Escape 1: Escape From Aliens (16 page)

He turned away from Jane and Far Wing and aimed his taser tube at the opposite cell. With his free hand he pointed the red cube and pressed Open. The cell door zipped upward. Yellow light and the holo of a cliff showed inside.

“Winglo inside the cell, come out and meet us,” Jane said as she kept her eyes and taser on Far Wing.

A yellow beak appeared from one side of the open door. That was followed by a long head with two red eyes and a yellow head crest. The beak opened.

“Open sky is out there?” the Winglo croaked in a high tone.

“Yes,” Jane said. “I am Captain Jane Yamaguchi. How are you called by your flock?”

The Winglo moved so its entire body filled the open doorway. Like the first it looked outside and then up. “Ahhhhh. Free air! Enclosed but so open.” The Alien looked to Jane. “May I leave this miserable egg?”

“Yes, but do so slowly,” Jane said, still not looking back. “My ally Bill, a male human, holds a white tube that can make you unaware if you attempt violence.”

“My flock knows me as Wind Dancer. I am female.” The Winglo hopped over the door sill and onto the side walkway. Bill let go the Open spot on the red cube. Immediately the cell door shut. Which made the Winglo shiver. Her red eyes fixed on Bill. “Do not shoot me with the red beam! Please. One moment I was standing on my roost platform in our high mountain country, enjoying the coolness of the night air, when the next moment a white glow swept up and shot me with that beam!”

Bill gave the Alien a closed mouth smile. “Understood, Wind Dancer. I am Bill. Next to me is Captain Jane. Who commands our human flock on this ship. Can you be peaceful to us and to others who will look very strange to you?”

Wind Dancer fluttered her wings. “What do these other captives look like?”

“Captain?”

Jane kept her back to him. “Star Traveler, project a holo image of the two Ludeen captives into the intersection of these walkways. Also show a holo of the Mok captives.”

“Projecting,” the AI said.

“Oh!” croaked Far Wing.

“Wingless!” cried Wind Dancer, who looked away from the holos to Bill. “Do you not have winged people on your world of Earth?”

Bill kept his taser aimed at the female Winglo, though his gut told him these flying pterosaurs were indeed peaceful. “No, we do not. We humans, like the Ludeen, evolved from tree-dwelling, four-limbed mammals. We give live birth to our young.”

“Messy,” Wind Dancer said, stepping further out on the side walkway as she folded her leathery wings against the short brown fur of her bipedal body. “Eggs work best for us Winglo. When can we meet these Ludeen?”

“Captain?” He kept his attention and his taser fixed on the female Winglo.

“We accept their promise of peaceful behavior,” she said firmly. “Step back with me on the walkway so these two can meet in the middle.”

As soon as they did so, the two Winglo bounded forward, flared wings at each other, then laid their long yellow beaks alongside each other. Then, with a jump of their short legs and a loud flap, they were airborne.

Looking up, Bill admired how the two Winglo flew in formation, side by side, wing tips close but not touching. In seconds the two avians had flown to both ends of the chamber and then landed at the intersection of the central walkway and the side walkways.

“Are there other rooms this large on this craft that travels the deep blackness beyond our sky?” Far Wing croaked.

“Yes,” Jane said, lowering her taser tube so it did not point at the two avians. “There are two large hallways that connect each side of this starship. Doors lead from the hallways to chambers smaller than this, like the Food Chamber, the Water Pool and the Greenery Chamber. As you saw, the Ludeen now move about this ship. Be peaceful to them!”

Bill couldn’t resist. “Far Wing, Wind Dancer, this starship does not seem to shock you. Do your own people also travel in space?”

The two Winglo tapped beaks with each other. The female spoke. “Of course we do. Our star system has seven planets in it, but only our world of Bright Skies has life like us. We began travels to the other worlds just recently.” She hooted something that did not translate. “But our history balls say we were planted on Bright Skies by other Winglo. Long, long ago.”

Damn!
These Winglo were a colony world. And well advanced too. He looked to Jane. Who seemed thoughtful.

“Winglo people, we welcome you to flight freedom,” Jane said firmly. “With the history you relate, you understand how it takes time to travel from star to star. Be assured, we will return you to your world of Bright Skies once we have returned the Ludeen and Mok to their home worlds.”

“Long flights do take time,” Far Wing said. “We understand. Where may we find food? We eat both green vegetation and small creatures that travel on the ground. Though on our world, that food is provided to us in frozen form.”

Jane gave them a smile. “We do the same on Earth.” She paused, then pulled out a red cube and tossed it to Wind Dancer. “The red cube, when pressed, allows you to open most doors on this ship.”

