Chapter 11
The next morning the trio woke to rain. Everything outside was wet and when they looked at the view screens in the living room, they saw the clouds looked like they would continue to rain all day.
Ron was muttering about rain and goods being delivered when Gus piped up, "This might not be so bad after all. We haven't wanted to show anyone here that we can open all the doors on Auntie. Why don't we activate the shield and extend it out the back a little. We could put all of the goods coming in under it and if it was opaque, we could open any doors we want."
"That's right. That would be a great idea. We'll just have to watch and make sure the doors are closed when the goods arrive," Ron brightened.
Tik came strolling in and glanced at the view screens. She said, "It looks a little damp out there. I'm glad I bit those thugs last night instead of today. They tasted bad enough dry; but if they were wet, they would've been terrible. I washed my mouth out twice last night and again this morning and I can still taste them."
Gus chuckled as he said, "Maybe that'll teach you to hold your temper and control your killer instincts. If you feel bad, what do you think those thugs are feeling right now with all of the parts and pieces they're missing?"
They all laughed and went to see what Dolores had cooked up for breakfast. When they walked in, they could smell the delicious aroma. Dolores rolled out holding her broom and mop. Both of the handles were bent and twisted to uselessness.
"Boss, I seem to have wrecked my broom and mop last night. I'm sorry…" Dolores started to say.
Tik jumped right in, "Wrecked your broom and mop! After saving us last night, we'll buy you 10 more if you use them like that. We can keep a supply in your kitchen and when you wreck one, just toss it in the recycler and grab a new one."
Ron and Gus laughed and agreed with Tik. They both assured Dolores that they weren't upset. Dolores seemed very happy and her gibberish was less that day but she picked up another habit. As she worked, she was humming a tuneless ditty that soon grated on your nerves. Ron told Tik to find some music and program her to hum the music. Tik programmed enough music in her that it took several days to repeat. Tik told Auntie to order a supply of brooms and mop handles, which she did that afternoon.
Right after breakfast, the trio practiced with the weapons for a while and then got the shield set up. Tik set the Ag workers to work, cleaning a spot to set the plants and seeds that were coming. She had them carefully take samples of the dead plants in the conservatory into a sealable storage room. Ron had checked with Auntie and went to get the chipper that she said was on the lower level. He brought it back for the Ag workers to use on the rest of the material in the conservatory. Ron looked at the damaged catwalk and made a note of what they needed. He knew they were going to be very busy the next two or three days just stowing what they had bought. He would send Fu to get what he needed for repairs.
Gus was getting things ready when Auntie alerted him to the fact that the first set of robots had arrived. Gus went outside and directed the truck to the edge of the shield to unload. They could only haul five robots at a time, so they would be making several trips throughout the day. Once the robots were unloaded, Gus took them inside to refuel. Tik had the Ag workers going, so she came up to help check out the robots and to reprogram them to whatever they needed. One of the first five robots was the one Gus wanted for refueling and stowing goods, so Tik programmed it first to be able to help with all of the supplies being delivered. Since this was to be his primary helper, Gus decided to call it Tamu. He said it reminded him of a boyhood friend. As Tik was finishing with Tamu, the next load of five robots rolled in. Gus took Tamu and the two of them started bringing the others into Auntie to be refueled.
Ron came up from the lower level as the cloth arrived. He took three of the robots that Tik had already programmed and started unloading the cloth and other material. As soon as the delivery truck left, Ron set the robots to hauling goods inside. He showed them the room to store it in. By the time the robots were through, the room was almost full. Ron was excited and ready to get some new clothes made. He already had some patterns picked out, so he took some of the cloth and other items that would be needed into the sewing room. He loaded the cloth into the slot that Auntie directed and then turned and moved in front of the scanner as she measured him. Ron then loaded the thread, buttons and velcro material into the other slots and left the rest to Auntie. He returned to the upper cargo bay to tell the others to go pick material and to get measured but they were both busy. The robot dealer had just pulled up with a load of parts, so Ron helped find places to store everything. He had the robots run each item in front of a camera so Auntie could add it into their inventory. She tracked where everything was stored, so later, they could go right to the spot for that particular part.
It was lunch time before they knew it, so the trio stopped for a bite to eat. Dolores brought sandwiches and drinks to them where they were working. They ate and then waited for the Fu family to arrive. Gus kept supervising the last of the robot arrivals but Tamu was doing most of the actual work. Tik had Auntie make note of the robots that needed programming and she would do it later. Tamu found the robot that was to be his assistant, refueled it and programmed it to help securely stow all of the other robots that had been delivered.
The Fu family arrived and the trio took them on the grand tour of the upper level. They were still very cautious about letting anyone know that they had opened all of the levels of Auntie. The entire Fu family was happy just to see the upper level and didn't even ask questions about any of the rest of the ship. Mrs. Fu and the boys were excited and impressed with the rows of robots sitting in the cargo bay. The boys had to sit in the fliter and hear tales of using it to move cargo from space ship to space ship. The trio took the family to the cockpit and had Auntie bring up the flight simulator. The entire family jumped at the chance to fly Auntie. The boys were better at it than their parents. Tik had Auntie show some pictures of galaxies that she had visited. The Fu's were awed and couldn't get over how clear and life-like the images were. Finally, Fu declared it was time to head for home. They boys weren't ready but they obeyed their father. As they got ready to leave, Ron paid Fu his consulting fee. He told him they wouldn't need him for the next two days because they were going to be very busy stowing the food supplies they had bought.
Ron gave Fu a list of material for the catwalk and asked him, "Could you find this material and a price? Also, could you find someone who could make different sizes of wooden bases? I would prefer someone who had access to different types of wood and could complete a project in a short time."
Fu asked, "Will you be leaving soon?"
