The farewell
Richard and Frank were talking the whole night. Frank
understood that Richard was scared and worried about his
alien friends. He had seen how those little ones were
following him around and it would melt anyone!
Redim came there and they had breakfast in the room
itself. It was ten minutes to ten when Richard told them
that it was time to go to the colony. They all had dressed
for the occasion.
Redim wore a red colour top with her usual blue jeans and
she had a top knot and her perfect face was beautifully
framed by the wisps of curls .She had her dark matte
lipstick and her face was devoid of any makeup.
Richard had his best black shirt, black jeans and black
shoes . He wore a gold choker which was given to him
by his mother and he looked attractive. His inferiority
complex that came out of his loneliness had gone in these
few days of association with Frank’s family. He looked
as if he was ready to face the world.
Frank had his favourite electric blue formal shirt and
same colour jeans. He had his Link around his neck
because Re might connect at any time... He knew that he
would be seen by the whole world today. He knew he
looked smart.
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They could see many villagers in their FT group uniform
around the front yard and near the guest houses. They
thought of going through the exit point from the other
side of the mountain where the spacecraft was expected to
come. The ledge leading to the cavern was difficult to
walk but not impossible.
They got in the car and Richard said he would use the
underground tunnel to reach the cavern and left without
looking at them.
Redim wanted to go and call him but Frank stopped her,
‘let him go. He is very much disturbed. He is very rich
now with the gold he found in the old man’s house and
the gift he got from the colonists. But he did not seem to
realise it... he was only worried about Re and group... It
was like the owner and the pet syndrome’.
Redim agreed, ‘such a selfless sweet guy...good we found
him as the friend’
Frank drove fast and came behind the mountain. He
remembered the small cave where the exit was there. He
parked the car and climbed up to the cave and the exit
was left open! Frank could see the ramp that led down to
the cavern.
He held Redim’s hand and walked down. It was not as
difficult as they thought as the ramp was cleared off all
the fallen rocks and debris. They must have walked some
hundred metres or so, when they came to the barrier. It
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looked like a dead end... Frank connected to Re and
within seconds, the barrier was removed.
They could see the cavern now! The space craft Ave was
shining at the centre and Richard was standing and
looking at Ave...
All the colonists were in human form as Frank had seen
them first. All of them looked so adorable and Redim was
thrilled to see them all. She walked fast and went near the
group of the colonists and squatted near them and started
chatting with them.
They were very excited and it could be seen in the way
they all answered...
Frank was with Re, Ro and Zo... He asked them how they
were planning to establish their colony in the unknown
Proxima Earth.
Re replied, ‘we have no idea whether it was occupied or
not... all our data tells us it is uninhabited but some
building structures are seen too! We have to see if some
rock formation is seen like buildings....’
Zo continued, ‘our location finder has accepted the data
that we fed ... So we have no worry about travel and
reaching the destination... but we do not have much
weapons to defend ourselves.. That worries me....’
Frank, ‘But you have the best weapon..!’ he paused...
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Ro asked immediately, ‘weapon? We don’t have anything
to the level of intergalactic beings... What we have here
may tackle you as you are too primitive but other being
are not like you!’
‘But you can change form and become invisible at any
given time! Do you think you will be detected by the
intergalactic systems?’ Frank asked them, looking from
one to another.
He was squatting on the ground so that he could talk to
them comfortably. He could see now slowly their
expression becoming bright...
Re said, ‘Excellent Frank... we did not think our ability
could be used as a weapon... but in retrospect we can see,
we survived here for so long by using this ability...Frank
you have cleared a very big worry..Nothing on the
universe can detect us when we are invisible’
Frank was glad that he motivated them in their long
journey, ‘but you need not worry too much as long as you
have your spacecraft intact... Do you have the technology
to manufacture this spacecraft? I am an aerospace
engineering graduate... so naturally I am interested....’
Zo smiled, ‘I attended most of your classes with you! You
people think of using what is available... never think how
to convert one to another... Especially metals... If you
have done this, this craze for gold wouldn’t be there to
this extent!’
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Frank was thunderstruck... He was too shocked to react!
Re was apologetic, ‘Sorry Frank, we have been following
you since your birth as we had followed all your
ancestors. I could come to you for help so confidently
because I knew how you would react.’
Frank laughed after sometime! , ‘That is ok I think! You
said you have taken some essentials like seeds and
oocytes, somatic cells and so on. But did you take some
food stuff?’
Ro replied, ‘we need to keep Ave very light ...but we
have taken few stuff from your pantry only... Mary will
shriek as usual!’
Frank really laughed so loudly that both Richard and
Redim came near them... When they heard it they too
laughed...
Richard asked Re, ‘how much maximum load Ave can
take?’
Frank appreciated him for that question.
Zo replied, ‘one ton roughly slightly higher. But we have
kept it now at seven hundred kilograms... The entire
thing is made of a kind of a metal that is not found here. It
is the toughest but the lightest non-flammable metal. ‘
Frank and Redim moved closer to the spacecraft to see .It
looked like a toy .When he saw it first time the entrance
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was the doorway in the underbelly. But now the entire
sides of the spacecraft were opened to the outside like big
wings. The interior was open... They could see the tiny
double decker beds and all the gadgets fixed all over the
inner walls and more so near the nose area.
