Tara

by J G Possum

  He mentioned that Ross offered to bring a sample of Kyrex and a quantity of the plant fluid for evaluation. He also mentioned that he talked with Mike and brought him up to date. Walter said, “Speaking of dates, the present date is 3/15/502.”

  Lance answered, “We will follow the Eron calendar, and I think we need to plant our garden as soon as possible. Talk to Hikaru, when you get a chance. Tell Zor we will loan them a laser.”

  Walter said, “I feel our relationship with the Eron is based on understanding and trust; we need to keep it that way. I have been told there are some Eron that presently don’t trust us. I’ll try to win them over whenever I can.”

  Later that evening, he called Lois. She told him about her city layout, and he told her about his visit to the dam with Ross. He said, “Honey, I’ll be home soon--I miss you a lot and look forward to being together. You are always on my mind; you know that. I don’t know what I would do without you. Please be patient. Time is moving fast, and I’ll be back before you know it. My time in Erona is worthwhile; it will help establish good relations between our nations.”

  Lois was happy that Walter had called her--she needed a lift. She was starting to feel sorry for herself. Now she felt how lucky she was to be married to a guy like Walter.

  Walter called Hikaru Moto. “I need to fill you in on the growing season on Tara. Since we are close to the equator, we have a long growing season right up to the rainy season in month eight, August. We are halfway through month three, March; the date is 3/15/502. You can plant now. The heavy rains will come in month eight and last for fifteen days more or less. I wanted to give you and Takeo advance notice, so you can start your garden. The Eron have some tasty vegetables you may want to grow. I’ll get some seeds for you when I can.”

  Hikaru found Takeo in the agriculture lab. She was setting out some tomato plants. He told her about the growing season. She said, “I think we should plant as soon as possible. What do you think about establishing a garden that runs just inside the fence around the ship? It would be seventy-five feet wide and three thousand feet around; that’s a big garden. We could leave an area for parking equipment. near the entrance ramp, off to one side.

  Hikaru replied, “We would have room to plant about four acres.”

  They contacted Lance, and he supported the idea, but suggested they have their team install a six-foot fence just inside the security electrified fence to keep out small animals.

  They could use wooden poles connected tight against each other, with gates wherever needed. Lance insisted that sentries be posted at all times on four-hour shifts to protect the garden from wild animals. Why plant a garden if you can’t protect it?

  Hikaru and Takeo were excited about the plan; they were eager to plant and watch it grow. They immediately gathered their team and went to work. They organized a group to cut poles and start on the fence. They assigned another group to cut the growth around the ship as short as possible. They had the garden area staked out exactly as they planned, and using a tractor, they started plowing a wide row. They followed with a cultivator and a harrow. In one week the garden was plowed, raked, and ready to plant--and the fence had been completely installed, except for minor adjustments.

  Mike continued with work on the main road. So far, things were going smoothly. One of his team reported back to him that they had located an outcropping about two miles southwest of the ship and found hard granite rock.

  This might be their rock quarry, after the geologists checked it out.

  Mike took a look at the area. They located a small stream nearby the same area and decided they could excavate a small pond, for a water supply. They were at the edge of the southern mountain range and could see that the mountain climbed straight up from here.

  Chapter Twelve

  It was a good location. Mike directed them to move some excavators into place and start processing gravel. Mike was worried; he felt uneasy about working out in the open with Tarasaurus around. He needed to protect his crew.

  He received another call. They found a small stream west of the ship that ran down the mountain into a large lake that emptied into the south side of the river, the water was crystal clear. Mike thought, This is great, now we have a reservoir. They selected a site where a service building could be constructed for shelter and protection.

  When Mike returned to the ship, he checked with his men on the status of the road construction. It was on plan. He could hardly wait to tell Sue about the rock quarry. She was delighted. “Now I can really go to work-- thank you, honey.” After talking with Walter and receiving the formula for Kyrex, Mike sent three armed men to look for the Kyrex plant. He had pictures and a good description. It was late in the day.

  Around 6:00 p.m., it started to rain. It hadn’t rained in a week, but he was pleased because it kept the dust down from the road work. They had completed almost two miles in one week, except for the gravel base. He decided to stop work for the day. He directed everyone back to the ship. He heard a crashing sound. He looked up and saw some movement at the edge of the jungle near the road.

  Standing upright only fifty feet away was a large Tarasaurus. Next to it were two small creatures that he guessed were her offspring. He froze and said, “Don’t shoot; just stand your ground.”

  Hikaru and Takeo decided they would start planting tomorrow morning. The rain had soaked the ground, and they were ready. It looked like they would get some rain at least every week. Just in case, they would install a simple irrigation sprinkler system. Hikaru said, “Takeo, I’ll have a team drill a well on the west side and we will set up a pumping station near the ship.”

  Takeo said, “Could we excavate a small pond for irrigation?”

  “I’ll ask Mike, when I see him,” Hikaru answered.

  Mike watched the Tarasaurus family intently, trying not to make any threatening moves. The creatures seemed to be just curious. They made no effort to hide. Mike thought, This could have been the turning point that would change our life on this planet. It could have been total hell, that would lead to the extinction of Tarasaurus and probably cost many human lives...maybe we were being tested?

