Chapter Ten

  Jimi sat with the cream of the elite of Makossa. They were waiting for the aliens to begin negotiations. He was still dressed in his Lakota buckskins which represented a startling contrast to his grey suited colleagues. They had no idea why he was there and ignored him as much as they could. Jimi had no idea why he was there either; greeting aliens was always done by a specialist team with many years of experience. Although they had never been confronted with such a menacing presence on the home planet before. Why had they demanded his presence? As soon as they entered he knew why. Unmistakably Lakota they walked into the conference room with the swagger of their race.  Jimi’s stomach churned - what had he done? Immediately they focused on Jimi, whose anachronistic costume would have provoked amusement in any other context. The leader of the assembly arose to greet them but was ignored.

‘So it is true, Twelvetrees is an alien time traveller’ said American Horse.

Jimi got up nervously: ‘I’m Twelvetrees - I’m only half alien from either way you look at it. Who are you and why are you here?’

‘I am American Horse, I believe you met my great, great grandfather’

There was mumbling from the other members of the greeting committee. 

‘I had that honour, I welcome you American Horse’

‘200 years ago you helped our people when our need was greatest, now we come to find out why you have betrayed us’

Jimi was shocked by the accusation: ‘How have I done this?’

‘We have made peace with the white man for many moons, but now they reach for their weapons of war once again. They have the power of the Skull of Thoka which we gave to you on the promise it would never return. I did not believe these stories but your presence here confirms the legends which have been told by our camp fires for generations’

Suddenly, without a shadow of doubt, Jimi knew what had happened.

‘I have not betrayed you, and I can prove it if you give me just a few hours’

‘We owe you that much, Twelvetrees, but if you do not return with your proof within twelve Earth hours we will destroy this place, even though it gave you the means to help our people all those years ago, that is all I have to say’

Jimi began to leave but paused and turned: ‘Just one thing, have you heard of Jimi Hendrix?’

There was a confused silence as they looked at each other. Then one of the braves raised his hand: ‘I, I have, great one - he rocks’

  The chevy’s tyres squealed in protest as Jimi floored the accelerator. 

‘Damn you to hell, Al Swearengen!’ He shouted above the roar of the rat motor.

He knew it must have been Al that had stolen Susan’s pod, and probably at this very moment he was taking the skull from the museum. He must have hidden it and then got himself killed leaving the skull to be discovered by some archaeologist many years later. He must get there soon before he lost him back in time on Earth. And what was happening to Susan?

The Chevelle roared through the quiet streets of the Makossan capital, startling the residents who peered through their windows at the strange sight.

He came to an abrupt halt in a cloud of dust outside the museum entrance. There were two pods parked there! He had Jimi’s pod as well - that meant Al had three of his goons with him. He might be able to deal with Al, but four of them? In his haste he had left his rifle in the Programme’s dressing room. He only had the colt. Suddenly there was a tap on his window. Jimi jumped out of his skin.

‘Hiya Chief, what’s up?’

It was Gradski.

‘How the hell did you get here?’ he asked with relief.

‘Heard that roaring hunk of metal you use to travel explode past the café where I was having a quiet cup of coffee and figured if you was in that much of a hurry something was really going down. Can I help?’

‘It’ll be dangerous, you got a weapon?’

Gradski raised a Thompson sub machine gun out from under his coat: ‘You didn’t think I could resist the opportunity offered by your fabricator, did you?’

‘There are probably four armed and very dangerous men in the museum and I have to stop them stealing something - our planet depends on it’

‘Something to do with those spaceships parked in our faces?’

‘You got it Gradski, let’s go and winkle them out of there, but watch where you’re pointing that thing’

‘Just like old times then’