Tiro tied all primary functions to security badges produced by the facility computer, and the badges assigned to specific personnel, with spares to be handed out as needed. The station was made secure, and a security protocol enacted.
A small victory party was held at the Forman home the night after the uprising, but the exhausted victors had little energy left to celebrate. They made plans for a more suitable occasion when things calmed down.
The king was buried, with a sparsely attended formal ceremony. The few that spoke at his funeral said kind things and referred to a man who cared about the people he was closest to. There were some that would miss him, and the special treatment they received during his reign. They felt attending his final assembly was the least they could do.
The victors returned from Thera to a hero’s welcome on Avalon. Within ten minutes of their appearance, the chamber containing the transport cube filled with hopeful colonists waiting eagerly to hear the outcome of the quest.
Falkor caused quite a stir when Al convinced him to become visible, and for the first time, he noticed the little lizard with wings was not quite so little. It seemed he got a little bigger each time Al saw him. Until the dragon came to know the new people and became more familiar with the strange surroundings, Falkor attached himself to Al’s leg.
The leaders of the colony arrived as soon as they received word of his return, and they exchanged quick greetings. Al pulled Captain Effinger aside and filled him in so he could make the announcements. Al was not fond of the spotlight and knew the captain was much better at this kind of thing.
The captain was stunned, “You killed the king?”
“It was him or us Tobias, the guy was nuts, and waving a gun around.”
“Yea but….”
“He had a hostage, and he was shooting at Elizabeth.”
“Well, that helps to explain it.”
Al gave him some of the details and the outcome, and when he had the necessary information, the gray-haired leader gained the crowds attention by banging on a metal duct. The people settled down to hear what he had to say.
“Ladies and gentlemen. The search to find a new place to colonize has been successful. An island has been found that will fill our needs. However, it will not be an easy transition. The natives have consented to our coming, but we will be imposing on their hospitality. We must remember that we are the invaders on their island.
“We have gained control of the Caretaker facility located there, which is misunderstood and treated as a religious temple. In that regard, they will require assistance from us.”
He took a moment to collect his thoughts, and continued, “We will start by transporting essential supplies and coordinating with our benefactors as soon as we can make arrangements. We will have to limit the amount of materials sent to the new world, so please bring with you only the minimum. Above all, please be patient. When we are ready, we will begin transporting people five at a time, so this may take a while.
“We will be posting more details about the island called Thera, the planet, and our place there to your data pads, so keep them charged as best you can. That’s all for now.”
The captain walked out with the tired travelers following right behind him. They rode the lift up to the library with cheers from the grateful settlers rebounding through the crowded cavern.
The returning explorers and friends gathered outside the sleeping compartments to wind down and exchange their thoughts. As the years passed, more and more people had been added to the circle, and the room became somewhat crowded. The people that stayed behind wanted to know everything about the mission and asked a thousand questions.
Falkor was introduced to each in turn and appeared happy to meet them. His wings were growing, and when he flapped them in excitement, his feet would leave the ground for a second. He would squeak and float for each new friend he met.
When he wasn’t following Al around, Falkor was with Kira. They were both from other worlds, away from home, and one-of-a-kind. Because of this, they had something in common and became fast friends. Before Al realized it, she had taken control of the dragon’s care, which left Al free to concentrate on more pressing matters.
“I would like to take the Watchers to survey the island right away. We can survey the area where we will be settling, and check for dangers at the same time,” Al suggested to the captain.
“That is a good idea. Without any form of transportation, it’s probably the best way to get a handle on the lay of the land.”
The Watchers are two autonomous drones about the size of a basketball designed to be silent and unseen surveillance devices. These flying spheres can be programmed to fly at specific heights and use various sensors to detect threats. Technology on the outer skin allowed it to blend into the background and become virtually invisible, with the information and images they gathered transmitted to the portable security devices carried by Al and his officers.
Ana wanted to know more about the Caretaker facility. “Is it like this one?”
Chris answered, “It has a lot of the same capabilities, but is arranged differently. There are no internal transporters, like on Avalon, so you have to walk everywhere you go. It is mostly on one level arranged in a broken circle with a long curving corridor along the outside.”
“Why didn’t the natives make better use of it?” asked Cody.
“They didn’t have the benefit of a guide like Tiro, and all the writings were in the Caretaker language. Darius told me the first king appointed scholars to study the controls and machines, and they have been studying ever since. The tech was so far over their heads they couldn’t make much sense of it. Eventually, they figured out how to make limited use of the station, but nowhere near what it’s capable of.”
“All that technology right there and they didn’t know how to use it,” mused Chris, “Their lives could have been so different.”
The captain wanted to talk to the Avalon natives, the Sansi, and give them the opportunity to come with them to Thera, but there were too many things that needed his attention. He assigned Jesse Alvarado to fly Kira home in the morning and present the proposal. Jesse was the man that interested her when staying with the Kuthra, while her childhood boyfriend, Toji, the man she was supposed to marry stayed with their people. She had chosen to spend her time with the people from Earth. During the attack on Camelot, Toji had given his life while coming to her rescue. His funeral was still fresh in her mind, and circumstances prevented her from speaking with Jesse since that dreadful day.
Al, Chris, and two additional security personnel accompanied them. Chris and Al had been friends with her almost since they landed, and it was Kira and Toji that had made first contact with the people from the roving star.
She was torn and thinking about what to say to her family on the long walk down the tunnel providing access to the Caretaker outpost at ground level. When they reached the shuttles, parked at the end, she saw it was Jesse that was to be their pilot, and her eyes clouded over.
