Chapter 2
Each one of the trio fixed the nourishment their body needed. After they had finished eating they cleaned up the galley and sat down. Tik called to the computer and told it to record their story.
Since Gus had been captured first, he started the tale. Gus woke up feeling confused. The surface he was lying on didn't feel like the desert he had been on. He opened his eyes and looked around at the 10 foot by 12 foot room. The ceiling looked to be about nine feet tall and had a diffused light coming from the center section. The walls were bare, smooth and a pale tan color. He sat up from the large bunk he was lying on and bumped his head on the bunk above him. He smoothed the kilt he was wearing and checked the crossed straps that went over his shoulders. The straps were attached to the belt holding his kilt and his personal pouch. The straps had small pockets that held his personal tools. Besides the personal pouch, he had a knife and a hammer/ax hanging from the belt. All his tools and weapons seemed to be intact and everything was still in his personal pouch. Once he had checked his personal belongings, he looked across the room and saw another stack of bunks. The bunks all had three drawers underneath and when Gus opened the drawers under his bunk, they were empty. He checked the other drawers and they were empty also. The rest of the room was bare except for a door and a small depression in the floor against the wall opposite the door. Gus tried to move the bunks and found they were fastened to the floor. He went to the door to try it but it was locked. Gus grabbed the handle and strained for all he was worth. The door didn't budge. Next he went to the bunks and tried to move them again. He looked closely but couldn't see any thing attaching them to the floor. He paced the room for several minutes but could see no way out or any way to communicate with those outside the door. He went back to the door and pressed his ear to it. He listened intently but could not hear anything. Finally he returned to the bunk and sat down.
The light never varied so Gus had no idea how long he sat there. Suddenly the door swung open and a small creature stepped in. The creature was in a dark gray robe with a hood. The hood was up and there appeared to be a face shield covering the entire opening of the hood. The creature was about four feet tall and the robe went clear to the floor so Gus couldn't see what its feet looked like. The robe had two sleeves on each side of the body and the sleeves were long enough that no hands showed.
Gus stared for a few seconds and then roared loudly, "Who are you? Where am I at?"
The creature stood and stared impassively. The creature saw a Sandghost from the planet Prokne. The Sandghost stood over seven feet tall with very broad shoulders and long thick arms. It had a large barrel-shaped torso. The hands on the ends of the arms were enormous with four fingers and a thumb on each hand. The head was almost a cube with almost square corners like a block of stone that an artist had just started carving. It had the eyes, nose and mouth but it hadn’t been rounded like a human head yet. It was very massive, in proportion with the rest of the body. Each leg was bigger around than the creature in the robe. The Sandghost's skin looked like someone had made a giant statue out of sand and then had given it life. The creature didn't know it but Gus weighed over 400 pounds. The creature slowly took all of this in and didn't make a sound.
This infuriated Gus even more and he roared even louder, "Listen, you pile of kamaal waste, I'll split you in two." Gus started to take a step toward the creature.
The creature moved the lower limb on the right side and reached into a fold of the robe. The limb moved quicker than Gus' eye could follow as it pulled a small slender rod with some sort of grip. The creature held the grip in something like a hand with two fingers and a thumb. The fingers looked like they had small suction cups on the ends.
He had barely completed the step when he saw a bluish light on the end of the rod. He dropped to his knees as he felt an excruciatingly intense pain. The pain was so bad he could hardly breathe and he definitely couldn't move. After what seemed an eternity, the pain stopped and he gasped for breath. He was so weak all he could do was kneel there, trying to get air into his body.
"I am Nansha of the Challeka Traders of Elgebar V. Our supreme commander is Zibo ao Te and you are her prisoner. If you do as I say, we may, at our discretion, offer you a chance to purchase your freedom. If you threaten us again, the pain will be worse next time. We have work for you to do to earn your keep. You will follow me now to see where you will work," the small creature said in a quiet voice in Gus' language.
The creature turned and stepped from the room, where it mounted a small disk that sat on the floor. Gus dragged himself to his feet and followed. It was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other but shortly he felt himself returning to normal. The disk rose about six inches off the floor and moved down a large passage-way. Gus followed as best he could until his limbs started moving normally again. As he started moving better, the creature moved the disk faster down the passage-way. Gus thought about attacking the creature again but the memory of the pain was too fresh. He decided to bide his time and would get this creature the first chance he got. Sandghosts were known for their long memory.
The creature led Gus down the passage-way to an elevator and they dropped several levels. When the elevator opened, they moved into another passage-way. There were more of the robed Challekans and several other aliens moving in both directions. The creature led Gus to a doorway that swung open as they moved up to it. When they stepped through, Gus saw a huge room with several of the flying machines that had spooked his kamaal. Gus saw that some of these machines had a ramp down in the back and different species of beings were loading and unloading boxes, bags and equipment. Nansha directed Gus to one of the flying machines where another robed creature was directing the unloading process. Nansha waved toward Gus and then chirped, clicked and rustled to the other robed figure.
The robed Challekan came over to Gus and said, "My name is Sabah. You can start carrying those sacks to the grav-sled over there. I'll be over on that platform observing so don't try anything."
