Alien Abduction

  Chapter 5

  Ron took Gus outside of the space ship and had him show how to drain the fuel out of it. They walked under one of the cowlings on the side and Gus pointed to a spot on the under side of it. He told Ron each step and what safety precautions he had to observe. They found a disk that could take them to the top of the cowling and checked for a place to fuel the ship. As they were flying up, they saw a place on the side of the cowling that looked like it would open. They flew to the top of the cowling and found the port to refuel the space ship. They stopped beside it and Ron stepped down on the cowling. He looked around and quickly figured out how to open it, which he did. Gus looked and said it was very similar to what the Bugs planetary flyers used.

  Wurden saw them on the cowling and glided over to Ron's work station where he waited until they came down. He motioned them over and arrogantly demanded, "What were you doing up there on that cowling? You are supposed to be trying to unlock the secrets inside the ship!"

  "Well, that is what we are trying to do. We are at the point where we think we can get into the computer but we need the ship's power. We were looking to see how we could get fuel in there. We also need to install a safety valve on the under side to pull it right back out real quick if we found any nasty surprises," Ron told him. "Gus thinks we can put in a release valve right there and control it from here."

  "And just where did you think you were going to get fuel? Who authorized any fuel anyway," Wurden asked in a shocked manner.

  "We don't have any authorization yet. We wanted to check to see if we could do a quick on and off before we even asked. As for fuel, that's up to the council if they want to know any more secrets," Ron stated flatly. "There is so much in that ship that depends on the computer. It is the key to unlocking just about everything but it will have to run from the ship's own power. We can't get to the main computer itself to use any of the power units."

  "I will pass the request on to the council. In the meantime, it's almost the end of the shift. You need to get your other helpers out of there," Wurden stated self-importantly.

  Ron got the other two out of the space ship and shut the door. They fell in line with the group and went to the dining hall. After they were back in the cell, Ron cautioned the others. He felt that they would have a visitor that night. Shortly, he was proven right as the door swung open and the big wig Bug came in with its guards.

  The Bug addressed Ron, "Why do you need fuel in the space ship? How much fuel would you put in?"

  "We are at a point where we need the computer to check out a lot of the other instruments and controls. We can't get to the computer to just hook it up to one of your power units. All of us are starting to think the computer can unlock the part of the ship that is still locked down. I would only put in enough fuel for a two or three day supply. That ship has me really curious now so I don't want anything to happen -- like it trying to fly off on its own or locking down more. That's why I had Gus look into being able to empty the fuel quickly from down on the hangar floor. I don't know if the Alcantarans put any booby traps in the cockpit but I sure want to be able to shut things down if they did," Ron stated.

  Ron saw that the Bug gave a slight start at the mention of unlocking the rest of the ship. The Bug asked, "So you think the ship might be dangerous if it was fueled?"

  "I don't know but I want some safety measures. I know Wurden is spooked in the ship and I guess I caught it from him."

  "This will take some deliberation. In the meantime, return to your normal tasks," the big wig Bug said.

  The group turned and left with the door swinging shut behind them. Ron dictated a few notes into the computer and then the trio discussed the conversation with the Bug. They didn't talk but used thought transfer. They were becoming pretty proficient now. They didn't settle anything before they fell asleep.

  For the next three days, they worked at their normal jobs. Kota was gone and they assumed he returned to his training status. The trio was getting nervous and wondered if the Bugs would chicken out. They really wanted to see what was in the rest of the ship but were afraid of what fueling it would do.

  On the fourth morning Wurden told them that they would be working on the ancient space ship again. Kota was in the hangar waiting on them when they arrived. Ron had Gus set everything up and they practiced shutting things down three times before they were ready to fuel. Tik and Kota had everything ready to fire up the ship's computer and run several tests. It was time and everything was ready.

  Wurden delayed the fueling for twenty minutes. He gave no explanation but at the end of the twenty minutes the big wig Bug, his guards and two other Bugs showed up. The big wig and his guards went behind Tik's work counter. One of the Bugs went to the spot where Gus would be standing. Wurden informed Ron that he and the other Bug would be accompanying him to the flight deck.

  Gus went to get fuel and as he flew to the top of the cowling, Ron led the two Bugs to the flight deck. Ron grinned as he wondered if yelling 'Boo' real loud would cause the two Bugs to hurt themselves as they rushed back out of the space ship.

  They got to the flight deck and Tik signaled that they were all ready. Ron contacted Gus and had him fuel the space ship. They waited several minutes and nothing happened. Five more minutes went by and the Bugs were muttering to each other. Ron could understand them thanks to his translator and he saw they were becoming more agitated. They were ready to pull the plug on this experiment.

