Chapter 3
Ron took up the narrative at this point. The Bugs kind of herded him into the cell. He saw a giant sand man lying on the bunk on the right side and a small furry canine creature that looked like it had the mange or something worse on the other side. The small furry creature snarled, growled and whined at him and the giant sand man moved to a sitting position and muttered some low guttural sound. The two were making some kind of hand signals back and forth and Ron wondered if they were doing some kind of sign language.
Thanks to the translator, Ron knew what both of them had said. The small furry creature said, "Hello there. What do you have wrong that condemns you to this flying Hell?" The sand giant was muttering, "Little creature, don't lose your temper. This creature may not be bad and maybe it can help us."
The two on the bunks were looking at a type of creature neither had ever seen before which walked on two legs. It had blue eyes set in a softer rounder face than the Sandghosts and its arms and legs looked fairly muscular. It was smaller than the Sandghost standing only six feet tall but it moved much easier than the Sandghost. It had reddish hair that was gray on the sides. It also had a short gray beard.
He waved what he hoped was a friendly wave as he stood, trying to decide what to do. He didn't try to speak because he didn't know if the translator would make his words into their language. The small furry creature looked like it had something that might be catching so Ron decided to sleep in the bunk above the sand giant. He slowly and cautiously approached the bunk and took off his tool pouch. He put the tool pouch on the bunk and then climbed up. He was still a little stiff from the stingerray and being 60 years old didn't help his agility. He hoped he didn't look too undignified climbing into the top bunk.
Ron really wanted to pull out his two new-found items and study them. He didn't know what the other two would do so he just waited. The small furry creature pulled out a small box and started working with it. Suddenly a 3-D image of the mother ship appeared. The small creature magnified the image and traced passageways to what appeared to be some type of hangar with smaller space ships. Ron recognized the one that had brought him here.
He couldn't help himself as he shouted, "That's the space ship that brought me here."
Both creatures jumped like he had hit them with an electric prod.
The small creature excitedly asked, "What did you say? How do you know how to speak my language?"
The larger creature was talking at the same time, "You know my language? How is this possible?"
Ron was surprised but saw the cat was out of the bag. He jumped down and faced the two creatures before he said, "Hi, my name is Ron Calvin. I was captured on Earth and brought here against my will. I stole a small unit from those robed vermin that lets me understand your language. I didn't know if it would translate mine. I know it lets me understand the robed creatures."
Both of the creatures tried to speak at the same time. Ron finally had to hold up his hand for silence and then beckoned to the large creature.
"Greetings gentle master Ron Calvin, my name is Gusissi Ugde Ghaolh and I was kidnapped from Prokne. I don't know what this other creature's name is because we haven't been able to establish any communications except basic sign language," the sand creature stated.
"I don't know if I can do justice to your name. Could I call you Gus? Please call me Ron," greeted him as he turned to the small furry creature.
"Ron, my name is Tik Michi; I'm a Mis'stear from Vesta IV. I was working on one of the Bugs planetary flyers when they just took off with me. I'm sure they didn't pay my company for my services either. What kind of health problems do you have to be assigned here?" Tik rattled quickly.
"I'm a diabetic and I need insulin every day. Who are the Bugs?" Ron asked.
"Those robed vermin that kidnapped all of us. They are Challekan Traders of Elgebar V but everyone just calls them Bugs. If you ever see under that robe they are a giant insect. We have some on Vesta IV that are a lot smaller but they infest our sewer system and your abode if you don't keep watch for them," Tik responded with disgust.
"They sound like our cockroaches," Ron said. "Why did you ask if I have health problems?"
"Everyone that lands in this area has some kind of health problem that the Bugs can't fix or don't want to spend the money on. They just use the poor creatures until they can't do anything more or they die," Tik stated peevishly.
Gus asked, "Can you understand what the small creature is saying? What has she been saying?"
"I can understand both of you and evidently you both can understand me. Gus, let me introduce Tik Michi from Vesta IV. She is a Mis'stear and tells me that everyone here has health problems that usually end in death. Do you have health problems?" Ron translated.
"Yes. I don't know what's wrong with me but I get weak even when I eat everything the Bugs have prepared. If I get to work on dusty space ships or equipment, I feel better for a day or two. I haven't worked on anything dusty for four days now so I'm feeling pretty low. How is it possible you know my language?"
