The Adventures of Tim Bodge Ch. 25: Pt. 03

"No. Only your species will be capable of obtaining it, and you will be required to fly in and out." Tim wiggles his hands. He was showing the Thribird that they would fly down to get it.

"How long before til its finished?"

"I can prepare it in two suns," Tim said, pointing up at the sun above.

"You have two suns. If you do not, you're gone!" Thribird took off, then flew away. With the others following him.

Edie-bit rushed to Tim. "Thank you, I thought I was a goner."

"The next time you want to take a walk, take someone along. But now you can say to Howie that you were pretty enough to be eaten. And be sincere about it."

Tim turned around with Edie-bit on his arm and walked back to Tabitha and Tammy. The three girls hugged and started back to the ship.

Tim called the Commander and told her to send the troops back. But to hold the troops around the shuttle.

"Sarha, by the time I get back to the shuttle, I'll need the engineers and Drakur to be my supervisor. I have to find a place near the woods to put a food machine."

Tim followed the soldiers back to the shuttle. He kept thinking about how he wanted this to work. Here he was placing pirates on a planet with a species of birdmen, and he now had to figure out how to make it work.

Howie was standing inside the enclosed area waiting for Edie-bit, and it did not take long to be in each other's arms. Edie-bit said what the birdmen were going to do with her.

"Do you think that would have worked?"

"No, you are the only one I want to eat me. Well, there might be another one or two." She said with a grin.

They both walked over to Tim and thanked him. They headed into the shuttle. As they entered, the engineers and Darkur came out.

They saw Tim and proceeded toward him. "Tim, you wanted to talk to us?" said Darkur.

"Yes, I need your assistance," Tim told them what he wanted and that they had two days to do it.

Tim instructed the Commander to send six soldiers with Darkur and the engineers.

They left and made their way to the edge of the forest. When they arrived, Sarha had chosen the place to be the new home of the food machine.

Construction was going on at a carefully planned pace during the next two days at both sites.

Tim, accompanied by Tabitha and Tammy, went to the Birdmen's food site. When they got there, Thribird was there waiting.

Tim explained that the wall around this site was to keep others out. His people would fly in and out. You could pick out the food you wanted by pressing the button? The food would be right there within a few minutes."

Tim explained there was a door for his people to get in to fix the machine if anything happened. Tim then opened the door and walked in, and he turned to signal Thribird to come in with him.

Thribird came in; Tim showed him the way it works. As a result, Thribird was able to select a piece of food. He tasted a small bite and waited to see if anything would happen. To his surprise, it tasted good. He finished off the food and told Tim that everything was good.

Tim informed him that only two individuals could be inside the area at a time. This site should be at this temperature and in the same conditions throughout the year.

Tim also informed him to reach him, and he could use this communicator on the sidewall if he or any youngsters needed help. There would be a probe overhead at all times, just in case.

Tim and the girls were on their way to the shuttle. Tim felt better now that they had handled one of the problems.

Tim and the girls decided to visit the new site to see what was happening. The women would be sent to the new home the next day and the men the day after.

Tim spoke to Gento and Zagmu, the engineers. All of them walked through the building. Both engineers proudly told Tim about the building as they walked through. The walls and roof were four feet thick and could withstand two hundred miles per hour winds. The building would be at this temperature and under the same conditions throughout the year.

The power was the same as the ships. They had brought down two replicators also two food dispensers. They changed the replicators not to make a projectile or a firearm that would fire a shell.

They had set up the main building to accommodate up to two hundred people with supplies for six months. The individuals could build their own homes if they wanted, and they also had the tools and seeds to start their gardens. The food dispensers would produce only half the amount needed, so they would have to work and build to stay alive.

If needed, they could extend the fence to incorporate any new areas required with a slight change. There were sensors throughout the building and the surrounding area for sounds and vibrations. They also had two probes to cover the area if something went wrong.

Tim asked, "Is everything ready for the women to come down tomorrow?"

"Yes, we will be pulling all bots and extra equipment out later today. Then a final walk-through." Gento said.

Tim thanked them and got back together with the girls, and left.

***

Tim and the girls returned to the ship. "Sarha, I need a meeting with the women tomorrow afternoon before they leave."

"Tabitha, tell your father we will be there tomorrow for the execution. I need your father to send the men up after the women leave and anyone else he needs."

"Tim, the women are getting their items together for tomorrow. They will meet with you after the execution. Is that OK with you?" Sarha asked.

"That will be fine. Tabitha, tell King Elberud we will receive his prisoners the following day."

The rest of the day went by slowly. Everyone was checking on all projects Tim had assigned to them.

***

Tim and the girls rose early the following morning. Fully clothed and ready to leave. They made their way to the castle and into the stadium. There, they took their places alongside the King and Queen.

The King stood and had all thirty-one prisoners line up. The guards then tied them to the thirty-one poles placed in the middle of the stadium. These poles were placed in a semi-circle so that each prisoner could see the center three poles.

Mr. Crook, Mr. O'Vaae, and Pirate Pete occupied the center poles.

The King began to speak, "For the act committed against the Crown and also committed against the Queen. You, Mr. Crook, and Mr. O'Vaae are punished for kidnapping and holding the Queen. These men are to face the punishment of death. Pirate Pete, you are to be shot for being and living a pirate's life."

The King sat down; three hundred soldiers occupied the upper two rolls of seats at the top of the stadium. They stood and waited for their orders. The officer in charge stood, turned to the soldiers, "ready." All soldiers raised their weapons to their shoulders.

The prisoners heard the commotion and looked up. Saw the soldiers and knew that their lives would soon end.

"Aim." The three hundred soldiers aim their weapons at the prisoners.

Knowing they only had a moment to live, the men said their goodbyes silently and just waited for the last word they would hear.

"Fire." Said the officer in charge.

At that moment, everyone heard the guns fire. They looked towards the poles and saw that only three were dead. And that was Mr. Crook, Mr. O'Vaae, and Pirate Pete. The rest stood there tied to the poles and wondered what had happened. The people in the stadium also asked what was going on.

Everyone sat there and waited to see if there was another round to kill these pirates.

The King raised from his seat, "You men will have a chance at a new lease on life. If you wish to take it?" The King then signaled the guards to bring out the other prisoners.

While everyone waited, six guards removed the bodies of Mr. Crook, Mr. O'Vaae, and Pirate Pete.

The new prisoners placed in front of the posts where those three had been.

The new prisoners looked at the blood on the ground and began to worry. They looked around and saw the other men tied to the poles, and they just wondered what they had gotten themselves into.

The new inmates consisted of two men and five women. Everyone knew they were going to the outer world.

The King raised himself and cleared his throat. Every eye was upon him, including the prisoners, and everyone looked at him and waited to see their new punishment.

"All prisoners from this point forward will be sent to the prisoner's planet, where you will live out the rest of your life with no chance of returning. There you will be your governing council.

Anyone who has family here and family members who wish to accompany you will be allowed to do so."

A voice from one of the women said, "Is there going to be shelter and food for us?"

The King looked down at her, "If you wish to know all this. You have a choice, the outer world or the prisoner world. Which is it?"

"If I chose the prisoner world, can I ask a few questions?"

"Only after you get there. If any of your family is here and wants to join you. They will have to let a guard know, and they will have one day before joining you. Whichever your choice is, you will leave in one hour."

Tim noticed two or three individuals headed to talk to a guard. He turned to the King, "I see that we will have more people going."

To br continued: