Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction

by Terry Compton

  The 'rise and shine' bell went off and Tik jumped from her bunk to get ready. She noticed the large creature had trouble getting up and getting started but it was ready when the door opened. They walked to the dining room and ate in silence. The large creature now sat right next to her. Tik noticed it didn't like the food any better than she did. It appeared interested when she drank her fluid. Tik was the only one that had the special glass of fluid.

  They finished the meal and headed toward the repair hangar. Tik did a little better that day and wasn't as far behind. Her cell mate brought another canister of fuel for her to measure and catalog. She watched and to her it seemed the creature didn't feel too good. She saw the outside hangar doors open and an obviously wrecked space ship was pulled in. It was covered in space dust and had large holes in the fuselage. Tik wondered if they would try to fix it or scrap it. The day ended and they went to eat. The large creature had been helping to clean the newly arrived space ship and had space dust all over it. She noticed that it seemed to be feeling better. After they got back in the cell, Tik again pulled out her computer and worked some more. The creature watched her but didn't try to approach her again.

  It took her several days to get the hang of classifying the different parts. One of the biggest challenges was figuring out what the technicians needed to repair the different items. After about two weeks, the light came on in her head and things started getting easier and faster. After that, she had time to look around more and to observe the different routines. She noticed her cell mate would start looking weaker until he had a chance to clean some dusty piece of equipment and then it would be better for a few days. Tik knew she was getting weaker but she didn't know what to do. She noticed there seemed to be a big turn over of the workers in this section. She started noting the different creatures and one evening she looked up the personnel in that section. She discovered that all of the foreign creatures had serious health problems and most of the ones that left were marked dead in the records. Suddenly she realized that her, her cell mate and all the others were being worked until they were no longer cost effective to keep alive and then they were left to die. Tik vowed right then to work to avenge those who were already dead and those who were dying right now.

  The next morning Tik was feeling pretty weak when she headed to the dining room. It was all she could do to carry her tool bag. Wurden was gliding behind on his disk as usual when they came to a right angle corner. There was some commotion up ahead and the line of workers stopped. Wurden glided up the passageway and around the corner. Tik set her tool bag on the deck and just then a single Bug came to a stop right by her bag. It reached down and grabbed her bag.

  Tik reacted instantly. She leaped at the Bug and snarled, "Let go of that, you sewer vermin. That bag belongs to me!"

  The Bug pulled harder on the bag and started to lift off on its disk. Tik jumped at its arm holding the bag and did her bite and twist like she had on the first Bug. The Bug's arm came off in her mouth.

  The Bug screamed in pain and reached in its robe for the stingerray. As it pulled it out and aimed it at her, Tik saw her cell mate come up behind the Bug. It raised a huge fist and slammed it down on top of the Bug's hood. Tik heard a sickening crunch and the Bug dropped on its back on the disk. It dropped the stingerray and started twitching. It looked like it was trying to walk while it was lying on its back. Tik could smell a sour smell like someone had stepped on a stink bug. Her cell mate grabbed the disk and gave it a fling down the passageway. The disk and the Bug went sailing out of sight. Her cell mate picked up the Bug's arm, broke it into smaller pieces, then stuck both the arm and the stingerray into the tool bag. It carried the bag and pushed Tik back into line. Just then the line started to move and they entered the dining hall. After the meal, her cell mate continued to carry the tool bag until he dropped off to go to work. Tik grabbed the bag and went about her day. Her opinion of her cell mate took a drastic turn. Later that evening when she got back into the cell, she opened the mother ship computer and researched information about Sandghosts. She found out that the voice boxes on the large creatures wouldn't make the higher pitched sounds like she made. She also discovered that they didn't hear all of the higher frequencies. The Sandghosts could make much lower sounds than she could, so Tik decided to start some kind of sign language to communicate with her cell mate.

  For the next two weeks they worked on the sign language and establishing communications. The Sandghost carried Tik's tool bag to and from work everyday. At work, he gave it to her to take to her counter and in the evening he laid it on her bunk. Tik grew worse and her fur started falling out in patches. It was getting matted and clumped together in spots. She looked awful. The last two days the Sandghost had carried her back to their cell. Her cell mate's health was up and down depending on how many dirty projects it worked on. On the day of the Sandghosts lowest ebb their routine changed.

  Chapter 3

  Ron took up the narrative at this point. The Bugs kind of herded him into the cell. He saw a giant sand man lying on the bunk on the right side and a small furry canine creature that looked like it had the mange or something worse on the other side. The small furry creature snarled, growled and whined at him and the giant sand man moved to a sitting position and muttered some low guttural sound. The two were making some kind of hand signals back and forth and Ron wondered if they were doing some kind of sign language.

  Thanks to the translator, Ron knew what both of them had said. The small furry creature said, "Hello there. What do you have wrong that condemns you to this flying Hell?" The sand giant was muttering, "Little creature, don't lose your temper. This creature may not be bad and maybe it can help us."

  The two on the bunks were looking at a type of creature neither had ever seen before which walked on two legs. It had blue eyes set in a softer rounder face than the Sandghosts and its arms and legs looked fairly muscular. It was smaller than the Sandghost standing only six feet tall but it moved much easier than the Sandghost. It had reddish hair that was gray on the sides. It also had a short gray beard.