  Suddenly cabin lights blinked on. The air started blowing from the ventilators and gauges and instruments started moving and lighting up. At last the computer monitor lit up and a female-sounding voice started speaking. The Bugs had no idea what the computer was saying but Ron did. Somehow he knew it was the ancient Alcantaran language. It was asking for the new password, date and time to reboot all systems. Ron didn't say a word.

  The other Bug with Wurden suddenly ordered everyone off the space ship. It wouldn't let them touch anything or even get a good look at what was happening. It almost pushed Ron, Tik and Kota off the flight deck. It stayed but ordered Wurden to get them off and to get Gus down. Wurden was only too happy to be off the space ship and urged them to greater speed. Tik had that look. She was ready to attack to stay in the cockpit but Ron almost screamed in his mind for her to keep moving.

  They reached the floor and Gus was already there. The Bug had his controls and he was standing to one side. Wurden was urging the group toward the door when it suddenly slammed open. There was a large group of Bugs that came rushing in. They headed directly to the space ship. One of the Bugs came over and got Kota. They immediately started out the door. Ron, Tik and Gus were furious and also worried that the Bugs had found out about their escape plans. Ron could see that Kota was feeling the same way. Wurden took Ron, Tik and Gus back to their cell.

  When they got back to the cell, Ron and Tik were pacing back and forth. Gus was too big to pace with them, so he just had to sit on the bunk and brood. They were communicating with thought transfer and the biggest question was 'why'. Finally Ron made a decision.

  "Tik," he thought. "You need to renew your research on the Alcantarans and why the Bugs are so afraid of them. See if there are any more translators or such here on the mother ship and where they are located. I'm going to start that pilot training that Kota told us about."

  Tik broke in on his thought, "That gives us something to do but what about the Big Boy over there? He'll go crazy if we are doing something and he can't do anything."

  "You're right. We need to get him a computer and teach him how to use it. Maybe you could set it up to use your link to get into the mother ship's computer. He needs to start educating himself about the different space ships and some of the different species that the Bugs have traded with," Ron responded.

  "I'll see what I can find right now."

  Ron projected his thoughts to Gus, "Gus, we are going to try to find a computer for you
. When we do, we'll teach you how to use it and then we need you to start researching the different types of space ships around here. Also you need to find out things about the different species that the Bugs have traded with. Once we get off the mother ship, we'll need to know a lot of that. We all will have to start becoming familiar with techniques the Bugs use for trading. Somehow I feel this will be critical in our escape."

  Gus thought back, "Just give me a computer. I want off this ship and I want to get back to my family on my planet. I'll do whatever it takes -- including wiping out these Bugs one at a time if I have to!"

  "I'm with you on that and I know Tik is too. Hopefully, we won't have to start smashing Bugs just yet. Tik is trying to find you a computer right now."

  Tik excitedly interrupted, "Hey, I've found a storeroom down about 10 levels and a little more toward the center of the ship. They have computers and there appear to be some relics from the Alcantarans stored there also. I wonder if I could get there tonight to grab some."

  "Maybe tonight would be a good time. The Bugs will be wrapped up in the old space ship and might not be watching as close as they have. Will your computer wake you up at a certain time?" Ron quizzed her eagerly.

  "Why sure it will. What do you have in mind?" Tik asked.

  "Instead of leaving here right after things quiet down, leave about two hours before we leave to go to work. Even if the Bugs are checking, we have an established pattern of sleeping until the bell goes off. If we are already asleep, they won't be expecting us to get up and do something early like that," Ron mused.

  Gus' stomach growled and he thought, "I wonder if the Bugs will feed us tonight or if we are going to be stuck here all night."

  "I don't know. I could use something to eat too," Ron answered.

  They continued to pace and plan for the next twenty minutes until the door suddenly swung open. Wurden gestured for them to come out and then led them to the dining hall. All three looked around to see if they could spot Kota but he was nowhere to be seen. They ate their meal and returned to their cell. After the door swung shut, Ron and Tik pulled out their computers and started studying. At their usual time, both of them put up the computers and laid down to sleep. Tik had set the alarm on her computer and it woke them up 3 hours before they normally got up for work.

  The three got up and Ron told Tik to put on the loop of them sleeping in case a Bug happened to check their cell. Ron and Gus helped Tik put on her harness and loaded it with the tools she might need. Ron pulled out the invisibility cape and put it on her. Tik took a deep breath and stepped to the door. Gus was right there to keep it from swinging too far. Tik told the computer to open it and she quickly slipped out into the passage-way.