Ron told Tik what Gus had said and then answered, "When I was kidnapped, I wasn't fully knocked out and I resisted enough to fall on one of the Bugs that was wearing a cape as well as its robe. The cape had two small devices tucked in pockets on the inside. I hid them in my boots and after the translator touched my skin, I felt a mild tingle like a slight electric shock on my shin. After that I could understand what the Bugs were saying and I could read the things posted by the door. I understood both of you when I walked in but I wasn't sure I could talk to you."
Gus cheerfully remarked, "It sure is good to hear my language from someone besides a Bug. I didn't realize how much I missed it until you started talking."
Ron translated for Tik and she agreed. Ron asked Tik, "What was that thing you were looking at? It looked like a diagram of this space ship and that one I pointed out was definitely the one that flew to Earth."
Tik replied, "This is my personal mini-computer. All the Mis'stear kids get them at a young age. I've had several that I wore out. I found out how to tap into the mother ship computer and I have been searching for a way to get off this ship. I'd made up my mind to do something to destroy this ship if it looked like I would die before I got off. I don't want the Bugs to kidnap any more hapless victims."
Gus wanted to know what she had said so Ron said, "Gus come over here and touch this thing. Let's see if it will translate for you."
Gus lumbered over and reached out one finger tentatively. As soon as he touched it, he jumped and jerked back. Ron and Tik had both been bit by electricity and knew the reaction. They both chuckled and Gus tried again. This time the shock was less and he held his huge finger on the unit.
Gus said, "Wow! I wasn't expecting anything like that. How do we know if it works?"
Ron looked at Tik as she said, "It works alright. I understand what you are saying. I don't understand how though, because I don't hear everything you are saying. Part of it is just inside my head."
Ron said, "I noticed that also. When you are touching this, I can understand more of the meaning of your words. It's almost like I learned your language instead of having it translated for me."
Tik struggled to sit up and said, "I want to try it. Could you bring it over here please?"
Ron walked over and sat down on her bunk. He held the translator out for her to touch. Tik was too tired to jump like Gus had but Ron could see she felt a tingle too.
"Well Gus, can you understand me and feel me in your head?" Tik asked.
"Yes to both questions," Gus replied.
Ron commented excitedly, "I don't feel Gus in my head like I did when he was touching the translator. There must be something it does. I want to try something, Tik. I am going to think something, see if you hear it."
Ron concentrated and thought, "I want off this ship and I want to make those Bugs pay for all the indignities I have suffer
ed."
Tik said, "You want off this ship and you want something from the Bugs. I didn't completely understand everything."
Ron said, "I'm going to take my hand off and see if you can still hear what I think."
He concentrated again and shortly Tik said, "I didn't understand but I could feel some hazy ideas. I have to stop now. Doing that seems to drain me like I did a hard days work."
Ron said, "Yeah, I feel the strain too. Maybe after we do it a while, it won't affect us so much. Gus, try it to see if it has the same effect on you."
Gus touched the translator and concentrated. Ron said, "You are glad that you can talk to someone now. You'd like to get off this ship too."
Tik said, "Could I look at the translator and the other unit you have?"
Ron held out the translator and dug the other unit out of his boot. Tik was turning both of them over and peering closely at them. She studied them for several minutes without saying anything and then she handed them back to Ron.
She said, "Both of these units look like they are Alcantaran relics. See the faint tracing on the back and it looks like some kind of language. I wish we had a microscope to get a closer look. I think that second unit is a healer. It looks like the energy charge is gone. I'd be curious to see what would happen if we could charge it. I wonder how we could do that."
Ron reached into his tool pouch and pulled out a small object. He unfolded it and Tik saw that it was a magnifying glass. Ron offered it to her and she studied the healer closer. Ron touched her with the translator and all of the sudden Tik got excited.
She said, "I see the writing and I know what it says. It tells how to hook up and put a charge in. Tomorrow I could charge it up when I go to work. Maybe it could tell us what is wrong with me and Gus. It might even have a solution for our health problems."
Ron saw her tool bag and told her to put it in there if she thought she would be able to protect it. Tik said she would make sure it stayed safe.
