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Post by thundertail on Jun 17, 2011 20:31:47 GMT -5
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TWENTY-EIGHT: (Continued:)
“LIFE RETURNS TO NORMAL AS I EXPAND THE BUSINESS.”
---------------------------------------------------- Under dark moonless sky, he rode into the night To See his love o'er the way. (The) smell of flowers in the air, he passed not a care Across a bridge o'that sad day. When a shadow stepped from the rail, from his saddle he sailed, And his horse rode off o'er the way. As the man was caught off guard, the shadow struck him hard And his hopes rode off o'er the way. O'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, His hopes rode off o'er the way. O'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, His hopes rode off o'er the way. Well a fire burned inside, and he beat the brigand thrice. The hate consumed him o'er the way. O' the man thought he had won, until he felt the brigand's song Grab hold o'him o'er the way. So the thief took his revenge, and he beat the man unending With a cat o'nine tails o'er the way. And he shrieked to the night, bloodied by the fight, Like a cat he shriekd o'er the way. O'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, Like a cat he shriekd o'er the way. O'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, Like a cat he shriekd o'er the way. Well the law followed that yell, saw the man lay where he fell. Nothing left but the man's shell o'er the way. As he layed the body to rest, the man's love clutcher her breasts O' her heart was robbed and killed on that day. And she breathed her last breath, and blood stained her dress From the lashes that slew her man today. As her body fell to the ground, there was an echoing howl Of the hounds that howled for them o'er the way. O'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, O' the hounds that howled for them o'er the way. O'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, O' the hounds that howled for them o'er the way. O' the door closed real fast, a brigand and his cash That he robbed with his son o'er the way. As the counted out their change, they shouted loud, unhallowed names For they were made rich on that day. Then the son went for his sister, found her dead with her blist ers And the streaks of blood o'er the way. O' her father couldn't stand, he found a picture in her hand... It was the man they'd killed o'er the way. O'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, It was the man they'd killed o'er the way. O'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, o'er the way, It was the man they'd killed o'er the way.
~ ‘O’oer the way’ Irish traveling song. ~ ---------------------------------------------------- The way was arduous and the towns we passed through were bleak and small, and almost a month later we at last came to the foothills of the Forbidden Mountains; and even though these roads were better maintained than the ones we had crossed through the wilderness behind us, these roads took a steeper and winding grade deep through these foothills. I led Flatbottom up through these passes until the small arctic town of Monte Jollet, the air turning from hot and arid or sultry and steamy to a chillier temperature; and the yurts and longhouses we eventually found ourselves entering through told us we were in the village I was seeking, Flatbottom staring at all the Ice-Age creatures intermixed with his saurian kinfolk. An Inuit fellow of some age scooted past before remembering his manners and greeted us, waving us to follow him to the town proper as he scuttled before us; and this man led us to the only stone structure in town, a building mostly resembling Stonehenge if it had walls and a roof - where the man waited for me to dismount before addressing me further. The man named Keokuk told me he was the new leader here, and asked where I was headed; me saying that my destination was Tentpole Of The Sky, and he saying that the citadel was no place for creatures that can not endure the cold. He led me around a corner to some shops, Flatbottom pulling the cart behind us and saying he did not want to get frostbite; Keokuk telling him as we walked that it was summertime in the heights, but even though the snow was off the ground he would still feel uncomfortable in the rather cold and balmy weather. He then called out and several of the shop owners came running, then he told them in their native tongue several orders; they retreating into their shops and returning many moments later, then began unhitching Flatbottom from his cart with his complete protest! Keokuk explained that they were merely fitting him out with a warmer harness blanket and seeing about saurian footwear, me telling him nobody goes into inclement terrain without their galoshes; and from then on he complied with their prodding, all while another shop owner came out with a parka and some warm leggings for myself. As I donned my gear Keokuk said they were awaiting my arrival, and the Matriarch told them to give me and my friend anything I could need; a thing I asked Keokuk hoe she knew I would, and the fact that I insisted on paying for all these fine things. As he accepted the money for the cold weather gear he said simply that she knows the desires of all, and that she told him that I was a very determined person; but one with goodwill to all in mind, and the final fact that I was her assistant and should be afforded the same courtesy as she would expect. I meekly told him I wasn’t so much, and that the Matriarch always thought too much of me as I was merely a dolphin back and all; but Keokuk told me that the Matriarch doesn’t lie, and then he led me up onto my cart as Flatbottom was being hitched back up to it. He said that they would love to have us stay longer for a great feast later, but the Matriarch informed them we had to go to our destination right away; and then asked where it was we were going, and I told him it was Tentpole of the sky, and he told us that speed was indeed of the essence as the spring thaw in the passes makes for an extremely uncomfortable journey. So without further adieu, Keokuk dismissed the ones outfitting out carts and ourselves for travel; intoned an Inuit intonation for good luck, and allowed us to at last be under way. Despite the warnings and cold weather gear, Flatbottom continually complained about being cold; and I had him stop several times along the passes to add extra blankets to his broad back; and once he complained that his new glass eye was getting so cold his eye socket was getting frostbite, so I pulled him over and replaced the glass eye with his old eye patch. Two days later we came out into a view of rolling high land meadows, done emerald with grasses and golden with wildflowers; and though the snow-covered peaks of several mountain ranges encircled the view, one could tell it was markedly warmer - not much if one would compare forty degrees or so with below freezing temperatures! Even so in the farthest distance we could see faint brown dots littering valley and dell ahead, and the road we were on was festooned with small pavers and gravel; and as we followed this road through a small pass and looked over the side one could see that native stone had been used for it’s construction, which seemed to be all that was at hand for building material. Into another rich valley we descended, and a most fantastic sight met our eyes; for where the peak of a low lying mountain top once stood, now stood a great pinnacle of the citadel that was called Tentpole of the sky. It’s enormous size betrayed by the sheer distance we were from it, but this did not subtract it’s beauty and massiveness; so we paused as we took in the view of that grand structure, me sighing in remembrance of the place and Flatbottom gasping as he had never seen such a place before in his life! As we stood paused for a moment, sudden rustling was heard from some bushes near a gully directly behind us and to the left; and then a crimson streak bolted out and circled us to stand directly in our path, feline stance of warning and giant fangs blazing in a face that glinted with mint green eyes. Flatbottom would have fled if he weren’t attached to the cart, but with this Saber-tooth and his crimson feline guard attire; I knew this cat almost immediately, for his name was Turok and he was the chief of the Tentpole of the sky guards! As soon as the initial shock and surprise wore off in me (But not in Flatbottom, for he was still quaking in his saurian footwear!), I got down from the driver seat smiling; then I sauntered up to Turok like a friend, even with Flatbottom’s whispered warnings. Turok growled but it was a playful one, and I smiled a little as I raised my hand and placed it on the tip of his snout; cat reciprocating by licking it once before sidling up and nuzzling me, I reciprocating by grasping the furry monster in a hug. I backed away and quickly explained things to both, that Flatbottom was my friend and helper in my shipping business; and that Turok was the head of the guards in these parts, and in my last stay here we had become good friends. As Turok relaxed his stance and greeted the Triceratops with a regal bow, Flatbottom reluctantly said hello and asked how things were going; and as I gave Turok a mindless patting around the neck while they were doing this, I noticed the cat wince slightly. I turned and asked if he was getting arthritis or something, and if he was taking anything for it; and he indicated he was, but it always seemed to return. I indicated my balding head and told him that nobody is getting any younger; a thing he chuffed and agreed to as he led us both closer to the citadel in the distance, brown dots in the distance taking on the shapes of Mammoths and Bison grazing in the distance. Within that herd one young Mammoth detected a faint odor, but it was not an odor of something dangerous (Yes, Turok’s smell was around too and he was a meat eater; but he was there to protect them.); but even so it reminded this one of his birth, a human smell that was quite different from the human smells he was used to smelling. He raised his trunk into the air and followed it directly up to the path we were on, trumpeting in victory when the smell he recognized was mine; but Turok stood in his path as soon as he came near, growling that he not approach any further. I did not know who this young Mammoth was either, but I got down off the cart and got to within several feet of him never the less; the lad (Who was almost as big as a full grown Indian elephant, and half the size he would eventually grow into.0 and extended a hand; and in the lad’s excitement he grasped it and pulled me into a gigantic hug, and the smell I now experienced made me recognize the lad as well! I greeted Timothy with a hug of my own as he let me go, me commenting on how big ha had gotten; and saying he looked so strong that he could pull the tail off a T-Rex, and he snorted laughter at the comment! Once again I introduced Flatbottom to young Timothy, saying that I helped his mother deliver him when he was born; and Flatbottom commented that it was no wonder I was so good at the hatchery, briefly telling of all he had heard of the deeds I had done there. Timothy marveled at all these things, saying that I had become a true Dinotopian; a fact he was sure of as it was I that he first encountered at birth, and then asked why I was here. I merely told him I was visiting, for I did not really have a reason in mind but that; and he said that if this is so, then I would surely like to visit his mother, Tanaraq as well as her new daughter. I was surprised at this, but as Timothy trooped beside our cart the rest of the way to the citadel; Flatbottom complained that we hurry, and that he was slowly freezing to death! Pretty soon the rest of Timothy’s herd joined us, and before I knew it Tanaraq came and tapped me on the shoulder with her trunk as I drove the cart; her caress made me turn and I saw her soft eyes, making me hug the trunk as it was offered. Then she looked down near her feet, and I drew my gaze there and saw a small tusk-less Mammoth grasping some leg hair and tooting with her trunk; a cute sight that I smiled down at, Tanaraq announcing that her daughter Thula will see me as soon as we all get inside. The citadel that was Tentpole of the sky grew ever bigger the closer that we neared, and it’s massiveness enthralled Flatbottom when he looked up; and soon the whole precession neared the mighty oaken main doors of the edifice, which silently opened as we grew sufficiently near. We were led inside by Turok and the herd of Mammoths, then as we were dismounting and unhitching, their leader Tibuk Gantu arrived sitting atop his Partner Buttercup; and he too dismounted as he saw who was here, the lost lad that previously came not for war like he first thought - but to fight for peace. He greeted me regally as I introduced Flatbottom; him bowing as his patched eye was