Ron replied with a chuckle, "Everyday we sit in the space port costs us money. Not only what we are spending but in lost revenue from trading. We have really enjoyed our time here and I'm sure we'll be back but for now we need to concentrate on getting loaded and finish shopping for trade items."
Fu quietly looked at him as he asked, "Does the space ship coming to our planet have anything to do with your rapid departure?"
Ron was surprised and almost caught off guard. He replied, "Not unless they are our competitors. Then we definitely want to beat them to the next planet. If they have a lot of silver to trade here, they may drop the price but we already have bought most of what we need. By the way, do you know who the incoming ship is or where they are from?"
"I don't know but I'll find out and let you know. My staff just let me know as I came through the terminal that another ship was on the way in. It has been good working with you and I thank you for the consulting fee. I especially thank you for being so gracious to my family."
Intuition prompted Ron to say, "We were glad to have your family come for the tour and we really appreciate your help. I just wanted to let you know that we actually did mine that silver off an asteroid. We have done nothing illegal or immoral but
we do have some people we would just as soon not meet right now. We have a feud with them and we don't want to involve your planet. We are not firing you right now and we may need your help again but we do not want to put you or your family in danger because of our feud. We would like nothing better than to bring our families here to meet you once we have settled this. We value the driver's and your friendship and hope we can leave you feeling the same way."
"Thank you for being honest. I can understand a feud, because that is what this war is all about. The Bugs just agitated and stirred up what had been simmering for quite a few years. We might have avoided the war if they had stayed out of it. My family and I consider you to be valuable friends and we will be praying for you to find a way to end this feud. We would be delighted to meet your families. Tomorrow, I will find these things that you need and let you know."
"Thank you, friend," Ron said as he escorted Fu to the door to catch up to his family. They waved as they left and Ron went to help Gus finish loading the accessories and parts for the robots. Tik had returned to her task of programming the rest of the robots. Ron broadcast his conversation that he had with Fu and they discussed the implications.
A short while later, Fu called Auntie on the radio and asked for Ron. Auntie relayed it to Ron. "Ron, the incoming ship is from Nodac-Liujia and they are known to be allies with the Bugs. Their stated intentions are to trade."
Ron asked, "Have they ever traded here before?"
Fu said, "Yes. They didn’t stop very often but did come for trade occasionally. It has been over a year since they had been here last."
Ron gathered that Fu didn't care much for the incoming visitors. He thanked Fu for the information and told him to have a good evening with his family.
Ron asked if Gus and Tik had heard and they replied that Auntie had included them. He and Gus were through with loading, so they decided to go see what the Ag workers had done in the conservatory. Tik couldn't take the pressure so she joined them. The workers had finished with the samples going into the sealed storage and were starting on the rest of the dead material. They were running it through the chipper and then spreading it on top of the soil. The trio noticed that there was a lot more water running through the stream and that it was still muddy from the increased flow.
They were happy with the progress in the conservatory, so they decided to practice with the edged weapons. They needed to pick up the pace on their training with them. There were times when a gun was not the weapon to use. Gus knew how to use the hammer/ax he carried but even he needed to know how to defend himself. They still felt that the Bugs would be chasing them as soon as they had a lead and this incoming space ship held Bug allies.
As they ate that evening, they talked of what it would take to be ready for a quick take off. Ron checked with Auntie and found out that the ship was still four days out. He asked her to pull up any information about Nodac-Liujia. He told her to set it up on a 3-D viewer for them there in the dining hall. The information had come from the Bug's database and didn't cover a lot of things that the trio would like to see. They saw some video of the inhabitants and the planet itself. The planet was dark and dreary with garbage scattered everywhere. When the wind would blow in the video, garbage could be seen racing before the wind. None of the inhabitants inspired confidence or made the trio want to try to develop a friendship with them. What facts they had found, made them think that their driver had given good advice to put up a shield if they parked anywhere near.
Tik said, "Auntie, please put up the shield when the incoming space ship is a day away. Use the shield to block any probes trying to see how many people are on board or any other useful information. And keep the doors locked."
Auntie reassured her, "I always do when you're away."
That night when he was getting ready for bed, Ron looked in the mirror and noticed that he didn't seem to have as much gray in his beard. He knew that he felt better than he had in several years and he actually felt younger. He wondered if the bracelet was doing all this. He asked Auntie if there were other bracelets for Tik and Gus. She answered that there were six more of the bracelets and; with a little modification, they would fit both of them. Ron made a note to get the bracelets in the morning for them to start wearing.
The next morning the rain was still coming down but it was lighter. The trio decided to leave the shield up just like before. The space port ramp where they were parked was now dry so they could set supplies on the concrete without any fear of them getting wet. The delivery trucks from the grocery wholesaler and the nursery soon started to arrive and the process of loading supplies into Auntie began. Gus activated 10 of the new robots including Tamu, the two Ag workers and the two robots from the mother ship. Tamu directed the 10 and they started carrying food supplies into the lower cargo bay and onto the lower kitchen storage area. Gus used the other four robots to start moving the plants and seeds into the conservatory. With both the middle and lower doors open, the process went much faster. Some of the food supplies were very heavy. Dolores had ordered barrels of different grain flour, so the robots started a circle around the inside rooms to keep the traffic flowing. Ron and Gus knew they would have a lot of food for three people for a year but they had no idea it would be this much. Dolores directed the robots exactly where to put the food in the pantry.
Gus got the plants and seeds in the conservatory and Tik came in to get the Ag workers started planting. She activated two more of the new Ag workers and had Auntie help her lay out work for all four. They wanted to get as many of the plants in the ground as they could before they had to take off into space. Wherever the catwalk was still in good enough shape to hold the hydroponic tanks, they set things up to start the plants growing in there. There were not enough plants to fill the conservatory but at least they were starting.
