Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction (13 page)

Ron shivered with excitement as he climbed into the door.
 
He wondered what the beings that had built and flown this thing looked like.
 
He wondered what had happened to them.
 
Wurden didn't like coming inside the space craft and his unease showed in his every movement.
 
They entered a passageway that was like a tube about 10 feet in diameter with a flat floor.
 
There were lights that came on as they walked toward them.
 
They were not part of the ship and looked like something the Bugs had installed.
 
As they walked, Ron saw doors leading to the interior of the space ship and passageways that went up and down.
 
Wurden didn't even pause at any of them.
 
He led Ron to a door and stepped through.
 
They were inside an immense cargo bay.
 
Ron thought they must be in the top third of the space ship.
 
It looked like there should be other levels below them.
 
Across the deck were rows of doors with two more rows on top of them.
 
There was a narrow catwalk to access these doors but it looked like they had been designed to allow some sort of lifting device to lift items right up to the doors.
 
Ron looked but didn't see anything that looked like a lifting device.
 
Some of the details were hard to see because the lights the Bugs had put up didn't reach all the corners and they weren't very bright.
 
When they stepped out further onto the deck, Ron saw that the wall they had just stepped through was a mirror image of the far wall.
 
To his right or toward the nose of the ship he saw an elevator leading to the different levels.
 
There was also a ladder on the wall.

Wurden explained in his officious way, "We have examined this ship for years and there are parts of it we have not been able to access.
 
There is no fuel on board so the elevator doesn't work.
 
If you climb that ladder, you can access the flight deck and see the controls that fly this ship.
 
We have never fired the engines, so we don't know if they work or not.
 
My superiors would like you to examine the flight deck and see if there is anything you can figure out or experiments that might be useful."

Ron said, "OK, I can do that.
 
Are you coming up there with me?"

Wurden answered, "No, I have pressing business back in the hangar.
 
Watch for the group of beasts leaving tonight and join us."

Ron could see that Wurden was almost in a panic to get out of the old space ship.
 
It made Ron wonder what had happened, if Wurden was the only one who was nervous about being in the ship or if that feeling extended to all the Bugs.
 
Wurden turned and headed for the door.
 
Ron saw him drop to all six legs and skitter rapidly away.
 
Ron just grinned and decided to check out some of the doors.
 
He tried several and found they were locked and wouldn't open.
 
There were a couple that did open and they were just empty rooms.
 
It looked like they used to have something in them but he assumed the Bugs had cleared them out.
 
He turned to the ladder and started climbing.
 
When he reached the top, he walked slowly onto the flight deck while he looked around.

He must have been unknowingly transmitting excitement because he started getting feelings in his head asking where he was at and what he was doing.
 
He was feeling the messages from both Tik and Gus.
 
He walked to the front window and looked out.
 
Gus was just turning from the fuel dump and getting ready to return to the hangar.
 
Tik was there classifying the fuel and logging it in.
 
Ron sent a thought, "Hi guys, look up at the nose of the ancient space ship."
 
They both looked at the same time.
 
Ron was waving in the window and he thought Gus was going to drop the fuel canister.
 
Ron was really feeling the questions then.
 
All he could send was "Tonight".

Ron explored the flight deck and that whole level.
 
He could understand the writing on the instrument panel but didn't understand all of what he read.
 
It would be like a non-pilot sitting in the cockpit of a 747 and trying to figure out what each gauge and instrument was supposed to do.
 
Even the levers and buttons made no sense.
 
He needed to have the hand-held computer in here and learn a lot about how to fly a space ship.
 
He noticed spots on the racks to the side that had empty spaces in them.
 
He look inside the rack to see what all was there.
 
He started opening some of the panels and looking inside.
 
He was looking for any writing that might give him a clue about the intended use for all of the equipment.
 
He looked and then put the panel back in place.
 
He was about a third of the way through when he looked up to see the group getting ready to leave.
 
He hurried out of the flight deck and down the ladder.
 
He arrived at the door to the floor of the hangar and climbed down.
 
Wurden was waiting and Ron would not have been surprised if he saw him tapping his foot in impatience.

"Well, did you discover something our scientists missed?" Wurden snootily asked.

"Just the picture of the pilots family that he hid under the co-pilots dash board," Ron quipped to irate him.

"What!
 
Where is it at?
 
I want to see it," Wurden instantly demanded.

"Well, I left it there.
 
The pilot might come back and he'd sure be upset if it was missing," Ron said with a straight face.

"Our scientists think that ship is over 25,000 years old.
 
How can a pilot come back?" Wurden stated haughtily.

"I don't know.
 
My planet doesn't have anything this sophisticated.
 
Maybe the pilot had a time machine and went somewhere on vacation.
 
When the time is right, he might use the time machine to come back," Ron retorted.

Wurden gave a start at the thought of the ancient race returning for the space ship.
 
Ron saw that was an idea that the Bugs hadn't considered.
 
Wurden said, "There is no such thing as a time machine.
 
You can't travel in time."

"If you say so, but on my planet they have written about it for decades and I figure someone somewhere has figured it out.
 