seen, and Tibuk Gantu commented about it, bidding Flatbottom to tell him the whole tale of the fire and my administering. At length Tibuk asked of my exploits since he last saw me as we were led down to the paddocks for Flatbottom’s sake, and I told him all even though I omitted what Flatbottom had already told him; and then he said as my friend was being looked after that the Matriarch had heard of my little business trip, and informed him that I may be heading this way. He asked what my real purpose was for coming, and I repeated what I told little Timothy; that I had no real reason for coming this way save for a visit, and that I was on a business trip to expand my shipping business. He informed me as we walked to his viewing chambers that they have sufficient shipping means already to and from this place, and an extra shipping company might bring too much competition to them as well as send the wrong message to them that their services were inadequate; but I assured him that if such an arrangement was impossible for those reasons, I would not discuss business of that nature here. Soon a sumptuous meal was served right there in Tibuk’s chambers, and Flatbottom was led there by Timothy before everything was served; and he was served by servants as soon as his placement by Buttercup was made, she greeting him as they began to eat. We all joined in, and light conversation ensued about the goings on around Dinotopia, me telling the tale of how I escaped a band of pirates with the help of another captive turned pirate - as well as the strife his former townspeople gave him upon his return. I said that I had to really lecture them to get them to accept him, and Buttercup commented that I had turned into a real negotiator and diplomat; me saying as I rose to her that I was merely trying to maintain the peace. I went over and took Buttercup’s regally offered trunk, saying that I see that everything is as it was here, then inquired if I could see Levka Gambo; but after much hesitation, Tibuk informed me that he had passed away almost two years ago - a thing that I say that I must go pay my respects to him immediately! After our meal I was led to the catacombs deep under Tentpole of the sky By Tibuk Gantu to a chamber dark and dreary, to a niche where a form wrapped like a mummy and surrounded with faded Buddhist offerings lay about the head. I had brought many things with me as a tribute for just such an occasion, and placed a silver cross by where Levka’s hands would be; telling his spirit that now he was with his friend Arthur. I then began intoning a Christian prayer to his memory, and after that I state that he was right and that I am truly the legacy of Sir Arthur Dennison; and would truly uphold their memory and their spirit, and after tears for this dead human being I slowly rose and left the catacombs a more sober man. Tibuk had left me to my privacy, and was nowhere to be found as I began the journey back the way I cane; so I retraced my steps up to one of the lower levels of the citadel, which was still two levels below the paddock level. I met up with a smallish Inuit boy who ran past me, and I yelled for him to slow down for safety; and he screeched to a stop and apologized, saying he was late for training with his new Partner. I asked him if he would lead me to the paddocks (As I knew my way around from there.), and he said that this was where he was going; so onward he led me, excitedly telling me of his new Partner! The lad named Kodia said he was assigned to a yearling Mammoth, and he had a very strange name as most had Inuit names; and when we got to the paddock area and I saw him rush up to Timothy, I knew who his Partner was! I congratulated them both and told them to take good care of each other, and Timothy told Kodia of how I was there at his birth along with having my name; of which I told them it was an honor, and that he was growing into a strapping Mammoth before leaving to check on Flatbottom. The tenders had taken off his eye patch and stood back aghast, for they had never seen an empty eye socket before; so I rushed over and got his medicine and other supplies from our cart parked in a near by alcove, coming over to administer to his needs. His socket had gotten full of mucus from the cold, and I swabbed that out before administering his Carrotus Lavage into it; showing the attendees how easy it was to do, and then taking a glass eye from the case (The one he had not used yet, for I had the glassmaker make two so he would have a spare.) and placing it into the cavity - turning it slightly so the pupil faced slightly forward. After I was done I put all of Flatbottom’s medicines and things back, then I went to the main staircase up to the main floors of the citadel, looking around until I saw Turok padding around on watch; and I asked him where Tibuk was, for I had something to tell him that I had just remembered. The big cat led me to the training dojos, where I found him practicing his own version of Tai-Kwando forms; and he paused his concentration as he saw Turok and I standing in the doorway, motioning for us both to enter. Turok huffed and left the dojo as I entered and sat on an offered mat, then Tibuk offered to spar with me if I wished; but I graciously refused as he saw the concerned look on my face, then asked me what was the matter. I told him some news that I had heard in Prosperine, about the rumor about the Skybax harassing ships at sea there and the overland caravans that are being harassed; and then I asked if he would say a message concerning such to the Matriarch for me the next time he saw her, and he said he would but there was one thing more. He said that he hadn’t seen the Matriarch for almost a year, and talked to her the last time she visited; and that he didn’t know when she would show up again, and that I had a better chance to see her than he did. I grew solemn at the news, and he told me not to take it so badly; then rose and asked me to spar with him once again, an offer that I reluctantly gave in to. Our session was merely for exercise, and we traded falls in an almost even manner; and this time nothing got broken as we worked out to a mild sweat, then we headed for the baths for a long steam session. By the end of several days there, I had figured that I had outlived my welcome there and prepared to leave, much to the sorrow of everyone there; and Flatbottom asked if I was crazy, for he had grown quite used to the paddocks there! I hitched him up after the attendees decked him out in his cold weather gear and I replaced his eye patch, and then as everyone in the citadel (it seemed) arrived and say their teary farewells; me saying good bye to all my special friends there, and at length the main doors were opened and Flatbottom and I plodded our way out into the cold. Our trek lasted over a month, from the biting cold of the Forbidden Mountains to the sweltering jungles and blasted lands beyond; and it would have been shorter if we traversed the Rainy Basin, but Flatbottom warned of the carnivores there and I shuddered. So thusly it was wise we took the long way around, back the way we came; for we had no armor to protect Flatbottom, and I had forgotten tribute fish to appease them! Even so the roads were long and treacherous, but soon we came into lands that were familiar to me; passing Bent Root and Treetown on the way to Raptor Flats, and at last crossing the Obnubian Mountains past Volcaneum and lastly to Baz. I made it home to see the town itself hadn’t changed too much since I had been away, and by the look of my place at four Rosepetal lane; that place hadn’t changed too much either, even though there seemed to be double the carts and workers there now. As I was in the middle of unhitching Flatbottom, Ricky ran out and greeted me profusely before excitedly telling me about things here; and it seemed that business had been doing so well that he had to hire more workers, and the Akin-Bak shipping company now sported three convoys of four teams each performing shipping nearly around the clock! Ricky said he had no explanation on why business was so good, so I told him of all my exploits around the Northern Plains and the business deals I had made; and he shook his head smiling and said that must be the reason, a thing I shook his saurian hand and told him that pretty soon we would be richer than in his wildest dreams! It didn’t take long before I settled back into my usual routines, managing the shipping company and dispatching all the workers to their destinations (If I had trouble remembering the names of the ones I had before, I was in even sorrier shape as my crew had nearly doubled!); and even having time to spruce up the property with the help of Nellie and Jake Forsythe, and I even got a chance to personally visit all my friends in town - including my very best friend Anna (At Jake’s digression, of course!). I had not forgotten my duties at the hatchery either, and healer Squibb welcomed me back while I was fixing a Bracheosaur egg using my plaster procedure; and all the other workers there I knew so well seemed relieved to see me among them again. The people of the town, seeing that I was a true Dinotopian now and was well known nearly everywhere; soon began asking me my ideas on how to do this or that thing, and I was not at a loss for giving them good advice. Elizabeth Kotch still loved to spread gossip better than eating her mother’s baked goods, but was at a standstill as she was running out of people to tell her tales to and they had all had heard these things before; so I talked her into making up a newspaper so she could tell people far and wide with it, and I got my hands on an Itallio printing press that was washed ashore more then a hundred years ago - as well as having to help her figure out how to operate the five hundred pound contraption! Several of the other people in town that talked to me wanted to brighten up their houses and places of business, but all said that they had not the resources to buy paint or hire painters; and one could only guess who put up the funds to help them out, because for better or worse, I was considered the richest man in town! Many months passed, and one day I was at the woodshed splitting firewood when a Postal Bird landed on the chopping block I had just placed a log on, and I was just about to make my swing when I saw him at the last instant; and he squawked when he saw he was in mortal danger, then flapped to the woodpile for safety before telling me the message he was going to tell. The Postal Bird said he had an invitation from senator Raul Palencia of Sauropolis to mister Timothy Smith, inviting me to a five-year reunion for all the castaways in our group (The Spanish speaking one of our group, a SENATOR?!); and the reunion would be held in Treetown in one month’s time, and that friends and Partners were invited as well. My reply to the bird was that I would definitely be there, and he flew off toward Baz and it’s Postal Bird aerie, but I just stood there with my axe in my hand still wondering. I still could not believe that it had been FIVE years since we were washed ashore from our plane crash, and I went back to the house still in thought; and wondered how all my cohorts from it were doing as I spent the rest of the day doing chores, thinking in my bed that night about all the things I would need for the trip. In the morning I told Ricky and the crew not currently out on runs about the reunion, and asked Flatbottom if he wanted to come along (I was still iffy on knowing what a true Partner really was, but he was as close as any would ever come to being my Partner… He was honored when I told him that!); and after congratulations and well-wishing from the rest of them I began to get my friend ready, but Ricky pulled me aside saying he would need the cart for runs while we were away - and then produced a large saurian saddle. This came complete with a massive saddle blanket and bags big enough to carry all our provisions except what Flatbottom was to eat (He would have to graze on foliage by the side of the road, or get food at places we would stop at along the way.), and once we were ready we set out on the road once again; all the others waving and cheering their boss’s departure once again, and us waving and calling back until Flatbottom’s tail disappeared beyond the rise in the road into town. Since the way to Treetown was well known to us, and nothing amiss happened along the way; it took a mere two weeks to arrive there, our pace quickened by the fact that Flatbottom didn’t have to drag along a heavy cart so he could move at a saurian trot if he chose! I was one of the first in my group to arrive, so I stabled Flatbottom in one of their ground level paddocks and began to mingle around the arboreal town; which reminded me of the tree house I had as a kid, only a million times larger and more complex! The first one I saw amid the rope bridges and tree ledges was cadet Sally DuHame (Now promoted to Corporal and sported many insignia of merit.), and she swung over to the tree I was on by rope as soon as she spotted me at the window of the place I was staying; and after kisses and many exclamations of how I was doing, began to relate to me what she had gathered was expected of us here. She said we were to wait until everyone showed up, and then we would have a grand reception in a tent pavilion they would set up at ground level; and this was so our Partners could have access to out reunion as well, and then the mayor here would make a congratulatory speech - and after that it was whatever comes about until we decided to leave. I said that was swell, and said I was staying here and my friend Flatbottom was staying at some paddocks at ground level (He was a Triceratops I explained, and not really suited for climbing trees.); and Sally said that they have some tree houses here that were accessible to saurians of that nature, unless my friend was afraid of heights.