The next morning the trio sat at breakfast and talked over their plans for the day. Things were really shaping up and the last of the things they had ordered should be delivered before noon. Ron said that he wanted to go get the steel for the catwalks and check on the woodworker that Fu had found. Tik didn't want to leave the work going on in the conservatory and Gus felt he should stay to supervise getting the rest of the supplies loaded. After their morning workout with the edged weapons, Ron headed for the terminal building. He chatted with Fu for a few minutes as he waited for the driver and his vehicle. When the driver arrived, he headed to the steel place first. He ordered the steel he needed and set it up for them to deliver that afternoon. Next he headed to the woodworker and checked out the different wood samples. He ordered 100 bases which came in different sizes and shapes to mount the silver figures on. He also ordered two units of wood to be delivered in two days.
As he was getting ready to leave, he saw a flyer for a big sale at a machinery manufacturer. The manufacturer was just down the road, so Ron headed there. The manufacturer had a large inventory that hadn't sold because of the war. They needed to move it and Ron saw an opportunity for a planet that he remembered studying about on Auntie. He checked out the machinery and bought six of the units to be delivered the next day. Ron figured they had enough things to trade now. Unless they came across some other really good bargain, they were set. He broadcast to let Gus and Tik know what he had done. Gus broadcast back that with all the trade items they had been buying, they needed some more tie down netting and something they could use to anchor them.
Ron returned to the vehicle and asked the driver if he knew of a place that sold netting to secure a load during transportation. The driver thought he knew a place and called to make sure. The company had some and they were on sale because the military had ordered some and the manufacturer made too many. Ron told him to head for the company.
When they arrived, Ron went in to check out the netting. He found some that would work very well for what they had bought. The company was overstocked and had a very good deal on the netting. Ron bought a
ll they had and got an even better deal. He was looking around while the salesman checked on delivery and spotted a demonstration of a strange device. The salesman came back and told him it was used as an anchor point on any surface. The military had been interested in it but a competitor had started a rumor that it actually damaged the surface it attached to. The device was a cross between a suction cup and an electro-magnet. It had a lever you flipped and the device wouldn't move. The salesman had a video showing the device being attached to a surface and then vehicles were chained to it. They tried to pull it loose with no success. The video even showed a tracked vehicle similar to a bulldozer pulling on the device and not moving it. The device worked on even non-ferrous material because it actually bonded with the material it was stuck to. The salesman grabbed five of the devices and walked over to the wall. He stuck two of the devices to the wall and climbed up on them. He reached a little higher and placed another one. He climbed up and placed another. As he climbed back down, he easily removed each device. The salesman showed him a scientific study that said the devices didn't damage the surface they were attached to.
Ron asked how many of the devices they had on hand. The salesman replied that they had 5000 and could get more in about a week. Ron asked how much the devices cost and the salesman told him. Ron told him that was too much. The salesman asked how many he wanted to buy and Ron told him he would want several if the price was right. The salesman excused himself and went back to see his manager. The salesman came back with a more reasonable price. Ron countered with a lower offer and the salesman went back to his manager. When he came back, he said they would accept the offer. Ron said he would take all of the 5000 that they had on hand if they could deliver them and the netting later that day. The salesman said he would have them there by 4:00.
Ron knew he had bought way too much netting and too many of those devices but he had a hunch they could be good trading material. He told the driver to head back to the space port. As they were headed through the city, Ron spotted a small music store that had a 'going out of business' sign up. He told the driver to stop. The driver came in to see what type of instrument the space traveler would be interested in. Ron looked around and saw strange-looking keyboards, stringed instruments and several different types of horns. The keyboards not only made music but did a laser light show that could be programmed to the music or played as you went through the show. The driver was a musician during his off duty times so he told Ron a little about the different instruments and what they would do. He played for relaxation and once in awhile, he and his friends would do some concerts. The owner came over and Ron asked if he had any videos showing how to play the different instruments. The owner showed him the selection of instructional videos for all of the instruments in the store. Ron asked about replacement strings for the stringed instruments and reeds or other parts for the horns. The owner assured him that he had a sufficient stock for all of them.
Ron asked how many instruments he had left and the owner said he had almost 300 instruments left. Ron had a feeling that these could turn into trading items or at least eye candy that would impress someone on another planet. He pulled out three of the little trinkets and told the owner he would trade them for all of the instruments with instruction videos and replacement strings, reeds or whatever they needed. The other caveat would be that everything needed to be delivered tomorrow. The owner looked at the silver trinkets and asked for a moment to check something out. Word of the other trinkets had spread and the owner found an ad on the computer offering a huge sum for any of the trinkets. The owner came back to Ron and quickly accepted the offer. Ron asked if he could give him a reference, showing which video went with which instrument as well as a reference showing which replacements went with which instruments. The store owner said that would be no problem because he already had that on the computer. Ron gave the owner the trinkets and the owner gave him a receipt as he told him that he would have everything delivered by the next afternoon.
When they were back in the vehicle, the driver asked, "Sir, may I ask why you need so many instruments? Are you planning on some sort of band?"
"No. I don't play any of your instruments. I may learn some on long flights but my main reason is that they may become trade items on other planets. We are looking for different trade items that we may be able to trade on a regular basis."
Ron had the driver stop at another store so he could buy some of the video players. He knew that Auntie could soon figure out how to play any of the video formats but they might not have the same capability on other planets where he needed to trade the instruments. They had enough room in the vehicle, so he just loaded up the players right then.
When Ron got back to the space ship and told his partners what he had bought, they thought he was crazy.