Gus came over to the bunk and sat on the floor. All three touched the translator and Ron asked Tik to turn her mini-computer back on. They discussed what Tik and Gus knew about the mother ship and the planetary flyers. Tik said the flyers were too small to make an extended galactic flight. Tik pulled up the inbound hangar and they saw two space ships that might fit their need to take them to their home planets. Tik said she would research more on those ships tomorrow but she was worried about how long it would take to get them ready to fly and how much fuel they might have. Gus asked about the old relic that was sitting in the repair hangar. Tik said a few words to the computer and it brought up an image of the ancient looking ship.
Tik talked again and the computer provided details about the ship. It was an Alcantaran ship that the Bugs found in a distant galaxy when they were exploring new territory to trade in. Their habit of kidnapping inhabitants of planets soon drove them out of certain sectors of a lot of galaxies. The Bugs had found the ancient ship just floating in space with no sign of life on board. They had studied the ship for years but had no clue what had happened to the beings on board the ship. They had no clue even what they looked like. They could have gotten a huge sum of credits by selling the ship to some of the more advanced planets but the Bugs were hoping to discover other Alcantaran planets or ships. They would work on the ancient ship for awhile and then let it sit for months. Some of the computers and other equipment had been removed for study and were stored in the middle of the mother ship. There was a whole section of the ship that had never been opened. The Bugs had tried all kinds of tools and methods but couldn't get it open. According to the records, the Bugs didn't even know if the ancient ship would still fly. They decided they would try for the two space ships in the inbound hangar. They would start studying ways to make sure they had fuel, food and water aboard. Then they would pick a date and plan on escaping.
Tik was getting very tired, so the trio quit for the night to get some rest. Tik and Gus explained that a bell would ring in the morning and they needed to be ready to go eat and go to work. Both wondered what the Bugs would have Ron do. They decided to have Ron try the thought transfer and see how far it would reach.
Tik and Gus lay down and went right to sleep. Ron lay awake wondering at the events that had already taken place. He tossed and turned with sleep coming late in the night. Every noise brought him awake, so by the time the bell went off, he was ready to get up. He felt tired and wondered what his blood sugar was doing. He knew that he would need some insulin shortly but maybe the healer unit could do something. All it needed was for Tik to get it recharged tomorrow.
The bell went off and Gus showed Ron where the water and waste disposal were. Ron washed his face and got ready for the day. Tik was a little better but still looked weak and awful. Gus was worried and it showed on his face. The two had only been together a short time but they had bonded through their shared experiences and hatred of the Bugs. When they were ready, Gus grabbed Tik's tool bag and Ron reached down and picked her up.
Tik quickly protested, "I'm not a child that needs to be carried. I can walk!"
"I know you can but I want you to have all your strength so you can get that healer charged up. You need it and I suspect I'll need it shortly. Gus looks like he could use a shot of it too, so just relax and start planning how you're going to get that charged," Ron ordered as he ignored her protest.
Gus grinned at the exchange and said he agreed. The door swung open and Ron followed Gus out into the passage. He was trying to look around and take in every detail as they walked. When they entered the dining hall, Gus showed him the procedure for food. Ron took his and Tik's over to the table.
When he opened his, he muttered, "I can eat almost anything that doesn't bite me first and even then, given an even break, I'll eat what bites me. This slop is worse than liver and onions with a topping of boiled turnips. I really want to get even with those Bugs now."
The other two almost choked as they tried to hold their laughter and not bring notice to their group. Ron forced himself to eat but he definitely didn't like it. As soon as they were through, Wurden moved them to the repair hangar. He wasn't aware that Ron could understand him because he was muttering to himself.
"I don't know why they saddle me with a new beast. How am I supposed to know what it can do? I wonder how sick it is and how long before it dies. There'll be complaints because my production drops while I try to find work for the beast and then train it to do it. The other beast in its cell looks like it could die at any time. That's a shame because it is a whiz at classifying parts and finding the right part for the repair technicians."
Wurden continued to mutter to himself all the way to the repair hangar. Ron almost wanted to laugh at some of his ranting. The other creatures including Gus dropped off at their work stations. Ron just kept walking and carried Tik over to her work counter. He set her gently on the counter and then waited for the Bug.
Wurden glided up on his disk and asked, "What do you think you are doing? Why are you carrying that beast?"