  She had memorized the route she needed to take to the storeroom. She hurriedly started down the passage-way. There was nothing moving at this time of day so she broke into a trot. She was trying to see as far down the passage-way as she could. She didn't want to hurry and bump into an unexpected Bug. She reached the stairway she needed and hurried down the stairs. Knowing that her time was limited didn't help her nerves any at all. She reached the proper level and eased the door open a crack. Peering up and down the passage-way, she saw that it was all clear. She quickly checked her computer to see if the storeroom was occupied. The room had no living things in it. Tik rushed to the door and had the computer open it. She slipped in and stopped to listen as she pushed the door shut behind her. There was nothing moving and Tik could hear her own heart beat. She checked the computer, found the location of the computers and grabbed one of them. She hesitated a moment and then grabbed another one. Next she checked the location for the Alcantaran relics and went there. She looked them over and didn't see anything that would be useful to them. She saw a shelf that was above her head level. She was thinking, 'I need to get going. But what if there are things we need right there and I don't make the effort to get them'. She looked around and spotted the post that held the shelves up. She ran to it and climbed it like a squirrel. When she got up on the shelf, she was really glad she had made the effort. There were three of the translators and she grabbed all of them and shoved them into her harness. As she was about to leave, she spotted a small ornately carved box with an ornate chain. She recognized it as a translator that was used by the Dar Es Salaam Traders on her planet. She wound the chain around the box and shoved it in the harness. She felt several pounds heavier and knew she had to leave now. She returned to the post and shinnied down to the floor. She trotted back to the door and quietly opened it a crack. Something or someone was coming down the passage-way. Tik jumped back inside and shut the door. She held her ear to the door and listened. She didn't hear anything so she wondered if it was a Bug gliding on its' disk. She waited and suddenly the door started to open. She caught herself just before she yelped. She backed away from the door just a little and stood there waiting. She bared her teeth and was ready to fight. Suddenly it dawned on her that she was invisible. All she had to do was wait for the Bug to come in and she could slide right out. She held her breath as the Bug glided in. It stopped in the doorway and seemed to be looking around. Tik was getting nervous. She couldn't wait very long; because she had to get back up the stairs and into her cell before the morning bell. At last the Bug moved into the storeroom and Tik quietly moved into the passage-way. The doors closed behind her and she rushed for the stairway. She rushed up the stairs and had to stop to catch her breath when she reached her level. She was out of shape and the extra weight didn't help. She finally started breathing somewhat normally and opened the door. There was movement in the passageway so she timed it just right to get out. She moved to the side of the passage-way and quickly moved to her cell door. When it was clear, she opened the door and slipped in.

  Ron was pacing and stopped in mid-step. He quickly came over and pushed the door shut. He and Gus quickly helped Tik out of the cape. Ron folded the cape and put it back in his pouch. Tik gave him his translator back and started pulling the items out of her harness. She laid them on the bed and was quickly transferring them to her tool bag. The 'rise and shine' bell rang and all three about jumped out of their skins. Tik didn't even have time to take her harness off. She just made sure all the items she had stolen were safely hidden in her tool bag. Gus grabbed the bag as was his custom and the three lined up to head to the dining hall.

  The door swung open and the trio fell in line. Tik was too excited to even be able to broadcast her thoughts coherently. She did manage to send the message to Ron that she got what they needed and they could check it out later. Ron passed the word to Gus.

  When they got to the repair hangar, Gus and Tik went back to their usual jobs. Ron found his workstation had been moved as far away from the ancient space ship as possible and still stay in the hangar. He went back to his usual routine of repairing robots and equipment. He watched the hum of activity around the space ship but he couldn't see any details. Tik managed to pull one of the computers and one translator out of her bag and get them recharged. She didn't have a chance to get the others. She wore the harness all day and Wurden didn't even notice or if he did, he didn't say anything. This was a good thing because Tik needed something to fasten a translator to.

  Their normal work kept the trio busy so the day didn't drag too badly. At last they lined up, went to eat and got back to their cell. They decided to do a normal routine and get to sleep at the same time. Tik set her alarm again and they all got up two hours early so they could talk and check out the things Tik had removed from the storeroom.

  The alarm went off and the three eagerly jumped out of bed. Tik opened her tool bag and pulled everything out. She told the story of what happened as she laid everything on her bunk. The only things that worked were the translator and computer she had charged with fuel. The other items were completely discharged.

