Wanted

by Terry Compton

Josh flew the cycle to the same block as the robots. He kept a wary eye out for the Nagini but didn't see any. The warehouse next to the robots hopefully had some of the parts Lemmy needed.

  Landing next to the walk door, he tried it. It was locked so he used his vibro-knife to disable the lock. Pulling the power unit and lights inside, he set them up. He found the parts he needed but they were much too high for him to get down by himself in his condition.

  Thinking about it for a few minutes, he returned to the lights and power unit. He shut them down and reloaded them. Turning the cycle around, he went back to the robots warehouse. A few minutes later, he had everything set up in there. Going back to the robots, he struggled to get one to the power unit.

  Hooking the robot up to the power unit, he soon had it charged. Josh worked for another thirty minutes to get it programmed. He watched as it went back to its slot and picked up two more. It carried them to the power unit. Josh charged them while the first robot went back for two more.

  After all six robots were charged, Josh set them to follow his voice commands. He had them load the lights and power unit on the sled then follow him to the other warehouse. His eyes kept a search on the surrounding area to see if the snakes would bother the robots. A sigh of relief escaped when they entered the door and the shield blocked it.

  The robots set up the lights and power unit inside. Josh started to go to the rack where the parts were, but stopped. He directed two of the robots to carry the power unit and the lights. As they moved the lights deeper into the complex, he spotted something toward the back.

  When he and his column of robots reached it, he saw that it was a fliter made to fit between the rows of racks. After checking it over he decided it just needed power. Putting a small amount in, Josh tried the vehicle. It was older than anything he had operated but not so much that he had any problem. Setting it back down, he gave it more charge.

  He had the robots load the power unit and set the lights so they worked as headlights. After that, Josh flew up and down the aisles as the robots picked up the items they needed. When the fliter bed was full, he flew to the large door of the warehouse. Directing two of the robots to get off, he started to have them manually open the door.

  Josh slapped his helmet over his forehead, "Stupid. There's all sorts of snakes out there. You don't have any protection."

  He flew over to the walk door and directed one of the robots to get the extra shield generator. Setting it on the fliter bed, he made sure it extended over his pilot's seat. Climbing back into the pilot's seat, he flew to the door and directed the two robots to open it. After he flew through, he directed them to close it and wait for him to return.

  As he reached the old Alcantaran ship, he flew to the rear airlock and landed. Cherry and Lemmy both answered his call. They opened the airlock and came out to direct the robots carrying the parts. After unloading everything, they kept the robots to start repairing in the spaceship.

  Josh flew to Naca and recharged the power unit then flew back to the warehouse. Stopping at the cycle, he loaded it on the fliter. Moving to the large door, he instructed the robots to open it. After closing it, they climbed aboard. Josh flew the aisles again looking for more necessary repair items.

  It took an hour to make it down the last aisle. Going back to the door, he had the robots open it while he flew out. They shut it and climbed on the fliter again. Josh looked at the next warehouse on his list.

  For the next three days this became his routine. Cherry and Lemmy made more progress with the new help. They both begged for more robots though.

  Josh found three more in the warehouse but didn't think the others would do much good. The sensor found two more robot warehouses three stories above, so Josh skipped the other warehouses on this level to check them out.

  Between the two warehouses, Josh found enough robots to satisfy Cherry and Lemmy. With the fliter and two robot assistants, he soon caught up with the parts demands except for a few key parts that eluded him.

  Those missing parts elevated the frustration and tension at meals. The conversation turned to them each day. Cherry said, "Josh, we need to find these parts or a reasonable substitute. We might be able to lift off this rock without them but it'll be like flying in a tin can. If we run into any trouble, it'll be…" The unfinished sentence lifted the tension even more.

  A week later during supper Cherry announced, "Tomorrow, we're moving into the Belleterra Wanderer —"

  Josh said, "The who? What are you talking about?"

  "Our new ship. I found out her name when I went through some of the computer records. She was christened the Belleterra Wanderer. I think we should call her Belle for short."

  Josh's eyebrow shot up, "You've made that much progress? What are you using for air?"

  "You'll have to get some of that ice in the repair depot. It won't take long to convert it to gas. With the air from Naca we should be fine."

  "Good, we can get that spacesuit off Lemmy."

  Lemmy's eyes grew in size. She stopped in mid-chew and shook her head no as her ears laid back flat on her head. She squeaked, "You can't take this away. I'd die. What if I need to escape from the snakes?"

  Cherry said, "As gamy as you must be in that suit, I'm sure they'd just spit you out."

  Lemmy just gave him a baleful stare. Josh changed the subject, "How are you going to do it tomorrow?"

  Cherry said, "I've already checked most of it. While you get the ice, I'm going to pull the AI out of Naca and move it into Belle. Once I have that I'll start turning everything on."

  Josh said, "I'm glad my legs and pelvis are healed. Getting back into gravity will feel weird after all this time."

  Cherry said, "Yeah, you two are going to have to start an exercise routine to get prepared to land on a planet."

  "Ugh. I know I have to, but the thought of getting started just doesn't appeal to me. How about you, Lemmy?"