"Well I just thought I would help her out. She sprained her ankle last night and it hurt her to walk, so I just carried her. Any problems with that?" Ron answered sarcastically.
"How did you know it hurt her to walk?" Wurden demanded suspiciously.
"Why just watch her walk. She limps like crazy," Ron smarted back.
Tik walked across the counter toward her chair. She limped on one hind leg and it took her a long time getting to the chair. After she sat down, she turned to Ron. She had a grin on her face and winked at him.
Wurden didn't know what to do. He had never had any beast so cocky and defiant. He beckoned for Ron to follow and he took him to the middle of the hangar.
He asked, "What skills do you have? Why were you picked from your planet?"
Ron replied, "I think it was because I'm so good looking."
"What?"
"Yeah, I had to
watch that on Earth all the time. The women thought I was some kind of movie star," Ron continued pulling the Bug's leg.
"What are you talking about? I just need to know what your skills are," Wurden demanded peevishly.
"Well, I can weld, do electrical and fix most machines. I'd like the highest paying position that's available. What are your starting wages and do I have to join the union?" Ron asked innocently.
"What are you talking about? We pay when we know that you are a valuable beast. At our discretion, we will allow you to earn passage back to the planet you came from. I have no idea what a union is." Wurden exasperatedly snapped. "Come over here and we'll see how you do fixing the engines on those space ships."
Wurden led Ron to a planetary flyer and showed him the engine that needed to be repaired. He showed him how to use the computer to see the illustrated parts break down and the operator's manual. Ron studied the computer for about a half hour and then slowly climbed up to look at the engine. He saw a small hole in the outer skin of the engine but pretended he didn't. He looked inside and saw a small tube that was smashed and a wire broken. He looked around inside the engine for awhile and then he slowly climbed down and went back to the computer. He studied the computer again and then slowly climbed back up to the engine. Ron did this two more times, wasting at least three hours. Wurden was watching him the whole time and muttering under his breath.
Ron waved Wurden over and asked, "What exactly is the problem with this engine? I didn't see anything on the computer that detailed the problems the pilot was having."
Wurden exasperatedly exclaimed, "It was right there in the computer. Are you sure you know how to fix machinery?"
"Well, this machinery is considerably different than what I'm used to working on but I'm sure I can pick it up after while. I just need to go back to the computer to look up a couple of things again."
Wurden snapped, "Why don't you bring the hand held computer unit right up here so you don't have to waste time going up and down?"
"You didn't tell me anything about a hand held computer. That would definitely make life a lot easier. By the way, how do you get parts?" Ron asked. "I'll be right back as soon as I get that hand held computer."
Wurden fairly growled, "Stay right where you are. I'll go get it and then I can show you how to get parts."
He quickly glided down to the work station and got the hand held computer. When he got back, he demonstrated how to use it and how to order parts. He explained that a messenger robot would bring the part to him. Ron decided to test the system to see how efficient it really was. He ordered the smashed tube, a muffler bearing and double-weight head light fluid. From his vantage point on the engine, he could see Tik at the counter. He heard her squeal from across the hangar as she started in about muffler bearings and double-weight head light fluid. Suddenly she looked over at him and he waved with a big grin. He concentrated and thought 'just send any parts'. Her loud complaining didn't stop so he didn't know if she had received the message or not.
Shortly a messenger robot came with three parts. Ron knew that at least some of the thought transfer worked. He picked up the tube and replaced the smashed tube on the engine. He had to go back to the work station to find the items he needed to make a permanent repair to the wire. As soon as he was done, he used the hand held computer to run a diagnostic check on the engine. He saw that everything was satisfactory but far from optimum. He debated for a few seconds and decided to adjust it for max performance. He was curious to see if it affected the handling of the planetary flyer. He didn't know for sure but suspected the other engine needed to be adjusted to balance the system out. He wondered how many other systems were in the same shape. He knew the space ship in which he hoped to leave the mother ship would have everything adjusted to perfection. He wanted every edge for survival he could get. He took the two extra parts and stowed them at the work station. He would find some use for them later or would get them back to Tik to put back into the inventory.
Wurden was watching and as Ron slowly climbed back down, he glided over. He haughtily asked, "Are you through? What were you doing with the computer there at the last?"
Ron replied, "I needed to see how the muffler bearings were doing. I think they improved the engines performance."