  They tried the translator but it wasn't translating like the one Ron h
ad. They were all disappointed and Ron picked it up to look at it. He noticed a small bump and depression on the back. He took his out and noticed the same thing on the back of his. He pushed the two together and found out the bump on his translator fit the depression on the other. The other translator's bump fit the depression on his. As soon as he touched the two together, they all three felt something in their minds. The two machines whirred for a bit and then were silent. Ron handed the new translator to Gus. Gus put it on his harness and asked, "What now? Can you understand me?"

  Tik and Ron both grinned and nodded yes. Maybe the translators just had to be programmed after they were fully discharged. Tik took the computer and quickly set it to her link and protected it so the Bugs couldn't hack into it. She quickly gave Gus a course on computer use. He happily returned to his bunk and started trying some things. Ron and Tik talked about getting the rest of the items charged over the next several days.

  Ron asked, "Tik, why the extra translators and extra computer?"

  "I don't know. I just saw them lying there and I felt that we could use them."

  "That's all right. I'm sure we can find a use for them. You'd better get this back into your tool bag. It will soon be time for the bell," Ron said.

  Gus put his computer in his personal pouch too. He had the translator in a small pocket on his harness. He and Ron tried the thought transfer and found it was stronger and clearer than ever. Ron cautioned him about using it too much until they had a chance to experiment a little in private. Gus said he understood.

  The bell rang and they got ready to head to work. That day was a repeat of the previous day and they were not allowed anywhere close to the ancient space ship. Tik was dying to check the mother computer to see if they were finding anything but Ron told her to wait. There were too many eyes watching that right now. Tik got two more items recharged.

  When they got back to their cell, Ron reprogrammed another translator for Tik. They found out that all three could now hear all of the conversations. They settled into a routine. Ron was doing the flight training, Tik was researching Alcantarans and other species on the computer and Gus started getting acquainted with the different space ships. He studied everything he could find out about them.

  The mental transfer improved every day and they found out that they could communicate much greater distances than they had before. They practiced with it every day at work and studied at night. Three months went by and they didn't seem any closer to their goal of escape. The trio was sinking toward despair.

  The morning started like all the rest. The trio was working at their jobs without enthusiasm while trying to watch the activity around the ancient space ship. It appeared that something was about to happen because they could see the anticipation and the big wig Bug had come to the hangar. It was behind the counter by Tik. Suddenly the shield went up on the old space ship. The group of Bugs close to the ship scurried away as fast as they could, forgetting all about their disks. There was shouting, shrieking and tools and equipment were knocked over as they ran. The Bug with the fuel control was dancing around and seemed to be pushing the button on the fuel dump. Ron and Gus stopped work to watch the commotion. The other slave laborers were edging away from the space ship. They didn't like the look or feel of the shield activating. Tik saw the big wig Bug give a start and move further away from the window opening to the hangar. All three pals knew something bad had happened to the Bug scientists, but what!

  The shield slowly faded as the remaining fuel was used up. There was a mad rush of Bugs out of the rear door of the space ship. They ran to the doors on the hangar and rushed outside. All eyes in the hangar were now on the space ship to see what was going to happen next. The big wig Bug fairly streaked out the hangar door on its' disk. Ron was close enough to the door to see that there was a big confab going on out in the passage-way. Shortly Wurden slowly glided back into the hangar and came over to Ron.

  Wurden kept one eye on the space ship as he commanded Ron, "Take the sand creature and go inside the space ship. There are two dead Challekans on the flight deck. Remove them and bring them over here to the hangar doors."

  "What killed them? Will it kill me too?" Ron asked.

  "I'm sure nothing will happen to you. Just hurry up and remove the dead," Wurden said.

  Ron thought, "Yeah, nothing will happen. You don't care if it does. All you slimy sewer crawlers are scared to death to go in there!" He took his time walking over to Gus and winked at him as they went to the back of the space ship. They slowly entered the ship and headed for the flight deck. They proceeded with caution because they had no idea what they would find or if the danger was still there. Gus pulled his hammer/ax and led the way. The cargo bay was a shambles of overturned test equipment and cords that had been jerked away as the Bugs tripped on them trying to get away. Gus and Ron climbed the ladder and cautiously peered across the flight deck as soon as they could see. They surveyed the scene for several minutes before they moved. They could see no obvious danger but they were wary.