  Lemmy shook her head no, "I've got to finish these repairs and I need to —"

  Cherry completed her sentence, "Do the exercises. No excuses."

  The Ezrawen's mouth curled down, her ears went flat and her eyes looked like they would flood with tears at any second. Cherry snarled, "Don't try that sob-sister look with me. You'll thank me when you have to run from a bunch of angry locals."

  Lemmy slid down inside her spacesuit. Cherry looked at Josh and whirled his finger at his temple. Josh shrugged his shoulders. Josh stood, "I'm going to bed. It's going to be busy tomorrow and somehow, I think it'll be a long day."

  Cherry watched as the two robots remade the rack to hold the AI. He wanted to jump in and do it himself but he had another task he couldn't entrust to a robot. Pulling the AI from Naca required his expertise and delicate touch. Too much was at stake, including his, Josh's and Lemmy's lives to try it any other way.

  He headed back to the rear airlock. As he came into the cargo bay he saw Lemmy directing five robots. She pointed to a spot that needed attention then directed one to it. Two more were sent to attack the next damage. Cherry grinned, thinking she looked like a symphony director guiding an orchestra.

  Walking by her, Cherry said, "You need to get those holes fixed. We'll have air coming in a short time. I'm going to get the AI now."

  Lemmy snapped, "I'm working on it. We don't have the right metal to weld in. I tried some of the pieces of Naca and they definitely won't work. I've never seen metal like that. I don't know where you got it. Josh got me a few pieces of those other ships in the repair depot. I'm going to try them next."

  "Naca is unique. We had her specially made. What do you mean the pieces won't weld?"

  "The metals are different. They won't weld together. If we were at a big repair place, I most likely could find two or three different welding rods that I could make work. If those pieces Josh brought don't weld, I'll have to go to plan B."

  "And what's plan B?"

  Lemmy looked
at him like he might be something gooey on the bottom of her shoe. She said, "I'll have to put a plate on the outside and one on the inside. I can bolt the two of them together and braze the outer side to make it airtight."

  "That sounds pretty weak. How will it do when we go into the atmosphere?"

  "It is weak, but it's the only fix we have on this asteroid. Just keep the shield up when we hit the atmosphere. If you don't get into any space battles, you should be fine. You don't plan on any battles, do you?"

  Cherry hesitated as he remembered the event that landed them in this position in the first place. He said, "I don't plan on it, but Josh might. Make those patches as strong as possible."

  Lemmy's face showed disgust then terror as she heard his advice. As Cherry walked on he heard her say, "Demmy, honey we have a problem. We're not going anywhere with those crazies. We'll just send out word for someone else to come rescue us."

  Cherry chuckled at her calling them crazy. He headed for Naca motioning for an unoccupied robot to follow him. The robot could do all the heavy lifting as he disconnected the AI.

  Going to the cockpit, Cherry ran a check on all the sensors and detectors. Everything looked normal with no Nagini moving in sight. Cherry transferred control of the sensors, detectors and shield to his tablet. It didn't have the power of the AI, but at least he had some control during the switch.

  Inside Naca's computer room Cherry crawled into the tight space behind the computer rack made tighter by the pounding Naca had taken in the battle. Straining to reach some of the connections, Cherry held his temper as he directed the robot to ease the climate controlled box containing the AI out a little.

  Cherry wiggled and reached the last connection. He yelled at the robot, "OK, take it out. Easy. Don't let it drop."

  The box moved out of his way and he slithered back out of the rack. In a few minutes he checked the dials and gauges on the outside of the box. Everything seemed to be normal. Directing the robot to carry the box, Cherry led the way to Belle.

  The robot set the box on the deck after they entered the computer room. Grabbing a meter, he tested the voltage on the wires in the rack one more time. This computer room was larger than Naca and had an alleyway behind the rack that made connections easier. Cherry finished in just a few minutes.

  Moving the robot back out of the way he tested the AI. After a half hour he nodded in satisfaction. He mentally thought, "Naca, do you hear me?"

  He heard the familiar voice in his head, "Yes, Cherry. How can I help?"

  "Raise the gravity to one fourth of normal."

  Cherry felt the increase of gravity. He thought, "Check the remote sensors and detectors, then give your sensors a check."

  "I see Josh moving outside my – this ship. He has some sort of ice."

  Cherry frowned. This confusion could be a problem. Using his normal voice he said, "Naca, do you still hear and understand?"

  "Yes."

  "You are now part of the ship Belleterra Wanderer. Please respond whether we address you as Naca, Belle or Belleterra Wanderer. We will be trying to shift to Belle as much as possible. You are in control of the Belleterra Wanderer."

  "I understand, but there are parts of this ship I can't access. The data base has a lock on most of it."

  "Can you break the lock?"

  "Unknown. This is a far different encryption than I have ever encountered."

  "As you have spare computing power, try to break this encryption. For now I need you to check all systems. I need a full report on what isn't working and what needs to be done to it. Check the engines, FTL drive and fuel. Check the rate it is being used."

  Naca's voice came out of a hidden speaker, "There is activity in the cargo hold. There are several robots and a strange being."

