Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction (45 page)

Ron asked in a quiet deadly serious voice, "Who is paying for my capture?"

The creature answered quickly, "I don't know, for sure.
 
My boss told us about the reward and that we could split it.
 
I think it is the Challeka Traders who are offering the reward.
 
I don't know which branch.
 
There are four mother ships and it could be any one of them or all of them.
 
I'm hurt.
 
When are you going to get me some help?"

Ron just walked back to his vehicle to check on his driver.

The driver was pale and his eyes were about the size of saucers.
 
He excitedly said, "I've never seen anything like it.
 
You don't even see anything like this in the drama videos.
 
I don't know how they missed you.
 
You were just standing there so calm.
 
I notice you didn't miss any of them.
 
Are they all dead?"

"No.
 
The one to the front is badly wounded.
 
Are you all right?
 
They didn't hurt you did they?" Ron asked matter of factly.

"I'm fine.
 
Wait until I tell Fu and my friends.
 
They'll never believe this.
 
You knew they were going to shoot.
 
Why didn't you shoot first?" the driver asked, almost in shock as the reality set in.

"On my planet, we believe in giving even the bad men a chance.
 
They made their choice and now will live with the consequences," Ron said quietly.
 
"I'm sorry you were involved in this.
 
Will your vehicle still move and function?"

The driver jumped out to check his vehicle and, at the same time, tried to avoid looking at the ugly creature lying on the ground.
 
There was only minor cosmetic damage to the front of his vehicle, so he moved back to the driver's seat.
 
The first police car slid to a stop and two policemen jumped out.
 
Ron told them the creature in front was wounded and needed attention.
 
One of the policemen rushed over and then went back to the patrol car for a first aid kit.
 
He told his partner to call for an ambulance as he rushed back to administer first aid.
 
The ugly creature was very defiant but too weak to protest for long.
 
The other policeman checked out the other two creatures.
 
He noted the stingerrays in their hands.

Three other police cars pulled up and started directing traffic.
 
One policeman took Ron's driver to a squad car and started asking questions.
 
The driver started excitedly telling about Ron standing there and the ugly creature firing at him and missing.
 
He told about the others firing at Ron and then Ron returning their fire.

Another policeman took Ron's statement but strangely didn't ask about Ron's weapon.
 
Ron had already hidden it away again.
 
The ambulance arrived during Ron's statement and hauled the ugly creature off to the hospital.
 
When Ron and the driver finished their statements, the policemen stood together out of earshot.
 
They were comparing stories and deciding what to do.
 
Ron was thinking about this attack and the thugs who had attacked them at the restaurant earlier.
 
He wondered if it was really a simple robbery or if they were trying to earn a big reward, too.
 
Ron broadcast to Auntie and asked if she had recorded the shoot out.
 
She replied that she had.
 
Ron asked if she could tap into the banker's or some other computer in the terminal and send a copy anonymously.
 
She replied that it would be a piece of cake.
 
Ron told her not to use Fu's or any of his employees' computers but send a copy of the shoot out to the police station.

Shortly there was a call over a squad car radio and one of the group of policemen went to answer it.
 
After a short conversation, he walked back to the group.
 
One of the group came over to Ron.

The policeman said, "We just got an anonymous email with a video of this whole shoot out.
 
It happened just as you and the driver said.
 
Would you know anything about where it came from?"

"I've been right here and as your man over there can attest, I haven't even touched a phone.
 
How could I know anything about it?" Ron answered matter-of-factly.

The policeman, who had been watching, nodded his agreement and the other policeman just shook his head as he returned to the group.
 
After another 20 minutes of discussion, the policeman came back to Ron and asked if Ron had ever seen any of the ugly creatures before.
 
Ron told him he had never even laid eyes on any of that race.
 
He had no idea where they came from, unless they were from the last space ship that had landed yesterday.
 
Ron told him that the first space ship was manned by a close friend and they had been together last night, so he didn't know who or what was in the other ship.
 
He asked if the ugly creature was from their planet and the policeman replied that it wasn't.
 
The policeman asked how long he would be on planet.
 
Ron told him they planned on leaving the next day.
 
The policeman told him that they would need him to come to the station in the morning to finish the paper work and they might have to delay a day until they finished their investigation.
 
Ron said that could be arranged and asked if the policeman could tell his driver where they needed him to be in the morning.
 
He explained that it would be much easier if he wasn't trying to explain addresses and directions to the driver.
 
The policeman grinned and agreed as he walked over to the driver.
 
Shortly, the policeman and the driver came back over to Ron and told them they were free to go.
 
Ron asked if it was alright to stop at the robot dealers to pick up his purchase and the policeman told him he was free to travel anywhere he liked.

Once they were in the vehicle and on the road, Ron's adrenaline wore off and he started to shake.
 
The driver was so excited, he was still talking a mile a minute and didn't notice.
 
By the time they reached the dealer, Ron's nerves were steadier.
 
He went in and concluded his business.
 
The dealer wheeled out another robot that looked similar to Dolores but with subtle little differences.
 
Ron and the driver loaded the robot onto the back of the vehicle and headed for the space port.
 