“Freedom!” cried the female avian.

“You are generous,” Far Wing croaked, his tone warm and friendly-sounding.

Jane nodded to the two avians. “Star Traveler, send a hover bot to show our Winglo friends the hallways and chambers of the ship. And show them habitats for residence. They are free to visit all ship chambers except the Command Bridge, Engine, Weapons, Fusion, Collector Pod and Transport chambers.”

A distant whirring sounded. Bill saw the hover bot approaching from the upship direction. “A hover bot arrives,” the AI said. “However, use of the access hallway on this side of the ship will be limited due to its passage through the Transport Exit Chamber.”

Jane frowned. “Modify my access limits to allow travel through the Transport chamber. But no bioform other than me and Bill are allowed access to the two transport ships in that chamber.”

“Instructions modified and limitations understood,” the ship mind said.

The silvery pod of the hover bot came to a stop between them and the Winglo. Jane gestured to it.

“Follow this device out of here and into the hallway beyond. Speak to it your questions and the ship mind whose name is Star Traveler will respond. Enjoy your roaming!”

“Yes!” croaked Far Wing. He flapped and rose into the air to follow the hover bot as it sped toward the nearby airlock door.

“Life is flying!” cried Wind Dancer.

Bill watched the two avians flap excitedly down to the airlock door, open it, pass inside and then disappear as the eight foot high pressure door closed. He looked to Jane. “Well, Captain, that went well.”

She gave him a nod, her look serious. “It was. But until we meet, talk to and get promises of peace from the remaining Alien captives, I’m keeping my taser tube aimed and my other hand resting on the butt of my Browning Hi-Power!”

Bill agreed totally. He looked around the chamber, fixing on the two white cells next in line from the Winglo cells. “I’m ready. You?”

“Of course I am,” she said, her tone tense. “Star Traveler, I believe the next two captives belong to the Doman species. Are they in the two cells just up from here?”

“They are.”

Jane gestured to Bill to follow her. “Good. Provide me an audio link to both Doman cells.” She then proceeded to repeat her introduction, offer and peace question as she came to a stop just above the intersection of the side walkways with the central walkway. Bill stepped past Jane and, like her, aimed his white tube at the cell on the left. “What is your name? And do you wish to leave your cell?”

“No!” came a hoarse squeak. “Oh no, your outside is too strange!” came a voice that sounded deeply frightened.

No words came from the other cell. Just a squeak.

“Star Traveler,” Jane called. “Show us a holo of the two Doman inside their cells. And project to them holos of me and Bill.”

Two holos appeared in the intersection. They showed two mole-like creatures with armored skin who resembled an armadillo with no tail. Each Doman stood on four feet, its pink snout uplifted as if to smell something. The front feet had toes that looked finger-like. The images showed them hunkering down just outside a structure that resembled a small hill with a dark hole leading into it. Their daylight was very red. And dark. As if it were close to sunset.

“Doman,” she called, “what are your names?”

“Fast Runner,” squeaked the one on the left.

“Old Mother!” cried the one on the right who had said nothing.

“Tell me,” Jane said calmly, “why you do not wish to leave your cells? You are people of a world with land, mountains, rivers, and perhaps forests. Surely you like moving about?”

“We do,” squeaked Old Mother. “But you are a Sky Bird! We do not come out when such roam our skies.”

Bill wondered if they had finally found a species so low-tech that it regarded visitors from space as gods. Or worse. He looked to Jane, his expression questioning.

She shrugged at him, her look equally puzzled. “Old Mother, Fast Runner, we humans used to live in caves for protection from the hungry predators of our world. No longer. We move about as we wish, thanks to tools that convey us and protect us from rain, wind and predators. Do your people have similar tools?”

“We make fire,” Fast Runner said. “We have wooden digging tools. We find food wherever we can, usually at night. Our daytime skies have many Sky Birds who will grab us and eat us! You will eat us!”

Jane shook her head slowly, her expression one of sympathy. “No, we will
not
eat you, my Doman friends. So. Do you wish to stay in your cells until we fly back to your world?”

“Yes!” squeaked Old Mother. “There is food and water aplenty in here. No one hunts me. I miss my young ones, but my sisters will care for them. I stay here until you Sky Beings return us home.”

“Safety!” squeaked Fast Runner. “This cell is as she says. Let me stay inside it until you Sky Beings take us home.”

Jane gave a sigh. “We will do as you wish. However, if you need something, speak aloud in your chamber. I will hear you. Or a friend of mine will hear you. We will make sure you are safe and fed well until we reach your home.”

