Craggy 2: Another Last Flight for Craggy Read online

  'I'll just take a quick look around, then I'll let the girls get on with the job. Anything interesting for dinner?'

  'Fish.'

  'Naturally. I'll turn into a bloody fish one of these days. We should go visit the Foreman's one day. Might get a feed of chicken. Even their dogs get chicken.'

  'Off you go. And don't get under their feet.'

  He borrowed a buggy from the communal lot and made his way to the site where the alien ship had crash landed. It had created a furrow through some greenery and sustained some surface damage. Fawn Dillow had flown it in, using thrusters attached to the top of the ship. The bulky thrusters had made the ship unwieldy and she had done well to land in one piece and uninjured. The buggy the girls were using was parked outside and the ramp was down on the ship. Cragg walked up and called out, 'Hello? Anybody home?'

  A door only four feet high opened up. It was Stella. 'Hi, Craggy. Come on in. Mind your head.'

  Designed for people only three feet tall, Cragg squeezed through the door.

  'They'd never had made basketball players.'

  A pair of legs poked out from under an opening in a control panel. 'Hi, Craggy,' said the legs owner.

  'Hi, Breezy. Found anything interesting?'

  'Just figuring out the wiring. Weird stuff. Some sort of plastic filled with a liquid conductor.'

  'Much different to our ships?'

  Wendy Breeze wriggled out from the control panel. 'Same but different. Like the wiring's different, but it's still wiring, sending power from one place to work something elsewhere. What we really want to do is get the ship off its belly on a platform then we can work on the thrusters. With the thrusters running, we can have the ships generators running then really see what everything does.'

  'Easier said than done,' said Dillow.

  Cragg said, 'Let's take a look.'

  They followed Cragg outside where they studied the huge ship. Nearly one quarter of it had buried itself in the ground.

  'See our problem?' said Dillow. 'Making a stable structure and raising the ship will be a nightmare.'

  'So don't,' said Cragg.

  'How else can we work on the thrusters?' said Breeze.

  'I'm just looking at the options,' said Cragg. 'I agree that lifting it will be a major job. So, why not leave it where it is, and dig a channel around it. Expose all the rear end and you'll be able to get to the thrusters.'

  Dillow and Breeze stared at Cragg. 'How do you do that?' Dillow asked. 'So easy but we never thought of it.'

  Cragg chuckled. 'I'm like that ship. My wiring's a little different to most people. Tell you what. You carry on, I'll go have a word with my old pal, Shamini Singh. We'll have a trench around this bird in no time.'

  'Thanks, Craggy,' said Breeze.

  'Glad to be useful again.'

  Dixon Cragg got back in the buggy and set off to find Singh.

  Chapter 5

  'Of course, when the girls asked me to help out, I was only too pleased to do it,' Cragg told Shamini Singh at the entrance to the new mine. 'So, I suggested they leave me to organize all that.'

  Singh said, 'And you need to excavate around the base of the ship.'

  'Easy for a man of your calibre,' said Cragg. 'A couple of days on a dozer and you'll be done in no time.'

  'Hang on a minute. Freddie. Got a job for you.'

  Freddie Morcurry was a short barrel of a man in his late fifties. He wiped the dust off his face and said, 'Yeah? Oh. Hi, Craggy.'

  'Hi, Freddie. That alien bird. Needs a trench around it so we can get at the thrusters.'

  Freddie thoughtfully scratched his chin. 'I took a look at that ship when it came down. The ground's pretty soft around there. Need it done right away?'

  'As soon as possible,' said Cragg.

  Singh said, 'Follow Craggy in the dozer. Don't take all week over there.'

  'As if. Come on, Craggy. After you.'

  Cragg hopped on the buggy and Morcurry rumbled behind in the multi dozer. It took half an hour to get to the ship. Morcurry jumped down and lit up a smoke as he contemplated the situation. Cragg joined him.

  'You want a sort of trench dug around the entire ship?'

  'Yep. So it goes a little way under it. Especially at the back, under the thrusters.'

  Morcurry nodded. 'Shouldn't be a major.'

  'Just don't you go scratching the paintwork. I don't think it's insured.'

  'Consider it done.'

  * * *

  'I told you not to interfere.'