"Who will be crazy enough to buy an alien instrument? How will they even know what it's supposed to sound like?" Tik asked
"Well, that's why we're called Traders. We have to convince them that these are valuable commodities. Just look at the trinkets. I traded three of them for almost 300 instruments, parts and instructions. What did they cost us?" Ron replied.
"Well, I guess that's so. Just don't expect me to be playing any of those things to sell them!" Tik declared.
"Me either!" Gus agreed.
"I wouldn't say that if I were you. You haven't even seen what they are. I'll bet Tik would be great on the keyboard that does the laser light show, too," Ron snorted.
"Laser light show? How does that work?" Tik asked suddenly intrigued.
"I have no idea but there will be an instructional video with it," Ron replied with a grin.
The netting and the anchors arrived and Ron had to demonstrate the anchors to the other two. They were commenting that this was something useful and you didn't have to learn to play it. Ron just warned them that they might have to eat their words someday. Gus quickly trained Tamu, as well as the other robots, on the anchors and how to use them. They re-fastened some of their cargo and Gus reported that it was a lot more secure, as well as much faster. Gus asked why they had so much netting and so many anchors. Ron replied that they could be trade items on some planets.
That night they started making plans for the next planet they wanted to head to. They decided to leave this galaxy to make them harder to track. There were several planets in this galaxy that would be good places to head to for trading but they all wanted to be able to head home without Bugs on their trail. This ship coming in could radio to other ships or to the Bugs and the hunt for them would intensify in a hurry. They finally decided on Fen Avholog in the Pancawarna galaxy as their next stop. Their economy looked like a good match for the robots and machinery Ron had just ordered, so they would be great trade items. They knew that the last of their orders would be delivered in two days, so they planned on leaving the following day. That would be the day the incoming space ship would be landing, so they would try to leave just after it landed. This would tell them if that ship was hunting them or was just coming in for trade.
Ron had inspected Auntie before they left the mother ship but he wanted to check things again. He remembered that the engine lining looked like it needed redoing. He wanted to check the next day to see if it had any further wear. They decided to have Dolores pick up another two-week supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in two days. They were getting used to good food and wanted to prolong it as much as possible. Gus would supervise loading the rest of the goods that would be arriving and Tik would start programming for the hyper-jump. They were going to fly by the remote detector and, as soon as they had it aboard, they were going to jump to hyper-space. If she had any spare time, she would continue with the conservatory.
They all had to go to the conservatory to see the changes that were happening. Trees, shrubs and bushes were scattered over about half of the floor space. New plants were growing in the hydroponic tanks and the stacks of compost sac
ks were disappearing into the soil. In a few weeks, there would be grass and flowers. Hopefully in about the same time frame, there would be some fresh vegetables from the hydroponics. They went to the lower level for weapons practice.
The next morning Ron called their driver and sent Dolores with him to the grocery wholesaler to buy the fresh fruits and vegetables. He gave her money and told her to get them delivered as soon as possible but no later than noon the next day. Tik was busy on the computer, plotting their course for Fen Avholog and Gus was outside working on the first delivery. The machinery that Ron had bought was heavier and bulkier than anything they had loaded before, so it was taking longer to get everything aboard. They were using the new anchor points and double-netting everything to make sure it didn't move during flight. After Ron was through with Dolores, he pulled out a small grav-sled and flew up to both engine exhausts. He carefully inspected the liners and saw that there was very little deterioration from their last flight. He would still feel more comfortable when they got new liners. He checked with Auntie to see what the tolerance was and she replied that as long as they didn't do a maximum burn for a long period of time, they were fine. Ron had just landed and was headed toward Gus to see how he was progressing when the alarm came.
Auntie and the remote detector had picked up the space ship at the same time. This ship had come out of hyper-space a lot closer to Europaische. It was even closer than the first space ship they had been tracking for the past few days. Auntie said at the speed this new ship was traveling, it would arrive on the planet late that afternoon. She said this ship was on a mission because it was really taking a chance jumping out of hyper-drive this close to the planet.
The trio was electrified. They knew that this new ship had something to do with them, but what? Tik was about through with her computations and couldn't make them happen any faster but Ron and Gus could hurry up the process of loading and they jumped in with a passion. Ron had Auntie relay to Dolores that they had to have the fresh fruits and vegetables within two hours or not at all. The only thing that was missing was the shipment of wood and the wooden bases. However; if they had to, Ron would arrange with Fu to store them here on the space port and they could pick them up later. Ron asked Auntie to see if she could catch Dolores and the driver before they passed the wood manufacturer. She did and he had her relay his request to pick up four of the wooden bases he had requested.
Dolores came back with the bases and reported that the fresh food would be delivered that afternoon. She rushed off to the galley to get everything ready for the delivery and to prepare lunch for them. Gus was loading the last of the machinery and was getting the robots to secure everything when Dolores called for lunch. Ron and Gus met Tik at the galley to eat and plan.
Auntie reported that the first space ship had sped up and would now land sometime that night. They still didn't know who the new ship was, so they were almost too worried to eat. Dolores was hovering and fussing as she urged them to eat, so they would be ready for action. She did manage to get a laugh out of them when she said she had a new broom and mop and she would gladly defend them if needed.
Tik had finished the hyper-space computations, so after lunch she went to the conservatory to make sure everything in there would be secure for flight by late that afternoon. Gus took the upper level and Ron took the middle level. They checked each room and the cargo bays to ensure that everything was ready for flight. The groceries came and Gus took charge of getting those inside. Ron went to the workshop and fitted four of the larger figures to the bases. They came out looking incredible. He had arranged for the driver to come back to settle up, so he grabbed two of the figures and walked into the terminal. Fu and the driver were standing there chatting when he walked in. He walked over and presented Fu with a small delicate looking bird figure and the driver with a wild-looking four legged animal that looked like it was in motion.
