Wanted

Cherry stuck the translator on his chest, then turned to head to the cockpit. Josh asked, "What about Lemmy?"

  Grabbing the back of the little creature's spacesuit, Cherry hurried along the passageway dragging him along like a sack of potatoes. Josh did his best to pull himself along, trying to keep up but lagged behind. Cherry had the view screens going by the time he reached the cockpit. Lemmy lay in a ball on the deck with his head deep inside the spacesuit.

  Scenes from the remote detector flashed on the screen. As the other two anxiously scanned the screens, Cherry said, "Naca, kill the alarm. Show me what caused the alarm."

  In the ensuing silence, one new screen showed activity. The view jarred and moved but was so blurry neither could tell what they were looking at. Slowly the image started to clear. Josh said, "I'd recognize those teeth and ugly lips anywhere. That's a Nagini. What's picking it up?"

  "The remote sensor you had in the city. That stupid thing is playing with the sensor again. Just let that stupid monster pick it up and I'll teach it a thing or two."

  "Cherry, what are you going to do? How are you going to teach it anything?"

  The view blurred as the beast nosed the sensor again. The sensor bounced into the air and moved away from it. Cherry said, "While you slept, I flew this sensor back into the city to take a look for the food replicator you dropped. One of the little Nagini decided to play with the sensor. When it swallowed it, I turned on the recharger field. Stupid thing dropped the sensor like a hot coal."

  The beast bumped the sensor again, driving it out under the land bridge. The snake-like visage appeared on Naca's sensors. Josh said, "I don't think that's a real little one. It must be twenty feet long. Not as good as my trophy, but I'd bag it just on principal."

  "Next, you'll tell me you want to get that other head and mount it here in the ship."

  "Hey, that sounds like a great idea. We could mount it in your room. It's not going anywhere close to mine. It'd give me the screaming nightmares."

  Josh looked down to see huge golden eyes staring at him. He said, "What's the matter, Lemmy?"

  "You killed one of those things?"

  "Yep. It swallowed me and made me mad. Just goes to show, don't make me mad."

  Cherry piped up, "Lemmy, don't worry. He's only a little crazy – most of the time."

  Lemmy muttered, "Demmy, what have you gotten us into? We need to get out of here – after we have a little more to eat. We don't even know where they come from."

  The Nagini spotted Naca and her shields. The beast froze and drifted to the ground. Suddenly, dozens more Nagini appeared. All of them edged toward the spaceship. Josh nervously said, "Cherry, should we activate the laser cannons?"

  Lemmy ducked into his spacesuit as he said, "My old spaceship shot at the monsters. It didn't even faze them."

  Cherry asked, "Were they fifty yards away? That's a lot of energy to dissipate."

  No sound came from the rumpled spacesuit. Josh said, "Maybe we should only try one of the smaller ones. I don't want to make them angry and have them send for the five big ones. We can't get away from here."

  As they watched, the twenty-footer flashed forward. It moved so fast they barely saw the movement. Naca gave a warning when the beast bounced off the shield. It dashed back with its mouth wide open. Another warning came from Naca about the shield bleeding energy.

  The rest of the pack of Nagini shot forward with their mouths open. Josh yelled, "Cherry, we have to do something. They'll drain the shield energy."

  Cherry jammed his finger in the slot and worked frantically. Josh watched their fuel gauge drop. Suddenly, the movement of the gauge stopped then reversed. It leaped to over three quarters full before the Nagini reeled back.

  A third of them including, the twenty-footer, slammed back into the shield. The fuel gauge spun to full and kept moving. The three inside the spaceship heard a piercing shriek as the Nagini fell back again.

  Lemmy's eyes appeared in the helmet. He said, "Demmy, are we going to die? Did they get through the shield?"

  Josh said, "No, they're backing off. Look – they're actually going back inside the city. Looks like our new environmentally-friendly shield has paid for itself."

  Lemmy's head fully popped into the helmet as he turned over. His gaze went to the view screens. He said, "Come on, Demmy. Let's get back to our safe place."

  Cherry said, "I don't think you would make it three steps outside the shield." He activated the sensor lying inside the entrance. Dozens of Nagini swirled just inside. Some even dashed into the cavern that Lemmy had come out of.

  Lemmy wailed, "Demmy, we're going to die. How can we get back now? Those big ones will be here at any time. They'll scoop up this battered spaceship and there won't be anything left."

  Cherry shouted, "Shut up, you little fur ball, or I'll stuff you down into one leg of that spacesuit. If you make a peep after that, I'll toss you out to the snakes."

  Josh said, "Cherry. You don't have to scare him to death."

  Cherry snorted his displeasure. Lemmy squeaked from inside the spacesuit, "I'm not a him! I'm a her."

  Josh and Cherry turned to stare at the spacesuit. Cherry said, "I don't care. I'll still stuff you into the leg of that suit."

