cell. She was toward the middle of the line but she noticed they stopped to pick up a very large creature that looked like it had been sculpted out of sand. Wurden seemed in a hurry to get them all bedded down so he didn't give Tik much chance to study the large creature.

  The large creature sat at the table behind Tik in the dining hall so she just ignored it. She had programmed the mother ship computer to make the fluid with the extra vitamins and minerals as part of her meal. She made sure that she drank every bit of it. She tried her usual gambit of trying to establish communication with no better luck than she had at the other dining hall. As soon as the creatures in her line were through eating, Wurden lined the big sand creature right behind her and started them off down the passageway to the cells. At first Tik was a little nervous about the large creature being behind her. She was afraid it might step on her so she kept close to the creature in front of her.

  After several stops and other creatures in the line entering their cells, Tik was the head of the line. Wurden stopped her and a cell door opened. She entered and suddenly she heard a shuffling sound behind her. She wheeled and there was the large sand creature standing in her cell.

  Tik yelped at Wurden, "Hey, what's this big dummy doing in my cell?"

  Wurden didn't even reply. The cell door swung shut and Tik jumped at it, trying to keep it open. She was too late and the door was securely
locked. She tried it anyway and finally admitted there was nothing she could do. She turned to pick a bunk and saw the sand creature shuffling to a bunk that was big enough to fit his huge frame. Tik thought there was something familiar about that walk but just couldn't place it. She picked one of the bunks on the other side of the room and checked out the drawers. They were empty so she picked the lower bunk. She laid her bag on the bunk and then sat down to study the creature.

  Suddenly she knew where she had seen that shuffle. She snarled, "You're that big lummox that almost killed me today aren't you?"

  The creature didn't say a thing. It just sat there staring at her. Tik tried sign language by pointing at herself and then saying 'Tik'. The creature made some kind of noise that wasn't even close to what she was saying. It pointed at itself and made a low guttural sound that Tik couldn't even come close to imitating. Finally she gave up and pulled out her mini-computer. She worked at increasing her access to all parts of the computer for awhile and then started looking at the diagram of the space ship. When the 3-D image of the ship appeared, the sand creature sat up straighter on its bunk. It appeared to be very interested but kept its place on its bunk. Tik was checking out every passageway and committing them to memory. She located all the escape pods and kept looking for any other way to escape. Tik pulled up a view of the incoming hangar and the creature suddenly moved off its bunk and stuck one of those huge fingers right in the 3-D view of the hangar. Tik didn't know if she was being attacked or not so she growled a warning. The creature ignored her and started making those same low guttural noises while pointing at the hangar. She snapped at the finger and bit it. The creature jerked back and went back to its bunk holding its finger in the other hand. Tik studied for a little longer and finally shut everything down and prepared for sleep.