Both of them were flabbergasted and exclaimed, "Ron, you and the others don't owe us anything like this."
Ron told them, "You have went above and beyond while you were working for us and this is a gift for the friendship you have given to us. This is the silver we mined on the asteroid and I poured the figures myself from molds that were on the space ship."
Both men thanked him profusely and then Ron settled up with the driver for his time. He was about to head back out the door when he felt the vibration. He had not felt that before but somehow he knew that he was feeling a space ship land. Fu told him that the ship had maintained radio silence on the way in, so he had no idea who it was. Ron relayed the information to the other two and decided to stay there in the door to see what type of creature would come out of the ship. He didn't think he would be attacked right there in a public place with all kinds of witnesses.
Gus had just sent the last robot inside when he felt the vibrations. He hurried inside and closed all the doors except the small personnel door. He rushed to the cockpit to be able to see the ship as it came in. Tik had already beaten him to the window there. They both watched as the space ship slowly settled to the ground a hundred yards from Auntie.
This space ship was much smaller than Auntie. It would almost have fit in one of the cargo bays. The ship was smaller than the planetary flyers of the Bugs. It had a sleek, fast look. Auntie reported that she could see two live beings on her scanners and one of them was heading to an airlock. The airlock was on the other side of the ship from Auntie, so they had to wait until the being was out and had walked around the end of the space ship before they could see it.
Fu and the driver had been apprehensively watching Ron watch the space ship. When they saw him suddenly rush out the door, they feared the worst. They rushed to the door to see what he was going to do. Ron was running straight at the figure that had come around the corner of the space ship. As they watched, Gus and Tik came running out of Auntie. All three ran up and grabbed the being standing there. At first, Fu and the driver feared for the beings' safety and then they saw that the trio was excitedly greeting the being. They hugged it and shook its hands. Everyone was talking at once, so neither Fu nor the driver could make out anything. They realized that this was a joyous reunion, so they stepped back inside to give the group their privacy.
Ron knew the figure that stepped around the smaller space ship! It was Kota. He made it to him first but just barely. Gus and Tik were close behind. Everyone was trying to talk at once. The trio wanted to know how Kota had escaped and how had he arrived here. Kota wanted to know what had happened since they had made their escape. Finally, they decided to go into Auntie to hear all the stories. Tik asked about Kota's companion. Kota gave Tik a strange look before he replied that the pilot was securing the ship and then had to go pay the landing fees. Kota said they had spotted the space ship from Nodac-Liujia and his pilot didn't trust them. She wanted to seal the ship while they were gone and set the shields. Tik told Kota he could invite her over after she was done. He relayed the message over his comm unit as the group headed for Auntie. As they walked, Tik and Kota led the way. Ron noted that Kota was armed.
As they walked in, the trio made the decision to show Kota what they had opened. They would take him through the ship. They walked into the upper cargo bay and Kota stopped in his tracks. He was staring at the robots anchored there and the other cargo crowding the space around them.
"Wow. Where did those come from? Were they on the other part of the ship that was locked?" Kota asked in wonder.
"No, we just traded for them. Right after we escaped, we found an asteroid and set down on it. We harvested oxygen and water from an ice patch on it and then we found some silver. We mined it and did some trading here," Ron explained.
"That explains why we couldn't find you guys," Kota remarked.
"What do you mean, you couldn't find us?" Ron asked.
"About a week after you escaped, did you spot a space ship cruising toward the super blue-giant star?
" Kota answered his question with a question.
"Yes, we were on the asteroid and stayed put until it swung around the star away from that ship. We didn't have any idea who it was and we weren't going to take any chances. We got the fuel we needed and took what silver we could in that time and then took off. We zigzagged for a few days to mask our trail before we jumped here. Do you know what ship that was?" Ron answered.
"Yes, that was a Dar Es Salaam ship. They picked up the signal you sent and they were investigating. They weren't too far away, so they got there pretty quickly. They saw the trace of the mother ship and a short trail from that trail. Then your trace disappeared. When you attached onto the asteroid, you were moving a lot faster and they didn't even think to check it out," Kota replied.
"Well, how did you get off the mother ship and then get here in that ship?" Gus asked.
"That's a long story and my pilot is through with her precautions. She'll be here in just a couple of minutes and I'd like to show her some of the ship if it's alright with you guys. I would suggest that you lock Auntie and set shields. Those creatures in that incoming ship are not the best of neighbors and I would highly suggest that you take precautions," Kota stated firmly.
"Oh, the precautions are already taken care of. As soon as your pilot joins us, our shield will go up and only we three or an Alcantaran will be able to get in. If you don't believe that, just ask a Bug about getting through Auntie's shield. They tried for years with no success," Tik asserted.
"We'd be glad to show you and your pilot around. We've opened a lot more since the last time you were on board," Ron declared.
In just a short time, they heard a voice ask, "Permission to come aboard?"
"Come ahead. We're in the cargo bay here," Ron answered.
A tall creature that looked just like Kota; except that she was a few inches shorter and a shade darker purple, walked up to the group. She was looking around as she walked and Ron could see that she was staring in disbelief at all of the robots and other trade goods stacked on the cargo bay deck.
Kota grinned as he put his arm around her and announced, "This is the best pilot in the Dar Es Salaam fleet. Meet Zibo ao Te Kinabula. Zibo, this is Tik Michi, Ron Calvin, and Gusissi Ugde Ghaolh."
Tik caught on right away, "Is that Mrs. Kinabula?"
"Yes, she is my wife," Kota said with a shy grin.
"Were you married when we were on the mother ship?" Tik asked.
"Yes, we had only been married a short time when the Bugs kidnapped me. She has been on a mission to find me ever since. The Dar Es Salaam Traders backed her and provided that space ship. She had found some clues that the Bugs might have kidnapped me and she had been tracking and building a case when she got the message you sent. But I'm getting ahead of myself in the story…." Kota responded.