"I see and how do you know about muffler bearings? Our civilization is far advanced compared to yours." Wurden stated officiously.
Ron quipped right back, "You might be more advanced but we invented muffler bearings and have some of the best in the galaxy. Do I take the ship out to test fire the engine?"
Wurden pulled out a personal computer and made notes in it. He was passing information to the mother ship computer. The Bugs were always looking for little items like the best muffler bearings in the galaxy. They would trade for them or steal the idea and make it themselves if they could. Wurden replied in his superior voice, "You will do no such thing. We have competent pilots who will check everything out when the rest of the repairs are made. Come, I will show you your next task."
Ron followed and Wurden assigned him to his next task. Ron found out the translator really helped him to understand the manuals for the different equipment. He could have blazed through a lot of fixes but he deliberately worked at a very slow pace. Finally Wurden started lining everyone up to walk back to the dining hall.
Ron quietly asked Tik, "Did you get the healer recharged? Do you think it will work?
Tik murmured quietly back, "I got it charged. We'll have to take a look tonight back in the cell."
Ron rushed through with his meal -- mostly because he wanted to get back to the cell but also because if he ate fast, he didn't taste as much of the meal. After what seemed like an eternity, the group lined up to head to their cells. As soon as the door closed, Tik had to try it. It was locked as usual so she went to her bunk.
Tik pulled the healer unit out of her bag and a part of a Bugs arm fell out. She disgustedly kicked it off her bunk and said, "I forgot about that being in my bag. Here's the stingerray also." She pulled the stingerray out and two more parts of Bug arm.
Gus came over to her bunk and took the arm parts. He carried them to the waste disposal and shoved them down in it. He watched them disappeared. He came back to the bunk and picked up the stingerray and asked, "What are we going to do with this? Tik, do you know how it works?"
Tik said, "I don't know. Give it to Ron to see if he can figure it out with the translator."
Ron took the stingerray and examined it closely. He saw three different buttons but had no idea what they were for. They appeared to be adjustments for something but he was afraid to make any adjustments until he had an idea what the adjustments did. He laid the stingerray back on the bunk.
Ron touched Tik with the translator and said, "For right now let's see if the healer works. I feel like my blood sugar is dropping."
Tik examined the unit and pressed a couple of buttons. Small lights winked on and blinked several times before becoming a steady green. She pressed the unit to Ron's arm and pressed another button. There was a quiet whine and buzz before the unit went silent. The green lights slowly blinked on and off. In a couple of minutes there was a quiet voice that said Ron's insulin cells were abnormal and right now his blood sugar was low. The unit also said there was foreign substance in his stomach. The unit asked to be put back on his arm. Tik complied and the unit said to push two more buttons. Tik pushed the buttons and Ron felt something on his arm. It wasn't quite a tingle but he knew something was happening. A warm feeling ran up his arm and down to his abdomen. In a few minutes the unit chimed quietly and said the body healing was complete. The foreign substance would be eliminated tomorrow. The lights went back to a steady green.
Tik asked, "How do you feel? Did it do anything?"
Ron replied, "I felt something but I don't know what. A warm feeling went up my arm and then back down to my gut. I think I am feeling bett
er because I don't have the warning signals I usually look for when my blood sugar is low. I knew the food here was bad for you. The unit as much as said I was being poisoned. Now try it on yourself."
Ron smoothed a patch of fur and placed the unit on Tik. She told him which buttons to push and the lights blinked again. The unit made noises for considerably longer before the lights went to a steady green. The unit said that Tik was starving. Her system wasn't digesting the food in her stomach. It also said she had a large amount of foreign substance undigested in her stomach. The unit told which buttons to push and Ron pushed them. Tik felt something because she started and moaned a little. The unit took almost 15 minutes before it chimed and returned to the steady green. Tik appeared to be asleep so Ron gently removed the unit.
Gus whispered, "Did it help you? It looks like it did something for Tik. What was it saying?"
Ron replied in a whisper, "I think it helped me and it did something for Tik. We'll see tomorrow how much good it did. The unit was telling what it found and also that both of us had some foreign substance in our stomachs."