  They both stepped on the flight deck and looked around. There was more overturned equipment and chairs. The Bugs had brought in a couple of tables and these were overturned as well. They peered into the cockpit and saw the two Bugs. They were lying on their backs and had been charred all over. It must have taken a lot of energy to burn the bodies that badly. There was a rotten stench of burnt flesh and Ron's stomach was getting a little queasy. Neither of the two was going to touch those grisly remains. Ron sent Gus back down to get two tarps or something similar, ropes and a shovel or broom to use to push the bodies with.

  Gus left and Ron looked around. He saw that the spy devices they had put up were blasted by the same energy. The computers and equipment in the cockpit were all charred as well. He tried his computer to see if he could access any of the test equipment in the cockpit. His computer couldn't find any signal from any of them. Ron broadcast a thought to Tik. He told her to see if she could get in the computer and download copies of the information from the spy devices up to the point of the energy discharge. He told her to see if she could get any notes the Bugs had made as well. Ron stepped back out on the flight deck and looked at the equipment there. The equipment there wasn't burnt but it wasn't working either. It had been hit by the surge of energy. He checked on the cargo bay level and it was the same story. Just then, Gus came back into the space ship hauling the equipment they needed.

  They returned to the cockpit and rolled the Bugs bodies into the tarps. They wrapped them with the ropes and carried them to the railing overlooking the cargo bay. Gus lowered the remains over the side and let them down with the ropes as Ron stood on the floor and guided them. When they had the remains on the cargo bay floor, Gus came down and they proceeded to pack them out of the space ship. They let the remains down to the hangar floor and then climbed out of the space ship. Wurden yelled to them to shut the door. Then they packed the remains to the hangar door and laid them on a waiting grav-sled. The Bugs had a robot to push it and all of them except Wurden and the other supervisors disappeared down the passage-way.

  Wurden and the supervisors were reluctant to reenter the hangar but they moved just inside the door. Wurden told Ron and Gus to go back to work. Tik had downloaded all of the information Ron had asked for plus a couple of things she thought might be important. The trio used ESP to talk over what could have gone wrong. Tik said it would have to wait until tonight to study the files. The rest of the day seemed to drag on forever.

  When Wurden dropped them off at the cell, the first thing Ron and Gus had to do was wash themselves. The washed their clothes also, hoping to get rid of the smell from the space ship. They both knew it would take awhile for that odor to dissipate. When they were as clean as they could get, they returned to their bunks. Tik sent a file to each of their computers and they all started studying them to see what had happened. They studied until they had to g
o to sleep.

  The next morning they returned to the hangar but there was no sign of the scientist or big wig Bugs. They went about their normal routine. They finished the day and returned to their cell where they studied more files. They did this for the next 10 days. They didn't have a clue yet about what had happened but they were learning what the Bugs did for experiments. None of the Bugs returned to the hangar and Tik risked a check on the computer to see if she could spot what they were doing. It appeared that they were doing the same thing, studying the files and experiment notes.

  Tik had arranged to have two spy devices installed just outside their cell door. They pointed up and down the passage-way. The devices only fed to their computers so the Bugs had no idea they were there. She set them to trigger an alarm when Wurden or the big wig was heading to their cell. She also set them to trigger the alarm if a large group of Bugs were headed their way. They had been studying the tapes for another month when the alarm sounded. The big wig was headed their way. Everyone put their computers away and laid down.

  The door swung open and the usual procedure of the guards entering happened again. The big wig followed and looked suspiciously at them. The big wig said, "You will go back into the space ship tomorrow and clean up the equipment and get ready to start your experiments again."

  Ron asked innocently, "Did you find out what happened to burn everything like that?"

  "We think one of the technicians set the switches wrong on the last experiment. We will let you know what the settings were and you can make your own adjustments. What will you need to start your experiments?" the big wig said noncommittally.

  "I don't know what equipment you had on board or if any of it is damaged. The stuff in the cockpit all looked burnt but maybe it still works," Ron answered. "After we get started on the clean-up, we will know more. Are you going to let Kota come back to help us?"

  "You won't need him for the clean-up. The three of you will be enough. When you get everything set up, we will see about bringing him back."

  The group turned and left. The trio almost cheered at the prospect of getting back in the space ship. They had come to the conclusion that there was a safety circuit to keep someone like the Bugs from stealing the space ship. They didn't know where the energy pulse had come from but they might find it in the next few days. They all had trouble going to sleep that night.

