Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction

by Terry Compton

  "Can you pilot a fliter?"

  "Oh yes. I've done it hundreds of times. The Dar Es Salaam Traders use them a lot and we all have to train on different types to keep our license current," Kota replied.

  "What about those other creatures working on the ancient ship?"

  "Why, I don't know. I don't know if any of them are pilots. I know that they are all pretty resourceful to be able to open things in that old ship like they have. One big problem would be space suits for all of them. I don't think any of them had suits when they were brought aboard," Kota answered. "Who would you use on the freighter to load the cargo?"

  "That big sand creature worked in the inbound hangar before it got sick. I'm sure it could move anything on that cargo ship we wanted. We would just have to send a supervisor to mark everything and then keep track of what comes on the mother ship. I don't think the supervisor would even have to be there more than once about every two weeks."

  "Why, I'd never thought of that," Kota lied. He was trying very hard to contain his excitement over these new developments.

  "How would you get the freighter to the repair hangar?"

  "Why, I thought the repair hangar was right close to the other hangar. I just figured you could use the tractor beams to move it," Kota said.

  "No, the repair hangar is on the other side of the mother ship and up several levels."

  "Well, if it will fly, why don't you have a pilot fly it over. The freighter might not be the easiest to fly right now but I'm sure it could be done," Kota said confidently.

  "Go back to your class. The council has much to talk about now."

  Kota returned to his class and it was the hardest task of his life to keep teaching. He wanted to race to the repair hangar to talk to Ron and Tik but he had already been hit with a stingerray twice and that was all he wanted. If he could keep making suggestions, maybe Ron, Tik and Gus could use this to their advantage and escape. Even if he didn't get out with them, they would broadcast his signal that was in Auntie's computer. The Charter Navy would be coming for him then.

  The three pals were almost at a point where they would have to start opening some more doors for the Bugs. They had tested about everything they could without having the bad systems repaired. Ron felt confident he could fly the space ship and they were ready to try at the first opportunity. They needed some more fuel and they needed to load some water, oxygen and food supplies. They all were still studying ways to make that happen.

  The third day after the alarm, the big wig Bug was waiting in the repair hangar when the trio came to work. He motioned them over to one side and asked, "Have you tried to use the shield on the ancient ship to screen out different elements?"

  "We did try some oxygen atoms and excluded hydrogen atoms just to see what the capabilities of the shield were," Tik answered. "I'd have to look at the computer to see how successful we were."

  "I looked and you were very successful. Could you pick any element and exclude it?"

  Tik thought for a minute and then asked, "How big or small would this element be? Is there something about this element that would be easy to identify?"

  "This element is about two microns long and we have ways of identifying it."

  "I'm sure that could be screened out then," Tik answered.

  The trio was listening intently trying to figure out what the big wig really wanted but, so far, he wasn't giving much of a clue.

  "Are any of you pilots? Have you flown space ships?"

  The question caught all three off guard but they quickly recovered. Gus answered first, "I hadn't even seen a space ship until I was brought on board."

  Ron said, "The same with me."

  Tik replied, "I worked on space ships but I've never flown one."

  The big wig dismissed them and waved Wurden over to talk to him. They talked for some time as Ron, Tik and Gus went to Auntie and started on some tests. Wurden came over later when Gus was outside checking some circuits. Wurden told him to go bring the other two outside so he could talk to them. Gus went just inside the door and sent a thought for the other two. He was secretly watching Wurden. The Bug was antsy and wringing his hands, he was so nervous. He did not like Auntie at all.

  The trio came outside and walked over to him. Wurden asked, "Are there crew quarters in the ship that you could sleep in?"

  Ron said, "Yes, there are quarters in there but we would need a couple of things to be able to sleep in there."

  "Make a list for me. There will be a messenger robot that will be bringing those items and food for you for 7 days. The council has decided to use this ship to benefit the mother ship. We are going to set up a shield across the hangar with you and the ship on one side and the rest of the hangar on the other. There is a freighter on the other side of the mother ship that is being brought around to this side. It is too big to fit inside the hangar so it will be tethered outside with tractor beams. You are to set up the ancient ship's shield to screen for a particular element which will be sent to you by computer. There will be two more shields set up to further screen for that element and then monitors and test equipment will check the final product. The cargo from the freighter will be brought through all the screens and tested before it is moved to storerooms. You three will be part of this operation and will stay here in that ship until the operation is completed. Go to the counter and check out the units to set up the additional screens and then, as soon as you get the word on the computer, set all of the shields to screen for that particular element. Add seven more days fuel to the space ship. We don't want the shield to drop because it runs out of fuel. Keep me advised on what the fuel level is."

  The thought immediately went through the trio, 'Kota! He had something to do with this. What was he up to?'