  He waved what he hoped was a friendly wave as he stood, trying to decide what to do. He didn't try to speak because he didn't know if the translator would make his words into their language. The small furry creature looked like it had something that might be catching so Ron decided to sleep in the bunk above the sand giant. He slowly and cautiously approached the bunk and took off his tool pouch. He put the tool pouch on the bunk and then climbed up. He was still a little stiff from the stingerray and being 60 years old didn't help his agility. He hoped he didn't look too undignified climbing into the top bunk.

  Ron really wanted to pull out his two new-found items and study them. He didn't know what the other two would do so he just waited. The small furry creature pulled out a small box and started working with it. Suddenly a 3-D image of the mother ship appeared. The small creature magnified the image and traced passageways to what appeared to be some type of hangar with smaller space ships. Ron recognized the one that had brought him here.

  He couldn't help himself as he shouted, "That's the space ship that brought me here."

  Both creatures jumped like he had hit them with an electric prod.

  The small creature excitedly asked, "What did you say? How do you know how to speak my language?"

  The larger creature was talking at the same time, "You know my language? How is this possible?"

  Ron was surprised but saw the cat was out of the bag. He jumped down and faced the two creatures before he said, "Hi, my name is Ron Calvin. I was captured on Earth and brought here against my will. I stole a small unit from those robed vermin that lets me understand your language. I didn't know if it would translate mine. I know it lets me understand the robed creatures."

  Both of the creatures tried to speak at the same time. Ron finally had to hold up his hand for silence and then beckoned to the large creature.

  "Greetings gentle master Ron Calvin, my name is Gusissi Ugde Ghaolh and I w
as kidnapped from Prokne. I don't know what this other creature's name is because we haven't been able to establish any communications except basic sign language," the sand creature stated.

  "I don't know if I can do justice to your name. Could I call you Gus? Please call me Ron," greeted him as he turned to the small furry creature.

  "Ron, my name is Tik Michi; I'm a Mis'stear from Vesta IV. I was working on one of the Bugs planetary flyers when they just took off with me. I'm sure they didn't pay my company for my services either. What kind of health problems do you have to be assigned here?" Tik rattled quickly.

  "I'm a diabetic and I need insulin every day. Who are the Bugs?" Ron asked.

  "Those robed vermin that kidnapped all of us. They are Challekan Traders of Elgebar V but everyone just calls them Bugs. If you ever see under that robe they are a giant insect. We have some on Vesta IV that are a lot smaller but they infest our sewer system and your abode if you don't keep watch for them," Tik responded with disgust.

  "They sound like our cockroaches," Ron said. "Why did you ask if I have health problems?"

  "Everyone that lands in this area has some kind of health problem that the Bugs can't fix or don't want to spend the money on. They just use the poor creatures until they can't do anything more or they die," Tik stated peevishly.

  Gus asked, "Can you understand what the small creature is saying? What has she been saying?"

  "I can understand both of you and evidently you both can understand me. Gus, let me introduce Tik Michi from Vesta IV. She is a Mis'stear and tells me that everyone here has health problems that usually end in death. Do you have health problems?" Ron translated.

  "Yes. I don't know what's wrong with me but I get weak even when I eat everything the Bugs have prepared. If I get to work on dusty space ships or equipment, I feel better for a day or two. I haven't worked on anything dusty for four days now so I'm feeling pretty low. How is it possible you know my language?"

  Ron told Tik what Gus had said and then answered, "When I was kidnapped, I wasn't fully knocked out and I resisted enough to fall on one of the Bugs that was wearing a cape as well as its robe. The cape had two small devices tucked in pockets on the inside. I hid them in my boots and after the translator touched my skin, I felt a mild tingle like a slight electric shock on my shin. After that I could understand what the Bugs were saying and I could read the things posted by the door. I understood both of you when I walked in but I wasn't sure I could talk to you."

  Gus cheerfully remarked, "It sure is good to hear my language from someone besides a Bug. I didn't realize how much I missed it until you started talking."

  Ron translated for Tik and she agreed. Ron asked Tik, "What was that thing you were looking at? It looked like a diagram of this space ship and that one I pointed out was definitely the one that flew to Earth."

  Tik replied, "This is my personal mini-computer. All the Mis'stear kids get them at a young age. I've had several that I wore out. I found out how to tap into the mother ship computer and I have been searching for a way to get off this ship. I'd made up my mind to do something to destroy this ship if it looked like I would die before I got off. I don't want the Bugs to kidnap any more hapless victims."

  Gus wanted to know what she had said so Ron said, "Gus come over here and touch this thing. Let's see if it will translate for you."

  Gus lumbered over and reached out one finger tentatively. As soon as he touched it, he jumped and jerked back. Ron and Tik had both been bit by electricity and knew the reaction. They both chuckled and Gus tried again. This time the shock was less and he held his huge finger on the unit.

  Gus said, "Wow! I wasn't expecting anything like that. How do we know if it works?"

