Ch 7
Although Bob wasn't specifically marking the days, he figured they'd been here at least a month. The clear skies were clouding up and the weather wasn't as warm any more.
The bridge was rebuilt with steel building girders they'd dragged out and struggled to get across the stream bed, then welded together. Not knowing how many they needed, five strips of steel wide was the base of the bridge now. On these girders they had used sheet steel forms previously used to be roofing and walls to pour the concrete they made from finding it in the remains of a storage building. Leaving the forms in place, Bob hoped this would add to the strength of the bridge.
For a test to see if it worked, Bob drove the crane across the bridge by himself, just in case it didn't work. Watching, Malinara assured him the bridge was fine, no buckling or cracking.
Another useful thing were axles and wheels from a couple ruined trucks to make long carts to tow behind their vehicles. They loaded up these with things they found in town. Although any burnable mattresses had been consumed by the fires, they found foam stock in the remains of a warehouse to put down over the bed shelves Bob had made now in both vehicles.
One thing they were lacking was cloth to make clothes, sheets and blankets for the beds. In her studies, Tenya learned how cloth used to be made, and helped Bob make a weaving frame to turn vine and straw into mats, pillows and rough blankets. Tenya and Bob even made heaters for the vehicles to heat the insides if it got cold.
The grass dwelling native women became more comfortable around the vehicles they were driving. Bob showed them the beds inside. Instead of the grass hut, Bob made a larger sheet metal hut they immediately filled with grass on the insides. Some wire mesh he straightened out held the grass up against the walls for insulation.
Cooked food was now the main fare of this small village. Finding a bigger pot, Malinara and Tenya made enough in one batch to feed everyone. Besides the grain/yellow fruit mix, they used berries and some tubers they dug up to make meals.
The first rain Bob saw was a light rain. Even this filled the little stream by their camp and made the grasses greener. Traveling to town to search for more material, the stream bed was wet, but no water was flowing yet.
In town when they had the crane lifting up a friction saw out of the debris, they heard a humming above them.
"A ship!" Tenya cried happily, pointing up at a small craft that was coming down. "Robert, Malinara, a ship is coming!"
It looked like a small scout ship. They watched it settle down, and two lizard men came out. One held a pad in his hand. Tenya quickly ran over to them.
Bob watched as they talked. Tenya was animated, waving her arm around as she explained. The one with the pad asked her questions and glanced at him and Malinara. The trio came over to them.
"You speak English?" the pad carrying lizard asked.
"We do. Can you get Tenya here home?" Bob replied.
He shook his head. "We are investigators. We had a tip that there was illegal activity here. I am looking up information on Tenya. Where do you come from?"
"Someone dumped us here, we don't know how. We're from Earth. We'd like to get home, please," Bob told them.
The investigator typed on his pad. He said, "This is a class zero, minus one civilization on this planet. It is illegal to bring advanced tech here, or intermingle with the native population. If they weren't dead, any adult Dracos here would be going to jail. Tenya is young, so she will only be assigned good law abiding parents to continue her education until she is an adult. We'll send a ship for her when one is available."
"Good, so what about myself and Malinara?" Bob asked.
"You will be required to vacate this planet. Earth will be informed and expected to ensure no one else from your planet comes here."
"Inspector? We didn't come here willingly. Someone kidnapped us and left us here. We got no way to go anywhere." Bob explained.
"That is not my problem," the inspector stated. "My job is to enforce the law. You being here is interrupting the normal progression of evolving species."
"I agree," Bob replied. "We'd leave if we were able to. We have no way to do that. Can you find someone to take us back to Earth?"
The Inspector typed on his pad again. "I am finding no agreement between Draco and Earth to transport each others species. I cannot find how you got here to begin with. Are you interstellar hitchhikers?"
"No, we got kidnapped. Look at it logically," Bob asked. "You don't want us here, we don't want to be here. So, can you contact one of those trade ships that go to Earth and have them come get us?"
"That will be a civilian matter. Since this planet is off limits, we cannot allow them to come here."
"You are making no sense," Malinara cried. "We can't leave, and you won't let someone come get us?"