  They slowly moved to the counter to get the shield units. They didn't want to seem too eager to get everything set up but they knew that Kota had some idea in mind to help with the escape. They worked the rest of the day getting everything ready and late in the afternoon; the computer showed them what they were screening. Tik recognized it right away as the virus from the freighter. The messenger robots arrived with the food and the items they had requested. Tik worked at setting up the shields while Ron and Gus carried the food and items into Auntie. Wurden had all of his remaining crew busy also. They were moving all of the work stations except Ron's and Gus' to his side of the shield, dividing the hangar. When all was set, Wurden directed them to turn the shields on. The Bug's decontamination team moved equipment in right next to the shield dividing the hangar. They set up a large triple-layer entrance that would accommodate all of the cargo. That night they moved into Auntie.

  The next day, Wurden set three personal communicators in the entrance and waved at them to come and get them. When they had them, he told them that they would be coming out of the shields temporarily. When they were out, he led them down the passageway and through the mother ship. He took them into a room where there were all sorts of space suits. The Bug in charge of the room came over and measured the three. It searched for a little bit and came back with a suit for Ron. An assistant went to look for a suit for Gus and Tik. The Suit Bug helped Ron get into the space suit and demonstrated how to use all of the different features. The Bug made Gus and Tik watch while they waited for their suit. After a long search, the assistant came back with a suit for Gus. The assistant couldn't carry it so a robot was assigned to that task. The assistant then brought a suit and had Tik try it on. They took the suit and made some alterations on it before they brought it back again. Ron and Gus were all suited up, experimenting with walking, sitting and getting up. They both were getting the hang of the suits pretty quickly. The assistant brought Tik's suit back and she put it on. At first she didn't like the feel of it but she overcame that to be able to use it. None of the suits were the best fit but they would all do. Wurden had called for a grav-sled and robot so they took off the suits and loaded them onto the sled. Wurden led the procession back to the repair hangar. He showed the tr
io a rack to hang the space suits on and told them to take the rack and the suits over by the space ship.

  Shortly after they had everything moved, a loaded fliter flew into the hangar door piloted by a very tall thin pilot. Two more followed it and they all three landed close to the space ship. The pilots of the other two fliters were short and obviously Bugs. They went through the shields to the triple-layer entrance. The monitors and test equipment gave them clearance and they walked through. Ron noticed that Wurden had important business out of the hangar right then. The pilots left the entrance and took off their space suits. Members of the Bug's decontamination team were there to double check the pilots and gave approval for them to head to a quarantine area. The team put a protective film over the space suits and then left.

  Ron and his pals turned to the tall pilot. The pilot removed his helmet and they saw that it was Kota.

  Ron grinned and held out his hand as he said, "I knew you had something to do with this. Aren't you afraid the virus will get you?"

  Kota returned the grin and said, "The virus only affects the Bugs. I think it has something to do with the Alcantarans. I think that is why the Bugs are so terrified of them."

  Tik said in a low voice that didn't carry, "That's part of what I have found out so far. Evidently a long time ago, the Bugs and the Alcantarans wanted some of the same real estate. The Bugs did every underhanded trick in the book and the Alcantarans finally got tired of it. They set the virus on them and sent meteoroids around the galaxies to get them wherever they could."

  "Help me out of this and we can go in the ancient space ship to talk," Kota said.

  Ron turned him around and pointed to the name now engraved under the windows. He said, "We call her Auntie now. We'll tell you more later."

  Just then robots arrived to start moving the cargo through the shields and over to the entrance. Since the decontamination team had already left, they just piled it near the entrance. Ron and Gus helped Kota out of the space suit and took it to the rack to hang it up. Kota walked over to the fliter he had flown in and grabbed a bundle of things that were obviously his bedding and personal items. Wurden was lining everybody up to leave the hangar and told the trio over the communicator that he would be back in the morning. He said the outer shield was set to block everything right now. He turned without another word and disappeared into the passageway.

  The group headed into Auntie and went to the galley. Kota took his items to the crew quarters. He saw that he was going to have to sleep on the floor. None of the bunks were long enough for him to sleep comfortably. He wondered if Gus would have to do the same thing. When he arrived back at the galley, he commented on the short bunks. Ron said that he would fix that first thing tomorrow.

  The group fixed a meal and sat down to catch up on all that had happened. Kota told his story about being close to the sealed area. He said the decontamination teams were working around the clock to eradicate the virus. He thought it would take another month to get the hangar completely cleared. He told about his idea of using the shield to screen for the viruses and how he guessed that the trio would know that something was up. The real surprise came as he told the real reason for bringing the crippled freighter to the repair hangar.

  Kota explained, "The freighter has a big load of fuel. Here is your chance to get what you need for the escape. Also there is water, food and air. If we can work this right, we will bring cargo in here and overwhelm the robots. They will be very cautious about moving the cargo into the storerooms until everything is double and triple checked. Once the cargo is piled up, it will be a simple matter of getting what supplies you need for Auntie. Maybe you can get some of the computers and comm gear you need also."

  "Are you going to be able to fly all of that in a short space of time?" Ron asked.

  Kota replied with a sly grin, "I can with the help I'll have from the other pilots. Poor Gus will be on the freighter loading things and will have his work cut out for him."