Gus debated in his mind about smashing this creature or doing as it said and looking for a better chance to escape. He decided to comply for now and bide his time. He really didn't want to be zapped with that ray again. He slowly walked up the ramp and grabbed a bag. He carried it to the grav-sled and threw it down. He turned and slowly walked back into the flying machine and repeated the process. When all of the sacks were unloaded, Sabah took Gus to a grav-sled and told him to start loading the boxes in another flying machine. He showed him where to store the boxes and told him to make sure that the stacks were tight and neat. Gus got all of the boxes in the flying machine and then Sabah showed him how to put a net over them and secure them. Another grav-sled arrived and Sabah told Gus to start loading these items next to the boxes he had just secured. Gus noticed that Sabah was supervising about 20 other large alien creatures. Gus didn't see any other Sandghosts but some of the other creatures were as big as he was; however, they didn't seem to think on their own. They acted more like the robots Gus saw occasionally.
Gus didn't know how long he continued to work because there was no way to tell time. There were no clocks and the lights never varied. Finally, Sabah collected all of the creatures in his control and they started walking single file back to the elevator that Gus had come down earlier. Sabah indicated that Gus should fall in at the tail of the line while the robed Challekan brought up the rear on its' disk. The line entered the elevator and Sabah touched the elevator controls to make it move upward. When it came to a stop, the line moved down the passageway to a large hall where the other creatures picked up trays that contained food. When it came Gus' turn, he found a tray with food that he recognized but of such poor quality that ordinarily he wouldn't have eaten it. Now he knew that he had to have nourishment to keep up his strength. Gus looked around and saw several hundred assorted creatures eating in the hall. He noticed that there was very
little conversation between the different species. If there were two of a kind sitting together, they might be talking but there was no conversation between different species.
As soon as the group was through eating, Sabah indicated that Gus should fall back in at the rear of the line. The line left the dining hall and headed down the passage-way. They walked for a little way and Sabah indicated that Gus and three other creatures should enter a room to the side. Gus saw a room just like the one he had awakened in. The other creatures headed to the bunks and lay down. As soon as Gus was in the door, it shut behind him. He turned and tried to open it but found it was locked. Gus paced for awhile but the hard day of work and getting zapped was taking its toll. He approached the open bunk and laid down. One of the creatures got up and walked over to the depression in the floor. Gus saw that the depression was the equivalent of a bathroom. The creature touched a spot on the wall and a water nozzle came out. The creature drank from it and returned to its bunk. Shortly the lights dimmed and Gus drifted off to sleep.
A bell chimed and the lights brightened. Gus awoke with a start and looked quickly around. The other creatures were getting out of their bunks and shuffling toward the door. Gus lay there for a little longer and suddenly the door opened. The other creatures shuffled out and in just a few seconds, Sabah stepped into the door.
"When the bell chimes, you are to line up to go to work. We don't have time to waste and this will be your only warning," Sabah said.
Gus jumped lightly down from the bunk and quickly strode through the door. The line of creatures wasn't far so he hurriedly caught up. They went to the same dining hall as last night and had the same quality of food. Gus ate but he didn't like it. The creatures finished eating, shuffled to the elevator and then proceeded back to the hangar for the planetary flyers. Sabah set everyone to loading and unloading just as they had yesterday. At the end of the day Sabah took everyone back to the dining hall and then to their cell. This was the routine for the next month.
One day Gus stepped in the back of the flying machine to start unloading and he spotted what he guessed were fresh fruits and vegetables. He was a little surprised because he had seen nothing like this during the previous month. Some of the items looked similar to the fruits and vegetables on his planet. They smelled delicious and he couldn't help himself. He carried a load out and put it on the grav-sled. On his next trip in, he snitched a small fruit and ate it. It was wonderful! Gus continued to snitch small fruits and vegetables until he knew he had to quit before he made himself sick. He snitched a few more and hid them in his pouch on his belt. Gus made sure no one saw him. He needed these for himself. There were four other creatures from his line that were helping. One of them finally had a light come into its eyes as it recognized a vegetable similar to ones on its' home planet. It stopped working and started eating the vegetables. The other creatures didn't even pay any attention so Gus just kept carrying. Sabah noticed the creature wasn't working and came into the flying machine to check on it. He screamed and pulled his stingerray and aimed it at the poor hapless creature eating the vegetables. When the blue ray hit the creature, it screamed in agony and dropped to the floor like it was dead. Gus would have helped the poor creature except he saw that Sabah was still agitated and waving the stingerray. He guessed he would be next if he stepped over there and later he found out that he was right. Sabah waved at two of the other creatures and had them drag the disabled one out of the flying machine. They dragged it over close to the wall and left it there. All of the other creatures kept working so Gus did the same but he kept an eye out for Sabah.