"Why don't we take you on the tour and then go to a comfortable place to catch up on all the stories. You guys can join us for supper. Do you know if your systems will handle the local food?" Ron invited.
"Yes, we checked as we came in and our database says that we can eat most of it. If there is something that will bother us, we'll just skip that part," Kota accepted the invitation.
The trio led them on a tour of Auntie. They only opened a few of the doors to give them an idea of what was in them. They went to the middle cargo bay where both Kota and Zibo were totally amazed. When they showed them the conservatory, Kota got very excited.
"What did you do with all of the dead plants that were in here?"
"Well, you're standing on a lot of it. Those Ag workers ground it up and worked it back into the soil. We had to add some composted material to get bacteria back into the soil. Everything had been shut down so long that it was sterile in here," Tik stated. She watched Kota's face fall in disappointment. "However, we did take samples of everything and put them into a sealed room until we can find someone who might be interested in them."
Kota's face immediately brightened as he eagerly exclaimed, "I know where that somebody is. Our scientists would love to get their hands on that stuff. Any of the other relics that you would be willing to part with, would be a great help also. What are you going to do with all of this stuff and with Auntie?"
The trio looked at each other and broadcast the go ahead to Tik who said, "We bought all of this to use for trade. We want to find our home planets as soon as possible but we also want to see if we can work trades. So far, with the little silver we mined, we think we have done pretty well….."
"Pretty well! You have done incredible. We have experienced Traders that would be hard pressed to even come close to what you have done," Zibo exclaimed.
Kota agreed and asked, "If you feel confident and are going to become Traders, where will you trade?"
"We only have the next planet picked out. We haven't really decided where we'll trade. We like the people here and would like to see them on a regular basis but we still want to get to our home planets before we really decide," Tik continued.
"You said you had another planet picked out. Will that be before or after you visit your home planets?" Zibo asked.
"Well, we were going to the other planet first. We were still trying to make sure the Bugs won't find us or threaten our planets. We don't want any more kidnap victims from our planets; especially, and we'd like to stop all of the kidnapping," Tik answered. "There's one other problem that Ron and Gus don't know yet. I've been doing some computer work, trying to find the route back to our planets and I've run into a problem. When I look for the galaxy Melpomene, the Milky Way or the Coddington's Nebula galaxy, I'm not finding them. Those are the local names we know them by but they are called something else in the Bug's database. It's going to take some time for me to retrace their path and put a time line to it so I can figure out what they call our galaxies. Once I have a name and location, I can plot a flight path."
Ron and Gus looked startled at the news. Neither one of them had ever considered the name problem. None of the trio was happy at the prospect of searching over a trillion galaxies to find their homes.
"Maybe I can be of help. Let's finish the tour and then we can discuss my solution," Kota said mysteriously.
The trio showed Kota and Zibo the rest of the middle level and then they went to the lower cargo bay. Kota was really excited about the boats and airplanes. Ron joked that Gus might have to carry him just like he did Tik with the situation room. When they showed them the room with the smelting pots and the molds, Kota was very interested again and asked, "How many molds are there and how many figures have you made?"
Gus told him, "We have made about 250 trinkets and 50 of the silver figures."
Kota asked, "What do you want for a complete set?"
Tik told him, "We'll gladly give you a set for helping us escape."
He protested and they dropped the subject for the time being. They showed them the lower situation room and the flight deck. Kota and Zibo both had to sit in the pilot's chair and feel the controls. Tik had Auntie put up the flight simulator and they both tried flying Auntie. They were delighted with the experience and thanked the trio. Two rooms they had deliberately skipped were the weapons room and the electronics room. They all agreed that they could tell the Dar Es Salaam couple about it later when they knew what Kota was up to.
When they went into the galley, Dolores was there and they introduced her. They told her to bring something to drink into their living quarters and to add two places for supper. Dolores was all excited and fell into gibberish twice as she asked about the Dar Es Salaam couple's diet and calorie intake. She announced that she had a special recipe that would meet everyone's dietary needs. She wheeled off to the kitchen as the group headed for the trio's living quarters.
They settled on the couches and chairs while Dolores brought drinks. After she left, Kota told his story. He had left his cell as soon as it had opened. He was working his way to the repair hangar but kept running into Bugs or c
rowds of other frightened creatures. It took a lot longer to get there than it normally did. One Bug had tried to stop him and he had smashed its head and took some of its tools and its stingerray. After he had the stingerray, the creatures gave way and let him through. When he got to the passageway for the hangar, one of the Bug's devices alerted him to the radiation. He back-tracked and worked his way to the other side of the repair hangar. There was radiation that way too, so he started checking doors on the same side of the mother ship as the repair hangar. He finally found one that was next to the storeroom where Tik had worked. It was a machine shop and he used some tools to cut a hole into the storeroom. He crawled in and then piled some heavy parts in front of the hole. He worked his way to the hangar but Auntie was already gone. He was in the storeroom when the mother ship jumped to hyper-space.
He was about ready to go back to his cell when a thought struck him. He looked into the hangar and saw his space suit still on the rack. He saw the disabled robots in front of the hangar doors, so he checked for any other doors into the storeroom. He found two and piled parts in front of them to keep them blocked. He returned to his suit and put it on, except for the helmet. He didn't think they would stay in hyper-space for long and he was right. In less than a day, they came out of hyper-space. He put on his helmet and started releasing the tractor beams to the damaged freighter. He flew a fliter to the freighter and landed in the cargo bay. There was still fuel left in the freighter, so he started closing everything up. It took almost a half a day but he got it closed up tight. He had taken one of the Bug's portable shields and he used that to block off the flight deck and some of the rooms close to the nose of the freighter; including a galley close to the cockpit. He started pumping air into the area and pressurized it. Then he released the tractor beams and gave the freighter a shove away from the mother ship.