"Anyone from Earth is encouraged to come retrieve you," the Inspector said. "When they do, they can take back the formal complaint that you were interfering with a less evolved race."
"So at least you can let someone on Earth know we're here, right?" Bob asked. "Contact John Connor, I think he or Catherine Weaver have the best chance of getting us back home."
"An official ship will go to Earth and let them know you are here, and must be removed," the Inspector said. "In the mean time, do not associate with the native population. Stay away from them as much as possible."
"At least we're not going to jail," Malinara grumbled.
"Not a Draco jail, no. Possibly a jail on Earth when they learn where you are."
"How long will it take for an Earth ship to get here?" Bob asked.
The inspector tapped on his pad again. "Depending on the current tech of interstellar ships, the journey to inform Earth you are here will take 2.7 of your years. I do not know the tech level of Earth ships, so I cannot estimate how long they would take getting here."
"I don't think we have anything capable of doing that," Bob told him.
The inspector frowned. "Well you can't stay here on this planet."
"Then what do we do?" Malinara asked.
"Can you get to another planet?" the inspector asked.
"We have no way of going anywhere," Bob stated.
"I can only tell you what I know, and what the law is," the inspector stated. "Where is the ship that brought these Dracos here?"
Bob waved his arm. "All over the place. It blew up. That's what wiped out the town that was here."
"Inspector?" Tenya asked meekly, "Bob and Malinara saved me from dying in rubble. Can't we do something for them to get them home?"
"When I file my report, I will bring the question up with the Judge assigned to this case. That is all I can do for now," he told her. "When a ship comes to retrieve you, they will land at these coordinates. You will be expected to be here and board that ship."
"Maybe that ship can take Robert and Malinara also?" she asked.
"I will inquire on the possibility. That is all I can do."
"Thank you," Tenya offered.
The inspector and the one with him returned to their ship and launched up into the sky.
"Damn lawmen," Bob grumbled. "They can't think beyond their law." Seeing Tenya looking at him, he offered, "At least you're getting off this rock."
Tenya stood a bit taller and said, "Robert if they won't take you also, I'm not leaving!"
"I think you have to."
"You would not leave me so I am not leaving you here!" she stated.
"This is a bit different," Bob told her. "You have to leave, you don't want to go to jail for disobeying the law."
Tenya tightened her fists. "No, I will not leave you here to face an uncertain future!"
Malinara chuckled. "Tenya, everything we've experienced here is uncertain. Don't ruin your life for us."
.
Somehow, the will to salvage left all three of them. Collecting what they'd gotten, they headed back to their camp. Tenya was insistent she would not leave this planet unless Robert and Malinara were allowed to come with her.
Bob and Malinara were concerned what the Dracos would do since no one was coming to get them. Malinara was sure they would be hunted down and killed if they couldn't find a way off this planet.
Since Tenya was driving the other vehicle, Malinara came up to Bob who was driving theirs. "Robert, if it comes down to it, please, take my breasts then kill me. I don't want the Dracos to do it."
Bob glanced at her and sighed. "Mal, it hasn't come to that yet. Don't think like that."
"Just promise me it will be you and not them," Malinara said firmly. "I am yours, not theirs."
"OK, I promise, now stop worrying about it."
"Think we can put together enough of that Draco ship to get out of here?"
Bob shook his head. "Not a chance, even if we did know how it worked."
"This sucks," Malinara spat.
"It does, but it's what we have to deal with."
.
The inspector and his assistant returned to their base and made their report. Not a day later, they got a communication from the office of the Emperor.
'A ship will arrive in two weeks to rescue Princess Tenya Goble and remove the humans from the planet they are on. No other ships will be allowed to enter that solar system until Princess Tenya's rescue is complete.'
.
Before they got back to the camp, it started raining again. Again, the rain wasn't heavy, but it was constant. Unlike the light shower before, it rained enough that the ground started to get soft and Bob had to rig up a cover over the fireplace so they could cook the evening meal. They went to bed and it rained, in the morning, it was still raining. Bob, Malinara and Tenya slept in the crane, the native women slept in the bulldozer. When they got up, the ground was being saturated. It was getting muddy. Bob looked and yes, the tracks were beginning to sink into the ground.
