Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction

by Terry Compton

  After lunch they headed back into town. As they were going down the road, Fu got a call on his phone. He reported that he had just received word that their permit had been issued and they could trade now at any time. Ron broadcast to Tik and Gus, "See, I told you it would help our cause to be nice to Fu." They hadn't traveled very far when they saw a crowd of people at a farm house. The trio asked the driver to slow down and they asked Fu what was going on. He said that it was a sale. He said some of the families had sales like this to get rid of excess equipment and to make a little money for the household. He mentioned that sometimes you found real bargains at these sales.

  The trio asked the driver to stop and they all climbed out. As they walked up to the sale, the trio could see they were generating some excitement among the other shoppers. There were rows of items under a canopy that was set in the yard. Some of the items were on tables and some just stood by themselves. They looked at some of the clothing lying on one of the tables but knew that none of it would fit Ron and Gus. Some of it might be altered for Tik but she didn't think it would be worth the effort. Ron and Gus liked the feel of the material and said they needed to get some of the material for Auntie to make clothes for them.

  Suddenly Gus spotted some robots and pointed them out to the others. They walked over to examine them. Two of them were some sort of agriculture workers. They had arms that were detachable and there was a bunch of arms lying on the grass beside them. Gus examined the different arms and asked about their uses. Neither Fu nor the driver was sure what they were used for. Fu went to find someone from the family to give an explanation. He returned shortly with the man of the house. The man explained that these were agriculture helpers. The interchangeable arms allowed the robots to till the soil, plant things, tend to them, and harvest the vegetables. There were also arms there for working with fruit trees and they could keep the grass down in the orchards. He had just bought two newer models and the dealer wouldn't give him even scrap prices for these. Tik asked for a demonstration and the man said it would have to be limited because they had removed most of the fuel. He did show them how to change arms and said the robots could change their own arms if they were programmed right. Tik asked several technical questions and then looked at Gus. They both broadcast to Ron, "BUY THESE! We need them in the conservatory." Ron was grinning because he could also see the possibilities.

  There was another robot standing beside the Ag workers and they asked about it. This robot was six and a half feet tall and sat on a set of tracks. The body could rotate 360 degrees on the tracks. The man said that the body would also pivot on the tracks to keep it vertical, even if going up stairs or an incline. The lower body was cone shaped and tapered to a cylinder shape about where the waist should be. The bottom of the cone was around three feet in diameter and tapered to two feet in diameter at the cylinder. The cone was 3 1/2 feet high and the cylinder was about 18 inches high. There was storage space in the cone where the robot kept a short broom and mop. There was also storage for kitchen utensils like spatulas, spoons, measuring cups and knives. The upper cylinder was flexible, allowing the robot to twist and bend. The robot had four arms, two of which were telescopic. They could extend out to reach things in high or low places and were used with the short broom and mop. The body was topped with a very small head that sat on a short neck. This allowed the head to swivel just like a human head. The robot had two eyes and a mouth. The man of the house explained that this robot was a chef and housekeeper. He explained about the meals the robot could cook and the trio's mouths started watering at just the description of the meals. The man said that the robot could even make up its own menus and would purchase all the ingredients. The man talked at length so long about all of the robot's qualities and abilities that the trio started to suspect all was not right with the robot. Finally the man got around to that part. The robot was fairly new but had one glaring flaw. It would be talking and then, all of the sudden, it would start talking gibberish. As soon as it was through with the gibberish, it would continue the conversation. He had taken it back to the dealer until the dealer refused to do any more with it. The man said they had finally bought another used chef, because they needed help around the house when they got busy with the farm and the gibberish was driving them crazy. He said the local stores sometimes got upset because the robot would start talking gibberish when it was purchasing food. Tik asked if he had all of the manuals for this robot and the two Ag workers. He said he did and Tik asked how much he wanted for the three robots. He said he wanted 200 rudia for each of the Ag workers and would like to get 100 rudia for the chef. They thanked the man and said they needed to talk to their consultant. The man walked away and the trio turned to Fu.

  The trio looked at him and asked, "Are these prices within reason?"

  Fu replied, "I really don't know. I've never invested in anything like this."

  The driver piped up, "I have a friend that sometimes deals in used robots. I'll call him to check."

  He called his friend and described the three robots. He told him about the defect and waited while his friend did some figuring. He listened for a little bit and then told them that his friend said all three together were only worth about 350 rudia. He said the chef model was one that had a history of problems. Not all of that model had problems but when they did, the factory had not figured out how to fix it. One of the other problems they had was that the robot became overly protective. Sometimes the robot would not let what it considered 'questionable characters' near the owners.

