Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction

by Terry Compton

  "I see. What do you think the circuit should do?"

  "Well it should have some kind of feedback to the shield. The first time I tried to hit the rocket with the hammer; the shield absorbed the blow and increased the field strength. The other times the shield just deflected the blow and I couldn't increase field strength even with a huge increase in current. I just made a couple of notes about that here in the computer tonight," Ron continued his wild tale.

  "We have never heard of a shield that absorbs the energy. Are you sure?"

  "Well no, I haven't really worked on anything like this before. You could ask Wurden, since he was right there watching the experiment," Ron said.

  "We have and he knows less about what you did and what actually happened. Do you think the ancient race might have time machines and actually return?"

  "I don’t have any idea. Wurden says it's never been done but we have lots of literature that describes the theory. If someone can think it, it can be done. Maybe not my race or yours but how advanced were the ancient ones?" Ron asked.

  Ron saw that the thought of the ancient race coming back made even this higher level Bug nervous. Ron now wanted to know what the Bugs knew about the Alcantarans. Something was definitely spooking these Bugs.

  The Bug spoke again, "Do you think you can discover secrets from the ancient ship?"

  Ron pondered a little before he spoke, "I'm pretty sure I could. I would need some power in the ship to experiment with some of the different circuits. Also, I would need a computer expert to look at some of the instruments and compare them to the instruments you have on your planetary flyers. That would give a clue what each one does and once you unlock a few clues, the rest come faster and easier. I don't think it will be quick. I foresee a long process that will yield the results several months or maybe even years in the future."

  "What else would you need?"

  "Someone to help with the heavy lifting and to run for parts. From what I saw of the ship today, it will be very difficult for a robot to maneuver in there. If the whole back opened and there was a ramp, then a robot could easily work in there. Have you ever had the whole back open?" Ron asked.

  "No one ever thought about opening it. Our scientists got through the small door easy enough and didn't feel the need to try the other. Where would you start looking and experimenting?"

  "I'm not sure right now. I don't know enough to even ask an intelligent question. I need 4 or 5 days just to explore and get an idea of the function of different parts of the ship. Are your ships the same as other races? Do you have things you do different on your ships?" Ron asked.

  "Yes, we have things that are much further advanced than other races. The council will ponder these things. In the meantime, finish your report and Wurden will direct you in your tasks."

  The Bug turned and glided out the door. The guards followed and the door swung shut. Tik was about to jump off her bunk with curiosity. Ron ignored her and finished his report and questions in the computer. He adjusted the translator and then stretched out on his bunk like he was going to sleep. He started broadcasting for Tik to put on the video loop that looked like they were all sleeping. He transmitted for her to call his name when she had it going and no one could see them talking.

  He watched out of the corner of his eye as Tik turned to the wall and got into her tool bag. Very shortly she called his name.

  Ron jumped off the bunk and quickly went to Tik's. Gus came over and touched the translator. Ron rapidly explained, "We can't talk very long. We are being watched tonight. I think I found something today on the rockets that the Bugs had never thought of. They ordered Wurden to take me into the ship to see if I could find anything they had missed. I think they are going to have me start checking out the ship. I've got to feed them something to make them keep me on it but not enough to give them any idea what it will do. I'm trying to work it out so you two will be my helpers, so be ready. For right now we need to seem like we are just barely being civil to each other. Tik, it might even help if you complain to Wurden if we work together. Maybe something about me being too bossy or whatever."

  Tik replied with a grin, "Honey, I can complain and make Mr. Smarty Pants think I'm one word away from taking a bite out of your hide."

  "Just don't over do it or they will transfer you. I've noticed that Wurden and even that big wig Bug are scared to death of the Alcantarans. I'll bet the scientists were too and that's why they haven't found out very much. I'm going to need your help with some of the computer stuff and looking up what the different instruments are for. Every chance you get when you are absolutely sure you won't get caught, find out everything you can about the Alcantarans. See if you can find out why the Bugs should fear them. Gus, I may need you to help with some of the heavy lifting and to help get into the parts of the ship that the Bugs have never been in. I know both of you have a lot of questions right now but we need to get back to bed. I don't know if we will have another visit tonight but it certainly wouldn't surprise me. I don't want to be seen talking to you two. That would spoil our surprise for the Bugs," Ron concluded as he got up and returned to his bunk.

  They had settled down and were just drifting off to sleep when the door opened again. Wurden stepped in and surveyed everything. He didn't say a word but stared at each of the occupants intently. In just a few minutes he stepped out without a word. The door swung shut behind him. The question flashed through everyone's mind, 'What in the world did he want?'

  They all drifted off to sleep again and were ready when the bell went off in the morning. Wurden watched them closer this morning as he took them to the dining hall. He continued to almost stare at them as they went to the repair hangar. He dropped Gus and Tik off at their usual job. He led Ron to his work station and had him start repairing a robot. Ron worked most of the morning on it. Suddenly there was a commotion at the door to the hangar. The big wig Bug and his guard walked in. The supervisor Bugs, including Wurden, quickly glided to them and there was a quiet conversation.