  The next morning Wurden took them directly to the space ship and opened the door for them. He then had pressing business across the hangar. The smell inside hadn't improved in a month so the first thing they did was to set up ventilation equipment to start moving the air around. Gus said there were masks for working in areas where you shouldn't breathe the atmosphere. They all went to the storeroom and got a mask that would fit them. There was a small unit attached to the back to make sure they had a good oxygen supply and it filtered any air from inside the space ship. They had to use the masks for the next week until the mess in the cockpit was cleaned out and the air circulated and was cleaned by the scrubbers.

  Just as Ron had suspected, all the equipment in the space ship was toast. They cleaned it all out and started setting up new. Ron was glad to see their idea of dumping the fuel worked. He would make doubly sure that it was in place again. It took more than a week to get everything cleaned out and another 10 days to get the new equipment back into the space ship. Everything was finally ready. Now all they needed was fuel and Kota.

  The next morning, Kota was in the hangar. They had permission to load fuel again and they hurried to get everything prepared for the fuel. While Gus went for the fuel, Ron, Tik and Kota headed for the cockpit. Ron could tell Kota was excited because his hair, which looked like fine feathers, was wiggling all over his head. They reached the cockpit and Kota looked at the other's faces. He sensed that they were up to something and both of them had a big grin.

  "What's up with you two? Why are you grinning at me like that?" Kota asked.

  "We have a present for you. Tik, would you do the honors?" Ron asked as he bowed and waved his hand toward Kota.

  Tik reached into her tool bag and pulled out the Trader translator. Kota's eyes widened in surprise. His hand was shaking as he reached for the translator. It was the one the Bugs had taken from him when he was first kidnapped. He was still shaking as he put the chain over his head and touched the translator to turn it on.

  "How in the world did you get this? Do the Bugs know that you have it?" Kota asked in shock.

  "We found this unattended and Tik recognized it as something that might belong to you. We don't believe the Bugs know that it's gone yet, so if I were you, I wouldn't advertise that you have it. Keep it out of sight and don't let on that you can understand any other languages," Ron said quietly.

  Kota was too choked up for words so Tik started filling him in on what had happened over the last 5 months. He looked around with interest when he heard about the Bugs being fried and all the equipment zapped. He asked if they knew what had happened and why. They told him they had a theory but they had to refuel the space ship to test it out. Kota looked a little worried about that and Ron assured him that they had a plan.

  Gus loaded the fuel in and Tik started checking the ship's computer as soon as it came on. She pointed to a warning on the screen and Ron said, "Just as we suspected. The Bugs' translator didn't translate right or the Bugs ignored the warning. I suspect it was the wrong translation because they are deathly afraid of the Alcantarans."

  Tik continued with her checks and shortly announced that all was clear. The group immediately started on the next round of experiments that they wanted to try. They energized the shield and then shut it off. They asked the ship's computer for a check on all instruments, gauges and controls. The computer blinked for several minutes and then started listing all instruments, gauges and controls and their status. Tik saw a problem with this. She couldn't access this with her computer so she needed to shut the ship's computer down for a while to install a link to her computer. While she was doing this, Ron let Gus know what was going on. He and Kota went to the cargo deck below and they started looking at the locked doors. Kota explained that the Traders sometimes kept locked doors like this if they had some sort of valuable merchandise. Ron was asking questions about trading experiences until Tik called out that she was ready to proceed.

  Tik explained that she had set the computer up with a link that required a biometric signature from her to be able to link to the ship's computer. She would set it up for the other three later. The link only had a range of about 1000 yards; but with a link in the mother ship's computer, she could access the ancient ship from anywhere in the mother ship. Right now she restarted the ship's computer and checked her link. Everything worked! She ran the same test as before and had the results sent to her computer. Now they had something to go on to start making sure the ancient ship could fly.

  Kota asked her to put in a series of signals and codes. He told her that once the ancient ship was outside the mother ship and clear to broadcast, it would signal for help from the Charter Navy. He said it described what had happened to him and gave what information he had about the Bug's mother ship. Tik gave him the present location and heading and he added that to the code. He said the Charter Navy took a dim view of someone like the Bugs setting up slave labor, especially if it involved Charter Alliance citizens. Kota cautioned that they would have to be close enough to an Alliance planet or ship for the signal to be relayed to the Navy. Tik programmed the ship's computer to send the signal any time it received an indication of Charter Alliance activity.

  By this time, the end of the day had come and they started shutting everything down. They left the space ship and Ron, Tik and Gus had a lively thought conversation about what they had accomplished that day. When they got back to their cell, all three of them redoubled their efforts to learn their assigned tasks. Ron felt that he was more at ease today with the test because he had a
little more pilot knowledge. They had hope again.