A short time later another Challekan glided up on its disk and started talking to Sabah. They were gesturing at the creature lying on the floor in a heap. The laborers had almost 1/2 of the machine unloaded and just as Gus was ready to grab another load, a huge octopod creature leaped from the middle of the pile of fruits and vegetables. The spider-like creature seemed to be covered in long fine hair all over its body and legs. The head had large fangs that had a yellowish liquid ready to drip from them. The creature was over three feet across and moved with incredible speed. The Challekan talking to Sabah had its back to the space ship and didn't have a clue of its impending doom. The octopod creature zipped down the ramp and leaped almost 15 feet right on the back of the robed Challekan. It knocked the Challekan to the deck and rammed those fangs into its shoulder. The Challekan let out an anguished shriek that could be heard all over the hangar. Sabah's disk immediately jumped 15 feet into the air. The octopod creature jumped at Sabah but missed by just a fraction of an inch. The hairy creature leaped to the wall and started rapidly climbing right up it. Sabah pulled his stingerray and fired at the hairy creature but the creature was moving too fast and he missed. The creature went clear to the ceiling and ran upside down across the ceiling. All of the other Challekans had flown their disks midway between the floor and ceiling. There was a cluster of about 10 Challekans in the middle of the hangar and the octopod creature sprinted in their direction. It shot a silky looking strand to the ceiling beyond the cluster and then swung down like Tarzan swinging through the jungle. Several in the cluster pulled stingerrays and fired at the octopod creature. Some hit it but they didn't even seem to phase it. Other shots missed and were ricocheting around the hangar making creatures of all sizes duck for cover. Gus stayed under cover in the planetary flyer as he continued to watch. The octopod creature swung past the cluster and then swung back on the other side. As it went by the cluster of Challekans, it shot out another silky strand. The strand made a loop and went over the entire cluster. On the return swing, the creature shot another strand that looped the cluster of Challekans again. The octopod creature seemed to tighten the loops and jerked all the Challekans off their disks. The strands were sticky and held the Bugs in place twenty five feet off the hangar deck. The creature proceeded to add more loops quickly and then climbed down to the cluster to start biting with its fangs. The Challekans were shrieking in terror and struggling to no avail as the creature bit them all. Alarms started sounding and some armored Challekans armed with blasters flew through the big doors on their disks. They formed a box under the creature and fired the blasters. They hit the creature and Gus could hear the sizzle as the blasters did their damage. Shortly he could smell the burnt flesh and the creature slowly relaxed its grip on the strand and fell to the floor dead. The Challekans blasted it again for good measure and then flew to the back of the flying machine Gus was standing in. They lined up so they could blast anything that came out of the back. Sabah brought the whole line over and ordered everyone to rush with the unloading. The guards stood there at the ready until the last item was unloaded. Once all of the creatures in Gus' line were out, two of the guards went in and searched the flying machine. Sabah ordered Gus and one of the other creatures to drag the octopod creature to the disposal and throw it in. Gus saw that the first Challekan that had been bitten was dead and he figured the ones hanging from the ceiling were also. Sabah and the other Challekans lined everyone up and marched them out of the hangar. They put them back in their cells early that day. The next day when they arrived at the hangar, the bodies of the dead Challekans were gone.
Gus settled back into the monotonous routine again. Whenever he unloaded fresh fruits and vegetables he snitched all he could eat and then loaded his pouch. As long as the Bugs didn't see him and he kept moving, they didn't even seem to notice.
Gus had been captive about seven months when he started to notice that he didn't have the stamina he normally did. This worried him but he didn't know what it was. He did notice that when he carried some sacks and boxes that were dusty, he felt better the next day. He tried to get all of the dusty things he could but it just wasn't enough. His strength started to wane in the ninth month and he had trouble just putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually, he was too sick and weak to even get out of his bunk. Sabah came in and bla
sted him with the stingerray but he was too sick to even care. The next day two of his bunk mates hauled him to a waiting grav-sled. The sled took him to another part of the mother ship and a robot unloaded him into a bunk in a new cell. A Challekan came in and used a healer unit to check him out. The Bug left and came back shortly with a device that he put next to Gus' arm. There was a poof and Gus felt a sting in his arm. Later that day he felt a little better and the next day a Bug returned and gave him another shot in the arm. After three days of treatment, Gus almost felt like he would live. The next morning a Bug came and ordered Gus to follow. They wound through the mother ship and ascended several levels until finally they arrived at the repair hangar.
The repair hangar was a huge room containing damaged planetary flyers, robots and other space ships the Bugs had traded for, bought or found in space. They repaired what they could and if they didn't need it, they sold or traded it. The space ships and robots that were too damaged were salvaged. Each part that could be useful in another repair or trade was stored in an adjacent room. That room was a giant storage area with shelving covering the entire floor and reaching to the ceiling. Each shelving unit had a special code embedded so a robot could be directed quickly to a specific location. Each part was carefully tagged with a precise description, entered into the computer by a special technician and then stored in a designated spot. This system made it very easy to fill orders or to find parts needed to keep the planetary flyers in service. One of the most important parts of the salvage was to drain all of the usable energy material out of the damaged space ship or robot. This material was measured by the computer technician and then added to the mother ship stock pile until it was needed. Gus was assigned the task of emptying the energy material and putting it in the mother ship stock pile. The Bug directed Gus to a rack containing protective gear. The Bug told Gus to find a suit that fit and get into it. There was a communication device in the helmet and the Bug would teach Gus what to do.