“Many thanks,” Fast Runner said. “My brothers will draw pictures of you tall ones on the wall of our burrow. We will teach our people about your great power.”

“Me too! I will do the same,” Old Mother squeaked hurriedly.

Jane grimaced. “We do not need such stories told about us. Simply say friends from the sky brought you home. Star Traveler, shut off the link.”

“Link shut off,” the AI said.

Bill looked around. They stood halfway up the double line of white globular cells. The warm yellow light of Sol shone down on them. As before they no longer wore tube suits, thank destiny, and it had been two days since they’d left the Market world system. In another day they would arrive at the Ludeen system. Where they would discover which world was Green Land. And be on the lookout for other Collector ships and local satellites. They’d learned during the last break that the Ludeen, while not having spacecraft, did have comlink sats in orbit. And each Mountain city was protected by powerful gas lasers. A carryover from the time when the Ludeen had fought among themselves. Plus planes flew from Mountain to Mountain, carrying tech people, students, emigrants, people like the architect and healer, and specialized foods that were in demand by their world’s leaders. Their tech sounded like something from the early 1950s, Bill thought. If you left out atomic bombs. But at least they’d been able to chat like normal, thanks to the translation ear buds distributed to the Ludeen and other captives by the AI. Jane caught his attention.

“Next group of cells,” she said, leading the way up the central walkway.

“Coming, Captain,” Bill said. He tried not to notice the shape of the woman’s hips and long legs, which were nicely outlined in her tight blue jumpsuit. An officer she was. And off-bounds she was. Or should be. Then again, he’d learned in the SEALs to never say never.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jane stopped just above the intersection that allowed access to cells on their left and right. The attack by the Mok people had taught the two of them to no longer stand at the intersections of the side walkways with the central walkway. She put the white taser tube down on the metal of the central walkway, leaned it against her leg, glanced back at him, then frowned.

“This is taking too damned long! Star Traveler, who inhabits the cells near to us?”

A low hum sounded. “The cell to your left contains a Slinkeroo. The cell to your right contains a Zipziptoe. Neither species has a fellow captive in this chamber,” the AI said, its tone professor-like, as if the data should be obvious to them.

“And the other cells not yet visited? Name the species in them,” Jane said tightly. Perhaps she’d heard the same tone as Bill.

A quick hum sounded. “Going from closest to more distant, the other six cells contain pairs of people from the Cheelan, Megun and Aelthorp species.”

Jane crossed arms across her chest. “Establish an audio link to all eight cells. Project a holo of me and Bill inside each cell.”

“Link established. Holos projected.”

Jane proceeded to identify herself, her rank, make the offer of freedom from their cell, ask their names and then pose the peacefulness question. “I will hear your responses in order of your closeness to me. Each captive will hear what others say. And see holos of me and each other. Be patient. Slinkeroo captive, respond!”

Static came to his ear buds. Bill aimed his taser tube at the cell to the left. It held the Slinkeroo. Who, he recalled, resembled a walking snake. Words came.

“My community knows me as Time Marker,” the Slinkeroo said in a hissing voice. “On my world I build time keeping devices. Including time markers that track atomic particle changes. I was exploring an old cave when captured by Diligent Taskmaster.” A pause sounded. “My people are mostly peaceful, though we have devices to defend our world from infalling asteroids. I understand about spaceships, which my world of Notter has begun to build. Life elsewhere has been an assumption of my people. I will be peaceful to all.”

Jane nodded quickly. “Bill, open his cell door. Time Marker, you may exit out onto the walkway but do not approach me or any other bioform you see in this chamber.”

“Understood,” the Slinkeroo said. “It has been lonely in this room, though your words earlier that you had expelled our captor were very welcome,” it hissed.

Bill pointed the red cube and pressed Open. The door flashed open and yellow light shone out.

“Bill, focus on the other cell,” Jane said softly.

Before he turned he saw the Slinkeroo exit its cell on four short legs. A black-skinned walking snake it indeed resembled. Its triangular head turned their way. Two blue eyes fixed on them. A fringe of six tentacles circled its neck. The tentacles moved intentionally, making him think of long fingers. Then the most fascinating thing happened.

Lightning flared just above its long, ground-hugging body.

“Shit!” He aimed the taser at the walking snake.

Jane did the same.

“Peace!” hissed the Slinkeroo. “My people, and I, we are able to project electrical charges beyond our body. It is how we obtained food in the jungles on our world. Now, we use it to activate devices we make. I promise not use it against anyone in this ship!”