They arrived with no more incidents and drove to the rear of the space ship where they unloaded the robot.
 
Ron took it into Auntie, so they could make sure it was full of fuel.
 
He called for Gus to bring some help to carry in the flowers that he had bought.
 
Gus asked how many plants he had bought and when Ron told him two dozen, Gus said he would just bring a grav-sled.

While he was waiting for Gus, Ron and the driver unloaded the flowers and Ron started to pay the driver.
 
The driver didn't want to take any pay but Ron insisted and he paid for the damage to the vehicle as well.
 
The driver thanked him and left with a promise to be back in the morning to take him to the police station.

"Well, well.
 
We've been here slaving away getting ready to leave and what have you been up to?
 
I didn't know it would take so long to buy a few flowers and a robot.
 
Did they have to grow the flowers or make the robot?" Gus joked with a chuckle.

"Oh, buying the flowers didn't take long nor buying the robot.
 
It didn't even take long to shoot three of our friends from over there.
 
It was the paperwork that took forever," Ron came back smart-alecky.

Gus dropped the flower he was carrying as he whirled to see if Ron was joking.
 
He saw the look in his eyes and knew it wasn't a joke.
 
He saw that Ron was pale and looked shaky.
 
He started shaking even more as he thought about what had just happened.
 
Gus picked up the flower and they loaded the rest on the grav-sled.
 
They pushed it into Auntie without another word until everything was put away.

"We better go find Tik and hear this story together," Gus said gravely.
 
Gus was watching his friend and partner with concern.
 
He felt that Ron had been through a severe emotional trauma.

Gus broadcast for Tik and she said she was in the situation room looking over the ethic rules
Kota
had dropped by earlier.
 
The two men headed for the situation room.
 
Tik knew something was up as soon as they walked into the room.

Gus said, "Why don't you tell us what happened."

"Well, I bought the robot and the dealer said it would take a couple of hours to get it.
 
I decided to go shopping at a different nursery while we waited.
 
I found some different, really colorful flowers so I bought some of them.
 
I checked with Auntie before I bought them just to make sure they were compatible.
 
We were headed back to the dealers when it happened." Ron paused.

"What happened?" Tik demanded anxiously.

"I think a picture is worth a thousand words; so, Auntie, will you please show what happened, starting with the vehicle running us off the road?"

Auntie started the video and Ron watched himself in action.
 
Tik was growling and almost hopping up and down when the first creature fired at Ron.
 
Gus was tense, also as he watched the scene unfold.
 
When Ron shot the two at the back of the vehicle, they both muttered, "Good, they got what they deserved!"

When the video finished, Ron took up where he'd left off, "I asked 'old ugly', there on the ground, why I was attacked.
 
He told me that we are worth a lot of money and Auntie is worth even more.
 
He said there is a reward of 50,000 credits each; if we are captured, and Auntie is worth a million credits, delivered to the Bugs.
 
He also mentioned that there are four Bug mother ships and he didn't know which one put up the reward.
 
He said it might have been all of them.
 
We know now that the Bugs want us and Auntie back in a bad way.
 
I, for one, am tired of the Bugs pushing us.
 
It's going to cost any bounty hunters in a big way from now on."

"Do you think the incident the other night wasn't a robbery?
 
Were they after the bounty?" Tik asked.

"I don't know.
 
I don't know how word like this gets around.
 
I can understand
Kota
finding us; because they were looking for the radio broadcast, but how would local thugs find out?
 
We may have to talk to
Kota
to find out some more," Ron answered.

"What do we do about it?
 
Can we leave here right now?" Gus asked anxiously.

"I have to stay until tomorrow at least.
 
The police said they were going to investigate and I will have to go back into town to sign some papers.
 
They thought I could leave after that," Ron stated.

"Well, those thugs the other night and now, these ugly sewer crawlers found out we have teeth and claws.
 
The bounty might not look so attractive once word gets out," Tik declared angrily.

"Yes, I agree.
 
One thing I learned this morning was that we need to practice a quick draw.
 
On Earth, we have movies where cowboys wear guns all the time.
 
They survive by being able to get their gun out fast and still hit the target.
 
If I hadn't taken my weapon out before I got out of the vehicle, I would have been in trouble.
 
The shield did work nicely though," Ron said.

Auntie chimed, to let them know that
Kota
and
Zibo
were at the shield.
 
Tik said to let them in.
 
Tik used the intercom to tell them to come on in.
 
She said they were all in the lower situation room.
 
Kota
and
Zibo
entered the room in just a short time.

Kota
had a very serious look on his face as he spoke without any sort of greeting, "I've got some bad news.
 
One of our Traders picked up a rumor on another planet and radioed it to us just this morning.
 
They said the Bugs want…"

"Want us badly and have offered a 50,000 credit reward for our capture, right?" Ron finished for him.

"How did you know?
 
Did someone else radio you?"
Kota
asked anxiously.

Ron told Auntie to roll the video again.
 
Kota
and
Zibo
watched in shocked silence.
 
When the video was through,
Kota
asked, "Where did you get that weapon?
 
It looks like you have been practicing.
 
Those were not lucky shots, were they?"