… We laughed at the thought! As we walked through the catwalks and ramps between the trees, we saw that others were just arriving through the gigantic forest; and hoped that some of them were of our group of castaways, but one we knew for Peter and Olu along with that blonde haired Wilma Ajax on her steed was talking to the guards at the guard house far below. Within the next two days the rest of our group came to Treetown one by one, and both Flatbottom and I were met by them as well as their Partners as Sally and I sought them out and found them; they marveling at how we looked and such, and I commented on every other minute bit of small-talk that ensued between our group. Fairly soon senator Palencia showed up as he was the last to arrive, and he said through his Partner Redfeather the Microraptor that the mayor of Treetown will be setting before us a fine feast in the main council chambers; but not until after we were given their most lavish accommodations, and are well refreshed after our long journeys - but red feather translated that we were free to mingle in town until the time was right. With that news the rest of them were shown away by the locals while the few of us who had already been given rooms toured around the three-dimensional town a while longer; Peter telling me he was now a sergeant in the saurian guard and a recruiter/instructor when at base, Sally DuHame’s mission between other assignments was also of the recruiting nature she told us as we walked. I soon saw the long dark hair of Rachael Myers as she sauntered up a ramp like a female pirate of the high seas, her Ankylosaur Partner named Benny wheezing for her to wait up; but instead she quickened her pace as she saw me, Sally and Peter coming down the other way toward her. She told us that she now owned a whole fleet of vessels, and did mostly port shipping even though some of her fleet were fishing vessels; and Benny did his best impression of a pirate’s first mate with his ‘Harr…!’s and other nautical jargon and sayings, and I could not help but think that he and my friend Flatbottom would get along swimmingly when they met! We were led by other city dwellers to the main council chambers, and met with Francis Cole along the way; his Protoceratops Partner Rivers waddling close behind, she complaining that he wait up. They said as we walked that they had several professions the past few years, and these days they run a paddock of Overlanders near Chandara; and it took a while for him to settle down and live in one place as he took to wandering around looking for work, but since he met Rivers he said his feet have lost their wandering spirit. Two Pachycepahlosaurs flanked the next one in our group, he in the archaic uniform of a prisoner out on work detail; and his friends told us that Paul Packard had turned to thievery and convicted many times, and would be on leave from house arrest for the duration of this reunion - he complaining that if he was on leave why was he still guarded, and I whispered to him not to push his luck! The gigantic stand of trees we came near had trees with nearly forty-foot girths, and sported ramp ways that spiraled around the nearest trunk to eventually bridge the gap to the next tree and spiraled around that tree to cross over to the next; and the four huge trees supported one of the biggest buildings to ever be put into a tree, all suspended better than three hundred feet above the forest floor. This was the main council chambers of Treetown, and the multi-level structure was supported by beams at least three feet thick as well as many of the trees’ natural branches; and the whole thing looked strong enough to support an unimaginable amount of tonnage, and could easily accommodate any saurian large or small. Our group made our way around the wide and long terrace that girded the building to the main entrance, and as we entered we saw the grand council chambers itself; most seating taken up and several tables and seating made so a casual feast could be served, and the front row seating and podium in the chamber still seemed to be in place. The reason became obvious when senator Raul Palencia came from the wings and stepped up to the podium, his friend Redfeather translating his Spanish so we could understand him; and he told us that this marks five years we have been marooned on Dinotopia, and that he wanted to thank all his friends for arriving - as well as their gracious hosts in Treetown for the sumptuous feast we were about to enjoy. When he was done with the greeting, the mayor of Treetown stepped up (A small but muscular man with a green tri-fold hat with many gold medallions on it.) and welcomed us all to his humble town; and to please enjoy their hospitality during our stay, and if there is anything that was needed to please ask. As we sat near the podium, others in the town unseen by us set the tables and laid out our fare; and even though we heard this going on behind us, two more guest speakers made their entrance - ones we had no idea would be here but were more than a welcome sight never the less. The mayor of Waterfall City and speaker for the Council of Dinotopia stepped up to the podium and smiled at us all, and welcomed us to our fifth year on Dinotopia; and then went on for a long time about each of our achievements while we were here, ending by giving us all our own individual congratulations. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert stepped up and made a similar speech, only telling each and every one of us the individual humanitarian achievements we had learned while here; then said that we had come a long way since we first got here, and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were all now Dinotopians of the truest nature. Once all applaud died down, the majordomo of the feast announced that it was ready; and we all wanted to bolt for the tables as we were famished, but our new Dinotopian sensibilities bade us to calmly and regally take our places at the tables. As we were being served conversations wafted around the tables; and in those words I found out many things about my cohorts from the plane. Paul Packard didn’t much like being there but he had to earn a living, and his times on the streets in the city he lived in back in the Outside World taught him to be cunning and smart; so he took to picking people’s pockets and graduated all the way up to household robbery, but instead of being annoyed at this the people let him have the goods he stole - like it were a gift or something! I told them they were very giving people, and if you needed something you were welcome to it; however I told him that it would have been more polite if you asked first, and he simply said that he just didn’t get it! Senator Raul Palencia told me that he had been following my moves through Redfeather, saying that he saw that I loved the peaceful life and would fight to get it; and the many things I had done for peace around here told him that I was far more adapted to being here than he ever would, I recanted by saying that he had adapted to being here better than I hoped and he had a wonderful life here because of his hard work - a thing he was honored to hear. Rachael Myers also heard of me many times, for in her seagoing shipping business she had taken much cargo that must have been first shipped by my company (I told her the name of the company - the Akin-Bak shipping company - and she laughed and said she heard of it!), and told me of how their schooner nearly wiped out on the Razor Reef; saying that they needed help from the Skybax to arrange a tow off it, and Benny commenting from his spot next to Flatbottom that he can’t swim. Francis Cole said that he had been all over the place, and had learned the varied ways of the people in those places; and wondered if I had any other work in my area; a thing of which I told him work was always available, and he thanked me for the news. Of course I knew about Sally DuHame and my brother Peter, and made small-talk with them and their Partners as well; me play-punching my brother at a blunder he did in the guard, and Sally commenting that brothers would be brothers! Conversations like this continued on as we ate, each dish seeming better than the last; and before we were done minstrels came into the chamber and began setting up their instruments, part of the evening’s entertainment courtesy of our Treetown hosts. As we finished the band started up, but everyone simply rose and mingled a bit before any real dancing ensued; and during the evening I got a chance to dance with Sally, Rachael and even the aloof Wilma Ajax (She claimed not to be adept at such social behavior, but caught on pretty well for her ‘first time’!). Even some of our dinosaur friends took to dancing a little bit, Olu and Wilma’s steed doing some sort of dance while Flatbottom’s repartee consisted of raising each forefoot in unison and waggling his head and tail; and Ricky stomped while Redfeather flapped on Raul’s shoulder, and all in all we had a good time for nearly the rest of the night! In one of my bouts of sitting things out, I caught a glimpse of matriarch Maryanne Talbert and mayor George Talbert sitting at a far table; and went over to sit next to them, they asking how I was enjoying the reunion. I said that everything was great, then got to the point of what was on my mind; saying that I had discovered yet another episode of discord on Dinotopia, and perhaps they should know about it. They asked what it was and I told them that while I was in Prosperine on a business venture, I had gotten word of caravans and ships being raided; and they asked if it was pirates, and I told them the culprits were the Skybax! The mayor balked, saying such things were unheard of from the Skybax; but Maryanne asked me how this could be, but I told them I hadn’t a clue. That perhaps ones in the Corps were eliciting the traders, and threatened harm if they did not comply; but what ever the case, they were harassing traders in the area and it must be stopped. They both agreed, and Maryanne told me that they would need more evidence than the rumor I told them; and a complete investigation would commence at once, but I told them that this was not the wisest way to go. I told them they needed someone within the Skybax corps to find out all the facts, one that they could trust and one meager enough to go undetected; for if those who are doing it found out they were being observed, they would cease operations and act like none of that ever happened - and start it up all over again once they were out of their scrutiny. It sounded like a good plan to them, but none of us could think of a possible candidate within the Corps to do the job; and though Sally DuHame was suggested, the incident that happened when I was in the Skybax corps brig said to me not to trust her either! I returned to the party just then, and enjoyed the festivities until late into the night; and as the reception broke up, we hung on each other for hours until late into the night. All of us spent a few more days in Treetown, eventually leaving by ones and twos; Senator Palencia announced that he had an important meeting to attend at Azonthas and left the morning after the party, and the rest of us remembered important dates as well, leaving as transportation for them became available. Paul Packard was to stay there, for his imprisonment would be there as he attended other forms of rehabilitation; and Peter had to leave too, as he and his three counterparts had gotten their reassignment orders by postal bird the morning after that. Lastly I figured not to wear out my welcome either, so I hitched up Flatbottom and headed back to Baz; and even though the trip back home was uneventful, my mind was filled with all the memories of that reunion… ----------------------------------------------------
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Post by thundertail on Jun 29, 2011 19:25:11 GMT -5
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TWENTY-NINE:
“TRAGEDY FROM THE SKY GIVES ME STONY RESOLVE.”
