It was more like an office than a cockpit. The Pilot and Co-Pilot sat side by side in front of a large screen with several windows of data and live pictures of the cargo bay, one of which showed their latest acquisitions, Isaac and Janet, apprehensive but starting to relax.

"I think we're onto a winner here," said Glosnik, the Co-Pilot in her own language. Her home planet only had one language, which sounded more like Chinese than English but was different from either with an alphabet of 37 characters.

The Pilot looked at the picture showing Isaac and Janet. "I think you're right. I've visited twice as many planets than you, but have never found a race that looks remotely like us."

"They are so small, you'd think they were all kids. I'm sure they will give hours of fun."

"Yeah but that last woman we got hasn't been sold yet."

"She's still recovering from her operation. I think she will be up for sale next month. In the meantime she has been the star attraction at the pet shop. I think they will put her up for auction as so many want to own her."

"What was the matter with her?"

"She had Motor Neuron Disease. They don't have a cure for it on Earth, but our doctors have been curing it for years with one hundred percent success rate."

"Ah here we are." Pudsore, the Pilot, landed the craft on the planet Proxima b, but ten days in the past. They traveled through the Fifth Dimension, a multiverse of the past. They were not on Earth ten days ago, nor were they on Proxima b ten days ago. Time does not exist in the Fifth Dimension so the 4.2 light years between Earth and Proxima b were spanned instantly.

Twelve days ago Glosnik was at that very location researching another creature she wanted to sell to the pet shop. Regulations were very strict. She could only capture creatures of no consequence. Lonely people, who had no friends. People who wouldn't be missed. People who were being abused. They would be re-housed in the love and care of new owners.

 

The alien rescue charity on Egremontey, her home planet, laid down strict rules for collectors, like Glosnik. They also carried out investigations on potential pet owners to make sure that the pets would be well treated. The pet shop owners could only sell their stock to people authorized by the charity.

 

It was a win, win situation. Collectors made money on the sale, even after paying people like Pudsore for transportation costs. Pet shop owners made money from their sales, even after paying a fee to the charity.

Glosnik fed in the co-ordinates of her last encounter with the man on Proxima b. She followed him almost to the present. He lived in a cave. It was frightening for Isaac, Janet and the other captives as they found themselves within the rock at times, yet still in sight of each other - the shop window effect was even more dramatic. The cave provided protection for the man, and his race, against the sterilizing flares from the red dwarf star they orbited. The man was walking out into the light of day to tend his garden.

"Here we go! You have control." Glosnik was not qualified to bring the craft into the present. Pudsore, the Pilot, watched the output of the camera focused on the empty cell.

"You are 'Go' for capture." Glosnik's task was to make sure nobody was around to witness the capture. Their vessel was still ten seconds in the past and invisible in the present. The pilot brought the vessel to a position where the man on Proxima b was inside the empty cage.

 

"Nine ... Eight ..." Glosnik counted down how far in the past they were. The man stood still as he breathed in the fresh air of his planet. "Seven ... six ... five ... four ... three ... two ... one."

There was a bang as air was quickly displaced as the vessel materialized. The man was captured. A second bang as the vessel went back into the past.

***