The Bug took Gus through the entire procedure step by step until Gus was comfortable doing it by himself. He suspected the job was fairly dangerous because he needed protective gear and the Bugs stayed well away when he was draining the energy material, taking it to the computer technician to measure and then dumping it in the stock pile. Gus was glad the job wasn't so tough physically because he still wasn't back to normal. Whenever he was caught up draining the energy material, he helped clean some of the older space junk the Bugs had found. There was always a film of dust on the older pieces and Gus gladly cleaned it off. Every time he cleaned this dust, he felt better for a few days. Gus settled back into a routine of working and watching for a chance to escape… until the day the short, furry computer tech named Tik showed up.
The creature was a small strawberry-blonde furry creature that usually walked on four legs. She stood about 12" at the shoulder when on all four legs but was about 30" tall when she stood on two legs. She mostly walked on the two back legs when she was working on the computers or some other technical work. She had a fluffy tail covered with long feathery hair that was about 1/3 the length of her body. Her fingers curled and she walked on the middle joint of her front paws when on all four. She was armed with very sharp, retractable claws on all four paws -- much like a cat. Her front paws had 3 fingers and an opposable thumb which allowed her to pick up items and use a keyboard. She carried her head high so Gus knew that she was very proud and had an attitude. When she walked on all fours and her tail was straight up, it had a small curl on the end. When her tail was like that, she was in the fighting mode and you had better look out. She had a small canine-shaped head complete with the sharp canine teeth and her ears expressed a lot of the emotions she felt. If they were standing up and cupped a little, it was a sign of curiosity or interest. When her ears were flat against her head, she was in no mood to mess with anybody and she might throw something or even bite.
Tik took up the story from this point. When she felt the planetary ship taking off, she rushed to the door. It was locked and there was no other way out of the computer room. She went to the computer and tried to get into the memory to see if she could open the door. She found out that she was locked out of the computer and she couldn't check anything. She tried the comm unit but there was no response. She gathered up all her tools and put them in the tool bag. She figured a bill and sent it to the home office. She made sure that she charged a big bonus for the test hop and padded her time too. Finally, with nothing else to do, she just sat down and waited. After about a half a day, she felt the planetary ship braking and soon it landed again. She thought that the Bugs had just taken off to test the ship and were returning her to the space port. She was getting ready to give someone a piece of her mind. She would be paid extra for going along on a test hop! She waited and waited for someone to open the door and the longer she waited the angrier she became.
Suddenly the door opened and a Bug glided in on a floating disk. Tik was off the chair in a flash and ran right up to the Bug.
"Listen, you overgrown filth from the sewer, I didn't sign on to do test hops. I hope you know that this will cost you extra! Before anyone from my company sets foot on one of your space ships again, we'll have an armed guard to keep doors open and you jerks on the ground. I hope you have credits to pay the bill," Tik ranted as she grabbed her tool bag. She started to brush past the Bug when it glided in her path.
The Bug said haughtily, "You will follow me. We have need of your services on the mother ship."
Tik jumped with no warning and knocked the Bug off the disk. She trampled right over the top of it and headed out the door. She turned down the passage and headed for the outer door that she had come in earlier. The Bug was making funny sounds and was trying to scramble back into an upright position.
The Bug hollered loudly, "Halt or you will regret it!"
Tik didn't even look back as she said, "Shove it up your nose, you overgrown sewer filth!"
Tik felt the charge coming before she heard it. She tried to jump to the side and almost made it, but the stingerray blast grazed along her side. The pain in her side was excruciating so she dropped the tool bag. She whirled and dragging her one side, she still tried to attack the Bug that had blasted her. The Bug blasted her again and she passed out from the pain.
When she woke up, she was in a room just like the one that Gus had described, except the room and bunks were smaller. Tik felt like she had been hit by one of the taxis at Anbang. It hurt to move but it also hurt to just lie there so Tik checked the drawers and found her tool bag in the drawer under her bunk. There were other items in two of the other drawers. She tried the door but it was locked. Tik checked her tool bag to see if anything was missing but everything was there. She took her bag to the door to see if she could get it open. She messed with it for quite awhile but had no luck. She gathered up her tools and went back to the bunk and lay down. She put her tool bag right beside her for quick access or to grab it and run.
Later the door opened and two small dissimilar creatures filed in carrying a bag. As soon as they were in the room, the door swung shut. The two creatures didn't even pay attention to Tik. They just went directly to their bunks, put the bag in a drawer and then they lay down. Tik tried to engage the two in conversation but they didn't act like they understood anything she tried to say. They weren't interested in any sign language either. Finally, Tik gave up and lay down. It had been a long stressful day and the effects of the stingerray had taken their toll also. Soon Tik fell into a fitful sleep. She woke up every time one of the other creatures turned over or moaned in their sleep. When the bell went off in the morning, Tik almost jumped off the bunk. She went into her defend position, ready to take on whoever or whatever stepped through the door. The two creatures got up, grabbed their bag and lined up at the door. Tik stayed where she was, ready to fight.
The door swung open and the two creatures filed out. Shortly a Bug stepped
through the door.
"Grab your tool bag and follow the other workers," the Bug said quietly.
"Why don't you go try to breathe vacuum, you sewer filth!" Tik growled dangerously.
"Come right now! We don't have time for foolishness," the Bug replied, as it started to reach inside its robe.