  'Misty. I'm just helping out a bit,' said Cragg, wishing the fish was chicken. 'I wonder what goat tastes like?'

  'I'll take a slice off you and find out.'

  'Highly amusing. I hope Freddie doesn't hurt that damn ship.'

  'Then I suggest you go keep an eye on him. This was your idea, so you are responsible. Finish that and get going.'

  'On my way,' said Cragg, pushing the half eaten meal away. 'That was very...fishy. See you in a few hours.'

  Chapter 6

  Cragg was amazed at the progress. 'You, Freddie Morcurry, are a star.'

  'Soft as muck, this stuff. I've dug a trench to take any rainwater away. That's something I didn't think I'd hear myself saying on this planet.'

  'Yeah. Weather forecasts used to be, windy, cold and dusty. Now it's watch out for showers.'

  'I'll have this done in a few more hours. What I don't get done today, I'll have done in the morning. Right. Back to work.'

  'I'm just going to see the girls,' said Cragg, heading up the ramp.

  'Hello, Craggy,' said Stella. 'Is all that racket nearly over?'

  'Freddie is going as fast as he can. Probably a few hours in the morning to finish off. Winning with the computers?'

  'The backup power supply is running low, I think. The main generation system is still a bit of a mystery. I'm laying off so I don't risk losing data.'

  Cragg asked, 'What runs the power? Lights, that sort of thing? Solar?'

  'It looks that way. There are what looks like solar panels in the outer surface. Energy is stored in some strange liquid in a tank. That converts it to power the ship's electricity supply.'

  'But you don't think it's working?'

  Stella shook her head. 'Engineering has looked at it. I don't think they understand it much.'

  'And we can't hook up one of our own power plants?'

  'I asked them that. They didn't want to risk it.'

  'Bloody typical,' said Cragg. 'Did they at least establish the internal voltage?'

  'About one ninety five, they said.'

  Cragg chuckled. 'I'd be surprised if it was similar to our system. Mind if I take a look?'

  'This way. Mind your head.'

  Stella opened up a passageway that led to the business end of the ship. It was a large area, relative to the ship.

  'At least we can stand up straight in here,' said Cragg.

  'This looks like where we can gain access to thrusters, plasma modules and propulsion systems, too. But I'm fairly sure this is what harnesses the solar energy and converts it to electrical current to power the whole ship.'

  Cragg studied the large cylindrical clear tank with the lime green liquid in it.

  'I think you're right. Those look like power lines going up to the top. I think that's power in, at a guess. They connect to the solar panels in the skin of the ship, pretty much the way our ships work. They might be well ahead of us in technology, but there have to be some basic laws of physics we both use. The solar energy would be for when landed, like now. The system would be charged up by the thermal generators once in flight.' Cragg bent low to look under the tank. 'If the power is coming in from the top, then this underneath is the power outlet.'

  'It goes in next to this hatch. No one has been down here, yet.'

  'What,' said Cragg. 'Not even engineering?'

  'No.'

  'I'll be having words with that lot. Not very nice ones. Come on, ladies first.'

  There were four securing mounts either
side of the hatch and they slid those back so the hatch could be opened.

  'Pretty basic, for an advanced ship,' said Stella, opening the hatch.

  Cragg said, 'Keeping it simple. I approve of that. Less to go wrong.'

  'It's dark as hell down there. Wait. There's a sensor here. Let me...right. It's all illuminated. Not very bright, but light enough.'

  Stella wriggled through the hatch, but Cragg struggled, having gained weight and being over fifty years older. Once through, they found themselves in a no frills inspection tunnel, where banks of pipes and tubes were on every inch, apart from a narrow floor. The inspection tunnel went off in both directions with smaller spur tunnels branching off.

  'See these? They are the same as the wiring, only a larger diameter,' said Stella.

  'Yes. These should carry the power from the generating tank. Now, we use copper wire and filaments. This is a conductive liquid. I'm no electrician, but I think electricity moves by the flow of electrons, hence electricity. It makes sense that current also flows in a liquid like this.'

  'From what I remember of school physics, water itself is a poor conductor of electricity, but put impurities in, say salt, then it conducts much better.'

  Cragg nodded. 'Sounds about right. This green stuff must work on that principle. Look. The lights in here are working, right?'

  'True. Just about.'