  Tik's head whipped up to attention as she asked, "What other pilots are going to be helping you?"

  "I'm looking at them," Kota grinned.

  "Wait a minute! I'm a computer tech, not a pilot. I have never claimed to be one nor do I really desire to learn," Tik complained.

  "Do you want off this mother ship with a chance to return home?" Kota cut off the protest in mid-sentence. "You're going to have to do whatever is necessary to get out of here. You have the perfect opportunity right now, so don't blow it!"

  Tik still hesitated as she said, "I don't know if I can do it. I want off this ship so bad I can taste it but you're sitting in that seat hanging right out there with nothing to protect you. Besides, I don't think I will fit in the seat."

  Kota laughed and said, "This is coming from the one that has wandered the passageways gathering items. You're ready to take on the whole ship-load of Bugs but you want solid deck under your feet. After we finish this meal, I'll take you down and show you how to adjust the seat to fit. Then I'll explain how the controls work. You two will be flying like pros in just a few days. Besides, it will be good practice to help get the feel for flying Auntie. I would suggest that everyone, including Gus, learn how to fly Auntie. You never know when someone will be sick or incapacitated."

  As they ate, they told Kota all that they had accomplished while he was gone. Suddenly it hit Ron that he would now have time and opportunity to repair the damaged systems. There might even be parts on the crippled freighter for the repairs. The excitement was starting to build in everybody. They were now ready to do whatever it took to get Auntie ready to blast off.

  Kota took them down to the fliters after they ate and showed Tik and Ron how to adjust the seats to fit them. Then he showed them how to get into the machine. There was a control arm, which looked like the yoke on an airplane, which swung out of the way to let you sit down in the seat. Once you were in and belted in, the arm swung back and became the 'steering wheel' to fly the fliter. Kota showed them that pulling the control backward made the fliter rise up. Pushing it forward made it drop. Turning the wheel left or right turned the fliter in a corresponding direction. There was a grip on each side of the yoke and when you twisted the left side it made the fliter fly in reverse. When you twisted the right, the fliter went forward. Using those controls also acted as the brake when you were moving. Kota explained that outside the mother ship, there was nothing to slow you down once you were started.

  Tik was muttering to herself so Kota had her get into her fliter first while he climbed on the load platform to direct her. He had her practice going straight up and straight down until she was comfortable with that. Then he had her ease forward and come to a stop. He had her practice backing and stopping, and then he had her set the fliter down while he set up an obstacle course for her to fly around. After a few minutes of this, Kota ran Ron through the same procedure. They both were really stiff and jerky at first but after 30 minutes of practice, they were becoming smoother. By this time it was bed time so they all trooped back to the crew quarters to sleep.

  They were all so excited that they were up before the bell went off in the mother ship. They grabbed a bite to eat and hurried to start the day. Ron went to his work station and quickly made beds that would fit Kota and Gus. He carried them into the crew quarters and set them up in both Gus' and Kota's quarters. They would have to find something later to extend the mattress. In the meantime, Gus got his first lesson and Tik continued to practice.

  The decontamination team came back to the hangar and the robots started slowly pushing the cargo into the entrance door to be screened. Like Kota said, the Bugs double and triple checked everything for the virus. Evidently the shields were working because they started moving cargo to the storerooms.

  Ron, Kota, Gus and Tik suited up. They were ready to try the fliters out in space and start moving cargo. They set their suits to the same radio frequency and Kota flew out first to take Gus to the freighter. As soon as he had dropped Gus off, he flew back to coach Tik. T
ik came out into outer space barely making any head way. She had such a death grip on the steering yoke that she was having trouble flying. Kota had her fly around just to give her some confidence and to get her to relax. After about 10 minutes, she started to relax and was moving a little better. Kota guided Tik to the freighter and told her to take a small load until she started feeling more confident. Then Kota turned to Ron. He had him repeat the same procedure as Tik. Ron seemed more relaxed than Tik and was soon flying fairly smoothly. Tik came out of the freighter with her load and Kota sent Ron for his load. He cautioned him to take a small load for the first three times until he got the feel of the fliter with weight. Kota then coached Tik into the mother ship with her load of cargo.

  Kota watched Tik ease slowly into the mother ship. She approached the spot where she wanted to set the fliter down. She gave it too much down and dropped like a rock. She quickly jumped back up twice as high as she had come in. Kota could see she was shaking but she gently set the fliter down this time. The robots quickly came and unloaded the cargo. Tik flew the fliter out of the mother ship and headed for the freighter. She had just moved out of the way when Ron came ripping back. He was trying to show off a little for Tik and almost got himself into trouble. He came into the mother ship too fast and had to apply hard reverse to get stopped. He almost dumped his load of cargo. After he got stopped, he slowly lowered the fliter to the deck for the robots to unload. As soon as they were clear, he headed back to the freighter. Kota decided he couldn't do much more coaching as they were making the usual newbie's mistakes but would soon have the hang of flying the fliter. He flew out to the freighter to start hauling his share of the loads.