He just drifted until he could see if the Bugs noticed the freighter was missing. The mother ship picked up speed to make a swing around a star. They were trying to get turned around to make a jump back to where Auntie had left. After the mother ship was gone for a day, Kota fired the engines and headed for an inhabited planet in the star's system. He broadcast his message and Zibo; who wasn't far away, picked it up. She really lit up the engines getting to his location. He was glad she did because the mother ship had spotted him when he fired his engines and sent a couple of the planetary flyers back. Since the freighter was damaged, Kota couldn't push it too fast and the flyers were gaining. He figured he had less than half a day and they would catch up to him. Zibo popped out of hyper-space between them. He radioed that he was in the damaged freighter and the ships behind were going to make trouble for him. Kota explained that their ship had some armament that discouraged the Bug ships. When Zibo went ripping right at them and announced that she intended to blow them into the next galaxy, the Bug ships turned tail and ran for the mother ship.
Kota parked the freighter in orbit around the planet and transferred to Zibo's space ship. They radioed the Charter Alliance Navy and reported the kidnappings to them. The Navy quickly came to the area but the mother ship had already jumped into hyper-space. They gave chase; but so far, Kota and Zibo hadn't heard what the Navy had found. Kota and Zibo were claiming the damaged freighter as salvage. They had checked and, with some help from the Dar Es Salaam Traders, it could be repaired. For a portion of the profits for the next few years, the Traders would repair the freighter and set them up in business. There was still enough freight on the freighter to help pay for a lot of the repairs but they were going to use most of that for operating capital.
The trio from Auntie congratulated Kota and Zibo on their good fortune. Ron then told them the story of getting the water, oxygen and the silver. He explained about making the ingots and figures and of their experiences with the driver and the Fu family. Kota was nodding in approval and chuckling. When they told about Dolores attacking the thugs, they all laughed again. The trio was still holding back on some of the discoveries they had made on Auntie. They wanted to hear what Kota had to say and they were wondering if they would be able to keep Auntie.
Dolores came to announce that supper was ready and the group headed to the galley. As they were walking down the passageway, the aroma of the food permeated the air. The trio knew they would have a fabulous meal and they could see Kota and Zibo were starting to get that idea. The meal was all that Dolores said it would be and she fussed to make sure everybody had plenty to drink and eat. Kota and Zibo were really impressed at her expertise and dedication. They commented on this several times during the meal. Gus was the first to broadcast the idea of buying a chef for them as a present. Ron and Tik both thought it would be a good idea. They had a wonderful evening telling stories and enjoying the meal. During the meal, Auntie privately alerted the trio to the fact that the other space ship had landed and was parked about 400 yards from them. Ron told her to announce it over the speakers, so their guests would know also.
When they were through eating, they moved back to the living quarters. Tik walked to a computer station and told Auntie to put the outside view up on the screens. Dolores brought them an after-dinner tea. It was a special herbal tea that really topped off the meal. Kota got a thoughtful look and started telling the real reason they were there.
Kota said, "When you broadcast the message, we had several Traders alerted to keep a lookout for you. We were able to triangulate where you had broadcast from and we hot-footed it here. Let me ask a few questions and then, like I mentioned before, I might have a solution to some of your problems. First, I noticed that you had a pretty good selection of merchandise to trade. Did you pick it for a certain planet or did you just get a good buy?"
"Some of it was for the next planet we picked. We are looking at going to Fen Avholog in the Pancawarna galaxy. We thought about visiting some of the planets in this galaxy but we are still in the escape mode. We will not go back to the Bugs!" Ron answered determinedly.
"I can understand that. Do you plan to trade independently or would you affiliate with an established group? What will you do for back-up if you run into trouble with the Bugs or even local groups on a planet?" Kota asked.
"We didn't even know that you could affiliate with a group. We were just trying to trade to make sure we had food. We were set pretty good for water and air, so we thought we would try trading. We want to get back to our home planets but we kind of like this space travel and we have enjoyed trading on this planet. If things are a little tighter, can we still make good trades? That is the question we still need answered," Ron voiced the trio's concerns and needs.
"I was sent here to see if you wanted to sell Auntie and get a ride back to your home planets. Now that I've talked to you and felt your passion for her, I have my answer. You won't sell unless you completely fall on your face and can't find any other way to earn money with Auntie. I'm not authorized to offer you a deal but I think Zibo and I can twist enough arms to pull it off. My uncle was on Earth not very long ago and now has exclusive trade rights for most of the goods from there. I can get the coordinates from him for Ron's planet. We could pass information about your planets and galaxies around to the Trader Alliance. They would be able to narrow down Gus' and Tik's planets, which would help you find your planets a lot quicker."
"The other thing to consider would be affiliation. I'd like to propose that you affiliate with the Dar Es Salaam Traders. We have a code of ethics and a Charter that lays down the rules for trading. I saw how you operated on the mother ship and I know that you would have no problem following the ethics rules. I didn't see anything here that looked like it would violate any of the Charter rules, so I'm pretty sure we can swing a deal for affiliation. Our scientists would love to study a lot of the things on this ship. They would gladly pay for the privilege of studying, which could help subsidize your trading. Would you consider accepting our help and joining us as an affiliate?" Kota said.
/> "Yes, please, do join us. I'll work with Kota on the details and I'm sure we can work something out. We owe you so much for getting Kota out of that mother ship and now we'd like a chance to repay," Zibo declared.
The trio didn't know what to think. They were busy broadcasting between themselves but didn't want to not answer. They agreed Ron should buy them some time.
