Chapter 28: Chapter 28

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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