---------------------------------------------------- I had been home for many weeks now, and life at home quickly settled into the realm of the routine once more; and I kept myself busy with all the things I usually did, tending the Akin-Bak shipping company with it’s now more complex dealings and my continuing shifts at the hatchery as well as every other thing I had interests in. The winter storms began early this year, and the shocked foliage began their fall cycles just as autumn began; and this perplexed everyone in the area, so I sent a messenger to Waterfall City to inquire why. The Weathercaster there predicted intense storms coming off the ocean for our area, sporting winds so intense they would be felt all over the island; and some of these blasts could be tsunami strength, and they claimed that these storms would be so bad nothing like it had been seen around Dinotopia for over a hundred years or more! The rain and wind soon howled across the Obnubian Mountains, bouncing back to all points of the compass; and only the strongest trees and persons were able to manage through all of this, and though I was no Superman I had to endure it never the less. As the howling winds creased across our property, I had all hands not currently out on runs to help secure anything loose; and warned all the children to stay indoors lest they be blown away; we then closed all the shutters on the house and battened down anything that moved, and then the really bad weather came through in driving waves of torrential rains and almost hurricane force winds. Even though we had done everything to prepare for this devastation, my property took on severe blows one after the other; and fallen trees and massive branches soon littered the ground everywhere, and everywhere I went in town during the lulls in the storms, everyone in town and everywhere I went still seemed extremely worried! During one of the clear times in the season of storms I was out on my property clearing trees and debris with Flatbottom, Ricky and Sam Fossey; chopping up a gigantic tree that had fallen across the road leading into town, Flatbottom hauling away the more manageable chunks of trunks and branches that he was hitched to by ropes. We were so busy with this task that we did not see the form high above our heads flying drunkenly due to the still gale force winds above the tree line, and the Skybax wheeled and turned trying to maneuver through the gusts; and then a sudden gust blew the bird off course errantly, making the creature screech and us to look up at the sound. The bird dove and rolled, then an errant cross-wind blasted the bird high into the air; where it rolled and did several tight figure-eights to right itself, but the forces were too much for the pilot to hang on and he plummeted to the earth hundreds of yards away from us! The pilot fell to the trees below, crashing through the canopy of one and tumbled through the branches like a rag-doll; and when he hit the ground I knew he was dead, for nobody could fall through a tree that large and survive! The Skybax was just recovering from her tumble herself as we rushed to the trees to see about the fallen pilot, whom we found near the base of the tree he had fallen through; his light brown hair tangled and matted with blood, and his form bent at angles the human anatomy was never meant to bend. His head was twisted nearly all the way around, and his tan uniform tattered and bloody; and I crouched to the prone form with tears in my eyes, for I went to check for a pulse even though I knew I wouldn’t find any. As the rest came over to inspect the body, the Skybax had managed to land in a clear area behind us; then scrabbled over to us, squawking for the rest to let her pass. She came over to her pilot and crouched low, then seeing his lifeless form rose and began giving off a cackling wail of sorrow and remorse, and I never seen a Skybax cry before - but it is a sad, sad sight indeed! I got up and went to the grieving creature, stroking the beak and trying to comfort the crying Pterosaur; and as she calmed down somewhat, I told her that it wasn’t her fault. I said that he must have died instantly, and he felt no pain; then I nodded to my friends, and they rushed off to get things to tend to the body. The Skybax calmed down after a while and I told her that she seemed a little too upset to fly just yet, and maybe it would be best if she stay the night in the barn yonder; that maybe the wind would ebb by morning, and maybe she would be in better spirits to fly by then. To ease her concerns, I told her that we would take care of him; and that I would write a letter to their superior officer about the accident, and she seemed a little better as she scrabbled toward the barn. I stayed with the Skybax pilot for a while, and Sam came back with a tarp and some rope; saying that Ricky went to bed the Skybax down for the night, then I helped him unfurl the tarp. We rolled the body onto the tarp, wrapping him up in it and tying it tightly with the rope like a mummy; then we carried him off to the barn, taking him in back of it and the portal that led to the basement of the structure (Thinking it would be cooler down there, and perhaps the body would keep longer down there; so we left him down there on top of a load of empty crates stored there.). I then went back up to see how our new guest was doing, and even though she seemed comfortable enough in her stall; the sadness in her eyes told of her deep despair over what happened, indicating she would have an uneasy sleep tonight. I told her not to worry, and I would write a letter to her pilot’s superior officer and tell him the sad news; and she crouched to offer her saddle bag so I could retrieve the contents, rider’s orders and other paperwork and the like. I read that his name was second year cadet Raphael Davis, and he was sent on safety patrol up the western coast from Waterfall City - reassigned from Canyon City under orders from commander Nemo; and once I saw he was on duty at the time, I told her I would send my message with her the next morning. She nodded seeming to understand, then turned and settled into the nest she had made from the bedding in the stall; so I said my good-night and left the barn, and went straight to my house. Ignoring everyone in the house, I went straight to the library and began penning my message; and after six failed starts, I finally got an acceptable draft worthy to send to a commander of the Skybax corps: - Commander Nemo Skybax Corps, Canyon City C.O.: Commander Skybax Corps, Waterfall City
Dear commander.
I regret to inform you of the demise of second year cadet Raphael Davis. He was on patrol, flying Over the environs of Baz; when the accident happened. During a terrible wind storm his steed lost control and he plummeted through a stand of trees to his death. His body struck many branches and he landed with fatal force. He suffered multiple broken bones, contusions and Fractures; and suffered a broken neck, which was the cause of death. I am proud to say that cadet Raphael died in the line of duty, and request that his loved ones be contacted as soon as possible. His body is being held in state on my property, and I await further information on the deposition of his body; but I will arrange interment forthwith if an undue span of time occurs. My solemn condolences go with all friends, cohorts and loved ones of cadet Raphael Davis; and his demise is felt by all of us as well…
Sincerely,
Timothy E. Smith The Akin-Bak Shipping Company 4 Rosepetal Lane Baz_ I signed the letter and retired for the evening myself, my mind so troubled by the Skybax accident and the thought of the dead body now laying in the basement of my barn; I had completely forgotten to go down for my Eveningmeal, and that was probably why I ate my Morningmeal ravenously the very next morning. As soon as I was finished with that I went to the barn to see how my new guest had fared, and found that the Skybax had already let herself out of the stall; but was still trying to figure out how to slide the main gate door to the barn when I saw her after entering from the side entrance, she cackling to be let out. I showed her the scroll and she turned so I could put it up in her saddle bag, then I slid the main door open as she scuttled outside; feeling the much lighter wind as well as the warming sunshine just beginnng to take away the evening chill; so I touched her beak and felt from her that she thought she would be all right, then watched as she trotted and spun back up into the sky. The Skybax screeched as she circled the barn over my head, then she made a sweeping turn south; headed back over the Obnubian Mountains, the Hadro Swamp and eventually to Waterfall City. I slowly turned toward the barn, chores that needed to be done reeling through my brain; but the back of my mind still returned to the body below my feet, and by the time all the pullers and drivers had been dispatched I began to get that creepy feeling once again! At last the haunted feeling could not be resisted any more as it became time for Midmeal, so I blew my Postal Bird whistle and summoned a Postal Bird; telling him when he arrived to contact healer Squibb and tell him we had another dead body for him to examine, and to please have him begin the process of preparing for his funeral. In the morning healer Squibb came with the funeral crew, confirmed my cause of death and took the body of cadet Raphael Davis for embalming; and days later I had been invited to the burial in the town plot upstream the mill, seeing many of the townsfolk attending along with strangers to me that were relatives and acquaintances to Davis. The ceremony went on it’s somber way, and I wished everyone well as I greeted them and they went on their way; and on my own way home I still could not erase the brutalized corpse that was still imprinted in my mind, for it was the first time I had seen death like that in a very long time and my recently awakened Dinotopian morals made forgetting the gruesome scene all that much harder. It loomed in my mind at chores that day, and grew worse as Eveningmeal came about; and in my sleep I kept on running through the entire scene of the fall, ruining any chances of soundness in that sleep. Day by day this went on, the haunting feeling that something needed to be done continually being thought of; but what could be done now that the cadet was already in the ground, other than finding some way to make sure that didn’t happen again? Night after night this went on, and I began to feel that if something wasn’t done about this, I would either fall into a funk only the best Psychiatrists in the Outside World could cure or I would surely go mad! I felt that the only way to expunge the death of cadet Raphael Davis was to find a way to make flying the Skybax safer, but I was at a loss as to how that could be brought about; so I retreated into my library to find an answer with the literature I had in there concerning flight for the rest of the next day, barely coming out to eat or sleep - and there I studied. My library had very little of the information I was seeking, save for literature on the Skybax in general and rudimentary ideas of things that fly; but these were of prehistoric creatures that flew, and I did not own much in the way of information of things that fly that were invented by man. I went to the somewhat larger library within the Baz schoolhouse to look for more, but besides finding a more extensive selection of different tomes on the subject all proved not to be what I was looking for; so I sent word to the main library at Waterfall City and waited for any news, which came days later by several Overlander couriers and their loads of tomes. Besides the standard information on the Skybax, I received plans and drawings of primitive aircraft and airships designed by washed-shore scientists of Leonardo DaVinci’s day; ones that showed model wing designs that were proven in modern times to be defunct, and methods of floating in air and gliding through it - things similar to parachutes, balloons and other airships. I poured over these papers and tomes for the longest time, trying to draw something that might help with little avail; then decided that these designs were not the things I had in mind, for I knew through my previous studies and by conversation with other Skybax pilots in my travels that Dinotopian Skybax cadets used parachutes in jousting practice at Ebulon. The rest of the ideas I had seen so far here had been tried in the past and failed, and I knew through the history of flight in the Outside World many more such designs were also defunct, so I was still at a loss at what to do, so I thought about it that night as I lie in my bed. My mind went back to a time of me seeing unusual methods of flight from the outside world, and I remembered several shows I had seen on TV concerning Skydiving; where they jump from planes and perform aerial ballets before pulling their rip-cords, and remembered the design of their chutes as they floated down to a landing in a field on a bulls-eye thousands of feet below. I used to think that, what was the sense of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane; where one could take off and land at one’s destination safely, instead of jumping out and risking getting oneself killed - a suicidal proposal without the advent of a parachute! As I dreamed I remembered their jumpsuits they wore, some of them baggy and loose to catch the air; and some of them even had flaps of material stretching between wrists and ankles, catching even more air and making the divers even be able to maneuver as they fell! I also remembered nature films as I dreamed that night, where creatures known as Flying Squirrels jumped from tree to tree hundreds of yards away; gliding by the use of extra folds of skin between their forelimbs and hind limbs, and thought that maybe I could design a suit like that for the Skybax! I also remembered the design of the parachutes of the Skydivers, and some of them even took on the shape of an air foil; wing-like and allowing the parachutist to travel laterally many miles as they fell, and wheel and turn so they could land within FEET of their target landing area! These memories brought me great inspiration when I woke the next morning, so I first began sketching the Skydiving scenes I remembered; and drew a few other ideas for parachute designs that might work; and I even drew a picture of a flying squirrel jumping in mid flight across a forest, but as far as actual design or theory I was still at a loss. I began to jot down particulars about these designs I knew, which wasn’t much as I had never done Skydiving before; and I knew very little about flight as I was working from memory, even though it was being assisted slightly by the information the Waterfall City