He motioned for Gus to move over so he could be next. Gus sat on the floor and Ron placed the unit on his back between the harness straps. He pressed the diagnostic buttons and the unit did its thing. The unit said that Gus was short on critical vitamins and minerals. It also said he had an undigested foreign substance in his system. Ron pushed the buttons and the machine started on Gus. After about 10 minutes the unit chimed and the lights went to green. Ron accidently touched another button as he took the unit off Gus. The unit said it would recommend that the patient be in contact with sand or dust for at least 15 minutes each day or two hours a week. It said this patient absorbed some of its critical vitamins and minerals through its skin. It said the previous patient needed to have a very strong dose of ultra-violet rays every day for the next month and then needed the UV treatment at least once a week. The patient's system couldn't digest food properly without the UV rays.
Ron and Gus moved back to their bunk and whispered quietly. They were trying to figure out how to get a UV light for Tik and where to install it. They finally decided the work counter would be the best place. They decided to wait until in the morning to ask Tik if she could order something through the mother ship computer. Maybe she could complain about bacteria on the used parts crossing the counter and needed the UV light to kill them.
Ron pulled the cape out of his tool pouch and examined it thoroughly. He noticed some almost hidden buttons next to the hood. Gus was curiously watching as Ron laid the cape across his lap. Ron pushed one of the buttons and poof! His legs and the cape disappeared! Gus almost jumped off the bunk and yelled. Just in time he remembered their sleeping cell mate. Ron touched his legs and could still feel them. He could still feel the touch also, so he knew that his legs were still there. Ron felt around and found the hood on the cape. He picked it up and held it against the bunk. His legs appeared and the bunk disappeared. He held it up toward Gus. Gus kind of shied away from the cape but Ron saw that the parts of Gus covered by the cape disappeared. It looked rather funny seeing the top half of Gus, no middle and then the legs and feet just appeared.
Gus urgently whispered, "What in the world is that? How did your legs disappear and then reappear? Why are you grinning?"
"It's the cape. I could feel my legs under it but neither of us could see my legs. Just now I was holding it up and your middle disappeared. You looked funny with a top, no middle and legs appearing out of nowhere. I wonder if this is another relic of the Alcantarans," Ron answered as he stood up and swung the cape around his shoulders.
Ron's head was floating above his feet and legs but there was nothing in the middle. Gus grinned because he could now see what Ron meant about looking funny. He gingerly reached one of his huge fingers toward the middle. He touched something right where Ron's mid-section should be. There was nothing showing there but he could feel something.
"This could be another tool to help us escape. The only problem is that it won't cover you or me completely. I guess we'll have to find something to stand behind to cover the rest," Ron said as he returned Gus' grin.
Gus said, "It definitely won't cover much of me. About the only one it will completely cover will be Tik. How do you think we will be able to use it?"
"Right now I have no idea. I'll put it back in my pouch and we'll have it when the time comes," Ron said. "Maybe after Tik gets to feeling better, she can use it to go to that store room in the middle of the ship to find two more translators. It would sure help if we could communicate together all the time. We are going to have to be ready to seize any chance we get to make our escape. This thought transfer could really be a big help."
Gus nodded in agreement as he said, "We won't be able to send her on the days she's mad at the Bugs. I've seen her temper and reactions. If she was mad and had that cloak on, there would definitely be damage to the Bugs she met."
Ron grinned his agreement. He had seen a little taste of her temper today when he ordered the muffler bearing. The two whispered just a little longer before they climbed into their bunks. They decided Tik needed to check the computer to see what was being put in their food. She also needed to check on the stingerray to see if the computer had instructions on how to operate them.
As Ron lay on his bunk, he was thinking of movies he had seen. He started wondering about spying devices in their cell. Tomorrow he would carry Tik again and try the thought transfer to have her check the mother ship computer to wipe out what went on in their cell.
The next morning when the bell went off, Ron and Gus were quick to get out of bed. Both felt better and it showed in their actions as they prepared for the day. They both looked anxiously at their cell mate.
Tik slowly got up and stretched. She saw both of them staring at her and said, "What's up, big boys? What are you looking at?"
"We were just wondering how you felt this morning. You went to sleep awful fast last night and we didn't even get a chance to ask you how the healer unit did on you," Ron answered.
"I don't know if it did anything. I felt something and I guess I was tired because I went to sleep before it actually did anything," Tik said. "I do feel like I have a little more energy this morning."