Tik was ready for trouble and before the Bug could pull its arm out of the robe, she leaped from the bed and in one more leap covered the distance from the bed to the Bug. The Bug pulled the stingerray out of its robe but before it could fire, Tik hit it head on. She knocked it to the ground and grabbed the arm with the stingerray in her mouth. She bit down and twisted at the same time. She felt a satisfactory snap and felt the arm break off. She spit it out and went for the hood. She was trying to get it off and get to the Bug's face when another Bug came up behind and blasted her. The same excruciating pain as yesterday knocked her out and she fell off of the crippled Bug.
When she came to, both Bugs were holding stingerrays on her. The crippled Bug asked, "Are you ready to get your bag and go to work or would you like another dose?"
Tik tried to get to her feet and show the two Bugs how ready she was to work but her body just wouldn't do as she willed. She finally pushed up on her arms but they wouldn't hold her and she crashed back to the floor. After a few seconds she tried again. She wasn't going to give these Bugs the satisfaction of thinking she was beat. This time she pushed up on her arms and stayed. It took another two minutes before she could get her feet under her and stand on all four. She tried to take a step and almost fell again. Her tail was drooping and didn't offer any balance. She took a tiny step and made it so she tried another. Gradually, feeling was returning but she decided to get her tool bag rather than attack. The odds were too great and she just didn't have another charge. She laid her ears back to show that she would cooperate; but the Bugs had better beware, because if she got half a chance she would attack again.
Tik could hardly carry the bag and could barely move to keep up with the other creatures already lined up in the passageway. As she moved, her body started responding better and soon she was close to her old self. The Bugs took them to the dining hall and everyone picked up a tray of food. Tik took hers but didn't like the smell or texture. She knew she was going to have to force herself to eat to keep up strength. She ate about half of the meal and then the Bugs lined them up again. They walked the line to a large room that Tik figured was a repair room. There were robots, tools and all sorts of equipment in various stages of disassembly. The other creatures in the line stopped at work stations on benches lining the center of the room. The Bugs indicated that Tik should sit at the next empty station.
The crippled Bug explained, "You will check out the computers in the robots and other equipment. You are to program these computers to interface with the mother ship computer so the mother ship can control the robots and equipment. We will have someone else check your work, so do not think about sabotaging any of the programs. You have had a sample of our training methods and we can extend the pain a long time before you pass out the next time."
Tik laid her ears back to show her displeasure but she didn't say anything. A large robot brought a disassembled robot to her work station. She ran some diagnostic tests and found a couple of bad parts. She turned to the Bug who had been observing her.
"These parts are bad. I can't make them so where do I get replacements?" Tik said sourly.
"Use that computer terminal to check about replacement parts. If we have them in the mother ship, a messenger will bring them. If we don't have them, the computer will tell you whether to salvage this robot or to send it to storage for later repair when we get the parts," the Bug explained.
Tik checked with the computer and found out there were no replacement parts. The computer wanted to save the robot, so the computer had a messenger robot bring a piece of equipment for Tik to work on and picked up the broken robot to take away to storage. Tik checked out the piece of equipment and found a broken circuit board. She took her time but did repair it. She started reprogramming the equipment under the watchful eye of the crippled Bug. She finished the job and the messenger robot brought some more work. Tik took her time on all of the repairs but she kept busy all day. She figured she could have almost tripled her output if she was being paid; but if she was slave labor, she only would do enough to keep above suspicion. While she was working, Tik started to plan how to sabotage the main computer without anyone being able to trace it back to her. First she needed access to the computer and the ability to make changes. She knew she didn't have time to do a long program or to hack the mother ship computer, so she needed another plan. She knew the mother ship computer would be interfacing with everything she worked on; so if she put a piece of code in everything she worked on, maybe she could set up a Trojan horse that would let her into the mother ship computer. She knew that she was going to have to take some time to plan everything down to the last detail before she started. If the pieces were coming from all the different things she worked on, it would be very difficult for anyone to find. She needed to find out how the mother ship interfaced with the different pieces of equipment and the robots. Her spirits lifted as she knew that she had a chance to strike back at the Bugs -- even if it took some time. Finally the Bug signaled it was time to line up again. The line walked back to the dining hall and everyone received the same garbage they'd had for breakfast.
Tik choked down most of her food that night. She ate in a hurry and looked around trying not to be obvious about it. She tried to communicate with the creatures in her line but no one seemed to understand her language. She noticed that all the creatures grouped together were of different species. She guessed this presented a language barrier. She saw all different sizes and shapes of creatures in the dining hall. None of the lines lingered very long. They ate and then went on their way. Tik did notice a nine-foot tall purple creature with funny-looking hair. She was sure it was the same species as the Dar Es Salaam Traders that stopped at her planet. This one seemed to be missing its translator that all the Traders normally wore. Tik would like to get closer to this one. She knew that if it were a Trader, she could at least communicate by sign language. The crippled Bug came to the table and told them to line up. As soon as they were in line, they started for the cells. The other two creatures in Tik's cell went straight to their bunk. Tik tried the door again and then went to her bunk. She took her tool bag to the bunk and opened it up. She took out a mini-computer that she carried to help with programming and to take notes. She started planning how she would lay out her program to get into the mother ship computer. She made notes of the general outline and then put everything away. She lay down and slept better.