  Ron looked at Tik as she said, "It works alright. I understand what you are saying. I don't understand how though, because I don't hear everything you are saying. Part of it is just inside my head."

  Ron said, "I noticed that also. When you are touching this, I can understand more of the meaning of your words. It's almost like I learned your language instead of having it translated for me."

  Tik struggled to sit up and said, "I want to try it. Could you bring it over here please?"

  Ron walked over and sat down on her bunk. He held the translator out for her to touch. Tik was too tired to jump like Gus had but Ron could see she felt a tingle too.

  "Well Gus, can you understand me and feel me in your head?" Tik asked.

  "Yes to both questions," Gus replied.

  Ron commented excitedly, "I don't feel Gus in my head like I did when he was touching the translator. There must be something it does. I want to try something, Tik. I am going to think something, see if you hear it."

  Ron concentrated and thought, "I want off this ship and I want to make those Bugs pay for all the indignities I have suffered."

  Tik said, "You want off this ship and you want something from the Bugs. I didn't completely understand everything."

  Ron said, "I'm going to take my hand off and see if you can still hear what I think."

  He concentrated again and shortly Tik said, "I didn't understand but I could feel some hazy ideas. I have to stop now. Doing that seems to drain me like I did a hard days work."

  Ron said, "Yeah, I feel the strain too. Maybe after we do it a while, it won't affect us so much. Gus, try it to see if it has the same effect on you."

  Gus touched the translator and concentrated. Ron said, "You are glad that you can talk to someone now. You'd like to get off this ship too."

  Tik said, "Could I look at the translator and the other unit you have?"

  Ron held out the translator and dug the other unit out of his boot. Tik was turning both of them over and peering closely at them. She studied them for several minutes without saying anything and then she handed them back to Ron.

  She said, "Both of these units look like they are Alcantaran relics. See the faint tracing on the back and it looks like some kind of language. I wish we had a microscope to get a closer look. I think that second unit is a healer. It looks like the energy charge is gone. I'd be curious to see what would happen if we could charge it. I wonder how we could do that."

  Ron reached into his tool pouch and pulled out a small object. He unfolded it and Tik saw that it was a magnifying glass. Ron offered it to her and she studied the healer closer. Ron touched her with the translator and all of the sudden Tik got excited.

  She said, "I see the writing and I know what it says. It tells how to hook up and put a charge in. Tomorrow I could charge it up when I go to work. Maybe it could tell us what is wrong with me and Gus. It might even have a solution for our health problems."

  Ron saw her tool bag and told her to put it in there if she thought she would be able to protect it. Tik said she would make sure it stayed safe.

  Gus came over to the bunk and sat on the floor. All three touched the translator and Ron asked Tik to turn her mini-computer back on. They discussed what Tik and Gus knew about the mother ship and the planetary flyers. Tik said the flyers were too small to make an extended galactic flight. Tik pulled up the inbound hangar and they saw two space ships that might fit their need to take them to their home planets. Tik said she would research more on those ships tomorrow but she was worried about how long it would take to get them ready to fly and how much fuel they might have. Gus asked about the old relic that was sitting in the repair hangar. Tik said a few words to the computer and it brought up an image of the ancient looking ship.

  Tik talked again and the computer provided details about the ship. It was an Alcantaran ship that the Bugs found in a distant galaxy when they were exploring new territory to trade in. Their habit of kidnapping inhabitants of planets soon drove them out of certain sectors of a lot of galaxies. The Bugs had found the ancient ship just floating in space with no sign of life on board. They had studied the ship for years but had no clue what had happened to the beings on board the ship. They had no clue even what they looked like. They could have gotten a huge sum of credits
by selling the ship to some of the more advanced planets but the Bugs were hoping to discover other Alcantaran planets or ships. They would work on the ancient ship for awhile and then let it sit for months. Some of the computers and other equipment had been removed for study and were stored in the middle of the mother ship. There was a whole section of the ship that had never been opened. The Bugs had tried all kinds of tools and methods but couldn't get it open. According to the records, the Bugs didn't even know if the ancient ship would still fly. They decided they would try for the two space ships in the inbound hangar. They would start studying ways to make sure they had fuel, food and water aboard. Then they would pick a date and plan on escaping.

  Tik was getting very tired, so the trio quit for the night to get some rest. Tik and Gus explained that a bell would ring in the morning and they needed to be ready to go eat and go to work. Both wondered what the Bugs would have Ron do. They decided to have Ron try the thought transfer and see how far it would reach.

  Tik and Gus lay down and went right to sleep. Ron lay awake wondering at the events that had already taken place. He tossed and turned with sleep coming late in the night. Every noise brought him awake, so by the time the bell went off, he was ready to get up. He felt tired and wondered what his blood sugar was doing. He knew that he would need some insulin shortly but maybe the healer unit could do something. All it needed was for Tik to get it recharged tomorrow.

  The bell went off and Gus showed Ron where the water and waste disposal were. Ron washed his face and got ready for the day. Tik was a little better but still looked weak and awful. Gus was worried and it showed on his face. The two had only been together a short time but they had bonded through their shared experiences and hatred of the Bugs. When they were ready, Gus grabbed Tik's tool bag and Ron reached down and picked her up.