by Jerry Boyd
“Mendum. Why?”
“My old crew chief's name was Mendum. After I got stuck here, I found where my craft had been sabotaged. I always figured someone snuck onto the base and did it. Now I wonder.”
Random pulled out her comm. The sergeant asked, “Who are you calling?”
“My sister. She’ll want to know about this for her story.”
Nikki spoke up. “Her sister is Lilacrious Bongwater, the reporter. What story is she writing, Random?”
“Regimax told her some things that made her think that perhaps Colonel Slongum getting marooned wasn’t an accident. She’s been checking up on it. This piece of information may very well pull her story together.”
Sergeant Bronkum said, “Turn around at least, so I don’t have to admit to seeing you do it, if it goes sideways.”
Nikki said, “That’s weak, Sergeant.”
“It’s all I have right now, Ensign.”
“How are you getting these vehicles back to base?”
“I don’t know. I have too many prisoners to take one and come back for the other, but regulations call for two personnel in each saucer for a trip of this length.”
“I could slave my saucer to one of yours, and help you fly them back. I am still considered active duty.”
“What about everything here?”
“Caveman can make it for a few days. He has my dog to cuddle with.”
I spoke up. “Tired of me already, Space Cadet?”
“Just helping somebody in trouble, Caveman. Don’t you do that once in a while?”
“Suppose I do. Sure will miss you, though.”
“I’ll miss you too. I’ll be back asap.”
They loaded up, and flew away.
I was missing Space Cadet before they cleared the ramp. John saw me, and said, “Fly us home, get your mind off it.”
I flew to Shady Oaks. I had meant to drop Taz off, and come back to pick up the boys when they finished, but Topper commed me on the way in. “Boss, Ozzie and I are ready to be picked up when you can. We finished the work Mr. Branham asked us to do to the building.”
“I’m on my way there now to drop off Mr. Branham. Could you go to dog camo, and meet us in the parking lot?”
“Sure, Boss. We like working with Mr. Bailey. Will we get to do that again soon?”
“I’m sure you will. Landing now.”
I dropped the ramp as soon as I could. Shortly, I heard the ramp start back up, and Dingus came into the cockpit. “All clear, Bob.” I took off and flew home. I parked in front of the shop, and the boys and Dingus got out. I commed Max. “Hi Max, could you open the barn for me, please? I need to put the freighter away.”
“Be right there, Bob.”
I pulled in and shut down. John had made sure the pallet was ready to go back in the house before we got back. I helped Max put things away. Max said, “I don’t understand why Mickolec changed so much. He used to be a good Guide. He trained Nikki, and you know how good she is.”
“I don’t have a clue, Max. Lyla is working on learning the history of your family and his, maybe that will shed some light.”
“How do you mean, history?”
“His Dad was your Dad’s crew chief. Dingus thinks he could be the one who rigged his saucer so that he couldn’t get back.”
“I knew she was interested in the fact that Colonel Rottum, Major Rottum’s father, came by to check on us a lot after Dad was lost, and that he was in charge of the search for Dad, but I didn’t know about Mickolec’s father.”
“Neither did we, until a couple hours ago. Dingus didn’t piece it together till then.”
“I’m having a hard time with all this, Bob. I grew up thinking Dad got lost due to his own recklessness. I never considered someone might have caused it to happen. I blamed Dad.”
“I think maybe you should talk to him about all this. Clear the air. Is this what’s had you upset lately?”
“Yes. Dad is so easy to like, but I still blamed him for a lot of things. I didn’t know how to feel.”
“That would put your mind in a twist, for sure.”
“Thanks for listening, Bob.”
“No problem. I need to get some sleep, though. I’m gonna head home.”
“See you later.”
I drove home. Dee’s car was already there, along with Joanna’s. Nikki’s rig looked plain beside them. I headed in. Snitz met me at the door. Apparently, it was time to inspect the yard. Once business was taken care of, we went to bed.