The bell went off and Tik jumped up. She was eagerly looking forward to getting to her work station to start checking out the interface between the computers she worked on and the mother ship computer. Tik looked around in the dining hall but didn't see the Trader this morning. She found out that if she wolfed down the food and didn't think about it, she could get it all down. As soon as everyone was through, the crippled Bug took them to the repair room. The routine was the same that day as it had been yesterday but the Bug didn't seem to hover over her as much. When it wasn't at her station, she tested the interface of the computers. By the end of the day, she understood how it worked and she had developed a plan for programming. In the dining hall she tried to communicate with those around her but there was no response. She saw the Trader again; but there was no way to get close to him or to get his attention without attracting attention to herself, so she just observed. When the door swung shut again, Tik tried it again with no luck. She hurried to her bunk and took out her mini-computer. She started writing the code she needed. She arranged it so that she could take small pieces to put in every computer that she worked on. The mini-computer would track where she was at in the code to help her keep things straight.
Tik made good progress that night and she knew that she would have the code finished in two more nights. Tik went to sleep very excited about the prospects of getting revenge.
The next morning Tik was so excited that she had trouble wolfing her food down and she thought it tasted terrible. She tried to communicate with those around her with no luck. Tik was ready when she got to her work station. She started implementing her plan with the first computer she repaired. The Bugs seemed happy with her work and now left her alone unless she had a question. It took a month to get all of the code programmed into the mother ship computer. Tik activated the Trojan horse that day.
She could hardly eat that evening. She wanted to get back to her cell to try her new program. Tik skipped her usual task of checking the door and went straight to her bunk instead. She took out her mini-computer and tried her program. She was in! She tried some different things and found out she was blocked from a lot of the mother ship computer. She didn't care. She was in and now could hack into whatever she wanted.
Tik spent another month getting into all levels of the mother ship computer. She started to notice that she didn't have much energy. She was forcing herself to eat everything the Bugs gave her but she still felt listless. She tried each meal to communicate with someone but nothing happened. Once she was into all levels of the mother ship computer, Tik learned the lay out of the mother ship and where the bugs stayed. She found out where her cell and the repair room were located in the mother ship. She found the hangar for the incoming and outgoing planetary ships. She had a lot of information and could wreak havoc on the Bugs but it didn't help her get off the space ship and back to her planet. Tik got into the navigation part of the mother ship computer and found out where they were at. It was a long way from her home planet and she didn't see any way that she could get back there. She continued to work on the mother ship computer and started setting all the equipment and robots on the mother ship to listen to her voice commands and do as she said.
One day she realized that she was getting sicker and weaker. She programmed the mother ship computer to have a robot take her and her tool bag to the dispensary for creatures such as herself. The crippled Bug evidently got his orders from the mother ship computer also because he didn't say a thing as the robot took her away.
At the dispensary, there was a Bug with a healer unit. The Bug checked her out and then gave her an intravenous fluid. The fluid made her feel a lot better in just a short while. The Bug with the healer unit left her alone and she quickly got out her mini-computer to search the mother ship computer for her diagnosis. The diagnosis said she was malnourished and low on certain essential vitamins. The intravenous fluid contained what she needed but the mother ship computer said another medical solution needed to be found because it wasn't cost effective to keep giving intravenous fluids. Tik checked to see if she could drink the fluid but it was only a temporary fix. It would stave off the malnutrition but eventually she would die if her system didn't digest the food properly. Tik told the computer to order the fluid for her as part of her normal diet. Tik had just put up her mini-computer when the healer Bug came back into the room.
The Bug said, "You have been reassigned. I will give you more fluid tonight and in the morning a supervisor will take you to your new job."
"What's the matter with me? Why am I so weak and sick?" Tik asked testily.
"You don't need to know. We will take care of you as long as you do your job," the Bug retorted gruffly.
"Where am I going to be working? Where will I sleep?" Tik asked as a test to see what the Bug knew or would tell.
"Your supervisor will show you all of that tomorrow. For now, relax and I will give you more fluid," the Bug told her like one would tell a child it was time to go to bed.
Tik waited until she was sure the Bug had gone for the night and then checked her mini-computer again. She found out she would be going to the repair hangar to work on computers there and also to input the amount of salvaged fuel that was dumped into the mother ship's stock pile. Tik worked for another hour or so before she put her computer away and went to sleep.
The next morning Tik woke up feeling much better. She still didn’t have the strength that she had when she came on the mother ship but she felt she could work something out now. The Bug with the healer unit brought her something to eat and Tik ate everything there. She knew she would have to eat everything to keep her system from starving her to death. Later she would have to research what she needed to keep her system working. She had just finished eating when a Bug with different colored trim on its robe came and told her to follow.
They worked their way through several different passages before they rode an elevator toward the outer skin. Once they got off the elevator, they walked a short distance and entered a huge hangar. There were several planetary flyers, other space ships and some large robots in various stages of repair. Robots and an assortment of varied creatures of differing sizes were swarming over everything. They were taking things apart or putting them back together and it took Tik several minutes to tell which was which. The Bug kept her moving across the hangar to another room. She noticed one space ship towards the rear of the hangar. It looked like it had seen its better days. It was much larger than the planetary flyers the Bugs used and Tik wondered where it came from. Her escort took her to a Bug that appeared to be the overseer in the room.
