Free Alcantaran 1: Alien Abduction by Terry Compton Page B

a part of a Bugs arm fell out.   She disgustedly kicked it off her bunk and said, "I forgot about that being in my bag.   Here's the stingerray also."   She pulled the stingerray out and two more parts of Bug arm.
    Gus came over to her bunk and took the arm parts.   He carried them to the waste disposal and shoved them down in it.   He watched them disappeared.   He came back to the bunk and picked up the stingerray and asked, "What are we going to do with this?   Tik, do you know how it works?"
    Tik said, "I don't know.   Give it to Ron to see if he can figure it out with the translator."
    Ron took the stingerray and examined it closely.   He saw three different buttons but had no idea what they were for.   They appeared to be adjustments for something but he was afraid to make any adjustments until he had an idea what the adjustments did.   He laid the stingerray back on the bunk.
    Ron touched Tik with the translator and said, "For right now let's see if the healer works.   I feel like my blood sugar is dropping."
    Tik examined the unit and pressed a couple of buttons.   Small lights winked on and blinked several times before becoming a steady green.   She pressed the unit to Ron's arm and pressed another button.   There was a quiet whine and buzz before the unit went silent.   The green lights slowly blinked on and off.   In a couple of minutes there was a quiet voice that said Ron's insulin cells were abnormal and right now his blood sugar was low.   The unit also said there was foreign substance in his stomach.   The unit asked to be put back on his arm.   Tik complied and the unit said to push two more buttons.   Tik pushed the buttons and Ron felt something on his arm.   It wasn't quite a tingle but he knew something was happening.   A warm feeling ran up his arm and down to his abdomen.   In a few minutes the unit chimed quietly and said the body healing was complete.   The foreign substance would be eliminated tomorrow.   The lights went back to a steady green.
    Tik asked, "How do you feel?   Did it do anything?"
    Ron replied, "I felt something but I don't know what.   A warm feeling went up my arm and then back down to my gut.   I think I am feeling better because I don't have the warning signals I usually look for when my blood sugar is low.   I knew the food here was bad for you.   The unit as much as said I was being poisoned.   Now try it on yourself."
    Ron smoothed a patch of fur and placed the unit on Tik.   She told him which buttons to push and the lights blinked again.   The unit made noises for considerably longer before the lights went to a steady green.   The unit said that Tik was starving.   Her system wasn't digesting the food in her stomach.   It also said she had a large amount of foreign substance undigested in her stomach.   The unit told which buttons to push and Ron pushed them.   Tik felt something because she started and moaned a little.   The unit took almost 15 minutes before it chimed and returned to the steady green.   Tik appeared to be asleep so Ron gently removed the unit.
    Gus whispered, "Did it help you?   It looks like it did something for Tik.   What was it saying?"
    Ron replied in a whisper, "I think it helped me and it did something for Tik.   We'll see tomorrow how much good it did.   The unit was telling what it found and also that both of us had some foreign substance in our stomachs."
    He motioned for Gus to move over so he could be next.   Gus sat on the floor and Ron placed the unit on his back between the harness straps.   He pressed the diagnostic buttons and the unit did its thing.   The unit said that Gus was short on critical vitamins and minerals.   It also said he had an undigested foreign substance in his system.   Ron pushed the buttons and the machine started on Gus.   After about 10 minutes the unit chimed and the lights went to green.   Ron accidently touched another button as he took the unit off Gus.   The