Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction

by Terry Compton

  Ron sat down at the computer console and queried the computer about the rockets status. He was pleasantly surprised to see the two loaded rockets showing on the screen and the others showing that they were loaded in the pod but had no fuel. He explained what he wanted and the computer plotted the burn, flight pattern and the rendezvous point. Ron directed it to feed the program to one of the fueled rockets. He and Gus had decided to only risk one rocket at this time. If it worked and they saw the other rocket returning, they would fire the second. That would cut some time off of getting fuel. Then they would try to refuel the other rockets to get them sent off.

  Gus worked the controls to close the shield and then lifted Auntie off the asteroid. He kept hold on the asteroid with the tractor beam though. Ron directed the computer to fire the rocket. There was no noise or any indication that the rocket had fired until they saw the small blue blur of its engine as it blasted off for a journey to the edge of the star. Ron had the computer set a clock that showed a count down for the rocket's return. He also tasked the computer with using the sensors to see the rocket as soon as it came back around the star. He told the computer to see if it could determine if there was fuel on-board the rocket and how much. Gus set Auntie back down on the asteroid and reset the shield.

  Ron and Gus were debating about the best way to get the oxygen and water into Auntie's tanks when Tik called them down to check out her discovery. They headed down to the lower level and found Tik working on something from the room that contained all of the electronic equipment.

  "I thought you were trying to get into the ship's computer. That's the funniest looking computer that I've ever seen," Ron joshed Tik.

  "Ron, can't you see the antenna? It picks up her brainwaves and works just like an abacus. The marbles just roll around," Gus joined in.

  "Oh, you two are so funny. You should be on stage; more people would have targets to throw things at. I'm working on the ship's computer. My mini is hooked up to it trying to break in. Right now I’m multi-tasking. I pulled this out and I found the refueling station in there. I put just a little fuel in it and started checking it out. Does anyone but me see a problem when we go behind that blue giant?" Tik rebutted their jokes.

  "Well, we have a small window of time to get a lot of things done," Ron remarked.

  Tik turned to Gus and waited. Gus finally said, "I don't know what you see as a problem. I have to agree with Ron."

  "What happens if the Bugs pop back into space about where we shot them out of here? We're taking a long time to get around that star because we don't want to leave a trail. How long will it take the Bugs to fly around it and check it out? How long would it take for us to be ready to fly out of here? How would we protect ourselves?" Tik shot back at the other two.

  "Yeah, I can see where it would be nice to have some advanced warning. Will this thing do that?" Ron asked.

  "Absolutely, Honey Child! It has all sorts of detectors and it sends out a coded signal that I'll bet the Bugs can't even detect. Once that rocket comes back full of fuel, we need to fuel this thing up and launch it on this side of the star. I'll show you something else I found," Tik said as she headed back into the electronics room.

  She picked up a small item that was about the size of a softball. It looked like it had a tiny hole in it. She went to a computer terminal and spoke briefly to it. The small item leaped out of her hand and flew into the cargo bay. It went almost to the ceiling and hovered there. Tik directed their attention to the monitor. They were seeing a picture of the cargo bay and all its contents.

  Tik said mysteriously, "Wait here and listen." She stepped into the cargo bay and moved across it. Ron and Gus followed her movement on the computer monitor. When Tik was on the opposite side of the bay, she whispered, "Hey, Big Boys, can you hear me? How do you like my little toy now?"

  Ron and Gus were flabbergasted. Tik came back into the room and walked to the computer again. She directed the small item to zoom in on one of the boats. She waved Ron and Gus back out of the way and told the computer to project in 3-D. Suddenly there appeared a small replica of the boat in the area between them. The details were so crystal clear that Ron could see some kind of pack lying on the deck of the boat. He didn't remember anything like that so he had to go check. Sure enough there was the pack.