library had provided. Of course my drawings were not so good, the designs crooked and messy due to my lack of architect tools like rulers and compasses and other drafting paraphernalia; but I finally made up blueprints on many designs I created, taking all of many weeks to complete. At each step of the thought process as well as the designing stages I took notes, of which I compiled into viable instructions on how to assemble these pieces of safety equipment; a tome that took several pages in a scroll to complete, and then began my work on a proposal that would no doubt need to go through many channels in the Skybax corps as well as the council of Dinotopia before approval. I knew that someone would have to go in person to submit this idea, and since it was my idea I would have to do it; so I at last left my study and prepared to take that journey, having completely forgotten my banishment from that place but later not caring as this idea was so important. I had spent many, many days in my library studying and inventing; only leaving to get food and sleep, not including going into town to obtain the information I needed. This was why Ricky (Asking why I hadn’t been doing my share of the work around here!) and everybody else asked what I had been doing, so I gathered them together and told them all my plan; and then told them I had an errand to run in Canyon City, noticing that the rain and winds had stopped as I walked out of the house. I went out into the barn and gathered all the workers there, then told them what I was about to do; and that Ricky would be in charge until I returned (Not really knowing when I would be back, nor if I would be back at all, for that matter!); so Flatbottom volunteered to take me on his back, but I told him there would be a lot of work to do here and he should stay behind as he was needed to pull loads. I told them I would go into town and hire an Overlander to take me, and not to worry about things; for as far as I knew it would be merely a routine errand, and I should be back in perhaps a couple of months. I went into the house and packed many things I would need, including the satchel that contained all my work on the safety equipment I re-invented here; then went out of the house to teary good byes from all my friends, even though I gave in and accepted Flatbottom’s ride into town. Nobody there knew what I was doing there like that as we walked into town (Though I found out later Elizabeth rooted out my true purpose and placed it in her newspaper!), and we headed for the Brach bus terminal; to the paddocks near there that housed several Overlander dispatch offices, and picked the one down near the Brach gantries as they had the cheapest rates. As I dismounted Flatbottom and said my nose-horn farewell to him, then I went inside the office there and the skinny human proprietor told me he had several fine Overlanders to rent; and some of them even freelanced from time to time, then showed me to the paddocks as soon as his rate was agreed upon. There were many inside in fine shape, and they milled about and looked at me staring with their large saurian eyes; but one as he passed by took a double-take and sauntered over, greeting me by name! I didn’t recognize him at first as I knew many Overlanders in my travels, and I was lousy at remembering names of saurians and humans alike; but after gushing he was glad to see me after so long, he had to explain that his name was none other than Tommee - the one I rode from Canyon City and Tentpole of the sky to waterfall City accompanying the matriarch so long ago! I looked at him and smiled, then jumped the gate to give his strong neck a hug which was returned; and the proprietor stated that since we knew each other, I could rent him for the trip - an arrangement that the both of us agreed to whole-heartedly! The human saddled Tommee up as I rigged my bags onto the saddle, and then I mounted him with practiced ease; the human waving as we strode out of the paddock and down the road a ways. He walked along the streets of Baz, going roughly east; both of us asking each other many questions on how we’ve been doing since the last time we saw each other, and we applauded each other on our achievements during that time. I was glad to hear that Tommee had passed his Overlander training with Cisco (The other male Overlander the matriarch rode, and Kekee was another of his apprentices.), and the fact that he had a lot of fares over the years; and the great part was when he went out on his own, becoming a freelance Overlander taking many important people all over the place - but mostly to the south, and the reason why I hadn’t seen him until now. He loved hearing about how much I had grown as a Dinotopian, and praised me when I said I owned the only shipping company in Baz (Chortling at the name I picked for it!); and was gladdened to hear I had helped nearly everyone in town as well as giving complete strangers a break by hiring them, so I boasted that I practically owned the town as he went along. Tommee at last asked where we were going as he hadn’t bothered to for the reunion, so I told him; and he halted and warned me not to go there (He remembered my banishment!), so I told him briefly about my idea of how to make the Skybax corps safer. He continued on after that, agreeing to take me there; but he had warned me to watch myself there, and said little more of it the entire trip. The trip was uneventful and made short by Tommie’s swift feet, and along the way we met few people and less trouble as we passed through every town along the backbone Mountains; stopping at as few as resting or sleeping would allow, then turned south at Rocky Pass to skirt the Forbidden Mountains. After a three week trek across Dinotopia we finally made it to the precipices of the Amu canyon, and followed it past Pteros and down toward Canyon City. The only thing we had to show for our travels was fatigue as we approached the main gate, and it was a good thing the guards there did not recognize me as I handed them my credentials as well as Tommee’s; and after a moment to scrutinize them both, they allowed us to pass with little further fanfare. I turned Tommee in at his assigned Overlander paddock a few blocks from the gate and went to find myself a cheap room for the night, and once I set up there I sought out the guard post for the Skybax training barracks further into town; and even though the guards there gave me a more intense scrutiny, they also failed to recognize who I was which was why I was neither allowed to enter nor arrested! I told them that I must enter as I had a proposal for an idea of several pieces of safety equipment to make flying the Skybax much safer to the pilots, but they looked at me like I was some new sort of plant life as their orders did not include business of this nature; so one of them ran off to get their superior, and came back many moments later with none other than sergeant Hitch. I also told him about the proposal, but instead of saying anything; he had one of the guards bodily escort me to the commander’s office, and whispered in my ear along the way that I was now under arrest! Commander Nemo rotated in his chair and began to rise as soon as he saw me, and Hitch told him they caught me at the main gate; and was clearly trespassing in Canyon City, here to do lords-knew-what to the Skybax barracks if I were let inside. Nemo silenced him with an evil eye, then asked me politely what I was doing here; so I told them both of the Skybax accident on my property in Baz a few months ago, and that it moved me so profoundly that I was compelled to come up with some safety equipment so it didn’t happen again. He asked me what these safety precautions entailed, and I briefly told him of a new parachute design I came up with; and the invention of a new suit the pilots would wear that could act as a wing to slow their fall, then told them both that these designs were tried and true in the Outside World and sporting events are performed with them regularly. Hitch smirked behind my back and asked if he wanted me thrown out, but Nemo said that it seemed like a good idea; and that too many pilots have fallen off their steeds to their deaths, and since any idea on this matter was a good one, bade me to elaborate my ideas further. I took out my blueprints and drawings and placed them onto the display easel in the corner, then began reciting my notes as I displayed each design and concept; and when I was done both Hitch and Nemo sat or stood in silent contemplation, then I said that I was no parachutist nor a designer of such things. I said these things would need further research and development, and be tested in the field before they could be deemed safe for the pilots to use; so Nemo said that if I turn these plans over to them, they could develop them into real working devices to save the pilots lives. I told them that since they were untested, these ideas were unsafe and potentially dangerous; and that I could not sit by and have another pilot killed due to my idea, and that the only life I was really responsible for was my own. I sighed just then, then told them my secret reason for why I was here; that I wished to test these devices myself but I needed to know how to fly a Skybax first, and therefore I wished to undergo Skybax training and become a pilot so I could test them out myself! Hitch and Nemo looked at each other and then me several times, the former growing a sneer before it was cut off by the thin mouth line of the latter; then commander Nemo took a long breath and looked at me with concern, Hitch’s eyes asking if he’d really go and let me be a Skybax. At last he said that my offer to become a Skybax trainee was a noble one, and my ideas to make the Skybax corps safer was ingenious as well as magnanimous; but it was clear that by my previous record in the ranks of the Skybax, he simply COULD NOT allow me to train! Nemo went on by saying that I should think of his reputation, for if he rescinded his order to never let me be a Skybax pilot; all of his other orders in future would instantly be in question, and that could cause irrefutable damage to his career. Hitch turned to him and commented in a low tone that he should let me join, for he had plans to make my life so miserable I would soon regret being here; but Nemo just said that his decision would stand, and that I should turn over my paperwork and plans to him at this time and be escorted out of the city. As soon as Hitch touched the paperwork on the easel, I rushed and grabbed his hand; taking it down myself and placing it neatly back into my satchel; then I took the satchel and slung it over my shoulder, then went right up to commander Nemo’s desk and glared at him. I told him that if I am not going to be trained by them, then I will find some other way to learn; that maybe a retired pilot or someone like that would rather train me in private, then told him that I would see myself out if he didn’t mind as I stormed out of the office. Even though I noticed sergeant Hitch following me, he only did so until I left the guarded gate; then I made my way back to the hotel I had left the rest of my things in… ----------------------------------------------------
People say Don't ever look behind Happiness is just a state of mind Rock and Roll lives and breathes in the hearts of the young So carry on You're running' on borrowed time Trying' hard to survive Keep on running' Your time in coming' Keep your dreams alive
Follow Your Heart (You got to Follow Your Heart) Living for the day, forget about tomorrow Follow Your Heart (You got to Follow Your Heart) Any other way can only lead to sorrow Don't wait any longer Follow Your Heart
Play for keeps And try to never lose Live it fast but live the life you choose Rock and Roll lives and breathes in the hearts of the young So let it ride Each time you roll the dice Luck will finally arrive Keep on running' Your time is coming' Keep your dreams alive
Oh, listen to the rhythm Your heart won't lie Rock and Roll hearts Just never die, never die ~ Unknown ~ ---------------------------------------------------- I didn’t go to my room at the hotel to sleep, for sleep was the last thing on my mind; for I had just shown the commander of the Skybax corps plans that were potentially valuable to them, and my mind said that they would no doubt try to get those plans away from me! I knew that if that happened, they would get the credit and I would get nothing; and I was still within their jurisdiction here in Canyon City, so I had to high-tail it out of here before they sent guards after me and steal those plans. I packed up as quickly as I could and paid my bill there, which was made small as I had only rented it for two hours; and then headed for the gate house at the outskirts of Canyon City proper, whose guards hadn’t been notified about me and let me through without so much as a farewell. I followed the main road up and out of the area on foot, my walking made all the harder for my sixty or so pound loads of packs and provisions; which were left over from Tommee and my Overlander trip, but I was glad I had it all as I was on my own for the first time since I had come to Baz. I circled back to the rim of the Amu canyon on a northerly course, knowing they would no doubt be on my tail shortly; but yet sensing that this was the correct way to go somehow, and I skirted the precipices that opened up on me as the grandeur of the canyon presented itself in places. At a rest stop several miles away from Canyon City I ate some rations and inventoried all that I had; for I wanted to make sure I had enough supplies to last me as I was now on foot, and I found out that I had packed more than I thought I would need. That was all right though, for there was one rule that I always adhered to with all my caravans; that it was best to pack more than you need, for it’s best to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. The things in my packs I deemed I would need all of, for there were many obscure but necessary things there; things like a small telescope, matches and tinderbox, bedroll with extra blanket, extra clothing, dried trail mix and other dried foods, a hatchet, a full canteen and several empty water skins to collect water, my Postal Bird whistle, rope, eating utensils (Cup, bowl plate, fork spoon, butter knife and a large carving knife.), and the satchel that had all my ideas in it that also had blank paper and charcoal stick for writing and drawing. I figured that this would do me for a few days out in the wilds like this, but there seemed to be no other outpost or farmstead anywhere near the canyon; so as I dozed (I dared not sleep soundly for fear of being caught by the Skybax and their guards!) I tried to reason out what I was going to do next; for I did not know what I was talking about when