  He announced, “Men, we seem to have had a peaceful encounter. Secure your equipment and head back to the ship.”

  The search team reported they found the plant. Mike said, “Return to the ship now.” The sun was just starting to set. The wind would return, although it wasn’t as strong lately. Mike felt really good. He missed Sue and looked forward to this evening. He decided the name of the main road he was building would be called River Road; he liked the sound of it and it made sense to him.

  Ambassador Tron was fascinated with Andy. He never saw an android before. He looked so real but had no thoughts he could read. He said, “Andy, do you feel pain?”

  Andy replied, “I do not feel what you call pain. I do understand it is extreme discomfort to humans and can be disabling.” Andy asked Tron, “Do all Eron people communicate using telepathy?”

  Tron responded, “We do, some more than others, however we prefer the sound of individual voices.”

  Andy then asked, “Do you know what I am thinking?”

  Tron answered, “No, but I do sense you are extremely logical and precise.”

  Andy replied, “Thank you, Ambassador Tron, that is kind of you.”

  Tron thought, I think I have a friend--is that possible?

  Lance called Zor. “Your excellency, it is my understanding you may send an aircraft to visit us and borrow a laser to assist with your dam project. Have your pilot contact my navigator Andy for the coordinates. Would tomorrow agree with you?”

  Zor replied, “Ross will bring you a quantity of Kyrex fluid, for your evaluation. Thank you for your consideration; tomorrow will be fine with us.”

  Lois talked with Ashley. “Walter told me the present date on Tara.is Month 3, Day 25, Year 502, shown as 3/25/502. The planting season starts tomorrow on 4/01/502.”

  Ashley replied, “Lance said he wanted to us
e the Eron calendar, so it’s now official--Hikaru and Takeo are starting to plant as we speak. Thank you so much, Lois.”

  Lois said, “You’re quite welcome. By the way, I have the city layout ready for your review whenever you’re ready.”

  Ashley responded, “I can hardly wait to see it. I’ll see if Lance can call a meeting this afternoon. Let’s set it for 1300 hours. We’ll meet in the control center.”

  Ashley contacted the mission support team and the operations team, inviting them. Later, she called Lois and asked, “How are you doing with Walter being in Erona?”

  Lois replied, “I miss him a lot, but he’ll be back in two weeks; time is moving fast, probably because of our shorter days--or maybe it’s because we keep busy?”

  Ambassador Tron received a message from Ross. They planned to arrive around 0800 tomorrow. He notified Lance, who directed Andy to coordinate the arrival and landing. Andy contacted Mike, who cleared an area near the ship at the beginning of River Road. The aircraft would land vertically. That afternoon, the city layout was reviewed.

  Lois explained her design, with the avenues running north and south, paralleling the ocean shoreline, and the streets running east and west. She used a grid pattern. The government buildings would be in the center of the city. Everyone agreed it was the best design; some would like the avenues to be curved. It was decided to slightly curve the avenues. Finally, the hard questions showed up. The main issue was, who would live where? That question was not resolved.

  They needed a government charter, which would document the government of Earthland. It was decided they could define the required positions and select the most qualified people available to fill them. In the future, the positions would be filled by a general vote. The city lots needed to be established for residential, business, and commercial use. They could have a lottery to assign residential lots, but it should be limited to married people only. Some people might want to live outside the city, with more land. Some might prefer living within the ship. Hikaru and Takeo would probably want to farm the land. The meeting ended with the approval to move forward with the city development, but there were more questions than answers. The city plan would be tabled for now. Lance had a few ideas of his own--they needed to evaluate the area along the ocean shore.

  Mike continued working on River Road. He also had a team lay out the rock quarry and set up equipment to excavate rock and crush it into fine gravel. As soon as a quantity of gravel was made, it was loaded on a truck and delivered to the road site where it was spread out, raked, and rolled. River Road was well underway. Mike sent a team to collect some Kyrex plants for Sue. He planned to talk with Ross when he arrived tomorrow on the best way to remove the liquid from the plants and process it. Did it need to be refined?

  Sue sent a team to the rock quarry to construct a building as a work station and shelter for the workers.

  Hikaru and Takeo, working together, selected the seeds to plant and the team went to work. They planted corn, potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, and beans.

  Closer to the ship, they set out the small plants that had been growing in the lab—tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, onions, and selected herbs and spices. It would be great to have fresh vegetables available. The next day, 04/02/502, the aircraft from Erona arrived on schedule. The pilot settled it perfectly on the site Mike had prepared. Ambassador Tron greeted the pilot and Chief Engineer Ross. He introduced Ross to Lance and most of the operations team. They all shook hands and commented on the progress that was evident and the size of the Aquarius.

  The visitors entered the ship and went to the dining area, where they shared a light lunch. Everyone seemed relaxed and in a good mood. They had a few laughs and Lance realized for the first time that the Eron people had a sense of humor. Life started to look good. Lance, Frank, Mike, Ross, and the Eron pilot finished their meal and went outside the ship. Frank had a medium-sized laser brought to him. He showed Ross how to use it. He suggested that Ross mount it on a tripod for stabilization and accuracy.