  "Wow, my apologies, Madam," Ron said with an exaggerated bow and a wave of his hand. "I can see that you have made some startling discoveries even if you didn't get into the computer. How many of these things are in here and how many of the remote detectors do we have?"

  Gus was watching Tik and he could see Ron's exaggerated apology kind of embarrassed her. She answered, "There's about three dozen of the little remote sensors and five of the remote detectors. I'm in seventh heaven checking this stuff out. There are a lot of companies on my planet who would give a lot of money for these."

  "On mine too. I'm not sure that I'd want all of them to have it though. Some of them might not use it in the best interest of a lot of people," Ron remarked.

  Gus spoke, "Yeah, I could see how some people or companies would spy on you and use it for their own advantage. There goes any privacy."

  Ron asked, "What seems to be the problem with the ship's computer? I thought you were making progress yesterday."

  "I was. I can get started into different levels but it keeps coming up with needing another password. I've tried every combination that I can think of and I still can't get that password." Tik replied disgustedly.

  "Could the password be symbols that the Alcantarans used?" Gus asked.

  "I thought of that but I really don't know enough of their symbols to try that," Tik said.

  "Where are you trying to get in? Are you in the computer room or somewhere else?" Ron asked.

  "I've tried the computer room and the flight deck. I've had the same results in both," Tik replied.

  "Well, we'd like to help you but you're the computer expert. Does that remote sensor display its images in the flight deck and the situation/comm room?" Ron asked.

  "I don't know. I haven't had time to check," Tik said.

  "Well, let's go look. Maybe we can try out the secret elevator to see if it will push me and Gus up. I'd like to find out now because you never know when you might need it," Ron stated.

  They all headed for the comm room first. Sure enough the screens in there displayed the video and audio feed. Next they moved to the flight deck. Ron sat down in the pilot's seat and turned on the screens. They showed the outside and on one screen in the center of the nose, there was a small version from the remote sensor. He turned off the screens and moved back to the flight deck. Gus and Tik had taken chairs around the table there. Ron came over and sat down as Tik turned on the computer there. Ron's bracelet not only tingled, it was quivering. He almost jumped out of the chair.

  "What's the matter? You look like an Alcantaran just reached out and grabbed you," Tik asked.

  "I think it did. Look at this," Ron said as he pushed back his sleeve. The bracelet he was wearing was glowing and the symbols on it stood out in bright gold.

  "What in the world?" Tik stared in disbelief.

  Gus quickly interjected, "Try those symbols for your password."

  Tik ordered the computer to read the symbols off of Ron's bracelet. It took a few seconds and then it opened to a new level.

  His translator vibrated. He looked across the table and saw the other two give a start.

  "Did your translator just vibrate?" he asked.

  The other two nodded in agreement. Tik worked the computer controls and saw that she had entered another level of the computer. This level called for a key but gave no clue what the key was or what it looked like. Tik checked a few things on the different levels that had opened and saw that she had a lot more information.

  "It's going to take some time to see what information these two other levels opened up but it looks like we'll know about a lot of this equipment and what its functions are. Now if I could just find the key. I wonde
r how many more levels there are," Tik stated with conviction.

  "Well, little furry one, since we figured out these two levels for you, we'll leave the key and the other levels for you," Gus grinned.

  "Read my lips, you big overgrown pile of sand," Tik said as she gave him the raspberry. "Is that the bracelet that was in the first door we opened?"

  "Yes, I was aching last night and remembered Kota talking about these things helping sometimes. I couldn't get to sleep so I thought it was worth a try. I feel so much better today that it's not funny. Do you guys mind if I keep wearing it? On Earth I would be considered…well, maybe not ancient but at least an older gentleman. Right now I need every break I can get," Ron answered.

  The other two thought it would be a good deal if he kept wearing it. Tik said he could give personal testimonies when they tried to sell others. Everyone looked closely at the bracelet and saw that it had returned to its normal state.

  "Well Gus, I'm going to leave her to her research and go see if that elevator will lift me. It's almost time to eat and it sure would save a lot of steps if it worked," Ron announced.