I told Nemo that I would find someone to train me on being a Skybax, for I knew no one of that description and he or she would be nowhere near here besides! I packed all my supplies back up and continued skirting the canyon for a ways, knowing that if I went north for too long I would be in the realm of Pteros; which was a place I knew I was also less than welcome at, but before I could see the gigantic stone spire that was that city I came to yet another part of the canyon. This smaller canyon was an offshoot of the main one, a finger-canyon that I never knew was here; and it stretched inland for about two miles it seemed, so I tried to skirt around it before it got dark. The one thing I noticed was that there was no Skybax flying around inside this part of the canyon, and that meant that it probably wasn’t used by them; and I figured that it would be a great place to camp out for a while as I wouldn’t be detected, so I found an easier way down and began my descent into the abyss. When I said an easier way, I meant a way that wasn’t a sheer drop if I lost my footing; and though the ledges down there were narrow, I managed not to slip on any loose rocks on the way down to the first level of the finger canyon. Over the course of many hours I found a good spot to make camp, a place where a sliver of boulder had fallen and made sort of a lean-to against a short cliff wall; and the ledge was at least fifty feet wide in that spot so there would be plenty of room to camp, but as I looked down I saw the rest of the drop was at least a thousand feet! I dropped my things at the opening of the rock shelter and surveyed my immediate surroundings, which was mostly rock and stony debris amid natural formations and pillow lava spires; then went to my packs and used my small telescope to see if there were any Skybax patrols in the area, which might report my position and send a squad to remove me - fortunately there were none! Soon the ruddy light of the canyons grew darker, and I decided to set up my camp for the night; The stars shone brighter than I remembered them, and the sky turned a milky obsidian as the universe spun high above; and I dozed off like this without realizing I had done so, not until the early morning sun brought back the stifling heat the Amu canyon was notorious for. As I surveyed my surroundings within the finger canyon for the next few days, I still wondered what I was hoping to gain by being here; and other than heatstroke and thirst I could not think of anything I could gain by being here, and yet I had a feeling that this was the place I aught to be. I noticed that my food and water was running pretty low by then, and leave my camp to travel back up the canyon rim. I located the road that went along side the Amu canyon a little beyond the inner rim, and found that the only town near by besides Canyon City and Pteros was the outpost town of Green Eel many miles away from the canyon as I followed a stream there; and since nobody there knew who I was, the procurement of supplies and detailed maps of the Amu canyon was an uneventful task indeed. The stream I followed to get there proved useful indeed, for it led me right back to the finger canyon; and even though the water dove deep into a chasm a half mile before the rim, I followed it still as I crawled through the cave and out into a barren grove about a mile’s Cliffside climb across to my camp. It turned out that the town of Green Eel and the stream that led into my canyon were relatively easy hikes, made easier due to repetitive journeys to both places over the next several months; and as my body slowly got used to the rigors of adding the vertical dimension to it’s traveling, and muscles grew taut and senses grew sharp. I looked upon myself one day still vague on my being here when it hit me, for I was here to train to be a Skybax pilot; and climbing these cliff were the physical part of my training, so I spent many of the days I was there climbing every passable route up and down the cliffs. As I surveyed these wondrous surroundings for many days, I still did not know why I was here; but I noticed after a while I was soon running out of food and water, so I climbed back out of the finger canyon, and found the way to a road that ran through the region. I found out that the only other town in the area, besides Canyon City and Pteros, was an outpost town of Green Eel; whose inhabitants did not know who I was, so I found it easy to obtain food and supplies, and found a place that had detailed maps of the area. Their maps did not show the finger canyon I made camp in, but showed a stream that flowed out of town and disappeared somewhere between there and the Amu Canyon; and I figured that it had to flow into my canyon somehow, for how else was the finger canyon made anyhow! I followed the stream for many miles as it gradually widened, and followed it through a narrow stand of rocks that went on for many hundreds of yards, then it disappeared into a grotto of rocks and delved into a chasm at it’s base. I wriggled my way into and through the chasm, which led down and down into the earth seemingly forever; and suddenly came out into the finger canyon a mile to the south of my camp and hundreds of feet below the ledge it was on, ending in a spraying waterfall that cascaded out and down through the floor of the finger canyon and out into the Amu Canyon proper! I deduced that it would be a hard climb out of the canyon to get my supplies from now on, and it would be a difficult climb down to the stream to get my water; and this was how I knew that this place was where I was going to train to be a Skybax pilot, physical exercise being gotten from the frequent climbs all over the place like that! I had noticed that my arms and legs were getting hard and supple, and my sense of balance was being honed to a keen perfection; so I made it a regimen of climbing every passable route up and down every vertical surface, and jogging or running across every horizontal surface. Not long after this revelation I began to tone myself up into the best shape I had ever been in my life, and between climbs into town for supplies and traveling to the stream I began trying out different climbing routes down to the floor of the finger canyon. This canyon’s floor went to just above the Sentinel figures far across the Amu Canyon proper, but I grew to ascend and descend the cliffs and arroyos with practiced ease; and my muscles as well as balance and agility grew to almost athletic acrobatic levels, taking less and less time to get to and from my campsite. The Skybax that flew the canyon tended to stay out of this part of the canyon, but I did see a few that flew in close; but as soon as they scrutinized every square inch with their far keener eyesight (I merely had my regular bespectacled eyes and a low-power surveyor’s telescope!), onward they flew to parts unknown. On one of my climbing and exploration forays into the canyon, I came across a gigantic nest hidden around the outer lip of the finger canyon; floor being six feet across and branches that rose to almost my height, and inside littering the floor was eggshell shards and molting debris - so I marked my brief visit with a ration cake and carved an arrow on a branch in the approximate direction of my camp before I left. I did not think anything of it as I had made my presence known to the owner, and left as quickly as I could so as not to make the owner angry; but I never in a million years planned on having the encounter that was to befall me, for it was one that was both terrible and remarkable. A few weeks into my physical training I was doing some Tai-Chi forms one morning, minding my own business and communing with the early morning sunlight; and many Skybax were wheeling through the air of the Amu canyon in the far distance as my mind flowed and swayed with my own concentration, and I paid them little to no attention as I did my own thing high atop the ledge that was my home now. As my concentration on my moves intensified, I failed to notice the flying forms now high above my head; and continued what I was doing as all but one left, his shadow darkening the ledge I was on as I concentrated on. What startled me out of my concentration was when the Skybax swooped in and landed, squawking noisily in greeting; and I took many steps back as he landed a mere twenty yards away from me, me nearly stumbling on the loose rock dust at my feet! Instead of greeting the gigantic bird, I continued my Tai-Chi forms after composing myself; and the bird looked on squawking curiously at my strange movements, seeming to be entertained by what he thought was some sort of dance. As I completed the set I was working on, I turned and saw the Skybax trying to imitate the moves he saw me doing; dipping and swaying with his majestic wings half folded, me looking on and smiling at what he was attempting to do. I spoke to him, saying to move this way or that; and I didn’t know whether or not he understand English (I certainly didn’t understand Skybax speech!), but with my verbal guidance he began to perform the forms a little better. Pretty soon I was demonstrating once again, and I saw the Skybax perform much the same moves; like we were choreographed dancers who were to dance the same dance, and as we completed the rest of that set I decided to stop my Tai-Chi for the day - he stopping to wonder why I stopped. I turned to the bird and stated that it was probably his nest I visited a few days ago, and said that I was sorry for invading it and all; and hoped he liked my little gift, a comment he chortled a bit about. The Skybax slowly approached as I crouched not knowing what he would do next; but then he simply placed his beak near my hands, eyeing me to touch it. As I did thought began to pass between me and the bird, and within those images I saw the Skybax crash I had witnessed only from the perspective of many yards in the air; and the resulting return to HER home and the ultimate shame, and the crushing agony of being banished from a life she had always known! I saw the trial her Skybax peers in Pteros, and heard the decision that she be banned from there as well; and knew that the nest I visited was her new forced home, and she was just as banned from the places she wanted to go as I was! As I disengaged I saw that my thoughts also passed to her, and knew she knew of my former stay at Skybax training; so I bowed my head and told her that I guessed we were both banished, and even though my banishment was a result of personal decisions hers was due to a common accident. I said that one can’t be blamed for stumbling in a boulder field, just like one can’t be blamed for an errant maneuver because of a freak cross wind; and just then she placed her beak near again and thought to me that she wished her name to be Crosswind, and as I disengaged I commented that the name might warn her of what she should watch out for - a comment she cackled at as I smiled! Her questioning eyes asked me why I was here, and I said that I did not know; but somehow I felt that I would be trained as a Skybax pilot here, at her questioning stare I tried to explain as best as I could. At length I told her about my first visit to the Skybax training barracks, the complete refusal to train and my ultimate imprisonment and banishment; and then the Matriarch seeing in me what I knew was already there, and traveled with me to have the Council re-examine my fate. After that I told her I was allowed to fulfill my ambition to become an overland shipper, a career that took almost five years to establish; and then I came to the day when she and her pilot crashed on my property, and the tragedy of the event drove me to create designs for some safety equipment. Asking her to stay there, I rushed to the satchel that contained them and brought over plans and drawings of the new parachute (Calling it a ‘Para-foil‘.) and the suit (Calling it a ‘para-suit‘.), then spread them on the ground before her so she could see; then I went on to describe them both, demonstrating the effectiveness of the suit with hand gestures, one being the Skybax and the other being the pilot with the suit. I rose them one atop the other, then mimicked one falling off the other; then as one fell the other swooped around and got back underneath, saving the other hand’s life. For the foil I found one of her loosened chest feathers on the ground, then showed how similar the shapes were; then motioned dangling an invisible parachutist underneath, having it float one way and the next to eventually land on an ‘X’ I drew on the ground. I narrated everything I did so the bird could get the gist, and Crosswind cackled in comprehension; nodding at each point and bobbing her anvil shaped head in excitement, and I smiled and commented that now they can fall off safely! As I put all my notes and plans away, I told her that I went to the Commander’s office with my proposal and requested that I train so I could test these things out myself; but they turned me down even after me saying that I could not risk another’s life on an otherwise untested piece of equipment, and that they practically threw me out of Canyon City as a result. I stated to her that there HAD to be another way I can test them, for no pilot should die for accidents like that; and Crosswind nodded in agreement, showing her back to me and gesturing that I get on! I begged off, saying that I had never even BEEN on a Skybax before let alone flown one; but her softened eyes and cooing gestures told me to trust her, and I slowly approached the bird. Crosswind gave slight squawks as she indicated her ankle, me gingerly testing it for a foothold; then I clumsily clambered aboard, reaching until I grasped the insides of her shoulder blades between the wings. She unfolded her wings but didn’t take off, just simply balanced on her legs until I got the hang of the swooping and swaying she was doing; and if I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn she was using the Tai-Chi moves I had demonstrated to her earlier! I simply hung on as she dipped and swung around, motions reminding me of the mechanical bull I had ridden on a dare at a Country bar back home; and knew enough to lean into the motions or I might be thrown off, which happened only twice that day. As the days passed Crosswind visited my camp many times, and her instruction took on more and more grueling maneuvers; and even though I kept up with my regimen of rock climbing and other exercises, I knew that in some unorthodox way I was gradually being trained to be a Skybax pilot!… ----------------------------------------------------
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Post by thundertail on Jul 6, 2011 18:56:44 GMT -5
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THIRTY:
“STONE CANYONS AND CLASHING PERSONALITIES.”