The new Bug announced, “My name is Wurden. You will be working here entering salvage parts into inventory and weighing, classifying and entering salvaged fuel. You will also send messenger robots to get parts that the technicians will need. I will be here until you are competent to do this alone. Do you understand?”
Tik replied sarcastically, “Yeah, I get it. How do you classify all the different parts? Do you assign them part numbers or just stick them on a shelf somewhere?”
“We classify them according to use category. You will decide which general category the part fits in and the computer will make a final determination. The computer will assign a shelf number and a messenger robot will store the part. There is a camera here that helps the computer identify the parts and what they are used for. The messenger robots that bring the parts here interface with the computer and tell it where the part came from and which ship or large robot it came off of,” the Bug declared smugly.
“I see. Do you get a lot of salvage ships? Where do they come from?” Tik asked.
“That is none of your business. Just concern yourself with quickly and properly classifying the parts as they come in. It is critical you weigh, classify and enter proper numbers for the salvaged fuel. There are five grades of fuel and we don’t want to mix them,” Wurden stated haughtily.
“What happens when you mix them? Do they blow up?” Tik asked innocently.
“It most certainly does not. The mother ship has too many safeguards for that to happen. All it does is to degrade the fuel which makes the ships and equipment use it up faster!” Wurden declared pompously.
Tik held her tongue and went to work. She had trouble guessing what the parts were and how they should be classified. Wurden was very impatient and she still wasn’t feeling all that well. Tik was holding her temper but just barely. She was fairly slow and toward the end of the day two messenger robots brought parts and set them on the counter for her to classify. She was concentrating on the computer and didn’t notice the large creature encased in the safety gear approaching. The creature moved rather clumsily in the protective gear and when it walked by the counter, it bumped into the robot delivering a part, causing the robot to dump the part right in Tik’s lap. Her tight hold on her temper snapped and she leaped on the counter and was ready to attack the robot when she saw the cause of the problem.
She started screaming at the large creature, “You big lummox. Why don’t you watch where you are going? You’ve damaged this robot and almost killed me. Did you do that on purpose?”
; The creature just kept walking -- completely ignoring her. It walked into the energy-shielded cubicle for recycling salvage fuel. The robot on the deck couldn’t get up, so it lay there thrashing around, trying to find a foot-hold or something. It started making a beeping alarm sound that added to the commotion. Another messenger robot was trying to get to the counter and couldn’t get around the one on the deck.
Just then Wurden glided up on his disk and asked, “What is going on here? Why are you standing on the counter instead of entering parts?”
“Just look at that big clumsy ox. He knocked that messenger robot over and knocked this part on top of me. I was almost killed and that thing just keeps shuffling along like it doesn’t understand plain old everyday Mis'stear," Tik complained.
"It doesn't understand Mis'stear. It’s a Sandghost from the planet Prokne. It has some fuel to weigh, classify and log in. Go tend to it and I will get this robot upright. You are falling behind and need to get more proficient at your job," Wurden stated primly, like he was talking to a small child.
Tik complied but was muttering under her breath the whole time about big clumsy Sandghosts and smart-alecky Bugs. She classified the fuel, logged it in and then went back to her counter. There were two messenger robots waiting and she still had to catalog the part that had been dumped in her lap. She concentrated on her job but kept muttering periodically. Finally the day was over and Wurden came to lead her away to the dining hall and her cell. She was toward the middle of the line but she noticed they stopped to pick up a very large creature that looked like it had been sculpted out of sand. Wurden seemed in a hurry to get them all bedded down so he didn't give Tik much chance to study the large creature.
The large creature sat at the table behind Tik in the dining hall so she just ignored it. She had programmed the mother ship computer to make the fluid with the extra vitamins and minerals as part of her meal. She made sure that she drank every bit of it. She tried her usual gambit of trying to establish communication with no better luck than she had at the other dining hall. As soon as the creatures in her line were through eating, Wurden lined the big sand creature right behind her and started them off down the passageway to the cells. At first Tik was a little nervous about the large creature being behind her. She was afraid it might step on her so she kept close to the creature in front of her.
After several stops and other creatures in the line entering their cells, Tik was the head of the line. Wurden stopped her and a cell door opened. She entered and suddenly she heard a shuffling sound behind her. She wheeled and there was the large sand creature standing in her cell.
Tik yelped at Wurden, "Hey, what's this big dummy doing in my cell?"
Wurden didn't even reply. The cell door swung shut and Tik jumped at it, trying to keep it open. She was too late and the door was securely locked. She tried it anyway and finally admitted there was nothing she could do. She turned to pick a bunk and saw the sand creature shuffling to a bunk that was big enough to fit his huge frame. Tik thought there was something familiar about that walk but just couldn't place it. She picked one of the bunks on the other side of the room and checked out the drawers. They were empty so she picked the lower bunk. She laid her bag on the bunk and then sat down to study the creature.
Suddenly she knew where she had seen that shuffle. She snarled, "You're that big lummox that almost killed me today aren't you?"