  They ran tests for the next two weeks and were feeling very confident that the ship could be flown. There were things that needed to be fixed but for the most part, systems were still functional. They were cautiously dribbling bits and pieces of information to the Bugs. They let enough information out to show they were making progress but not enough to make the Bugs want to return to the ship. While Tik ran tests, Kota started showing Ron how to fly the space ship. Between the night studies and Kota's teaching, Ron was getting a cram course in piloting.

  Over the next several months, Tik started developing a list of things that had to be fixed. Kota started using the ship as a simulator to give Ron a hands-on feel for flying. It was close to the real thing but only flying would really improve skills. At first, Gus just stood by ready to dump fuel but he finally went back to work. Periodically, he would add fuel to the old space ship. He and Tik worked out a system where he almost doubled the amount of fuel he put in. Tik set the computer to show only two days or less of fuel if anyone but the conspirators checked. They watched the fuel slowly increase but it wasn't enough to fly them anywhere.

  Ron was getting better as a pilot and finally could do some other tasks he needed to do. His knowledge and understanding of the Alcantaran language had greatly improved. He was searching the ancient ship's computer about the rockets one day when he found out what they were used for. He stared at the screen for a long time, not believing what he was seeing. The doors on the side of the cowling that he and Gus had seen, swung open and would actually catch or launch the rockets. When the doors closed, they automatically turned the rockets to empty fuel into the space ship's fuel tanks. What a great idea. The rockets were big gas cans and they went to the biggest filling station he had ever seen, a star. No wonder the Bugs wanted to find out how to use the rockets and no wonder they had lost the ones they tried. Their translator was telling them to turn the valves in the wrong direction. This knowledge changed the time it would take them to get ready to escape. He asked Tik to find out the position of the mother ship and feed it into the ancient ship's computer. He told her to keep the position updated regularly. He queried the ancient ship's computer about the proper type of star that would act as the filling station. He started plotting the course of the mother ship to see how close it would come to one of these stars. There was nothing close so he asked the computer to calculate the amount of fuel they would need for different stars and made a mental note of it.

  After several months of tests, Ron was afraid the Bugs would soon get tired of the little bits and pieces of information so he announced to everyone that they needed to switch experiments for a while. They needed to see if they could open one of the locked doors. They all went to the cargo bay and picked a door. He had called Gus because he wanted him to be there if they could get it open. Tik checked the files and found that particular door. She set about breaking the code that kept it locked. She found out that each door had a separate code and she would have to break each one. She concentrated on this one.

  The other three conspirators stood around the door anxiously waiting to see if Tik could get the door open. The Bugs had tried all sorts of tools, lasers and other cutting methods with no luck opening a single door. Ron and Kota had figured out that the ship put a protective shield on the locked doors. Any energy used to try to open the doors was absorbed by the shield and fed back into the shields energy source. Even the energy from the lights or star light recharged the shield energy source. The more you worked, the stronger the shield became.

  Tik worked the computer for a long time, muttering to herself the whole time. She would get excited when she came close to opening the door and then growl and threaten when it didn't come open. Suddenly she jumped up and rushed to the door. She turned the handle and the door came open.

  They all stood staring at the room behind the door. This door may have been sealed for over 25,000 years and they were the first to see inside. The room was small -- maybe 10 feet by 10 feet. It had shelves on both sides and across the back. There were various sized boxes and loose jewelry lying on the shelves. Tik slowly walked in and went to one of the lower shelves. She took down one of the boxes and carefully examined it. It was a wooden box that had delicate carvings on the top and sides. It looked like a jungle scene with trees and vines. The vines had small brightly colored flowers at regular intervals along their entire length. There was an inscription that Tik had trouble reading even with the Alcantaran translator. She brought the box out and set it on a table almost covered with scientific equipment. The group gathered around to stare at the beautiful box. Kota tried his translator and found out it was worse than the older Alcantaran translator. Tik took her mini-computer and scanned the inscription in. She instructed it to search the ship's computer to find a translation. The computer answered in just a couple of minutes. The inscription was a poem that told you how to open the box. Tik followed the poem as she touched two red flowers, one blue one, a yellow and then another blue. They all heard a small metallic click and Tik could lift the lid on the box. Inside was an electric-blue crystal carving of a strange six legged animal unlike anything anyone in the group had ever seen. It was sitting on a base that looked like black onyx with pale bands of white running around it. The figure was so realistic that it looked like it could move. Tik carefully took it out of the box. Everyone held their breath, almost afraid that a hard breath would destroy the figure. As Tik was setting the figure on the table, her finger brushed the bottom of the base. When she set the figure on the table, the figure moved. Everybody jumped like they had touched a live electric wire.