  'So, either the current isn't flowing fast enough, or the tank hasn't got the electricity stored in it to start with. Come on. I want to take another look at that tank.'

  They made their way back through the hatch and Cragg studied the tank.

  'Dunno why, but my instinct tells me this is the problem.' Cragg walked all around the huge tank of green liquid. 'Maybe the crash upset it.'

  'Upset it? It's a tank of green stuff.'

  'Craggy's number one rule when it comes to ships, even alien ones. Listen to the ship.'

  He placed his hands on the tank and closed his eyes.

  'Craggy.'

  'Shush. I'm listening. Hmm. She isn't happy.'

  'For goodness sake...'

  'Ah!' He lowered his hands towards the bottom of the tank. 'Hmm. Yes. Ok.'

  Had the old man lost the plot completely? 'Craggy. I just...'

  'Come here. Now. Put your hands high up. Here. Feel that?'

  'Just vibrations.'

  Cragg said, 'Vibrations are the ship's words. It's all it has to communicate with. Move your hands lower. More than that. Anything?'

  'Nothing. Oh. Maybe a little stronger.'

  Cragg smiled and nodded. 'Lower.'

  'The vibrations. Stronger.'

  'Exactly,' said Cragg. 'She's trying to tell us where she hurts. Lower.'

  Stella had to get on her hands and knees and she felt the very bottom of the big tank. 'Quite pronounced, now.'

  'We're close.'

  'Craggy. There's some kind of unit here. Jeez. It's hot.'

  Cragg got down on the floor. 'Show me.'

  'Here. Hell. This is not a happy unit.'

  Cragg touched it. 'Dangerously unhappy. The crash threw it out of kilter. Damn that's hot. I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't about to blow up.'

  'Craggy...'

  'Stand back.'

  'What do we do?'

  'Smack its bottom. Hurry. Move away.'

  Stella got up and raced to the door as Cragg did the only thing allowable in the few seconds remaining. He rammed a well aimed boot smack bang in the middle of the unhappy unit. It rumbled and shook. It didn't look good.

  'Stella. We gotta get off this bloody ship.'

  He dived for the door and wriggled through it, as the whole ship started to shake. Cragg didn't have to put his hands on the ship to feel it. The shaking was such that he could hardly stand. 'Everybody out, and fast.'

  Stella, Dillow, Breezy and Skye didn't need telling twice. They were well ahead of him. They were out on the ramp, and they dived across the ditch Freddie Morcurry was still digging. Freddie could see the ungainly exit and decided to move and ask questions later. Cragg was the last one out, missed his footing and landed face first in the freshly excavated dirt, and he clambered up the side of the ditch to see the others racing away.

  'I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Oh. You weren't. Well. Worry a little bit, hey?'

  He fell back down in the ditch. 'At least they won't have to dig a bloody grave when this lot blows.'

  Suddenly, the rumbling stopped.

  'That's either a good sign, or a bad one.'

  Chapter 7

  Dillow looked at the ship from the safety of a pile of rocks. 'Craggy?'

  'I'm going back inside. You lot stay right where you are.'

  Breeze yelled out, 'You damn well dare go back in there, Craggy. I'm the project leader and I'm telling you straight. Get away from there.'

  'What you gonna do? Fire me?' Cragg pulled himself up and walked up the ramp into the ship. 'You're happy, now. I can tell.' He went back through the inspection hatch to the green tank. The green liquid was bubbling slightly. It looked right. He got down to feel the unit. 'Hmm. Happy now I think you are. Hmm. Pumping green stuff I think you do. Use your feelings, Craggy, and find her you will. What the hell am I on about?' The lights seemed brighter. The ship was humming, in a good way. 'Okay. You had indigestion. Remember me, Dixon Cragg. I helped you. You're a ship. Behave like one, ok?'

  Cragg made his way outside. Freddie Morcurry was somewhere in the distance on the dozer, and the young women stood together and stared at Craggy.

  'Wassup?'

  Breeze said, 'Wassup? What's bloody up? I told you not to go in there.'

  Cragg laughed. 'Sorry. When you get to my age, your herring gets impaired.'

  'Herring?'

  'See? It's already happening to you, Breezy. I'm going home. Misty's probably wondering where the hell I am. Any idea what goat tastes like?'