"Well, the unit said all three of us had a foreign substance in our systems. It also gave a diagnosis of what you needed. I'll fill you in more later on," Ron explained.
The door swung open and Gus grabbed Tik's tool bag. Ron scooped her up and started to carry her out the door.
Tik growled, "Put me down, you overgrown hairless ape. I am perfectly able to walk on my own."
"Oh, but your sprained ankle might not be fully healed. I'd hate for Wurden to have to take you to the medical facilities," Ron quipped. "Besides I need to talk to you and I'd just as soon no one else hears."
Tik settled back down but she didn't like it. She thought Ron was trying to coddle her and she was not going to let that happen. As soon as they started down the passage-way, Ron started whispering.
"Tik, the first thing you need to do is get UV lights at your work station. The reason you're so sick is that you need UV light for your body to properly digest your food. Maybe you can convince Wurden that there are bad bacteria on the used parts and the Bugs might get infected if they don't install the lights. The next thing is we need to get Gus somewhere he can touch sand or dust for at least two hours each week. Are there any dust filters in the air ducts leaving the repair hangar? Check on the computer and see if you can get Wurden to assign Gus to clean them. Make sure he is assigned to clean any dirty equipment or space ships coming into the repair hangar," Ron stated matter of factly.
"How am I supposed to do all of that by myself? Do you think I am some kind of magician?" Tik snorted derisively.
"Oh, I've seen how you have Wurden wrapped around your little finger. You'll find some way," Ron teased with a grin.
"Stick a finger out here and I'll show you something wrapped around a finger," Tik growled.
"Every chance you get, you need to start checking out those two space ships in the incoming hangar. We need to know everything we can about them so we can start planning on how to get out of here. Also there are two other things you need to check. Number one is, are we being spied on in our cell? Can you erase it or change what the Bugs will see? Number two is, the healer said all three of us had some kind of foreign substance in our systems. Are the Bugs giving us more than food in our meals? Is there a way to delete it from ours or to counteract it?"
Tik stiffened as she considered for the first time that the Bugs might be spying on her in her own cell. Ron could read the determination in her posture as she started planning on how to defeat any spying. The meal this morning was especially unappetizing to all three since the question had arisen about drugs in the food. None of the trio finished their meal.
The work group filed into the repair hangar and Ron carried Tik to the counter again. Wurden was right behind them and commented, "Is that beast's ankle still causing trouble?"
Tik snapped peevishly, "Its better, just not completely healed. By tomorrow morning I'll be walking on my own."
"That's good because I would hate to waste time taking you to the medical facilities," Wurden stated aloofly.
He led Ron to a piece of equipment midway on the hangar deck. Ron was working away when he heard Tik scream. She went into a tirade that brought Wurden rushing over to see what the trouble was. She was screaming that her scanner showed there was dangerous bacteria on the last part the messenger had brought. She said that there appeared to be high levels of dust also. The perfect breeding grounds for the bacteria! The next thing would be all the workers, as well as the Challekans, getting sick and then they all would die. Wurden screeched to a stop several yards from the counter. He asked what was wrong and Tik proceeded to unload on him again. Wurden edged a little further away and asked her what her scanner recommended. Tik told him that the counter needed two UV lights to kill the bacteria and the filters in the air ducts needed to be cleaned on a regular basis. Gus walked up with a fuel canister just then and Tik pointed at him and said, "Make him clean those things. He already looks like he's covered with dust and it wouldn't hurt him at all."
Wurden got on his personal computer and put a rush, immediate action order in for the UV lights as he directed Gus to hurry up with his fuel and then follow him. Wurden was pushing Gus to take the fuel canister back to his work station and get out of the protective gear. As soon as he was out of it, Wurden took him to a grav-sled and showed him how to operate it. He flew him to the ceiling and they started checking the air ducts. They were very dusty and Wurden directed Gus to start cleaning them. He looked up the filters and showed Gus where they were at. He told him to make sure they were thoroughly cleaned and then he made a note to make sure Gus cleaned them on a regular basis.
Later when they were back in their cell, Ron commented with a grin, "I was wondering, what took you so long to get the light up and Gus in the middle of the dust?"
Gus chuckled as he joined in, "Yeah, I was sure it would take days to get the light and in less than an hour, there I was elbow deep in dust. What did it take to get the light? Two hours? Three?"