The creature didn't say a thing. It just sat there staring at her. Tik tried sign language by pointing at herself and then saying 'Tik'. The creature made some kind of noise that wasn't even close to what she was saying. It pointed at itself and made a low guttural sound that Tik couldn't even come close to imitating. Finally she gave up and pulled out her mini-computer. She worked at increasing her access to all parts of the computer for awhile and then started looking at the diagram of the space ship. When the 3-D image of the ship appeared, the sand creature sat up straighter on its bunk. It appeared to be very interested but kept its place on its bunk. Tik was checking out every passageway and committing them to memory. She located all the escape pods and kept looking for any other way to escape. Tik pulled up a view of the incoming hangar and the creature suddenly moved off its bunk and stuck one of those huge fingers right in the 3-D view of the hangar. Tik didn't know if she was being attacked or not so she growled a warning. The creature ignored her and started making those same low guttural noises while pointing at the hangar. She snapped at the finger and bit it. The creature jerked back and went back to its bunk holding its finger in the other hand. Tik studied for a little longer and finally shut everything down and prepared for sleep.
The 'rise and shine' bell went off and Tik jumped from her bunk to get ready. She noticed the large creature had trouble getting up and getting started but it was ready when the door opened. They walked to the dining room and ate in silence. The large creature now sat right next to her. Tik noticed it didn't like the food any better than she did. It appeared interested when she drank her fluid. Tik was the only one that had the special glass of fluid.
They finished the meal and headed toward the repair hangar. Tik did a little better that day and wasn't as far behind. Her cell mate brought another canister of fuel for her to measure and catalog. She watched and to her it seemed the creature didn't feel too good. She saw the outside hangar doors open and an obviously wrecked space ship was pulled in. It was covered in space dust and had large holes in the fuselage. Tik wondered if they would try to fix it or scrap it. The day ended and they went to eat. The large creature had been helping to clean the newly arrived space ship and had space dust all over it. She noticed that it seemed to be feeling better. After they got back in the cell, Tik again pulled out her computer and worked some more. The creature watched her but didn't try to approach her again.
It took her several days to get the hang of classifying the different parts. One of the biggest challenges was figuring out what the technicians needed to repair the different items. After about two weeks, the light came on in her head and things started getting easier and faster. After that, she had time to look around more and to observe the different routines. She noticed her cell mate would start looking weaker until he had a chance to clean some dusty piece of equipment and then it would be better for a few days. Tik knew she was getting weaker but she didn't know what to do. She noticed there seemed to be a big turn over of the workers in this section. She started noting the different creatures and one evening she looked up the personnel in that section. She discovered that all of the foreign creatures had serious health problems and most of the ones that left were marked dead in the records. Suddenly she realized that her, her cell mate and all the others were being worked until they were no longer cost effective to keep alive and then they were left to die. Tik vowed right then to work to avenge those who were already dead and those who were dying right now.
The next morning Tik was feeling pretty weak when she headed to the dining room. It was all she could do to carry her tool bag. Wurden was gliding behind on his disk as usual when they came to a right angle corner. There was some commotion up ahead and the line of workers stopped. Wurden glided up the passageway and around the corner. Tik set her tool bag on the deck and just then a single Bug came to a stop right by her bag. It reached down and grabbed her bag.
Tik reacted instantly. She leaped at the Bug and snarled, "Let go of that, you sewer vermin. That bag belongs to me!"
The Bug pulled harder on the bag and started to lift off on its disk. Tik jumped at its arm holding the bag and did her bite and twist like she had on the first Bug. The Bug's arm came off in her mouth.
The Bug screamed in pain and reached in its robe for the stingerray. As it pulled it out and aimed it at her, Tik saw her cell mate come up behind the Bug. It raised a huge fist and slammed it down on top of the Bug's hood. Tik heard a sickening crunch and the Bug dropped on its back on the disk. It dropped the stingerray
and started twitching. It looked like it was trying to walk while it was lying on its back. Tik could smell a sour smell like someone had stepped on a stink bug. Her cell mate grabbed the disk and gave it a fling down the passageway. The disk and the Bug went sailing out of sight. Her cell mate picked up the Bug's arm, broke it into smaller pieces, then stuck both the arm and the stingerray into the tool bag. It carried the bag and pushed Tik back into line. Just then the line started to move and they entered the dining hall. After the meal, her cell mate continued to carry the tool bag until he dropped off to go to work. Tik grabbed the bag and went about her day. Her opinion of her cell mate took a drastic turn. Later that evening when she got back into the cell, she opened the mother ship computer and researched information about Sandghosts. She found out that the voice boxes on the large creatures wouldn't make the higher pitched sounds like she made. She also discovered that they didn't hear all of the higher frequencies. The Sandghosts could make much lower sounds than she could, so Tik decided to start some kind of sign language to communicate with her cell mate.
For the next two weeks they worked on the sign language and establishing communications. The Sandghost carried Tik's tool bag to and from work everyday. At work, he gave it to her to take to her counter and in the evening he laid it on her bunk. Tik grew worse and her fur started falling out in patches. It was getting matted and clumped together in spots. She looked awful. The last two days the Sandghost had carried her back to their cell. Her cell mate's health was up and down depending on how many dirty projects it worked on. On the day of the Sandghosts lowest ebb their routine changed.