Snitz was still tired. My phone woke us both. “Mr. Wilson, this is Rick. Got more stuff for you.”
“Just back up to the shop and come on up to the house. The boys will unload for you.”
“Sounds good.”
I got up and traded in some old coffee. Joanna was awake, and had started some fresh. “Good morning, Bob. Short night?”
“Yep. No Nikki makes it hard to sleep good, anyhow.”
“Where’s she?”
“Had to help an old friend take care of some things. She’ll be back in a few days.”
“It’s not boring around here, is it?”
“Not that I’ve seen. Rick’s going to be here in a little bit. Is there plenty of coffee?”
“I made a big pot. Figured as late as you three were out, it would come in handy. Who’s Rick?”
“He’s the guy who brings the boys parts for all their projects. He’s probably going to be drooling over your car when he sees it.”
“Only right. The boys did a whale of a job on that car.”
Rick knocked on the screen door. I said, “Come on in.”
He found us in the kitchen. I poured him a cup, and he said, “Your crew really do good work, Mr. Wilson. That Datsun out front is something else.”
Joanna spoke up. “It’s not as quick as Dee’s Chevelle, but it handles a little better. I think it’s prettier, but don’t tell her that.”
“I’m sorry Ma’am, I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Rick Bowman.”
“Joanna Michaels. Nice to meet you.”
“Datsun 510, you don’t see those much anymore. I’m curious, what made you choose that?”
“I, uh, my older sister had one back in the day. We had a lot of fun in it.”
“Makes sense, then.”
“You tight for time?”
“No, Mr. Wilson’s crew always gets me unloaded quick.”
“Wanna go for a ride?”
“Oh Yeah!”
They went out and took off. Snitz was looking everywhere for Nikki. “She’s not here, boy. She’ll be back in a few days.” I scratched his ears, and he laid down. Topper commed me that Rick’s truck was ready when he was. I called Joanna. Rick answered. “Joanna’s busy right now, can I take a message?”
“Rick, it’s Bob. Your truck is ready to go when you two get back.”
“Okay. I thought I knew how to drive. I was wrong.”
Before long Joanna came through, delivering Rick to the shop. She pulled back in the drive. When she got in the house, she said, “I don’t think he had any idea what to expect out of my little car. He seemed to be surprised.”
“Couldn’t have anything to do with the operator, could it?”
“Just a little old lady, out driving her station wagon. Where’s the harm in that?”
“He’s got to drive that big old bobtruck all day, and he’s got the worst shakes ever, unless I miss my guess.”
“Just because I put it in full opposite lock, instead of answering him, when he asked me out?”
“Oh my! Shame you don’t have video. Poor Rick, sat down at the pro table by mistake.”
“It’s a shame, though. He’s a nice fella. If only he wasn’t more into my car than me.”
Dee and Dingus came wandering out. Dee asked, “What did we miss?”
I replied, “Joanna showed Rick the trucker how the grownups drive.”
Dee asked, “Did this one pee on your seat?”
“No, but I think it migh
t have been a near thing.”
I spoke up, “Seems full opposite lock isn’t the right answer to being asked out. Who knew?”
Dee smiled. “That’s my Jo-Jo!”
Dingus asked, “Full opposite lock?”
Dee said, “Get Joanna to show you. She’s better at it than I am. Besides, her car is more set up for it.”
“Okay. Could I ride in with you today, Joanna?”
“Sure.”
I asked, “Do you need me for anything today, Dee?”
“I don’t think so, Bob. Do you have plans?”
“Snitz and I need a down day, I think.”
“I’ll call if anything comes up, but I think we’ve got it.”
Once they all headed out, I started some chili in the slow cooker. Friday is chili night, dangit! Snitz and I headed down to the shop to check in with the boys. They had the 6X6 in the shop, redoing the hydraulic system. Ozzie said, “The new winch will have lots more power, Boss. I like it!”
“I’m glad you approve, Ozzie. I just don’t want to get stuck with a saucer on the back. That would be a bad night. How long do you fellas think this will take?”