  Kota asked, "What did you do? Did you push a button or something?"

  "I didn't do anything. My finger may have brushed across the bottom," Tik retorted.

  Kota looked at Ron and asked, "May I pick it up?"

  Ron nodded as he watched Kota gingerly pick up the figure and examine it. Kota turned the figure around and nobody saw anything. He held it up so he could see the bottom but there didn't appear to be anything there either. He saw a small speck and wiped at it with his finger. Since he didn't see anything, he set the figure down on the table again. The figure moved again. Kota picked the figure up again and set it back down on the table. Nothing happened. He picked it up again and held it up to look at the speck. There was nothing there. He rubbed the bottom again and set the figure down. It moved again. This time Kota picked up the figure and rubbed the bottom for about 30 seconds. When he set the figure down it started moving like it was loping across the plains. The group watched spell bound. They couldn't see anything touching the figure when it was moving but it never left the base. When it came to a rest, the figure was resting on the base. Kota very, very gingerly tried to pick up the figure from the base. It was firmly attached. He rubbed the bottom again and set it down. They watched the figure move but still couldn't see anything attaching it to the base. Everyone except Gus had to rub the bottom to see if they could make it move. Gus stated that it was too delicate for his big hands and he would not be responsible for breaking it.

  The group played with the figure for almost an hour before they put it back in the box and set the box back in the storage room. Ron picked a bigger box and took it out to the table. He opened the box and pulled out a figure of a multi-hued bird-like creature with its wings spread in flight. This one didn't move but it was beautiful to look at. He replaced it and took the box back in the room. He picked up a large silver bracelet. He felt a strange tingle as he picked it up. There was a battle scene scribed around the whole bracelet. The combatants were strange-looking creatures wielding strange looking swords. Some had shields and strange-looking clubs. Ron handed the piece to Gus and he jumped as he felt the tingle.

  "What in the world did you do to this? I definitely felt a small shock," Gus asked.

  Kota answered him, "That bracelet has heali
ng powers for some beings. It will work with your own body to cure many ailments. I've never seen one with scenes like that. We use things like it and those other items as gifts to facilitate permits when we arrive on a planet to trade."

  Tik said, "You mean as bribes."

  "Well, we tried to say it a little more delicately but, yes, that's what it amounted to. Sometimes a little trinket like that would get us trading days or even weeks before some of our competitors who didn't have anything."

  Ron said, "Tik, we need to see if we can get one more door open. I hate to give any of this to the Bugs. I'd rather give up two or three empty rooms just to show them our progress."

  Tik went back to work and after more than an hour she had a second door open. Inside were some oddly-shaped tables and chairs. They all agreed to shut the door with the jewelry and figures. The bugs were going to get furniture even though they were sure that it wouldn't fit any of the Bugs.

  Tik made sure none of the information about how to open the doors was available to the Bugs. She erased all video of opening the first door and what they had found. As far as the Bugs were concerned, they had only opened the door with the furniture. Ron reported the find to Wurden at the end of the day and he excitedly reported it to the big wig.

  The next day the Bugs took over trying to open locked doors on the space ship. Kota was sent back to training and the others returned to their normal jobs. Tik had spy devices set up on the flight deck and saw that none of the Bugs would even come close to it. The Bugs worked for the next three months and didn't get another door open. Ron, Tik and Gus had a lot of discussions about how they were going to get a chance to repair the old ship. Everything they thought of just didn't seem feasible. They continued to study and prepare. Ron had a chance to make a few of the repairs under the guise of testing the systems but the biggest problem was the engines. They needed a new lining in the motor throat. It was very pitted and corroded from many years of use and sitting in space. How could you do that without the Bugs knowing?

  Twenty-two months after Ron had been kidnapped; the Bugs turned the ancient space ship back to the trio to uncover more secrets. Kota was still training Bugs and wasn't available to help.

  Tik was searching the records in the old ship's computer when she came across the name of the ship. She excitedly called the others into the cockpit and showed it to them. The ship's name was the Galactic Antiquarian. Tik said, "That's sure a mouthful. This ship feels more like an Auntie." That became the name the trio and Kota used after that. Ron informed Wurden of the name the next day but Wurden didn't even care. It didn't make any money for the Bugs. Ron did get permission to do a laser color engraving of the name under the window on the nose of the space craft. When he was done, the trio was really excited about the change. This was really becoming their ship. Then came the opportunity!