  Frank said, “If you’re blasting hard rock, be sure to wear safety glasses. It will do the job. If you have a problem Ambassador Walker can help you out.”

  Ross thanked him and had the pilot carefully put the laser in the Eron aircraft, then had the pilot along with one of the sentries unload a small barrel of Kyrex liquid. Mike was delighted to receive it--now he could run his tests. Ross also gave Hikaru a box of seeds, individually packaged and identified as various vegetables. Hikaru wasted no time giving them to Takeo.

  Ross and his pilot thanked Captain Roberts and his crew for their kindness and thoughtfulness, climbed into their aircraft, waved, flew straight up and headed for Erona, a little over one thousand miles across the ocean.

  Mike gave the Kyrex formula and the fluid to Sue and said, “Would you check this out and let me know what you think?”

  Sue answered, “I’ve been looking forward to it.” Mike returned to the road and talked with the men he sent to harvest some Kyrex plants. They had a truck filled to the top.

  Mike had them bring the cut plants to the rock quarry. By the time they arrived, Sue was already there. She mixed a batch of cement using the standard proportions of sand, lime, silica, gypsum, water and a large quantity of pulverized fiber from a plant the Eron called a pole tree--it looked like bamboo to her. She than added a small amount of the Kyrex plant fluid, using a ratio of ten percent as specified. She poured it into several forms, shaped like a building block, a building panel, and an angular expansion truss about eight feet long.

  Chapter Thirteen

  She thought to herself, We will wait and see. I’ll monitor the time it takes to cure and check it out tomorrow. Terry helped Hikaru with the garden fence and made sure it was secure and the gates could open and shut properly. Takeo had some of her team pulling weeds; she noticed everything grew fast in this climate, and it was difficult to keep up; the short grass had to be cut often. The seeds they planted had already sprouted and were growing at a rapid rate. Takeo planted the Eron seeds in her special inside garden that she had in the agriculture laboratory.

  Takeo wanted to observe the plant growth closely. After a few weeks, she would move them outside to the main garden.

  Back in Erona, Ross and Walter had the laser with a tripod that Ross assembled and were headed for the dam site. Walter enjoyed the trip; the scenery was spectacular. Small creatures scrambled out of the way as they drove by. When they arrived, the construction crew was waiting for them-- Ross had called ahead. Ross explained what he wanted to do. He spoke in his native language.

  Walter didn’t understand what was said. Ross explained to Walter, “I told them to set up the laser on this side of the riverbank near the base of the dam and we will attempt to cut into the base rock to establish an anchor point for the right side.”

  On Earthland, Lance held a meeting with his mission support team. “We need a charter to establish our government. I would like Ashley to chair the meeting.”

  Ashley said, “I will draft the charter. I would like everyone’s input. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but we need to start with something. We can amend it as necessary.”

  Everyone agreed to move forward with the charter. Ashley thanked them and remarked, “I would like Lois to help me.”

  Lance received a call from Dr. Jonah. “Captain, I think you better come to the medical laboratory as soon as you can.” Lance took Andy with him and went straight there.

  Jonah was waiting for him. He said, “Captain, we may have an epidemic on our hands. There are twenty people in the infirmary, all very sick with a fever. They are as weak as kittens.”

  Andy replied, “When did this happen, Doctor?”

  Jonah answered, “Over a period of one week; about six days ago I saw the first sign. Mila is testing blood samples as we speak. I wanted you to be up to date; we don’t know what it is, but we’re working on it.”

  Lance said, “Andy, would you go to the chemistry laboratory and ask Mila if there is
anything you can do to help her?”

  Andy replied, “I’m on my way, Captain.”

  Lance returned to the control center after visiting the infirmary and talking with the patients. He was very concerned and worried.

  Ashley and Lois were working on a draft for the charter. When Lance returned, he told them what had happened. They were also very worried.

  Ashley commented, “Mila will find the source, but it may take some time. I just hope it won’t take too long to resolve and that it’s not contagious.”

  Takeo observed the Eron seeds as they grew in the agriculture laboratory. She identified each row with its given name. She looked forward to seeing them fully mature. She wondered what they would look and taste like.

  Frank posted the guards for the evening, the day seemed to go by fast. Already it was 1800, and he was getting hungry. Mike and the construction team, including the men at the rock quarry, were already on their way back to the ship.

  That evening it rained again. Mila didn’t sleep; she needed to find the source and the cure for the crew’s illness. She thought, What did they all have in common? At least it’s not contagious--that’s a break.

  The next day, Sue checked her castings. The Kyrex had cured, and she emptied them out. The cast parts appeared to be extremely hard but not brittle; they had a light tan color and were lighter in weight than they looked. She hit one of the blocks with a sledge hammer, and it wasn’t affected. Water would not penetrate the material. She was able to drill a hole only by using a high-speed carbon drill.

  Sue was especially interested in the angle truss she had made. It could be used to construct buildings. When placed in a circle, every ten feet apart, a total of thirty-six Kyrex trusses could frame a complete building. It could be cast in any size needed. Sue was powered up. She called Mike and told him the good news.