The canon barrels on the vehicles were lowered so water stopped coming into the crane. The bulldozer just poured the filled water out onto the ground. Except for making meals, they stayed in the vehicles where it was dry.
.
Harry Dresden had been working on a way to get Bob and Malinara back. He called the sheriff's office and talked to Anne. Apparently, things she had on her stayed with her when she went through the ethereal. Clothing and any items on her went through with her. He had her do a test, put a belt pouch on and use the Ethereal to come to his office. Well, just outside so he could invite her in.
An hour later there was a knock on his door. Harry answer it to see Anne, wearing her belt pouch. He smiled. "Yes, please come in!"
Anne eyed him. "Have you discovered something?"
"I have," he said happily. "What's in your belt pouch?"
Anne opened it and showed him the note pad and pen she had in it. "This is all I had in here."
"It is material, and you were able to carry it through the ethereal plane?"
"Yes, anything on me will stay on me."
Harry grew a big smile. "Come down to my lab, I got a way to get Robert and Malinara back."
Taking her down into his lab, Ghost Bob materialized. With his nose in the air, Bob said in a haughty tone, "Harry you are becoming too familiar with that she-demon."
"Up yours, Bob," Anne replied.
"Enough you two," Harry said. "Anne you said there's a stranded Draco girl with Robert and Malinara?"
"Yes, she's roughly half grown."
He led her over to his desk where there were three multicolored golfball sized balls. Harry pointed to them. "These are spells that shrink people down to the size of these balls when they touch them. Open your pouch."
Anne did and held it open. "You're going to shrink them?"
"These are, when they reach in to grab one," he explained. "They become small, inside your pouch. You bring them back, then I'll meet you in the sheriff's office to dispel the magic. They return to normal size and home." He then levitated the balls into her pouch.
Anne smiled. "Thank you, Harry for figuring out how to retrieve them!"
"Hey, I expect to get paid for my services."
"Name your price, I'm sure it will be met," Anne stated. She zipped her pouch shut.
"I'd say at least 500 each," Bob said to the ceiling.
Anne snorted at him. Cheap ghost aren't you? I'm sure Joan will be very generous. Thank you, Harry."
She disappeared.
Frowning, Bob said, "Harry, it is a mistake trusting a succubus!"
Harry eyed Bob. "Unless you can go get them, she's their only hope of getting home."
.
The rain was constant. Knowing someone was coming to retrieve Tenya, Bob decided they should get to town before they could no longer move over the muddy ground. They took the crane and left the bulldozer for the natives to sleep in.
Moving through the field, they were leaving deep tracks, but so far, they didn't get stuck. Coming to the road, it was just as bad, being dirt. Ahead of them, Bob heard the roar of water.
The stream was flowing, really flowing. Where the ramp across the stream was, was nothing but a but hump in the water flowing past. That was why this stream bed was so deep. They had to use the bridge. Bob drove across it and thankfully, the water wasn't deep enough to threaten the bridge yet. He kept going on the muddy road, leaving deep tracks.
Malinara said, "If it keeps raining like this that ramp is going to be gone."
"It is. As long as the bridge holds up, we'll be fine. I'm more worried about getting stuck in the soft ground." Bob told her.
Getting to town, Bob stopped, facing the open area the last ship used to land. "And here we wait for Tenya's pickup ship."
Tenya frowned at him. "I will not leave either of you behind. We all go, or none of us goes!"
Bob offered her a slight grin. "Tenya, you must go. If we can go, great. If not you still have to leave. These are your people coming for you."
"After all you've done for me, I can't leave you here, especially with this weather. I'm not sure you can even make it back to the camp," Tenya told him firmly.
"Tenya, that ship comes, you're getting on if I have to carry you on board myself," Bob stated.
"Then carry me! Then you'll be on board too!"
Bob turned to look out at the rain and the puddles and small streams forming. "How long do you think it will be?"
"Not sure," Tenya said. "It could be a couple days, or a couple weeks. When it comes, either you both get on with me, or none of us do."
"Stubborn, aren't you?" Bob asked.
"When it come to the lives of my friends, yes." Tenya stated.