By the way, I need to take a hand-held computer tonight to start making notes on what I have found.
 
I also need to look at any manuals for that ship.
 
If you don't have any manuals for it, maybe one of the manuals for one of the planetary flyers will give me a clue what the ancient race was doing with the different gauges and instruments."

"Go ahead and get your hand-held computer but hurry up.
 
We're already behind schedule," Wurden said as he started the rest of the line for the door.

Ron grabbed the computer and fell in at the rear of the line.
 
Gus and Tik were near the middle so they couldn't ask the questions that were about to drive them crazy.
 
Ron had a feeling so he concentrated on a thought.
 
"Don't talk when we get to the cell!
 
We are going to have visitors."

Ron kept broadcasting the same thoughts all the way to the cell.
 
He could tell from the body language that the other two were about to burst.
 
The door opened and they went into the cell.
 
He headed straight to his bunk and the other two did the same.
 
Tik could see what he was doing but Gus could only listen.
 
Ron moved the translator before he pulled the computer out of his tool pouch and started dictating information about the ancient space ship.
 
He told about some of his impressions and questions that he had about the different equipment.
 
The other two were about to go crazy because they not only had no idea what was going on but now they couldn't understand what he was saying.

Ron was just starting to ask questions about what experiments the Bugs had done when the door swung open.
 
Four Bugs carrying their stingerrays walked in and formed a line between the trio and the door.
 
They had different colored embroidery around the hoods than Wurden and the other Bugs they were used to seeing.
 
Another Bug followed them in the door on its disk.
 
This Bug was different too and even its robe was a different material and color.
 
It stopped and looked at the three occupants of the cell.

It turned to Ron and asked, "What did you deduct from your experiments with the rocket?
 
Do you have any idea what it is used for?"

Ron answered, "I'm not sure what it's used for.
 
It might be used to scoop up something like air from the stratosphere on a planet.
 
I think that there is a circuit or a program that is missing.
 
The shield worked the first time but wouldn't work after that."

"What circuit or program do you think is missing?"

"I have no idea about that.
 
I'm not an engineer so I can't really design something like that.
 
You should have some engineers that could whip up a circuit in short order," Ron said as he hoped the Bugs couldn't tell he was lying through his teeth.

"I see.
 
What do you think the circuit should do?"

"Well it should have some kind of feedback to the shield.
 
The first time I tried to hit the rocket with the hammer; the shield absorbed the blow and increased the field strength.
 
The other times the shield just deflected the blow and I couldn't increase field strength even with a huge increase in current.
 
I just made a couple of notes about that here in the computer tonight," Ron continued his wild tale.

"We have never heard of a shield that absorbs the energy.
 
Are you sure?"

"Well no, I haven't really worked on anything like this before.
 
You could ask Wurden, since he was right there watching the experiment," Ron said.

"We have and he knows less about what you did and what actually happened.
 
Do you think the ancient race might have time machines and actually return?"

"I don’t have any idea.
 
Wurden says it's never been done but we have lots of literature that describes the theory.
 
If someone can think it, it can be done.
 
Maybe not my race or yours but how advanced were the ancient ones?" Ron asked.

Ron saw that the thought of the ancient race coming back made even this higher level Bug nervous.
 
Ron now wanted to know what the Bugs knew about the Alcantarans.
 
Something was definitely spooking these Bugs.

The Bug spoke again, "Do you think you can discover secrets from the ancient ship?"

Ron pondered a little before he spoke, "I'm pretty sure I could.
 
I would need some power in the ship to experiment with some of the different circuits.
 
Also, I would need a computer expert to look at some of the instruments and compare them to the instruments you have on your planetary flyers.
 
That would give a clue what each one does and once you unlock a few clues, the rest come faster and easier.
 
I don't think it will be quick.
 
I foresee a long process that will yield the results several months or maybe even years in the future."

"What else would you need?"

"Someone to help with the heavy lifting and to run for parts.
 
From what I saw of the ship today, it will be very difficult for a robot to maneuver in there.
 
If the whole back opened and there was a ramp, then a robot could easily work in there.
 
Have you ever had the whole back open?" Ron asked.

"No one ever thought about opening it.
 
Our scientists got through the small door easy enough and didn't feel the need to try the other.
 
Where would you start looking and experimenting?"

"I'm not sure right now.
 
I don't know enough to even ask an intelligent question.
 
I need 4 or 5 days just to explore and get an idea of the function of different parts of the ship.
 
Are your ships the same as other races?
 
Do you have things you do different on your ships?" Ron asked.

"Yes, we have things that are much further advanced than other races.
 
The council will ponder these things.
 
In the meantime, finish your report and Wurden will direct you in your tasks."

The Bug turned and glided out the door.
 
The guards followed and the door swung shut.
 
Tik was about to jump off her bunk with curiosity.
 
Ron ignored her and finished his report and questions in the computer.
 
He adjusted the translator and then stretched out on his bunk like he was going to sleep.
 
He started broadcasting for Tik to put on the video loop that looked like they were all sleeping.
 
He transmitted for her to call his name when she had it going and no one could see them talking.