  The trio was in unison when they broadcast, "BUY". They asked Fu to bargain for them and said they would pay the suggested 350 rudia. Fu asked how they were going to get the robots back to the space ship. Ron asked him if they could fly a small fliter out here to pick them up. Fu asked what a fliter was and Ron explained. Fu said it would be acceptable. He called the man back over and they haggled for a few minutes. The man finally accepted their offer and Tik paid out of her money since she hadn't bought anything yet. The man gave her the manuals and the trio arranged to pick up the robots later that afternoon. Ron broadcast to Auntie to see if she could hear and she answered loud and clear. He told her to mark the coordinates where they were currently at because they needed to return there later today. Auntie said it was done.

  They walked around a little more but didn't see anything they wanted so they decided to move on. They climbed into the vehicle and headed into the city. They hadn't traveled very far before it hit Ron that they were a lot further than 10 miles from the space port.

  He looked at his pals and asked, "How far do you think we are from the space port?"

  Gus guessed, "I'd say about 60 or 70 miles. Why?"

  "I just talked to Auntie and I could hear her loud and clear. When she first started communicating with us, she told me her range was 5 or 6 miles with an occasional 10 miles if everything was just right. Sixty or seventy miles is way beyond that range. How in the world is she doing it?"

  Tik suggested, "Why don't you just ask?"

  Ron broadcast to Auntie and the other two, "Auntie, by the way, we're 60 or 70 miles from the space port…"

  "67.8 miles to be exact and you're moving closer," Auntie interrupted.

  "If it's that far, how in the world are we communicating?" Ron demanded.

  "I just followed standard procedure with my former crew and launched a couple of remote sensors when you left yesterday and again this morning. I can use them for relays to extend my range. It also gives me a real-time position if you should run into trouble," Auntie responded to the trio.

  "Thanks, Auntie," Ron said as he looked at the other two. What had her former crew been up to that they wanted someone to know where they were all the time?

  They didn't have much time to delve into the question as they were approaching the area of the space port. They were concentrating on the different businesses and what they dealt in. Some of them were bars and neither Fu nor the driver had any good thing to say about them. It seems a lot
of the space travelers frequented those places when they landed. Tik noticed a grocery store and made a comment about it. Fu and the driver responded that most of their merchandise was all right but, since they dealt with the space travelers so much, their prices were higher than most of the other grocery stores in town. They continued on to the business district and the trio sent messages back for Auntie to make note about the different opportunities they saw. Later, when they were back in the ship, they would check those items against items traded to other planets. They drove by the driver's friend's place and saw that he had several used robots at the present time. By the time they reached the end of the business district, the trio was getting antsy. They had several ideas and they kept thinking about the robots they had purchased. They were getting more and more anxious to get back there to bring them to the space ship. Finally, they told Fu and the driver they should go pick up the robots. They thanked them for the wonderful day and said they would continue tomorrow. The driver dropped Fu and the trio off at the space port. He was anxious to get home to tell his family that he now had a six month fuel supply and he was chauffeuring space travelers around the countryside. Fu was anxious to get home to tell his family how much he would be making for his week of consulting. He was also going to tell the story of the space travelers buying the broken robot.

  The trio rushed through the space port terminal and into Auntie. They told Auntie to be ready to open the rear door as soon as they had the fliter fueled up. It didn't take Gus long to get the fuel in and Ron jumped into the pilot's seat. The other two climbed onto the platform in the rear and hung on. Ron lifted off and flew out the door. Gus glanced back and saw that Auntie had closed the door as soon as they were clear. They were almost at the farm house when the alarm came.

  Auntie let them know that the remote detector had picked up a space ship on the way in to the planet. It was still too far away to identify any details so she would keep them informed. Tik asked how long before the space ship would reach the planet. Auntie told her that it would be about seven days at the present speed.

  The trio was kicking ideas around the entire time that it took to complete the trip and land. They dropped the discussion as they concentrated on loading the robots and accessories. The man of the house came out to give them a hand. He was eyeing the fliter because he had never seen anything like it. He asked how much it would haul and what it would cost. The trio got the distinct feeling that he would buy it if it were for sale and in his price range. They told him that the fliter came with the space ship and they really didn't know how much it would cost. They told him the fliter would lift more than they could stack on the platform. They explained that it was mainly used to move cargo between space ships while they were in space. The man of the house apologized for not leaving more fuel in the robots but Ron assured him that they would get by. The man told them that the housekeeper robot was a Dolores model. He said the Ag workers were FarmerDell types. He told them some tips on maintaining the Ag workers but said the Dolores model was pretty self-sufficient. The trio thanked him and piled onto the fliter. They were more anxious than ever to get back to the ship and to get these robots refueled. In a short while they were flying in the rear door of Auntie. For the time being, they secured the fliter and accessories where they were. Auntie had reminded them to secure everything as they flew in. Her warning brought back the threat that was coming. They asked if she had any new updates and Auntie replied, "No." There was just enough fuel to get the robots to the fueling station on that level. Gus fueled them and Tik started checking out their programming. She was concentrating on Dolores first. She found out it was pretty simple and with Auntie's help she soon had Dolores turned on. Gus secured the Ag workers while Ron and Tik took Dolores to the upper galley. Tik walked her through the workings of the kitchen and showed her their store of supplies. Dolores used one of her hands to reach inside each container and put a little of the ingredients in her mouth. She would hum for just a little bit and then go to the next container. When she had sampled everything they had, she stopped and quietly hummed for several minutes.