  After thirty minutes of no Nagini activity, the three started to relax. Lemmy poked her head up and sat up. Josh said, "I apologize, Lemmy. I've never been around a – what race are you?"

  Lemmy sniffed, "I'm an Ezrawe. I come from a long line of very good engineers. You've insulted me and Demmy. He's the male."

  Josh said, "Like I said, I've never been around any of your race so I didn't know. Where is Demmy? What is he?"

  "He's standing right there beside you and he's an Ezrawe just like me. He's not as good an engineer though."

  Josh looked at Cherry, who stood behind Lemmy. His finger pointed at his temple and twirled in a circle. Josh frowned at him as he said, "I apologize to both of you, Lemmy. By the way, we didn't have time to introduce ourselves. The big blue android there is Cherry Kang and I'm Josh Gunn."

  Lemmy said, "I'm glad to meet you, Josh Gunn. I can tell you are a good man and I like you. I don't like Twinkles over there. He's too angry and uptight. Where did you say you're from?"

  "I didn't. I originally came from Earth in the Sol solar system. I picked up Cherry in the Karisel solar system.

  Lemmy asked, "Where's that at? I haven't heard of it before. I haven't seen any of your kind before either."

  Josh waved his left hand, "It's in a galaxy out there. I don't think there's much interaction between it and this galaxy. My race hasn't been flying in the stars that long."

  "You should have left the bully where you found him."

  Josh smiled but Cherry took a step toward the little Ezrawe. Lemmy ducked back inside the suit. Josh glared at Cherry, who backed off. Josh said, "Lemmy, where were you going in your old spaceship? Where did you come from?"

  Cherry spun his finger around his temple again and turned back to the view screens. Lemmy's answer could barely be heard, "We were on our way to Erneegin. Captain Sogour said we could make our fortunes there."

  Cherry said, "Isn't it a little tough to make any money from a radioactive planet? That place has been deserted for five hundred years."

  Lemmy's head popped out again, "It has not, you big blue bully. It had lots of people until just last month. The rumor says that it got bombed, but we don't know how bad. Captain says there's lots of opportunity for trade and salvage in a war zone like that."

  Josh shouted, "When did you say that happened?"

  Lemmy ducked into her suit and remained silent. Josh asked in a much quieter tone, "Please, Lemmy. It's important. When did you hear this?"

  A muffle voice replied, "Last month. One of the crew had family who lived on Erneegin. She said that Erneegin wanted to stay neutral in the Tayota war, but one of the sides —"

  Cherry said in a
strained voice, "One of the sides started landing ships and troops. The other side bombed them out of existence."

  "Yeah, if you already knew, why did you ask me?"

  Josh slouched down in the chair like he'd been punched in the gut. Cherry rocked back and forth on his feet. When the silence continued, Lemmy poked her head up. She looked from one to the other, then asked, "What's wrong? Are the rumors true? Is there a lot of money to be made there?"

  Cherry asked, "Lemmy, what year is it?"

  "Why 5789, of course."

  "Based on whose calendar?"

  "The Charter Alliance. The Alliance has been around for a thousand of those years. Didn't you two study any history? Demmy, it's worse than I thought."

  Josh said, "Cherry, we need to talk. Excuse us a minute, Lemmy."

  They stepped back into the passageway. Cherry said, "Don't touch anything or I'll break your fingers."

  He stood so he could keep an eye on her. Josh whispered, "Cherry, if she's right, we're five hundred years in the past. Every school kid has to learn about Erneegin. Do you think Lemmy got the dates right? I don't remember the exact date, do you?"

  "No, but I'll look in our database. It might be in the good part. This changes everything. We have to watch everything we do. We could inadvertently change history. You or I could disappear because we wipe out an ancestor or the one who invented my brand of android."

  "Is time travel even possible? How could we wind up five hundred years in the past? Maybe we can meet Ron, Gus and Tik and get to see Auntie. Every school kid knows them as the heroes who launched humans into space."

  "I don't know. This time travel thing has all sorts of possible hazards. We have to be careful not to change history. The other thing is that we must be a long ways away from where we did battle with the pirates. There was no exploded planet in the galaxy we were in."

  "I agree. That pattern of the asteroid makes sense as an exploded planet and we would have some knowledge of it. If it happened in the distant past for this time, it might not be in any history books. Cherry, are we the crazy ones or is it that little fur ball in there?"

  Cherry snorted, "We may be crazy, but not nearly as much as her. Well, maybe you might be close. You talk to yourself all the time."

  "At least I'm not carrying on a conversation with an imaginary friend. If I'd been here for a year like her by myself with those snakes around – I might be though."

  "Josh, I'm not sure we should tell her about this. It might push her completely over the edge. Maybe she's wrong about the event and the date."