Topper spoke up. “We need it out of the shop by tomorrow morning when the rest of the parts for Mr. Branham’s project show up. He needs it done in a day.”
“Shop’s busy tomorrow. Got it. I’ll get out of your way and let you finish.”
“Thanks, Boss.”
Snitz could tell the boys were busy, and there wouldn’t be any Frisbee today. He followed me out. We went for a long walk back towards the pond. Lots of smells to check out. My comm rang. “Bob Wilson, how can I help you?”
“Bob, this is Sergeant Bronkum. The Guide has decided there will be a reward for last night’s rescue. I need to know how it should be distributed.”
“I’ll need to make some calls and get back to you. Is that okay?”
“Sure. Let me know when you have an answer.”
“Shouldn’t be long. Talk to you then.”
“Bye.”
I commed John. “Hi John. The Guide is giving out a reward for last night. You need any of it?”
“Nope. Still have more than I know what to do with. What are you thinking?”
“If Dee’s in good shape, I thought we could dump it on Jane, and tell her it was your idea.”
“You’re buying me a girlfriend? Is it Christmas already?”
“Get real. You know she has medical bills from Greg. Getting her out from under that is the nicest thing we could do, at this point.”
“I know. But I already have her a surprise planned, and it’s not as nice.”
“Go ahead and have the boys redo her raggedy Toyota tomorrow. The paperwork on the money won’t come through for a few days, and then she can be happy all over again.”
“Did the boys spill the beans? I asked them not to.”
“They didn’t say squat. Your parts are coming in tomorrow morning, they want the shop clear all day because you want your project out in one day, sounds to me like a surprise for Jane. Am I wrong?”
“No. Don’t let on to Jane, okay?”
“I’m not even coming into town today if I can help it.”
“Talk to you later, then.”
“Bye.”
I commed Dee. “Hi Dee, how is your day going?”
“Things here are beginning to smooth out, now that I have Rena running the desk. I know you didn’t call to shoot the breeze, Bob. Hit me.”
“The Guide is giving a reward for the rescue last night. Are you still in good shape from the last bunch?”
“I could load the Chevelle with Krugerrands till she couldn’t move. What’s in your evil little mind, Bob?”
“I thought we could give this one to Jane. She’s got a bunch of bills from Greg being sick, she could use it.”
“And you’re going to tell her it was John’s idea, aren’t you?”
“Is that a problem?”
“When is that Matchmaker Bob action figure supposed to be out?”
“He’s still pissed I thought to put Greg in the ‘doc before he did. Just trying to even it out.”
“Face it Bob. You’re a do-gooder.”
“Me? I’m just trying to make sure you have happy employees. Happy Dee, happy me. It’s all about Bob.”
“I think I heard one of your contacts fall out, Bob.”
“Later, Dee.”
“Bye.”
I commed Sergeant Bronkum. “Sergeant, I have your answer.”
“That was quick.”
“Everyone had pretty much the same idea. We’d like the bounty, in it’s entirety, to go to Acceptable Contact Jane Williams. She’ll need the usual arrangements to make the money look like it came from legitimate sources.”
“That shouldn’t be an issue. You realize you are giving up a share in a sizable reward, don’t you?”
“Check your records. I got a chunk of a sizable reward not that long ago. Since then I got paid for the teaching machine mod. Cost of living isn’t that bad here. I’m set, and so are the other eligible participants.”
“Benny-boo got herself a good one, Bob. I’ll file the papers when we get back to base.”
“Thanks. Sometime you’re going to have to tell me how that name came to be.”
“Nope.”
“Okay then. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
I felt a little hungry, so we headed back to the house. I had a sandwich, and gave Snitz a treat. Sitting around didn’t seem like a good idea. We went for a ride. The place next door had a for sale sign up. I pulled in to ask about it. “Hi, I’m Bob Wilson. I just bought the place down the road. Saw your sign. Did we do something to make you move?”