  Suddenly she announced, "If I had dslj;dfaslkj spices and two other ingredients, I could fix Wuensche Impossible Pie. Would you oeirurep like me to purchase these ingredients?"

  Tik was ready to tear into her right then but Ron answered, "Wait a minute. Dolores, why don't you prepare menus for three meals a day for the three of us? Figure the meals for five days and then explain what you would fix."

  "How many calories will each of you need? Do you have preferences?"

  Ron told her a couple of the dishes they had eaten so far. He looked at Tik to see if she knew how many calories they were eating. Tik told Dolores how many they had been consuming and Dolores started her quiet hum. Gus walked into the galley as she was figuring and stood waiting to see what would happen next. Soon Dolores announced her menus and Ron asked her to explain what they were made of. Dolores explained what the meals were and the trio thought they sounded good. Ron asked for a list of groceries and Dolores rattled them off with only one spell of gibberish. Ron looked at the other two and they were nodding 'yes' and waving toward the door. Ron instructed Dolores to go purchase the groceries. He told her to get whatever spices or other ingredients she needed to fix the meals. The trio decided they would all accompany Dolores on her first buying trip. They all wanted to see how she did it and how she would pick out ingredients. Ron asked Auntie if she could interface with Dolores and Auntie said Dolores would have to have a couple of modifications first. Tik made a note of it and said she would do it later tonight. Dolores and the trio headed out the rear door and to the grocery store that they had seen just down the road. Ron had Auntie send up the small grav-sled they had used to move the smelting equipment around with. He figured they would need something to pack the groceries back to the ship.

  Dolores traveled to and fro in the store picking out different items. Soon she had a shopping cart full. The trio was amazed at her dexterity when she picked the choicest fresh fruits and vegetables. Tik picked up one of the fruits out of the basket and declared it was firm to the touch but had a wonderful aroma. When Dolores was through, she pushed the cart to the checkout line. When everything was rung up, Dolores held her arm under the scanner. She was used to the store reading her scanner and then debiting her owner's account. Ron told her he would pay this time. He took out the money and paid.

  They loaded the groceries onto the grav-sled and headed back to the ship. As they headed back to the ship, the trio started discussing storage of the groceries and decided they needed to move to the larger galley on the lower level. The storage area was much larger and they were doing a lot more on the lower level. They decided to move to the living quarters down there also. For appearances, they still entered the upper door of the space ship but they went directly to the lower galley. Tik showed Dolores around and programmed her to use that galley. Dolores started stowing all of the groceries and asked if they wanted her to start the evening meal. Ron said that would be all right. While she was making supper, they all went to the upper living quarters and grabbed their stuff to move below.

  They picked the living quarters that Ron and Gus had first checked out. They each took a separate bedroom. Ron didn't know if they would be able to sleep that night because they had been together so long. They moved into the living room and started discussing what trade items they wanted to look for. Auntie pulled up information about other planets and they tried to match what they could buy here to needs on other planets. They finally had a list and then started adding personal things they wanted. Gus wanted another robot that could handle the refueling and could make sure that items they brought in were securely stowed. Ron wanted some of the cloth like they had seen at the sale today and Tik added a couple of things for the conservatory. The thought came up that this all depended on the incoming space ship. Their first priority was getting a stock of food. Tik said she would make the modifications right after supper and Auntie could help
Dolores figure menus and supplies they would need to have in stock. They all agreed that they should stock a year's worth of food supplies. Auntie informed them that Dolores had supper ready and they headed to the galley.

  Before they even got close, they could smell a tantalizing aroma. Their mouths started to water at the thought of good food. They sat down and Dolores served each one of them. Each plate had portions according to the calories that Tik had given her. The trio started tasting the food. They thought they had died and gone to heaven. The food was superb! Dolores hovered around, asking if the food was too spicy or not spicy enough. She wanted to know if the portions were all right or if she needed to adjust them. She was as fussy and nervous as a new human chef and it amused the trio watching her antics. There were several times that the gibberish popped up; however, they knew they had found a super bargain that day. Even with the gibberish that popped out, they knew they would not get rid of Dolores now. They slowly savored the meal and then had to go back to work. Gus wanted to move the Ag workers and their accessories down by the conservatory and start the other robots making more of the silver trinkets. Tik wanted to make the modifications to Dolores and Ron wanted to check a few more ideas he had about trade. They all did their thing until about an hour before bed time. They met in the lower cargo bay for another round of shooting competition. Gus won that night and they recharged their weapons before they headed to bed.