---------------------------------------------------- Life at my campsite in the finger canyon of the Amu Canyon would have been pretty boring had I not done what I did that day, for then I had made a good friend in the Skybax named Crosswind; and I guess she was pretty lonely too being all alone there, forced to live all by herself in that lonely canyon. All I knew was I grew to look forward to seeing her majestic form in the sky as she circled in for a landing, and couldn’t wait for her to allow me on her back; and even though she never took me up into the sky with her, I felt like I was flying as she dipped and swayed pretending to fly while I got a feel for being up there. As the weeks went by, my training took on whole new dimensions; and the bond developing between Crosswind and I was taking on an almost symbiotic strength, one so strong we can almost tell what the other is thinking without the touch of Communing. We spoke often about our lives, she of her hatchling days and how she met up with her former rider; and I told of my time in the Outside World and all the rest, she marveling at the hollow Skybax we rode inside when we wanted to fly! It didn’t take long before we could talk without words, and to know what the other was thinking; and as we settled into our routine of camaraderie and training, I knew this friendship between two unlikely creatures would last forever. Little did either of us know it, but we were being observed from the canyon lip; for three strangers had discovered our whereabouts, and watched our movements with shocked fascination at out exploits. Unknown to me, Matriarch Maryanne Talbert had heard that I had disappeared from Baz many months ago; and wondered where I had gone, first asking everyone in my household and everyone else in Baz before setting out to find me herself. She had took the employ of friends of mine, Sir Simon the Troodont from the Explorer’s Guild and his friend Clubber the Ankylosaur; and they had scoured the countryside for any signs of me, tracking me down first to the towns I had crossed on the back of Tommee the Overlander. They then followed me to Canyon City, and heard that they kicked me out; and nobody knew where I had gone to after that, nor did they care! Clubber’s keener snout found my campfire smoke emanating from the canyon, and Simon sent word to the matriarch by Postal Bird; not taking action until the matriarch arrived, but they observed me and my activities for many days. Maryanne thanked her scouts for finding me, paid them and sent them on their way; saying that whatever reason I had for leaving, it wasn’t for a malevolent reason - then descended into the canyon. Crosswind and I dipped and swayed in unison, going through several new Tai-Chi moves on the ledge in front of my campsite, not hearing or seeing the form that was slowly approaching us; whose bold descent down the cliff was slowed at the sight of us two performing like we were one, and she slowly and cautiously drew near more of curiosity than seeing who we were. We made a slow pirouette in the rocky dirt, then halted in mid move when we noticed her coming toward us; so we instantly stopped and I placed hands on hips in defiance and defense at an intruder, and Crosswind crouched and hissed at this strange lady. As soon as the woman came closer I saw that she was none other than Matriarch Maryanne Talbert, and she was panting and sweating from her effort of the climb down the canyon; so I nodded and quickly got a water skin to offer her, and she took it gratefully and took many long swallows before speaking. She put the skin down and smiled at me, saying that she was wondering where I had gotten off to; and that after she found out I had disappeared from Baz, she had been looking for me everywhere! Maryanne nodded at Crosswind and the bird curtseyed in a Skybax way, then I apologized for making her worried like that; then I told her of the terrible accident Crosswind had at my property in Baz many months ago, and the tragedy effected me so much I devised some safety devices for the Skybax corps. She sympathized with her as well as me, then I told her of my trek to Canyon City by Overlander and the Commander’s decision on him, for I wished to join the Skybax so I could test the new equipment and he turned me down. Maryanne asked me why I didn’t have this equipment tested by trained pilots, and I told her that I could not risk another’s life on untested and potentially dangerous equipment; and that the only life I had true responsibility on was my own, so that was why I volunteered to be trained. She told me that this was a truly Dinotopian act, and it was commendable of me to go against what I believed in the most for the safety of others; and then she asked me why I was here in this part of the canyon, and I simply told her that I had a feeling that I should stay here - that my feelings knew something that defied logic somehow. I then told her about Crosswind’s banishment from Pteros and of being a Skybax steed for her blunder in Baz, and thusly this part of the canyon was the only place she could live in banishment; I then told Maryanne that one day I discovered her nest and soon she visited this campsite, and the reunion soon became a friendship we both find agreeable. I told her that I showed Crosswind my plans and drawings and she thought them ingenious, then I told her I told the bird about my wishing to learn to be a pilot and the refusal of the corps; and that Crosswind agreed to help me by teaching me some things about flight, so Maryanne Talbert told Crosswind that it was a very noble agreement indeed! She then asked us about what I was being taught, so Crosswind and I got up and continued our daily training routines; finishing up out set of Tai-Chi for many moments, and then amazed Maryanne with a half hour of Crosswind being my living flight simulator! Shortly after that I began preparing the evening meal, just simple tubers and the last of my pasta; then offered Crosswind ferns and other succulents I found growing at the stream head at the rim of the canyon the other day, and by that time our meal was cooked sufficiently to eat. During my workout Matriarch Maryanne Talbert had unfurled the bedroll she was carrying and some other things from her backpack, laying them out near the campfire; and she sat on the ground beside them as she took my offered meager meal and I sat across the campfire from her, and we ate in silence a while as the heat of the day retreated with the sunlight. Crosswind had finished her meal by that time, and spread her wings to swoop out into the canyon; me commenting to my guest that I had offered her to make her nest here instead of going to the nest across the canyon, but Maryanne told me they are very proud creatures and did not take such hospitality well. She went on to say that Canyon City did not show their hospitality either, and then related her findings about me telling her many months ago about the raids in Prosperine by the Skybax; saying that from what she could discover, all that I had said was essentially true. She told me that it seemed that the organization of the robberies went higher up in the ranks of the Skybax than she had imagined, for on every occasion she had to ask a pilot about the incidents; they either would not say in some mysterious way, or they simply did not know anything about it. One cadet that was formerly of the support personnel told her that many times she saw pilots with empty saddlebags come back with full ones, and on further questioning her superiors told her not to worry about it; but she thought it was very strange never the less, and was scared to tell her fellow pilots about it. Maryanne said that this person sent a message to her when on furlough, and she interviewed her about it in private; but throughout her investigation, little more she was able to find out. The matriarch told me that what was needed was someone on the inside, someone untainted by pressure from superiors concerning the thefts; someone like a new recruit that she could trust and one that would perform a thorough investigation without being detected. I asked her what she had in mind, and she told me that she could perhaps get me into the Skybax corps; but only if I could uncover what was going on there, then she smiled and stated that I was compelled to be here for a reason! I asked her exactly how she was going to get me in the corps, and she told me not to worry about that; for the less I knew the less I could tell them if I were discovered, then she said that we had better get some sleep. She said that she would need to go to Pteros in the morning, and for me to continue my training with Crosswind until she sends word and further instructions; then asked me as she lay down how I thought my training with them would be, and I said that judging from my previous visits it would not be your ordinary time of cadet training there - and she chuckled as she rolled over to sleep! She woke up early and was already packing when I was waking up myself, and by the time the ruddy morning light seeped over the canyon rim she was ready to leave; heading for the cliff and climbing it before Crosswind swooped over to land on my ledge, and the bird eyed me making a questioning squawk as I came near her. I shook my head smiling as I touched her beak in Communion, and she seemed to understand the whole thing as I reeled through in my mind the conversation I had with the matriarch last night. I just patted her beak and suggested we had better get to training, and we did all our routines for the rest of the day. At least a week passed, and Crosswind and I continued our training; me climbing every place in the finger canyon as I could; and we both shared the Tai-Chi sessions as well as the simulator training. Things were going like this for many more days when one day Crosswind failed to come to my campsite, and at first I thought she forgot; but when she did not return for several days, I began to grow so worried that I visited her now abandoned nest! Soon I turned to despair as I figured she had abandoned me, but then a few days later she suddenly returned one afternoon; sporting a new Skybax saddle and a saddle bag, and when I saw what was inside that bag the two notes within had news to tell me indeed! The first letter I read was from the Matriarch, and she said she had been in council at Pteros; and that Altair and the rest were intrigued by my new safety devices, and wished to see them developed as quickly as possible. They said that they too were saddened every time a pilot fell off their steed, which happens rarely but still a tragedy never the less; and their Dinotopian morals and ethics frown on even one person dying due to simple accidents, and any measure or idea that would prevent even one tragedy would be most welcome indeed. The council at Pteros would condone and support my every effort to research and develop these pieces of equipment, and do what they could to see me enter the Skybax training classes; and they informed me that a plan was in the works to see that this happens. The next letter was from Matriarch Maryanne Talbert herself, and she told me that she had informed the Pteros council about the profiteering going on amid the ranks of the Skybax pilots; and that they were equally appalled at this development as well, and with me on the inside of their ranks she was confident that I could find the evidence needed to halt them in their nefarious deeds. She said that the reason why Crosswind had been absent from me these few days was because she had been briefed on what to do by the Pteros council; and please do not blame her for the time apart, for it took time to procure the saddle and instruct her on what to do. She is well aware that her mission if she wants to redeem herself is to assist me in any way necessary to see I pass Skybax training, and she will do anything to make her a full-fledged Skybax citizen once more. She told me that I could divulge to them about my wish to train for the sake of the safety equipment I was developing, but not about me looking into the profiteering they were doing; so Maryanne told me to make all due haste to Canyon City and the training facility, to fly on Crosswind to there and await what is to come no matter what they did to me in the mean time. I folded the first letter and put it back into the saddle bag and crumpled the second and tossed it into the still smoldering fire, then looked at Crosswind as she beckoned with her beak; and then I sighed and stated that we might as well do this, and prepared to mount the back of the giant bird. Once aboard Crosswind wasted no time, scuttling to the edge of my ledge and bounding out over the canyon; and using gravity and a strong updraft we swooped up and on our way, my screams of panic soon turning to whoops of the joy of my first flight! I told her to please take it easy on me, but her cackling head bobs assured me to trust her; but just then I remembered I had left all my gear and notes behind at the campsite and asked her to turn around to get them, and she just shook her head and traveled further out of the finger canyon. Giving up, I just told her I would come back for them later; and they would be safe enough where they were as the finger canyon was all but deserted, and they might take my notes the moment I arrived at the Skybax barracks anyway! I fell silent the rest of the way there, getting the feel of flight and enjoying the majestic scenery all around me as it passed by Crosswind‘s wings; rocky pillars and ruddy strata of rock mixed with spires and arroyos of gigantic magnitude, and those huge rocky stone sentinels as they grew in size from the distance! Here in the canyon proper other Skybax were wheeling high