"Wow. We don't know what to say. We're not against joining you but we'd like to see your Charter and your ethic rules. In the back of our minds, we had the idea to use Auntie to open our planets to space trade. We wanted to offer the chance for others on our planets to join us if it looked profitable and possible. We would definitely accept your offer of help finding our planets. We need a few days to think the rest of it over and to even find intelligent questions to ask. We were scheduled to take off day after tomorrow. Could we have that long to formulate some questions and kick this around between us? We are partners, so we need to discuss it," Ron hedged.
"That would be fine. We don't have a set schedule. We didn't know how long it would take us to catch up. You definitely covered your tracks after leaving the mother ship, so no one had any idea where you had disappeared to. Maybe Zibo and I can take a little vacation here while we wait," Kota responded.
"One question we have right now is, what would the Charter Alliance do if the Bugs claim that we stole Auntie and they want her back?" Ron asked.
"They would have to prove that they had found her in space. Then they would have to prove that they were actually trying to get her space worthy or salvaging her. I don't know how much documentation they did with their research but; from what I've seen of their methods, they don't like to share any information," Zibo stated. "If they don't share information, then it's their word against yours. You have the space ship and are flying it, so that won't look good to a court."
"Well, thanks for the meal and the stories. We need to get back to our ship. Don't forget to make sure everything is secure from the visitors over there," Kota said as he pointed to the other space ship on the viewing screen. "We'll talk some more tomorrow and if you have any questions, we'll try to answer them. I'll bring over copies of the Charter and ethic rules."
The trio escorted the two Traders to the rear door and waved good-bye. Tik directed Auntie to let them out of the shield. They watched until the two were inside their own shield. Then they headed back to the living quarters for a council of war.
"Ron, if I had the coordinates for your planet, I could find the path back to mine. If I had my planet's coordinates, I could find your planet, Gus," Tik began eagerly.
"I'm all for accepting their help locating our planets. The big question right now, is whether we are going to continue trading?" Ron asked.
Gus agreed, "I vote to accept their help finding our planets. I also like the work we have done so far in this trading business. It feels good to know that we mined that silver ourselves under a lot of pressure and then picked the right planet to trade it off on. I thought we had done pretty well with the trades but from the sounds of Kota and Zibo, they think we did a lot better than that. Can we do it again? How much will we get for this stuff we bought?"
"That's the big question. I think we need to stick with our original plan. Let's pick another planet, then let's go to Fen Avholog and make what trades we can. Once we're through with the second planet, we can make up our minds. We should be able to tell if we are cut out to be traders by then. Maybe we could do a conditional affiliation while we decide if we want to trade. By the time we get through with the second planet, we should have coordinates for Earth and that could be our next stop," Tik expressed her view.
Ron said thoughtfully, "I want to see what the Charter says about us taking partners from our planets to establish trade. If Kota's uncle has the trade rights with Earth, where does that leave us? Another question is what does it cost to join the Charter Alliance? How much do you pay? Do you pay per trade? Per year? We need some of these questions answered before I'd vote for even a conditional affiliation."
"What do you suggest?" Gus asked.
"Let's finish loading our goods tomorrow. The last of the lumber should be here in the morning. Then let's do our trades with the next two planets and evaluate where we are then. We'll pick the next planet tonight and see if Kota and Zibo can meet us there for a decision. Maybe we could ask Kota to be a personal backup and skip the conditional affiliation for now. Do we still want to do something for Kota? I think he helped us more than we helped him."
Tik replied, "I say get him a robot chef. It doesn't cost us that much in silver and I agree with you."
"Go for it. They both really enjoyed the food and kept commenting about it," Gus added.
"OK, tomorrow while you're loading, I'll go to town and buy a robot. I'll bet the driver's friend can find one on pretty short notice. I might just go into the terminal right now to call the driver to see if he can get in touch with his friend," Ron said.
"We'll start researching a planet that looks like a likely place to trade for what we have and the projected goods from Fen Avholog," Tik responded.
Ron went into the terminal and called the driver. The driver was sure his friend could find another robot chef. He would be out first thing in the morning to pick Ron up unless his friend couldn't find anything. It was dark when Ron stepped outside and the few lights around the outside of the space port didn't light up the areas around the space ships very much. As he started to head for Auntie, he thought he saw movement between Auntie and Kota's ship. He didn't see anything as he walked out closer but he asked Auntie if she saw anything. She reported that one of the creatures from the far space ship had tried to get to the personnel door but the shield kept him away. He was currently hiding on the other side of Kota's ship. Ron was fully alert now and watching all around. He made it to the shield with no further movement and headed inside. He walked to the situation room where Gus and Tik were studying several planets. They had them on the view screens and were comparing goods that the Bugs had traded to them and what they traded for. Ron told them what he had seen and what Auntie had reported. Tik was all for going out and teaching the scum a lesson. Ron and Gus calmed her down by saying that they wanted to leave in two days. They pointed out that any kind of inquiry would likely take a week or more and that would leave them here to face more trouble from the other space ship. Tik conceded and said she would let it pass for now.
They finally decided to go to Aspasia409 for the second planet. It was in the same galaxy as Fen Avholog, so it would change their travel pattern. They were avoiding Bugs but they were becoming more confident about their abilities to protect themselves. It wouldn't be long until they would thumb their noses at the Bugs and go where they wanted, when they wanted. They noticed that Fen Avholog was a jungle planet and the Bugs had traded for a small amount of spices. The Bugs didn't use them and only took them to complete a deal. The spices had been very popular on Aspasia409 but the Bugs hadn't followed through, because they thought it was a fluke. The trio made a note to try for the spices when they traded. Tomorrow they would check their silver stores to see how much they had used and then they would make serious preparations for taking off.