“Better not,” Jane said sharply. “We humans understand electricity. And how to ground it. While we cannot resist the strong shocks of the red beam that this weapon shoots, many humans can handle strong electric shocks. One of us would knock you out. Or use our . . . pellet-throwing pistols to punch holes in you!” she said, touching her Hi-Power.

The creature’s six neck tentacles flared outward stiffly. “Do not shoot! Your weapons are understood. The need to be peaceful on a ship where other life walks and talks and relates is understood. I am willing to work in return for the freedom of the ship.”

Jane kept her eyes and her taser fixed on the Slinkeroo. “Good. You will be allowed to freely roam this ship, if you are peaceful. Private quarters will be assigned you. Here is a device that will open most doors on this ship,” she said, tossing a red cube its way. “Now, stay there while I speak and meet with the other captives.”

A bobbing of its triangular head imitated the head shake done by humans. Which it had clearly learned just by watching the holos of him and Jane. A fast learner, that one, Bill thought as he turned and aimed his taser at the white cell to the right.

“Star Traveler, allow a response from the Zipziptoe captive,” Jane said.

A guttural moan sounded over his ear buds and in the chamber itself. “So tall you are,” came words that sounded basso profundo. “Strange the life from other worlds. My designation is Long Walker. My work involves visiting distant communities on our world. It is dangerous work, but we Zipziptoe evolved to survive all dangers.” A pause came. “My people do not travel to other worlds, though two of us recently orbited our world of Home. The craft was basic. It had no air and many openings in the craft walls. The vacuum was unpleasant to my comrades, but they returned home safely.”

Jane shook her head, clearly as amazed as Bill that this species could survive vacuum and stellar radiation without protection. “Giant tardigrades they are!” she muttered. “Long Walker, you have seen the holograms of the other captives held in this chamber. Can you be peaceful with them?”

Another long, low moan sounded. “Surely I can. We Zipziptoe know only peace. Our world has enough violence by its nature. None of us seek further violence.”

Jane gestured back at him with her free hand. “Let him out. Long Walker, your door will open. Go out from your cell and stop on the metal walkway that links your cell to where Bill and I stand. Do not approach us or the Slinkeroo whom you will see.”

“Agreed,” came a low moan.

Bill pointed his red cube at the cell and pressed Open. The white cell door zipped up. Brilliant white light shone from inside.

He squinted, but kept his taser aimed at the door. “Damn but that light hurts!”

Jane gave a loud sigh. “Even the reflection is bright to me. This Zipziptoe world must orbit an F-type star!”

Bill vaguely recalled the F-type stars as being much brighter than Sol and occurring ahead of the G-type stars that were yellow. Like the Sun. He wished he had a pair of sunglasses. What came next was even wilder than the super-bright starlight.

Out of the cell there lumbered an eight-legged, ground-hugging critter who resembled a segmented worm. Each foot had ferocious claws, while the front leg pair were uplifted and the fleshy arm-legs held out. Three fingers and a thumb adorned the end of each arm-leg. The fleshly head most shocked him. It had a circular mouth filled with dagger-like teeth clearly made for latching onto prey and munching. At the top of the wrinkled head were two black eyes. Those eyes looked his way, then to Jane, then beyond her to the walking snake form of the Slinkeroo.

“Remarkable,” came a low bass rumble from the round mouth. “One of you is a normal ground-walker like me. The other two seem unbalanced to me.” The Zipziptoe creature stopped once all of its eight legs were free of the cell door. Bill quickly let go the Open spot. The door slid shut fast, cutting off the superbright light. Normal yellow light shone down on them.

The new creature looked up at the chamber’s ceiling lights. “Dim those are. But it is to be expected. A different world. A different star. And yet, you . . . Humans seem to enjoy distant traveling as much as I do.”

“We do,” Bill responded so Jane would not have her attention diverted from the unmoving Slinkeroo. “We occupy every part of our world, except for the oceans of salty water that cover two-thirds of Earth. But we have traveled deep in those oceans in vessels we call submarines.”

The Zipziptoe’s two black eyes fixed on him. “Our world has no open water. Except for the hot springs from which our people once came, according to our Recorders.” It went silent a moment, then moaned again. “We obtain water from shadowed ravines and from underground sources. The digging of deep wells by powered devices gave our people a chance to multiply. Now, many females lay eggs each year. Unlike distant times when survival was all that mattered.”

Bill kept his taser tube fixed on the creature. “The device I hold shoots a red beam like the one that allowed Diligent Taskmaster to capture you. She and I hold them for our protection. Until we see that peaceful action follows peaceful talk.”