"Listen, you two big apes…." Tik snapped heatedly until she realized they were teasing. "I thought you said it was important and needed to be done right away. If I'd have known that you could wait, I'd have put in a work order and we'd see results in a couple of months."
The trio laughed. They were starting to become more than friends and it felt good. Tik was definitely feeling a lot better and her fur didn't look so tangled and matted. Gus had been in enough dust to really feel good and life suddenly showed some hope.
Ron asked, "Are we being spied on?"
"Hey big boy, I'm good but I'm not a miracle worker. I was planning on checking that right now," Tik said as she pulled her mini-computer out of the bag.
She gave a few commands and shortly she was searching the mother ship computer. She found what Ron had feared. The Bugs were spying on all the captured creatures. Tik checked the different cells quickly and she could see what each one was doing. She checked a little further and saw that the Bugs weren't currently monitoring any of the cells. The record showed that a Bug would skim through the recordings once a quarter. The skim had happened just before Ron arrived so it would be a couple of months until it happened again.
"What do we do? Will we be out of here before they skim again?" Tik asked.
"I don't know if we'll get out of here by then. I hope so but we need to make sure that someone doesn't accidently stumble onto this in the meantime. It looks like the drugs have worked so well that the Bugs are complacent. That's something else that we may be able to use to our advantage. Can you replace the pictures or create some kind of interference? Can you do anything with the voices?" Ron anxiously asked. "There's a particular scene last night that I don't want any of the Bugs to see."
Tik rewound the scene in their cell to last night. She watched the healer do its work on Ron, herself and then Gus. She could see that wasn't a good thing for the Bugs to see. They would want that healer. Then she saw herself go to sleep. When Ron pulled the cape out of his tool pouch, she was watching with curiosity to see what he was up to.
When Ron's legs disappeared, Tik yelped, "What in the world just happened? What are you doing there?"
"That's part of what I don't want the Bugs to see. Whatever you do needs to be across the board. If our cell is the only one that has trouble, the Bugs will start checking closer," Ron answered.
Tik really got excited when Ron put on the cape and she saw his head floating in mid air. She saw possibilities just as Ron had. That cape could open up the entire ship to someone wearing it; especially, if they had access to the mother ship computer. Tik thought for a little bit and then gave a command. All the scenes of the cells jumbled together. All of the audio and video was jammed together so that nothing made any sense. There was a period of the jumble and then the scenes changed to creatures sleeping. Tik worked a little more and the scene in their cell changed to one of the three of them asleep in their bunks. Tik said she would have to work at it over the next few days but she would show scenes where they came in, moved around before they went to bed and if Ron wanted, she could even show little spats between the three of them. Ron thought that would be a great idea; instead of a team working together, make it appear that they had an uneasy truce and just barely got along.
Ron asked, "Hey Tik, how hard would it be to unlock that door? Could you get us out of here?"
Tik replied, "Watch."
The door swung open and the trio looked out in the passage-way. Gus walked over and looked both ways to see if anyone had noticed the door swing open. He pushed it shut and turned. There was a grin on all three faces. Things were starting to come together. Right now, Tik was doing most of the work on the computer. The other two gave ideas but Tik had to do the actual work. They started planning on checking out the two smaller space ships. Tik wanted to don the cloak and head there right then but the other two voted to make her wait until she had more strength. Ron suggested that they needed to come up with some sort of harness that could carry her mini-computer, some tools and the stingerray. They would all start looking for material that they could sneak back into their cell. Tik researched the stingerray and found out how to operate it. She practiced a little bit and then showed the other two. Gus commented that he might have trouble since the stingerray was so small and his hands were so big. Tik put on her list to search for a weapon that would fit Gus' hand. They stayed up late that night discussing different options and how quick they could put them into action. When they finally laid down, they all had trouble getting to sleep.
The next few days settled into a routine of working and trying to find items for their escape
during the day; then at night, they would plan and check more of the computer knowledge. Tik's health rapidly improved, thanks to the UV lights and Gus was doing much better since he was in contact with dust and sand so much. Ron used the healer every two or three evenings to keep his blood sugar in control. He noticed that he was starting to lose weight also. Tik found a way to neutralize the drugs in the food and everybody felt better about that. Finally, they decided that it was time. Tomorrow night Tik was going to head to the space ships to check them out.