The sun was going down when a knock came at the door.
Tap Tap Tap "Bob you in there?"
Mainara eyed the door. "That sounded like Anne."
Bob went over and opened the door. Anne came in beaming them a smile. "I got you a way home!"
Bob saw she wasn't wet. "How'd you avoid the rain?" he asked.
"Simple rain shield." She un zipped her belt pouch. "See these colored balls in my pouch, grab one."
Malinara looked in the pouch. "What are those?" she asked and grabbed one. In a flash, Malinara disappeared.
"Huh?" Bob and Tenya asked.
Inside the pouch a tiny voice wailed, "What's this? Where am I?"
Bob and Tenya looked inside. A tiny, maybe inch and a half sized Malinara was looking up at them.
Tenya asked, "Mal, how'd you get so tiny?"
"How'd you get so friggin huge?" the tiny Malinara wailed. "You and Bob are like Godzilla sized!"
"I can take you back home inside this pouch," Anne explained, "Bob, grab one of the balls."
Bob reached in and grabbed a ball. He felt his environment shift. Now he was inside the pouch beside Malinara. "Sure this will work?" he yelled up to Anne.
"It's the only way for you to get home." Anne thundered down on them.
Tenya asked, "Wait, please. You have a note pad and a writing instrument? Can I use it?"
Anne nodded. "Go ahead, I need it back though."
"OK, just wait there," Tenya said. She quickly wrote a note, then looking around, she hung it on the shift lever at the driver's station so it was visible. Hurrying back to Anne, she put the note pad and pen back into the pouch, careful to avoid Robert and Malinara, then grabbed the third ball.
Tenya shrunk down into the pouch.
Bob cast her a wide-eyed stare. "What are you doing? Someone's coming to pick you up!"
Tenya firmly said, "I'm going with you. This is my chance to see Earth."
Bob glanced at Anne closing them in darkness then focused on Tenya. "But, if you're not here when they come, you could be in big trouble!"
"I'll be on Earth, so what are they going to do to me? I left a note for them. They wanted us off that planet, and now we will be!"
"Tenya," Bob said with a sigh as he rubbed his forehead.
.
Anne appeared on the Sheriff's office. Harry Dresden was sitting across from him at his desk.
"I got them!" Anne beamed. She took her belt pouch off and opened it to dump it on her desk. Bob, Malinara and Tenya tumbled out, along with her pen and note pad.
Bob got up and focusing on Tenya, he cried, "But they were expecting you to be there!"
"That's why I left a note," Tenya said again.
Malinara looked around and said, HEY! We're in a giant version of the Sheriff' office!"
Harry and the Sheriff got up. Harry bent down and said, "Welcome home. Come sit on the edge of the desk here. I'll return you to normal size."
Harry pointed out where he wanted each one to sit, far apart. He cast his dispel magic and they grew instantly back to full size. Now packed side by side, and being close to the edge, Bob fell to the floor.
The sheriff called into the back room. "Joan, Allison, they're here."
Running steps came. Joan led slightly. Seeing Bob, she plowed into him with a happy cry and a tight hug. "Yes, thank you Harry!" she wailed.
Allison was right behind her to join the hug fest. After some hugs and deep kisses, they descended on Malinara and hugged her, smothering her cheeks with kisses.
Hugging them back, Malinara giggled. "Thank GOD we're off that planet"
"Actually, thank me and Harry," Anne told her.
Beaming them smiles, Bob asked, "So, what did we miss?"
Beaming him a smile, Joan clasped his hand. "Not much, except the boys down at the garage are building you a new truck."
"I need a new truck?"
"Yes, when you were kidnapped, your old one exploded."
Bob grumbled, "Somehow, it figures."
"So who's this?" Allison asked, looking at Tenya.
"I am Tenya Goble," she said and offered her hand.
Allison shook it. "Allison Tanner. You were stuck on that planet with Bob and Mal?"
"Yes, When the town was destroyed, I was buried in rubble, but Bob dug his way to me and got me out."
"It's good you're alive and well," Joan said. "I don't recognize your species."
"I'm a Draco. We had a town on a primitive planet, but things went bad and the place was destroyed. I'm the only survivor."