Low moaning came in short bursts. Laughter? The black eyes blinked quickly. “Peaceful action is all I know. It is how I convince fellow Zipziptoes to share their family history with me. I am preparing a Recording that will include every family of our world, and their distant ancestors. Surely it will educate the newly hatched ones.”

Bill shook his head. An Alien genealogist stood before them. Albeit one from a world where natural disasters were the source of violence. “Stay where you are, Long Walker. Cooperate and you will have a new Recording to share with your people when we return you to your home world.”

The black eyes blinked again. “An eventual return home is welcome. But this star traveling you must do to return other captives to their homes, it appeals to me. Perhaps I can assist you?”

“Possibly,” Jane called from where she still covered the Slinkeroo. “Bill, toss him a red cube. Then let’s move back to the next pair of cells. I think they contain the Cheelan people.”

Bill tossed a cube to the walking worm, then stepped back along the central walkway, allowing Jane room to back pedal his way. “Do we keep them covered? Or switch to covering the new cells.”

“The new cells,” she said, coming to a stop just beyond the next intersection of cell walkways. “Star Traveler, allow the two Cheelan to speak now. What is your response to my offer and peace question?”

“Peacefulness is accepted,” barked one Cheelan. “My clan name is Purposeful Guide. I am male. My work involves the direction of an orbital complex above our world. The complex monitors the extremes of weather, ocean currents and food growth so our people will not go hungry,” he barked hurriedly. “We Cheelan have visited our two nearby moons and a water planet lying near our world. Which we call Vibrant. The presence of other life among the stars has been accepted by all Cheelan, but with great debate on the shapes, nature and intentions of that life.”

“Enough!” barked another Cheelan. “Guides talk endlessly. My clan calls me Wind Swift. I am a doer. My life work involves the search for and mining of ores needed to support the devices used by such as Purposeful Guide. My gender is female, though I have yet to bond with a male and begin a family. I too promise peacefulness to the strange lifeforms captured by that horrible bug!”

Bill grinned to himself. It was nice to know other folks saw the cockroach form of Diligent Taskmaster as repulsive. While the forms of the captives they’d met so far were strange, even exotic, he could class them as being reptiles, mammals, avians or just animal, like with the Zipziptoe. He thought none of the remaining captives were insect-like.

Jane looked his way, gave him a thumbs-up, then looked back to the cell on the left. At which she aimed her white tube. She also pointed her red cube at it. “Purposeful Guide, your cell door is now open. Come out onto the walkway, but stop there. Do not approach me, Bill or the other bioforms you will see.”

Yellow light shone from within the left side cell. A two-footed shape suddenly filled the oval doorway. That form stepped out onto the side walkway, saw them, looked up at the chamber’s ceiling lights, then fixed back on them. “I arrive. Peacefulness is promised. Like the Zipziptoe and Slinkeroo people, I offer to work in payment for my freedom.”

Bill saw a kangaroo-like Alien covered in silver scales. It had two arms with long scaly fingers adorning each hand, two strongly muscled legs, a yellow abdomen, red eyes and a thick tail that served as a third balance point. Reptilian it looked. It rested its four-fingered hands on a fabric skirt that reached to its knees. The head looked horse-like. The mouth, which had opened to speak, contained canines up front and molars to the back. His memory supplied the word omnivore. Which meant it would eat most anything. Like humans. The two red eyes blinked.

“Thank you, Purposeful Guide,” Jane said, keeping her taser aimed at the newly released captive. “Your offer is appreciated. Stay where you are until I speak to everyone now residing in a cell.” She tossed him a red cube, which he caught so quickly his hand was a blur. “That device opens most doors on this ship. Use it to find a habitat room you like and to obtain food in the Food Chamber.” She gestured back at him. “Bill?”

He turned away from the first Cheelan captive and aimed his taser at the right side cell. “Covered.” Pointing his red cube at the oval cell door, he pressed Open. The door slid up quickly. Yellow light glowed within, then a horse-like head appeared from one side, looking out.

“Safe it is?”

Jane held a new red cube she’d pulled from a pocket of her jumpsuit. “Wind Swift, it is safe. Come out and stand on the walkway in front of you. Wait there while Bill and I speak with, then release other people held captive.”

The female Cheelan bounded out, landed on the walkway, then leaned back on her long, thick tail so it braced her as she looked up and around. She also wore a fabric skirt. “So large a space! And the gravity feels just like that at home.” Wind Swift lowered her red eyes and fixed on Jane. “I thank you for my freedom. It was lonely in there. Like you humans and the other people gathered here, we Cheelan are social folks. Solitary confinement is reserved for our few criminals.”