  Wurden led the big wig and his entourage to Ron as the other supervisor Bugs returned to what they were doing. Ron watched out of the corner of his eye but kept working on his project. He ignored the Bugs when they glided up until Wurden made a noise like he was clearing his throat. Ron looked up and acted like he had just spotted the group.

  The big wig said, "The council has decided to let you explore the ancient ship on a part time basis. We need you to keep doing your work during the morning and take the afternoon to explore and experiment. For right now, explore and pose your questions on the computer. Give a general outline of what you want to experiment on and what order you would do it. When you are ready, Wurden will give you this translator and we will assign two people to help you with your experiments. If you have some success, we will continue this schedule; however, if you find nothing after two weeks, we will terminate this experiment."

  Ron answered, "That sounds alright to me. If I don't find anything in a couple of weeks, it would be a waste of time anyway. Will Wurden show me how that translator thing works?"

  "He will give you full instructions and will introduce you to your helpers."

  The big wig and his entourage turned and left the hangar. Wurden seemed a little upset -- like he thought Ron had gone over his head or something.

  Ron looked at him and said, "You are going to be coming inside the space ship to supervise aren't you? I know you could add a lot to the experiments."

  Ron saw Wurden shiver with dread as he emphatically stated, "No! I have too many duties around here to be tied up inside that space ship every afternoon. If you really need something or a question answered, I will be right there."

  Ron nodded and grinned. He could see it would have to be a national emergency or a find of Alcantaran relics to get him back in that space ship. Wurden would want to get the publicity for finding the relics and also to see if he could 'appropriate' some samples for his own study. Wurden quickly found something else across the hangar that neede
d his attention. Ron continued to work at his station until Wurden came back and led him to the ancient space ship. Wurden opened the door and Ron watched the sequence as he did. Once Tik was able to get inside the space ship, he knew that he would be able to open that door any time he wanted.

  Wurden left again and left Ron to explore to his heart's content. Ron had brought the hand-held computer this time and he decided to start from the bottom and work to the top. He found the bottom third of the space craft was blocked. He tried several different passages but they were all blocked at the same level. He figured the space ship was set up like a sea-going ship and had sealed compartments. He tried all the doors he could and explored every thing that was open. He had worked through less than a third of the space ship when he saw it was time to leave for the evening. He left the ship and took the computer with him again. He knew he would have more thoughts after he had been away from it for awhile. He could feel the questions in his mind again as they walked to the dining hall. He warned both of his pals to be careful. He was certain that they were being watched.

  Wurden led the group back to the cells so Ron whispered what the Bug had said this morning. He told them they had better not talk tonight because he didn't know if they would have a visit or not. He would try to transmit thoughts and if they could understand they should transmit back or one rap on the bunk would mean they understood. Two raps would mean they didn't get a clear idea.

  Once they were in their cell they all went to their bunks. Ron thought of a few things and entered them into the computer. After he had made his notes, he tried thought transfer to the other two. Some of the thoughts went through and some weren't clear. He kept trying and they all could tell that it was getting better. No one came that night and they all soon fell asleep.

  The next day Ron went back to his workstation in the morning and then explored the space ship in the afternoon. That night back in their cell, the trio was afraid to speak because they didn't know if a live Bug was monitoring the room. Tik turned her back to the room and did manage to do some research. Ron continued practicing the thought transfer.

  The routine was the same for the next two days. On the fifth day Ron started making his list of experiments he wanted to try. He arranged them by priority and then listed what equipment he would need. He entered it in the computer and told Wurden when he came out of the space ship. On the sixth day he worked at his station all day and didn't even get close to the space ship.

  The next morning the big wig Bug arrived and told him his experiments were approved. He directed Wurden to get the helpers and to instruct Ron in the use of the translator. Ron and his helpers were to have all of the next four days to do the experiments. They should start as soon as the helpers could be summoned over. Wurden demonstrated how to use the translator; and then while Ron rounded up some of the equipment, he went to get the helpers. Wurden brought back Tik and Gus. He made proper introductions and instructed them to follow Ron's orders. Wurden led them all to the space ship and opened the door. He didn't stay around any longer than he had to.

  As soon as they were inside, Ron stated, "I wonder if the ancient race left any spy devices to check up on intruders."

  Tik caught on right away and used her mini-computer to check for any of the Bug's devices. There were none. Ron indicated the translator and Tik checked it out. There was nothing sending a signal but she didn't know if it was recording. Ron decided they could talk and they would do something to erase any recorded conversations.

  Ron asked, "Have either of you two ever been in the cockpit of a space ship?"

  Tik said, "I've been in there to repair a computer but I have no idea about anything else in there."

  Gus replied, "I had never been on a space ship until the Bugs kidnapped me."

  "Well, we have our work cut out for us. We need to figure out what everything is and how to fly this thing. We are also under the gun to find some secret that the Bugs couldn't find. We have about a week to do it. Here is the list of experiments that I made. I'm not going to try to do anything down here until we find something we can give the Bugs," Ron said.

