Thera by Jonathan G. Meyer Page 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