“Hi Kira, how are you?” he asked as he helped her into the aircraft.
“I am well Jesse. How are you?”
“All things considered, I guess I’m doing okay.”
She smiled, while his smile faded.
“Kira, I am so sorry…about everything.”
“Why are you sorry? You have done nothing wrong.”
“I mean—.”
“It is all right Jesse, the path of life sometimes makes unexpected changes, and there is nothing to be gained by dwelling on the past. We must follow the path given us. I will be okay in time.”
They flew over Camelot on the way to the Sansi caves and found the place the Kuthra called home a shambles. All the sonic fence posts were down, and it was evident the Riktors, and the scavengers that followed them, had enjoyed tearing the place apart. It crossed Al’s mind to stop and try to salvage some items, but the destruction was so complete it appeared there was nothing left to recover.
When they landed outside the cave entrance, two members of her tribe came out to escort them in. Inside the main chamber, covered in handmade rugs and the furs of successful hunts, the entire tribe waited to hear the decisions made on this important day. There were not that many of them left, with a grand total of only twenty-two individuals. The loss of six young warriors during the attack had been hard on them all, and they worried for their futures.
Many discussions were taking place as the newcomers entered. When they reached the center of the chamber, the natives quieted. Kira’s father, chief of the Sansi, sat in his allocated chair with a regal composure and watched the visitors as they entered. Kira ran to her father who quickly rose for a hug.
“It is good to see you, daughter,” he said in their language. Glancing down at her legs, he added, “I see you are becoming accustomed to the gift the Kuthra have given you.”
She followed his gaze and replied, “Yes father. Sometimes I even forget they are not mine.”
“How are you, my child? We have thought of you often. Are you and the Kuthra still hiding in the mountain?”
Yes, we are, as you are hiding here. But Father, I have been to another world! There is a beautiful island, where people very like us are willing to give us refuge. I have come to ask you to go with us.”
“Is it a world where we can live in peace—without fear?”
Kira smiled as she recalled what she had seen on Thera.
“It is wonderful Father, with a mountain on one end, and a village at the bottom where it is safe to be whether it is dark or light. There are no Riktors or Devil Dogs! We would be truly free at last.”
He slowly grinned, but his eyes held a touch of sadness. “Our decision was made before you came. We agreed that if you came to us with hope for a better future, and a safe place to live, we would accept. The Riktors now hunt during the day, and their numbers are increasing. The Devil Dogs are growing much bolder, and now even the Flyers are hunting us. Avalon is no longer our home; it belongs to the beasts.”
“What did he say, Kira,” asked Al.
She turned to Al, her face alight, and said, “The Sansi are going with us. My people are going to come with the Kuthra to Thera.”
Three civilizations and their resources combined to become one. Human, Sansi, and Therans joined forces to assist in the migration from Avalon to the island.
The very first trip included Al, Chris, Liz, and Falkor. Around them, the inside of the transporter was packed with food packages and the necessary equipment to prepare and consume them. The organic replicator machines in the sleeping quarters at Lookout Mountain were kept busy producing the meal packets that did not require refrigeration, while the shop machines poured out a variety of needed tools, devices, and materials. Also included were the two surveillance drones.
The time difference between worlds forced the need to accomplish the shipments quickly. The settlers reloaded the transport cube on Avalon as quickly as possible between trips, for at their fastest pace, the cube on Thera would receive a shipment about every three days. A matter of minutes on one planet warped to three days on the other.
For the refugees on Avalon, it all happened pretty fast. For those on Thera, it felt like forever.
Elizabeth threw herself into organizing the unloading and transfer of materials from the transporter to an empty home close to the temple designated for temporary storage. Darius insisted that his house should be their headquarters, and Falkor found this quite satisfactory. Dusty made him a little bed in the corner, and the dragon settled in as if this had always been home. As long as he was close to Al, he was happy.
Al and Chris helped move the supplies and spent the day working with the townspeople. Many were willing to take in some of the travelers for a few days until other arrangements were made, and Al found them to be open, curious, and mostly friendly. They worked hard that first day, and after the sun had been down for hours, they retired to the Forman home.
The six of them and Falkor relaxed in the comfort of Darius’ simple house and talked while they ate. “How many shipments of supplies do you think…before they start sending people?” Chris asked Al.
“I don’t think the captain is going to be allowed to hold off for long; those people are ready to leave. I expect on the second or third transport; they’ll add some people to the mix.”
The colonists on Avalon were anxious to leave and lined up to help reload the cube. Once things got rolling, they could repack the transporter in a matter of minutes, and send it on its way. When enough supplies had been sent through, they began sending people—five at a time.
The next morning, Elizabeth accompanied Darius and Timothy to continue preparations for the coming influx of people, and Chris and Al went to begin restoring the outpost. Al brought with him the cube containing Tiro. With the hologram’s help, the process would be a lot easier.
Tiro explained earlier how he could assist them. “The natives have occupied the Theran outpost for some time and have made significant changes, both inside and outside. I will have to go through every area of the facility and restore them to design configurations. There are vital components covered with floor mats, and maintenance doors blocked by unnecessary embellishments. The last inhabitants did not use the outpost as intended, and in their ignorance have done a lot of damage.”
Chris watched as Al inserted Tiro’s cube into the reader and three seconds later the holographic avatar of the alien appeared beside them. He seemed excited and was definitely in a hurry. “I will begin by activating the maintenance drones, and have those repair as many of the other units as possible. We are going to need a lot of them to return this facility to the way it should be. I will have to reprogram the—,” he stopped and impatiently asked, “Do you require assistance?”