  Ron led them to the flight deck and then into the cockpit of the space ship. The other two looked around in awe. Ron checked his list and then determined what each of them needed to do. He sent Gus to bring a small portable power unit up into the cockpit and then to get several different sizes of electrical cable. He had Tik start a search for a space ship cockpit that was close to what they were standing in. He told her that once she had found the other cockpit to match up instruments, gauges, levers and buttons to the other cockpit and label their purpose. He busied himself with finding where the power came in to the cockpit. He pulled panels and labeled them so he could put them back. He found a panel that seemed to be a distribution point. He unhooked the wire that seemed to feed the panel. He set it up so he could hook in the power unit that Gus was bringing.

  Gus brought the power unit and some of the electrical cable. Ron told him to get a switch and a rheostat before he came back. He wanted something to shut the power off in a hurry if the ship did something he didn't like. Gus brought the rest of the items that he had requested and Ron prepped everything to hook up the power. Tik had found some of the instruments but wasn't having a lot of luck with the buttons and levers.

  Gus made the comment, "Too bad we don't have a pilot here. They would probably know what a lot of these things are. Even if their ship is different, they would know what you need to fly one of these things."

  Ron exclaimed excitedly, "Gus, you're a genius. I don't know why I didn't think of that. Tik, I need you to switch gears. We need some spy devices here to record what the pilot does. We need to record it on your computer and edit it before we put it on the Bug's computer. Can you do something like that?"

  "Yes, I would need the spy devices but I'm sure that Wurden could get those. I would just need a wireless transfer device and I know we have some of those in the store room. I'll order one right now. You'll have to talk to Wurden to get a pilot." Tik said excitedly as she started to see possibilities.

  Ron told Gus to start familiarizing himself with the ship. He just needed to explore while the other two put their plan in motion. Tik went to the store room to get the wireless transfer device. She wanted to work on it for a little bit to make sure that only her computer could access it. Ron dropped from the space ship and went to look for Wurden.

  "Wurden, I need a couple of more things. We need two or three recording devices that we can mount in the cockpit. Some things may happen so fast that we can't see them and I want to be able to play them back to see what happened. Also if something goes wrong, it will leave a record so the next crew will know not to repeat that experiment. Can you get something like that for me?" Ron excitedly asked when he found the Bug.

  "That will be no problem. It also sounds like a good idea. Do you think anything might go wrong? It will take a little time for a messenger robot to get them and bring them here," Wurden said as if he had thought of the idea.

  "I'm sure that the Alcantarans wouldn't sabotage their own ship, but why be sorry when you can be safe? There's one other thing that could save days and maybe even weeks. I have no idea what the instruments, gauges, levers and buttons do. We need a pilot to tell us what they would normally need to fly the space craft. Even if they flew a different type of craft, they would need the same things to fly. Their knowledge could save us from doing something dangerous and would definitely speed up the search for Alcantaran relics and technology," Ron said.

  Wurden was getting nervous with the talk of Alcantarans and things going wrong in the space ship. He told Ron he would get the recorders and would present the council with his request. He ended the conversation and moved as far away from the ship as he could. Ron returned to the ship and told his pals what he had found out. Tik was busy with her computer and Ron wanted to check behind some more panels so he went back to work. The messenger robot brought the spy devices and Ron gave them to Tik to set
up. They were about as far as they could go when they saw that it was time to leave for the day. They exited the ship and dropped into line.

  When they got back to the cell, they didn't talk again. Ron made some notes and then they used the thought transfer to discuss what they had found that day. When they were through, they were too excited to go to sleep right away. All three spent time thinking of the new hope they had found. It was late when they finally drifted off to sleep.

  When they got to the hangar the next morning, there was a nine-foot tall purple being waiting at Ron's work station. The being was obviously confused about what it was doing here and what it was supposed to do. Wurden took Ron's translator, adjusted it and then he introduced the being.

  "This is Kota Kinabula. It will be here three days to assist you. That is all the time that the beast can be spared from its primary job," Wurden stated with distaste.

  Ron found out the being was a Dar Es Salaam Trader that had been kidnapped to train new Bug pilots. Ron later found out that all the Bug pilots wanted nothing to do with sitting in the ancient space ship and the council didn't want to lose any pilots. They figured the Trader was expendable. Ron liked the Trader right away but sent the thought to the other two that they had better not let him in on the secret of the escape. If they found out later that they could take him, they would; but for now it was safer for the Trader if he had no clue about what was going on.

  Ron led the way to the flight deck. He ushered the tall Trader into the cockpit. The Trader was staring like a kid in a candy store. He easily slid into the pilot's seat and slid his hands over all of the different controls and levers. Suddenly he realized where he was and that there were three other beings watching his every move.

  Kota looked up at Ron and said, "Where did this ship come from? It is similar to ours but different. Why did the Bugs bring me here?"