It really looked like a scene from a sci-fi movie. The eerie
light made the whole spacecraft so unreal.
Richard was talking to Re and Zo. Ro went near him
where he was seated and kissed his hand. Redim was so
moved by the sight that she mentioned it to Frank.
Re called all his beings and told them to board the
spacecraft. They took a life supporter cylinder and went
in one by one. Only Re, Zo and Ro were left. They came
near where Frank and Redim were squatted down and
gave the link to Redim and asked her to use it to connect
with them...
Frank lifted gently Re to his knee, ‘Re, promise me if you
have any problems there in Proxima Earth, if you think
you wouldn’t survive there, you must get back here. This
place is a private property and you can use it as your
own... Hope you understand this!’
Re nodded his head, ‘we all understand, actually that is
our plan B. But we need to have a place of our own and
raise our progenies. This is the correct time for us to fly
away from the nest... Yes we consider this as the nest...
we will always be obliged to your family, especially you
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and your friends... We are not sure if the Link will
function from Proxima Earth but its reach is limitless so
we are hopeful of keeping you all in contact. ‘
Richard came there and sat beside them, ‘but are you sure
you people can come back here if there is any problems
there?’
Zo assured him, ‘yes Richard. All of us will miss you
more than anyone...because we have seen you wandering
around this place since your childhood... But one day
when we have crossed the new frontier and settled in the
Proxima Earth, we are going to take you there....’
Richard looked pleased, ‘but how a human can survive
this speed?’
Zo replied, ‘No one can survive as we are! That is why
we use life supporter to keep us alive. The spacecraft is
automatic once the power is transferred to particle
power...we will only wake up in Proxima Earth after
fifteen days and 7 hours... Don’t worry Richard we will
contact you as soon as we come out of the induced stupor’
Richard seemed to be relieved.
Now Zo and Ro entered the spacecraft. Richard helped
them to take the remaining life supporters inside the
spacecraft! Redim counted the occupied beds to thirty one
and including Re it would be thirty two!
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Re said, ‘once I go in, the wings come down slowly. The
entire spacecraft will be sealed completely with the
double layer. We move it manually using Maglev
technology to the entrance. We move very slowly so you
can follow us...When the spacecraft comes out to the open
we connect ourselves to the life supporter and start the
autopilot .I hope to see all one day’
Frank lifted him gently placed him inside the spacecraft.
The steps and the landing gear started retracting and the
wings slowly moved downwards...
When the wings were about to close, the unthinkable
happened!
Richard squeezed himself head first into the
spacecraft in the aisle and before anyone could react
the wings came down!
Redim tried to open the wing but the second layer came
down and covered it completely. The spacecraft floated
slowly towards the entrance and Frank and Redim ran
behind it... Once it came out in the open, for a second
they thought it would open... but it floated above them for
few minutes. Suddenly it glowed and vibrated.
Then it shot off and disappeared …just like that.
Redim started crying...Frank was stunned and couldn’t
give her any consoling words. He never thought Richard
would do something like this! Richard was asking too
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many probing questions about the space travel and the
survival techniques to him as well as to Re... But he
thought he was asking those questions out of concern for
these beings!
He didn’t know what he would tell If someone asked
about his whereabouts... If a search is made, he would be
held responsible for his disappearance!
His phone rang... His father was calling him to come as
the media, the military as well a Minister had arrived. He
said he would be there shortly.
When they arrived, it was like a festival... The crowd was
more than anything he had ever seen in Tim’s Land...
Francis had already showed them the photos taken in the
cave of the treasure and they were shared. Francis was
enjoying the sensation as his phone was ringing
continuously... All his key personnel could be seen
running around while talking over the phone.
Mary had set up her food corner and the international
people were seen drinking and eating...
Frank asked Redim to put up a brave face. She pulled
herself together and both of them got down from the car...
The media came alive and started photographing them in
all angles... The military personnel came around and
escorted them to where Francis was waiting.
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Francis came forward to hug his son... Frank didn’t want
to bother him about Richard at this time. Francis couldn’t
ask anything as he was surrounded by the minister and
some key media persons.
Francis introduced both of them. , ‘Where is Richard?’
Frank was anticipating the question, ‘He had some
personal work. He would meet us later dad’
Francis wanted to know how to take them to the treasure.
Redim, ‘I don’t think all these could be taken there at
once as the passage is very narrow’
So it was decided batch by batch they would be taken and
then the military would take over...
Frank and Redim together gave an interview to the media
explaining to them how they found the treasure and took
the first batch which included Francis to the lower cave
where the cave drawings were seen and then through the
narrow passage to the cave of the treasure.
Francis would remember the first site of the treasure
forever... In the photos, the enormity of the wealth was
not felt! But seeing the vast treasure he was too
overwhelmed to speak.
The military took over and the world went berserk as the
live news was broadcasted in every channels of the
world...
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It took more than ten days to remove the gold safely.
Frank and Redim were constantly on air as they had been
getting invitations to appear in the television shows. They
had both rehearsed well so carried out the tasks
flawlessly!
But behind all these façade, they were concerned about
Richard. It was impossible for them to be as happy as the
rest of the Tim’s household!
Only very few people had asked about Richard. But when
Francis heard it, he advised him to tell that he had no
idea. Frank understood the implications, moreover he
could never tell them without revealing about the
extraterrestrial colonists!
*
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