  He started to the elevator and Gus followed. Tik stayed behind for a bit to see if she could find any clues to the key. Ron pressed the camouflaged button and the door swung open. He pressed another button to go up one level and stepped gingerly into the elevator. There was almost no sensation of movement and he was standing in front of the next level's door. He stepped through and called back down to Gus, "Come on up. If it won't lift you, you'll only drop one level."

  Gus was even more nervous than Ron. He was a lot bigger and weighed twice as much. He pushed the button for the next level and stuck one leg in the elevator. He tried to step on something but didn't feel anything. He pulled his leg back and took a deep breath. He stepped in the elevator and shot to the next level with Ron. Ron was grinning as Gus stepped through the door.

  "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Ron asked.

  "Once I was in, it wasn't bad. It was just bad stepping into thin air," Gus retorted.

  "Well, the next step is up to the upper flight deck," Ron said as he stepped back into the elevator. He shot up to the top and stepped into the flight deck. Gus followed in just a few seconds. Gus closed the door behind him and the two walked to the galley. They were almost finished eating when Tik arrived mumbling to herself.

  "It must be bad, she's talking to herself," Ron said.

  "Yeah, not only talking to herself but answering too," Gus added with a grin.

  "Well, if you'd tried to find that key, you'd be talking to yourself too. I did find out that it will take months to digest what we unlocked today. I'll keep looking for that key," Tik vowed.

  "Do you remember those items we took from the Bugs locked storeroom? I felt like they were important then. Maybe something in there will be the key or help identify the key," Ron mused.

  They talked about the day's accomplishments and what they wanted to accomplish in the next several days. They talked a little about their home planets and their families. All of them felt homesick and really wanted to see their families.

  Ron announced he was headed to bed. Tomorrow they were going to start pumping water into the tank. He didn't know how, for sure, but that was a problem for tomorrow. Gus followed but Tik said she had one more thing to check out. She headed to the computer in the flight deck.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning Tik was almost purring, she was so excited. Ron and Gus could tell just by looking at her that she had uncovered another secret. She was trying to be coy about it but, finally, had to blurt it out.

  "I know what those funny looking machines with the tracks are for," she declared excitedly. "And I know how to get water in here from the ice field."

  "I thought we would just hook up to the water faucet out there. We'll have to find a hose first but that should be no problem," Ron quipped as he winked at Gus.

  Gus caught on, returned the wink and said, "Do you think we'll have to warm up the faucet? I know we'll have to warm up the hose to get all the kinks out of it."

  Tik's head swiveled from one face to the other as she sputtered, "What are you two apes talking about? There's no faucet out there. Is there?"

  Ron and Gus almost fell out of their chairs laughing. Tik started to get mad but then she stopped to think about what she had just said. She wound up laughing too. The laughter was a good way to start the day. It helped relieve the tension of Bugs coming, needing oxygen and water and all the things they didn't know about this ship.

  Gus said, "'Is there faucets out there?' That reminds me that we need you to program Auntie to alert us every time we get ready to go outside. Yesterday Ron was practicing being a bouncy ball. He forgot about gravity. If you hadn't reminded us about the airlock, that could have been disastrous. Maybe Auntie already has something that would remind us of things we take for granted."

  "Yeah, I can see we need that. We just don't have the experience yet. I'll make it my first priority to make that happen," Tik said seriously.

  Tik had to hear the entire story of Ron's adventure and Gus was glad to elaborate about it. He made it sound like Ron almost flew off the asteroid and Ron was good-naturedly protesting. After they had another good laugh, they discussed several things that should be included in the warning.

  "Tik, what do those machines do?" Ron asked.

  "They're miners. Those tubes are lasers that can carve out blocks or bore holes. The arm with the claw/bucket will load material in the cart and then it will dump it wherever it's programmed. Those things could load ice into the carts and then use the lasers to melt it. Hook your hose up to those faucets," she responded as she stuck out her tongue at the other two.

