Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction Read Online Free PDF Page B

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