“Not really. We’ve been thinking about moving for some time. Just had this vague dread of doing anything about it, guess we didn’t think the farm would sell. About the time you moved in, we decided to go ahead and do it. You just proved people would still buy land.”
“Having any luck?”
“Not so far, but we haven’t had it on the market that long.”
“I know some folks looking for a place. I’ll let them know you got it on the market.”
“Thanks, Mr. Wilson. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice meeting you, too.”
I drove a ways down the road and called Dee. “What now, Bob? You organizing a toy drive for underprivileged kids?”
“I found a place you might like. Next door to mine, just went on the market. Want me to sic Mr. Watley on getting it set up for you?”
“I haven’t even looked at the house. How would I know?”
“Jim Bailey and the boys will be more than happy to fix anything that doesn’t come up to your standards. Besides, it would increase our operational security, not having strangers in that house. I’m going to buy it if you don’t, so chances are you’ll wind up living there anyway.”
“Okay, Bob. Put it in my name for now, and I’ll put Dingus on the deed when we get married.”
“I’ll get him started. We’ve been giving him a ten percent commission on work he does for us, just so you know.”
“You like to keep your people happy, don’t you?”
“I try.”
“Later, Bob.”
“Bye.”
I called Mr. Watley, and got him going on getting the place for Dee. I was getting ready to pull out when my comm rang. “Bob Wilson, how can I help you today?”
“Bob, this is Tina. I’m in trouble. I need your help.”
“What’s the problem, Tina?”
“Sergeant Darning and I were leading a mission to your planet. Your native forces detected us, and fired a missile. We had a rookie on sensor watch who didn’t realize what was happening until too late. We’ve made it back to orbit, but we are holed, and our drive is too damaged to make it to base.”
“Are you able to maneuver?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be up in about a half hour. Is that quick enough
?”
“That’s fine.”
“See if you can find the tracker that got you shot, in the meantime.”
“You think we have a tracker aboard?”
“I’d bet a half ounce on it.”
“We’ll look.”
See you soon. Bye.”
I commed Topper on the way back to the shop. “Whichever one of you boys who is least busy, meet me outside.”
“Yes, Boss.”
I commed Max. “Could you please open the barn? I need to fly the freighter.”
“Sure, Bob.”
I pulled in next to the shop. One of the boys in dog camo jumped in the back. I took off for John’s. I pulled down to the barn again. John’s yard was taking a beating. Max asked, “What’s up, Bob?”
“Mike and Tina are in trouble, in orbit. They got shot by the Air Force.”
“Tracker, you think?
“Way to bet. I’ll know more when I get back. Can you watch Snitz?”
“No problem.”
Ozzie broke camo, and we went aboard. When we were airtight, I lifted. I put on altitude as fast as I could. I asked, “Ozzie, are there bigger emitters you could put on this?”
“Bigger emitters? Sure Boss, but the structure wouldn’t hold up to the power. She’s not any stronger than she needs to be, to carry her load.”
“Just a thought. We always seem to ride to the rescue in this thing.”
I commed Tina. “I’m airborne. Can you give a signal to home on?”
“Sure. We found two trackers. One was in the cabin where we could deal with it. The other is outside, we were hoping you could help us with that?”
“Depends. You a good enough pilot to dock inside a freighter?”
“Never tried, but I’m pretty good.”
“See you now. Matching velocities.”
I turned to Ozzie. “Go help them dock if they need it. Be careful, don’t get hurt.”
“On it, Boss.”
I ran the ramp down. The field holding in the air sure was handy. I held steady, and Tina eased in. She managed to dock without Ozzie’s help. I ran the ramp up, and took off toward the moon. “Ozzie, kill that tracker.”
“On it, Boss.”
Tina came into the cockpit. She saw we were headed for the moon. “The base is destroyed, Bob. Why are you heading that way?”
“We’re trying to get the Air Force to believe our base is on the moon. When Ozzie kills that tracker, we’ll head back.”