"Sorry to hear that. I take it you'll be staying with us?"
Tenya nodded with a smile. "Yes, if that's all right."
"Tenya, you like water?" Allison asked.
"Yes, I do!"
"Perfect! We live beside a big lake, I think you'll like it."
Joan hooked Bob's arm. "So come on, let's go see everyone and let them know Bob and Mal are home!"
.
Prince Graden was on the royal ship in the center of the fleet headed for the primitive planet his sister, Eva had gone to. The Emperor was very unhappy upon learning why she'd been there. Exotic foods were popular and high priced. Seeing a chance for high profit, Eva had taken a portion of her trading company there to harvest natives for 'exotic meats'.
It was known Eva pushed the limits of trade if she could make a profit. Her company also traded with Earth. Earth and it's humans were considered a 'risky' place to be. Not forbidden, but one went there at their own peril. Bringing back a few original inventions, she was allowed to trade on. The nuclear powered cells she got from there were technological artwork. The plasma weapons she got were highly prized by the law keepers.
This last place Eva had gone was forbidden though. Harvesting a more primitive species for meat and profit was blatantly illegal and immoral. Graden wasn't the only one shocked that she had been doing that. Eva had put a big stain on the Emperor and their whole royalty with that action.
Of course, the Emperor ordered the whole affair covered up, and lawmen were searching for any of this specialty meat to collect and get rid of it. The trading company was also ordered to cease operations and would be scrutinized heavily for other illegal activities.
In a way, Graden was almost glad his sister was dead. The shame and embarrassment of a royal figure doing something so vile could be buried, and none of them would have to face her going to court to answer for her crimes. Before he left with the fleet, Graden was handed a pardon for little Tenya. She was underage and deemed not responsible for her parent's actions.
The report they got was Tenya was rescued and being cared for by two Earth people, humans. That was a potential disaster in the making. Graden was to collect Tenya and return her home. The humans, they would figure out what to do with after they got them off that planet.
Graden shuddered at the thought of dealing with humans. He didn't know of a more unpredictable species in the entire galaxy. They would even alternately make peace, then war with each other! He would endure them though for the sake of those primitive natives, and getting little Tenya away from them. Every time he thought about his innocent niece in their clutches, he wanted to weep.
The screen on his desk popped up, showing the Captains face. "Prince, we are entering orbit around planet C23.3. The shuttle is being prepared for launch."
"Thank you, Captain. I shall be departing with the crew, I want to greet my niece personally. I am departing to the shuttle bay."
He got up and went down to the shuttle bay. Getting on board, the sargent of the retrieval squad coaxed him to wait on board until they could find and bring Tenya back to him, to keep him out of any danger. He agreed, the Draco was doing his job just as he should be doing and protecting royalty.
The trip down through atmosphere was smooth, the navigator homed in on the blasted town below. Nothing there moved. Seeing the devastation himself, Graden wondered how badly Tenya was hurt. Finding a clear place to land, the pilot set down facing an odd looking thing.
"What is that?" Graden asked, pointing at the machine outside.
"That's an artillery unit, with a chain hoist stuck to the end of the canon. Why would someone do that?" the pilot asked.
The sensor operator said, "That unit is intact, and was recently used by the muddy tracks leading up to it. The weather is foul outside, perhaps it was used to get here to meet us."
Behind him, the sargent said, "Prince we will go inspect that unit and find Tenya."
Prince Graden nodded.
Watching the Dracos depart the shuttle, Graden saw them go over to the unit and go inside. A few minutes later, they came back out, hurrying back to the shuttle. He met them at the entrance. The sargent looked pale.
"Did you find her? Where is she?" Graden asked.
"No one was in there," the sargent said weakly. "The inside has bedding and it looks like someone was living in it. All we found was this," He handed Graden a paper note.
The note read :
Anne just arrived. It's miserable here and we need to leave. She is taking us back to Earth, at Driftwood, Texas.
Princess Tenya Goble
Graden felt his knees weaken. Little Tenya was not only on Earth, but at the place where even many humans feared to go? The place that was hit with a nuclear weapon and survived? He had to get a mission there to go retrieve her at any cost before she died!