  "Somehow, I don't think so. Cherry, what are we going to do? I don't feel like staying here but…"

  "Yeah, but. We have to try to get that other spaceship going. We have to make sure what the date is."

  "I agree. How do we go about getting that ship running? We need to get your arm fixed. You'll need both hands to get that thing ready to fly. With Lemmy here, we'll run out of food before —"

  Lemmy said, "I can go back to my safe place. Twinkly, I can fix that arm. Just take it off."

  "Not on your life, fur ball. I'll do it myself."

  Josh and Lemmy said at the same time, "How?"

  Cherry said, "I don't know…"

  Josh asked, "How would you do it, Lemmy? Can you straighten it without Cherry taking it off?"

  "Hmmm. Maybe. I'd need some of the tools in the repair depot though. Were you two talking about that spaceship over there? I could get it going with a little help. The main thing it needs is fuel."

  Cherry glared, "How do you know that? I thought you were buried back in your safe place."

  "Well, a girl can't stay underground all the time. You'd go stir crazy. I came out when the Nagini were fed or gone. I've been through most of the ship."

  Josh said, "Lemmy, how much of our conversation did you hear?"

  "Just the part about repairing the ship and Cherry's arm. Why? Did I miss something important?"

  Cherry and Josh looked at each other. Josh said, "No, we want to get that ship flying and get to a planet. We were in a big battle and our ship got toasted."

  Lemmy said, "I saw. You'll never get this one to fly off this asteroid."

  Cherry snapped, "Tell us something we don't know."

  Lemmy stuck her tongue out at him, "That Alcantaran ship over there is much better than this one. It will do a lot more."

  Cherry said, "How do you know? You have no idea what this ship will do."

  Lemmy turned her nose up into the air, "I know. I've heard the stories about those funny Earthlings wiping out squadrons of Bugs and Hanami Federation warships with only a few Alcantaran ships. I think they can fly to the center of suns and planets."

  Cherry loudly proclaimed, "You're crazy. No spaceship could do that."

  "Then how do they disappear and reappear so easily? Go invisible? Are you part of that group that wiped them out?"

  Cherry grunted, "That would be more likely than flying into the center of suns and planets. No, we weren't involved in that battle. Josh is the same race though."

  Josh stepped in to change the subject, "Lemmy, what would you need to get that other ship ready to fly? How long would it take?"

  "I don't know. I've never sat down and made a list. I want you to know that I can do all the mechanical and electrical, but I don't do computers. Someone else would have to deal with that."

  Cherry said, "I can do that. What do you need to get that ship space worthy?"

  Lemmy sniffed, "I told you I don't have a list. I was going in there to find some things to make my safe place better. Now I'll have to go see what I need."

  A Nagini swam into view on the sensor. Josh said, "I don't think anyone's going anywhere for a bit. Cherry, do you think I could fly closer? We don't have to worry too much about pirates —"

  Lemmy ducked into her suit as she cried, "Pirates? Where? Demmy, pirates are going to kill us now."

  Josh said, "No, Lemmy. I said pirates won't be bothering us here. We didn't know so we set up to defend against them. Now we can get closer to that Alcantaran ship. Have you ever seen any shield generators in there?"

  "I think so, but they won't have any fuel."

  "We have fuel now, thanks to the Nagini. We have to keep the ones around Naca set up to keep our oxygen in."

  Lemmy sighed, "I'd like to help, but I'm getting awfully hungry."

  Cherry rolled his eyes. Josh said, "I could use something too. Cherry, let's eat then move the ship. We can fly a sensor in there to cut down the search time."

  "You two go eat. I'll stay here with the sensors."

  Josh said, "You might get signatures on the Nagini and set our remotes to spot them. I'd like a little advance warning before the big ones get here. No, Lemmy, they aren't here yet. We'll have plenty of warning."

  As Josh pulled his way along the passageway, his mind whirled with their dilemma. The more he tried to put the pieces together, the more his head hurt. By the time he reached the galley, he felt his vision narrow down to a tunnel vision. He head pounded.

  Deliberately clearing his mind, he tried to relax as he pulled food out for Lemmy and himself. Lemmy wouldn't touch any of the meat, but gladly ate vegetables and fruits. Josh watched the pile quickly diminish.

  Lemmy pushed some of the things she didn't like to her left. She said, "There, Demmy. Eat up."

  Josh wanted to laugh, but his head hurt too much. When they finished, Lemmy cleaned up. She put everything where Josh told her. After starting back to the cockpit, Josh felt sick. His head hurt much worse and his legs throbbed.

  Going to the intercom, he called Cherry. "I'm not going to make it. My head and legs are killing me. I have to go to bed."

  "Go ahead. I can search. Send Lemmy in here. She can start making a list of what we'll need. Using the sensor will be much safer than trying to go there ourselves."

  Chapter 10