  "You've got that strange right. She's helping us for now. Don't let her do anything without consulting with me or Josh first."

  "Order confirmed. These checks will take several hours."

  "That's fine. Can you do other tasks if we ask?"

  "Yes, but it will slow down the scan."

  "Go ahead with your scans."

  Cherry turned to walk out the door. The feel of heavier gravity felt strange after weeks of only the asteroid's weak gravity. Signaling the robot to follow, he headed to the cockpit. He still had a ton of work to do there before they would be ready to test fly Belle.

  Lemmy hummed happily as she directed the robots. Fixing ships always made her happy. She said, "Demmy, this could be a great ship. I like the lines and the craftsmanship. She'll be a fine ship when I finish. I just wish I had some of the same material for the hull. It would be much stronger and look better."

  She cocked her head with her ears standing at attention. She said, "No, I don't like that android. There's something sinister about him. Josh is alright though, don't you agree?"

  She nodded her response and ordered a robot into a different direction. Moving closer to the exposed wires, she critically examined them. She said, "Demmy, these little bots seem to be doing a good job. I won't know for sure until Twinkles gets the AI installed. She can check everything much faster than I can. I should be done here in the cargo bay in a week or so. Then I can start moving forward."

  As she wandered from robot to robot checking on their progress and noting materials they would need, she carried on a lively conversation with Demmy. When the gravity increased she fell to the floor. After a second she staggered behind a stack of materials, unsure of what had attacked her.

  Sitting there, she moaned at the sudden increase in her weight. Her muscles rebelled at the pressure. Straining to get up, she fell back in a heap. She groaned, "It's alright, Demmy. I'll just lay here for a minute and rest. You go on ahead."

  Most of the robots soon ground to a halt without her direction. Two of them moved to the pile where Lemmy lay and stopped. Others stopped where they worked. When Josh stepped through the airlock, the lower cargo bay looked like a morgue. His hand went for his blaster then held steady as he searched the area with his eyes.

  Gritting his teeth at the increased pressure on his newly healed legs, Josh stepped farther into the bay. His eyes swept the area again looking for danger. Finding none, he slowly moved deeper inside. One of the robots by the material pile twitched and his blaster appeared in his hand.

  Easing his finger off the trigger, he moved forward. Sweat broke out on his brow. He had to force his muscles to propel him toward the robots. As he drew closer, he saw a small foot sticking out from behind the pile. Josh yelled over his comm unit, "Cherry, shut this gravity down. Lemmy's hurt."

  Cherry shouted, "Naca, shut down the gravity. Josh, where are you at? What happened to Lemmy?"

  "I think the gravity got to her. She's been here for months. I don't know how strong she was to start with."

  Josh felt the gravity lessen. Moving easier now, he looked over the pile at the pitiful heap on the deck. He called, "Lemmy, can you hear me?"

  When no answer came, he knelt on the deck beside her. Putting a hand on her abdomen, he felt it move. He called, "Cherry, do we have some place on this ship where I can take her? Someplace with air?"

  "I'll check. Give me a second."

  Cherry quickly consulted Naca and found a small medical bay just off the middle cargo bay. He relayed the details to Josh. He said, "I'm on my way there now."

  Josh picked up Lemmy, but even the effects of the low asteroid gravity slowed his movement. He handed the small bundle to the robot and drove it across the floor. Josh yelled, "Cherry, does the elevator work?"

  Naca answered, "Yes. Cherry is in the passageway now."

  Josh moved the robot and its burden into the elevator then told Naca to get them to the middle cargo bay. The elevator moved up. Soon Josh had Lemmy lying on a bed in the infirmary. He moved the robot out as Cherry stepped in.

  Josh asked, "You have any idea how to operate any of this equipment? Is the a
ir in here breathable?"

  Cherry asked, "Naca, is the air breathable?"

  "It will be in 1.37 minutes. I'm starting the pumps now and checking filters."

  Cherry said, "Can you use any of this equipment to scan the little one?"

  Naca said, "I can instruct you how to do it. I haven't had time to establish control over everything."

  As the seconds ticked away, Naca gave Cherry a crash course in how to use some of the equipment. Cherry started scanning Lemmy even before the air became breathable. He grunted, "Give me a hand in getting her spacesuit off. Naca, tell us when the air is alright for her."

  A short time later, Naca gave the word and the two bounty hunters started trying to remove the spacesuit. Cherry had to use force to break the electrical wire holding up the folds. Josh's hands were much clumsier in his spacesuit, so Cherry did most of the work.

  A few minutes later, they slid the small Ezrawe out of the suit. Josh saw that she was covered with the same fine gray fur as her head. Patches of it had come out and the bare skin underneath looked red and raw. Most of it on her back was matted into clumps.

  Josh asked, "Do you think it's a good thing we have breathing apparatus on? That doesn't look good. I'm sure she must reek."

  "That's what a year of wearing a spacesuit will do. She'll clean up fine."

  Lemmy stirred, "Demmy, where are you?"

  Josh said, "He's out in the passageway. He kept getting in the way. Lie down and let Cherry finish checking you out."

  Chapter 14