  They finished their meal and Tik went to the secret elevator and dropped down to the lower flight deck to continue her research and to program for the warning. Ron and Gus went to the robots in the upper cargo bay. Gus put on his protective suit and emptied some fuel. Gus took it down in the elevator and Ron went to another of the secret elevators to drop down and join him at the miners. They put a small amount of fuel in the miners and started checking them out. They used Auntie's computer to check each system out to make sure they would function all right. They worked most of the day just checking, fine tuning and learning how to operate them. Ron suggested that they move them to the upper cargo bay to finish fueling them since they needed to remove fuel from the robots up there. They moved them up and while Gus was moving fuel around, Ron checked for hose. He found some and a pump. The next problem was pumping the water into Auntie.

  Ron was thinking about how cold it was outside and wishing there was some way to load the water from the inside. He started thinking about the conservatory and decided to check there. He hadn't looked very long before he found a valve and an input fitting right on the cargo bay wall of the conservatory. If they ran the water through the conservatory water system, it would be filtered and checked for contamination too. He called Tik to make certain the conservatory was hooked into the main water supply and she confirmed that it was. Ron moved all the hoses, pumps and fittings to the middle cargo bay. He told Gus to move the miners to the middle cargo bay after he finished his fueling job. They would be able to do everything from right in the cargo bay and wouldn't have to worry about keeping hoses warm and water freezing back into ice before they could move it.

  By the time everything was ready in the middle cargo bay, they decided it was too late to head outside. Instead, they headed down to the lower flight deck to see what Tik had found that day. Gus reported he had drained the robots. They weren't sure how much fuel the miners would take but they hoped to at least get started tomorrow and then maybe the rocket would have enough fuel to complete the job.

  Gus wanted to try dropping down in the secret elevators so they headed for the nearest one. They dropped down and walked into the flight deck. Tik was so absorbed in her research that she didn't see them walk in. She glanced up and jumped when she saw them standing there. They
grinned and asked her what she had found out so far. She launched into a long spiel about her discoveries. She had checked out another room more closely than the cursory check they had done before and had found clothes. There were some that were as alien as the weapons in the armory. Ron said the Alcantarans probably wore them on certain planets where they didn't want to stick out. He asked if there was anything in his size. His clothes were starting to wear a little thin. Tik said she had also found machinery in there that could make cloth and then make it into clothing. She said that Ron would just have to go in there and get measured. He said he would as soon as they had some water and oxygen. That was the priority right now.

  Tik was anxious to get back to her research so Ron and Gus went to check out some of the living quarters a little closer to this area. They entered a large suite on the starboard side. They entered what looked like a living room that had couches and chairs. One entire wall was a view screen. Ron thought it was strange that there was no reading material anywhere in the room. They found three bedrooms complete with beds and other furniture. They felt a little guilty looking through everything until they remembered how long that Auntie had sat empty. They looked in the furniture and found a few articles of clothing but not much else. One of the bedrooms had a closet. There were some oddly shaped shoes and one garment. Ron put the shoes next to his and saw that they were close to his size but a little narrower. Gus put his foot next to it and the shoes were dwarfed.

  "Well, we know whoever wore these shoes was not a Sandghost. I don't think I wore anything that small even as a baby," Gus stated.

  "They look just a little small and narrow for me but I have friends I'm sure could wear them," Ron mentioned.

  They continued their search, finding odds and ends of clothing but nothing that would give a clue about what the Alcantarans looked like. One of the bedrooms was larger than the other two and had a small bathroom off to one side. One wall had a view screen and there seemed to be controls for some sort of projector. Ron wondered if it was one of the 3-D viewers. Either the occupants didn't use bedding or they took it with them when they left because the beds were bare. Ron and Gus were satisfied that there was nothing of interest to them here so they decided to look at the galley on this level.