  Dillow said, 'The ship? Is she happy?'

  'What? Oh. Her. Yeah. Like most females,' he said with a frosty look at Breeze. 'Gets a bit high maintenance now and then. She's happy.' With a twitch of an eyebrow, he added, 'She just needed a man's loving touch.'

  'Can I work with those computers now?' asked Stella.

  'You're probably the only one on the planet that can. Take a tip from me. Don't take no nonsense from her. Show her who the boss is.'

  'Like you and Misty, I suppose.'

  'Thanks for that, Dillow. Have fun.'

  He walked off towards the buggy.

  'Craggy...' yelled Breeze.

  'You're welcome. See you girls in the morning.'

  Chapter 8

  Misty put the plates on the table. 'Don't forget you have a story class this afternoon.'

  Cragg ate his scrambled eggs, trying hard to remember what bread, especially toasted bread, tasted like. 'I might pull a sicky.'

  'Dixon Cragg. Go wash your mouth out with soap and water.'

  'Why? Will that make these eggs taste better?'

  'Watch it, you. Are you being a nuisance on that ship?'

  Cragg was genuinely shocked. 'Me? How could I do that?'

  'Dur! Because you are Dixon Cragg? Those girls have enough to contend with. Stay out of their way.'

  Cragg got up to leave. 'I want to eat a goat. Might have a word with Foreman. If I can get a goat back here, kill it and skin it, can you cook it?'

  'Senile decay. I Froogled it. You are borderline.'

  'Thank God for that. I've been Froogled at last. And I'm so relieved I am borderline. I thought I'd gone over that particular edge many years ago.'

  'Go.'

  * * *

  The day had been full on working with Freddie and the girls, the time flying by. And Cragg had to race away, hardly settling in his chair in the school complex, for his shift as a child minder and story teller, when parents were pouring in with their children from their other classes.

  'Well. Here we all are,' said Cragg, beaming at the children. 'I'm so sorry, I'm a little late but I've been rather preoccu
pied. However. Now, we are hopefully on the same page?'

  Cragg looked at the slightly bewildered class, with parents giving him that look, wondering if a rather strange old man should be in charge of their precious offspring.

  'Right. Did I tell you about the time I was on that alien ship, about to blow us to hell and back?'

  Cragg noticed a few “here he goes again” and “is there another child minder we could go to?” kind of looks.

  'Possibly not. It only happened yesterday.'

  'Wait a minute. I heard about that,' said a concerned mother. 'Freddie Morcurry told me. That was you?'

  'Oh,' said Cragg, with a slight blush and a casual wave of his hand. 'I help out where I can in my modest little way. But, I suspected the ship's problem was the electrical power transmission and if we could sort that out, we might save the ship. That ship was ready to blow.' The parents were interested now. Instead of leaving, they picked up their toddlers and found a seat and held their children on their laps. Cragg waited and when a deep silence descended upon them, he was ready. He took a deep breath, pausing for dramatic affect.

  'Now, as you all know, I'm the last one to interfere. Much better for the youngsters to do their thing, I always say. But, once in a while, things happen that can't be readily explained and a little experience from an old hand is asked for. Computer Commander Stella was at her wits end, trying to get the power running properly, so naturally, she turned to old Craggy. I asked the ship what was wrong with her. I placed my hands on the old bird, closed my eyes and became one with her. That alien ship was grumbling and groaning.' He closed his eyes and held out his hands, palms out. He opened one eye to see if any were ridiculing his little idiosyncrasies. None were. Instead, parents and children were under the Craggy spell. He continued his tale.

  'Something not quite right here, I said to myself. But that electrical power had to come from somewhere. So, we had a quick look, Commander Stella and I, and it was quite clear the ship wasn't happy. In fact, it was so unhappy, it was about to blow up, taking us with her. And we were right by the tank that held the electricity.'

  'I yelled for the girls to get out and fast, but of course, with not a single thought for my own safety, I wanted to try to save the ship. Underneath the tank of electrical liquid, was a unit and that was getting hot. There was only one thing to do. Seconds away from me being blown to bits, I gave the dodgy unit a good kick. And the ship was suddenly shaking and wobbling. Oh, dear, I had better get out of here, very quickly, I said to myself, or something quite like that.'