above in the distance, or landing at our destination miles ahead to pick up their riders; and presently Crosswind made a lazy arc to point us at the mass of stone buildings perched at the edge of the canyon there, having to circle twice as other air traffic was using the landing platforms right at the canyon’s precipices. When it was her turn, Crosswind landed expertly on the first available platform; then turned so I could slide off her; but my foot caught on the first step and I tumbled backwards, sending me sprawling on the tarmac many feet below! I got up and righted myself, checking myself for injuries and dusting myself off; but little did I knew that the sergeant of the day had seem my sloppy landing, and thinking it was one of the cadets came over to chew me out! I looked up as sergeant Hitch began by saying that such a display was the worst landing he was ever witness to, but then he took one look at me and nearly exploded with recognition; and as I looked up I smiled for lack of anything else to say, for he exclaimed my name and demanded to know what in blazes I was doing here again - and why was I flying a Skybax to boot! I halted his tantrum by saying that I have been training to be a pilot with Crosswind here these several months, and it was by order of the council at Ptreros that bade me to return to complete my training; then showed him the letter penned by Altair’s assistants, and said that they wished me to continue researching and developing my safety equipment and train to be a pilot to test them. Instead of complying in any way Hitch stated that it was a likely story; then snapped his fingers and two guards came over, and he told them to apprehend me and escort me to the Commander’s office immediately! And as Hitch walked with us there, he said that they had warned me of what was going to happen if I trespass here again; but I simply smiled and said simply that I had to work on my landings, a thing that he growled at but made no further comment of it! As we entered the office the two guards shoved me forward, then sergeant Hitch came up and announced my presence; and commander Nemo turned in his seat, scowling before he rose and nodded with a sullen finality. Instead of addressing me, commander Nemo turned to Hitch and asked him what ‘That’ was doing back here; and the sergeant related that he saw me riding a Skybax and was so shocked he thought it was one of his blundering cadets, and was about to run me off base but decided to see what he thought first. Just then I spoke up, saying that I had been summoned by the council of Pteros to undertake Skybax training; and that they have reviewed my plans to develop the safety equipment I invented, and agrees that I should be the only one to test these things. They therefore recommend that I undergo Skybax training at this time, and have assigned to me a Skybax to assist in my training; but instead of agreeing to allow mw to train nor acknowledging what I had just said, Nemo asked Hitch where I was caught. Hitch said I was trespassing on platform D, and was apprehended before I could do any kind of sabotage; so Nemo’s eyes lit up and stated that I had been trespassing, and that sabotage was a pretty weighty charge. He then ordered the guards to escort me to the brig, and said to my back that a tribunal will be appointed to decide my case; and so I would feel right at home I was to enjoy a stay in some of their first-class suites - this was said loaded with sarcasm! Without further preamble, I was propelled out of Commander Nemo’s office and down corridors and stairways to the dungeon; Sergeant Hitch mumbling curses and insults at my side every step of the way, and as the door to my cell was open I was thrust inside and the door was slammed shut after me. Once I regained my composure I noticed that this was the same cell I spent so many weeks in five years ago, or at least it looked exactly the same and I was not too sure; but this time I did not protest or complain or do anything to incite trouble, content to sit on the stone ledge and wait. When the meals came, I ate it all (Served by my jailor cadet Hanner, who recognized me from my last stay!); and never once thought of going on another hunger strike, for the things told to me by Maryanne’s notes indicated that I would soon be free. I had no clue as to what exactly would happen, but as I was contemplating this; things were in the works that would do just that, and I found out much later what exactly those events were. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert had made it to Pteros, and appraised the council there my project and my desire to join the Skybax; and as she told me they approved of the idea and would make every effort to allow me to train, and the fact of the robberies at the hands of the Skybax pilots was against the Codes extra effort was needed to enroll me as I might be able to ’crack the case’ as said in the Outside World! The council at Pteros had gotten word to every Skybax on the island, telling the birds that something was going on with their riders; and were asked to do something unheard of in the annals of the Skybax corps. They were asked to, done only when the Pteros council said so, to refuse their riders from mounting them; effectively grounding all the pilots and crippling it so Dinotopians would not have protection from the air, which would in turn threaten to cripple the Dinotopian way of life. They were told that it would only be until the corps allowed me to join their ranks to train, a decision the Canyon City council would not rescind; and thusly I would be able to test my safety devices, as well as see who was responsible for the thievery. Step one in this plan had already been done during the time Crosswind was away from me, which was telling all the Skybax the plan; and the second step was to get me to Canyon City courtesy of Crosswind, and that part of the plan was now accomplished. The next part of the plan was set in motion the moment crosswind reported that she had performed her task, and all over the island the birds went on a rampage of independence; refusing to land for their pilots and strafing those that tried to make them do so, and the confusion was so great the Waterfall City council along with the councils of every major city on the island was debating what exactly was going on! Upstairs at the Skybax training barracks, the turmoil was tremendous; for none of their birds would land, or pecked at the pilots and ground crew as they flew by. This brought the presence of all superior officers, and sergeant Hitch along with the rest shouted at their cadets to bring order out of this increasing pandemonium; and thusly commander Nemo came out to see what the commotion was all about, shouting for order to no avail! About three days into my incarceration, a lone Skybax and rider swooped above the Skybax barracks amid many of his Pterosaur kin; who were swooping and strafing and causing all sorts of chaos on the ground, and landed on the main landing platform at the edge of the landing cliff there. The bird was adorned in a sash, and the female rider came down off the bird with a satchel; then took out a scroll and began to read in a loud voice, making all who were near take notice along with their brethren farther away. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert stepped away from Altair and unfurled her scroll, reciting the edict from the Pteros council loudly and clearly; and many underlings ran to retrieve their commanding officers, many asking her what was the meaning of all this. The edict was plain and succinct, that I be allowed to train to be a Skybax pilot or NONE of them would ever ride a Skybax again; and this news caused such dismay that sergeant Hitch sent a cadet to summon commander Nemo immediately, and he nearly swooned when he heard this terrible news! So thusly I was dragged out of my cell and taken to the Skybax landing platform instead of commander Nemo’s office, the Matriarch reciting the decree for me, repeating it once again for the rest; then demanded to know the Commander’s decision on this, a thing that after five minutes sighed and gave his answer. He said that if this was their ultimatum, then he had no choice but to rescind any and all charges against me; and lift my banishment from being a Skybax cadet, saying that he will enroll me into the Skybax training courses and make me a cadet in training - for now! This seemed not to satisfy the Matriarch, so she had him lead her to his office to sign some official papers, in the mean time I looked upon Altair and asked if this was their plan (He nodded!); but sergeant Hitch came up to me and sneered that I was always in the middle of trouble it seemed, and leave it to me to be mixed up in this! When the Matriarch returned she mounted Altair and they flapped away toward Pteros, and the first one to land in their place was Crosswind; and after I wrestled my arms free of the guards I ascended the steps and touched her beak in Communion, and no real thoughts passed between us but the feelings of success and victory! Hitch ordered me away from the bird after a few seconds and to stand at attention before him, and I did so woodenly and with full co-operation as he started his hazing process; saying that now my personage was his, and if I thought training with a Skybax was tough, I had another think coming! He then ordered me to the quartermaster’s office to get my uniform and made me go through reams of paperwork, then quick-marched me to the place I was to sleep in during my training; and my station bore the same number as the station I had before: station six thirty-nine, and it looked like no one had been using it since I had last occupied it - even though it be for a day or two! That day did not end there, for Hitch personally took me on a tour of the entire Skybax training facility; and he warned me that if I did not remember every place as well as everything else he said that day, there would be pure Hades to pay!… ----------------------------------------------------
When you were here before Couldn't look you in the eye You're just like an angel Your skin makes me cry You float like a feather In a beautiful world I wish I was special You're so special But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here
I don't care if it hurts, I want to have control I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul I want you to notice when I'm not around You're so special, I wish I was special But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo What the hell I'm doing here? I don't belong here
Whatever makes you happy, Whatever you want You're so special, I wish I was special But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here, I don't belong here… ~ Dinosaur Jr.: “Creep’. ~ ---------------------------------------------------- Sergeant Hitch dragged me around nearly all day, showing me the Skybax training simulator and every classroom; telling me what is to be taught there and at what level of learning I was to learn it, then took me to the Cliffside and made me look down. He told me that he was not the worst danger I would find here while training, and it was this that will be my ultimate demise; so I told him that this was one of the dangers I aimed to eliminate after my training, and he simply told me to shut up! I saw that Hitch was clearly enjoying himself hazing me like that as we walked and he screamed at me, but I kept my face stoic and marched along and did everything he told me; and one time he even tried to throw a punch at me, but it was intentionally short so I ignored it without emotion nor reaction. At Eveningmeal he led me to the mess hall, saying that my orientation was through for the day; and that I had better be at the parade grounds at sun-up tomorrow, and that I had better be in uniform or there will be one demerit! I ate in silence at a table far away from any other cadet there, thinking that the Matriarch had better know what she was doing letting me train this way; for I knew that Hitch and the others would be all over me from now on, no matter how professional I conducted myself! The meal over, I went back to my station and went to bed; and in the morning even before the sun rose above the horizon, I was the first one out on the parade grounds near the cliff’s edge. As the rest of what was to be my platoon showed up in ones and threes, I noticed that none of them seemed to be over twenty; and though there was a pretty even mixture of young men and young women, all of them seemed to have an air of serious determination that camouflaged their lack of experience their young ages decreed. That was all the observation I was allowed time to have, as sergeant Hitch sauntered into view and halted a mere fifty yards away, shaking his head and walking the rest of the way head bowed in exasperation; Then he groused that the Commander must have a grudge against him for giving him this sorry band of misfits, and moaned that we had better gat things started. The first thing he told us all was his name and the fact that he was their commanding officer, saying that we no longer had our mommies or daddies here because he was their new father; then had us all sound off and announce our name, adding the word ‘cadet’ and omitting out first names unless any had the same last name. The second thing that Hitch told us was one of the Codes of Dinotopia that would be the motto we would live by from now on: Observe, listen and learn; and we were to live by this from now on, then asked ME if that was right - and getting into my face as he said it! I barked yes sir, just like I saw on a Marine movie I saw once; and he asked how on earth I knew that, and I barked simply that this was the Dinotopian way. Hitch simply sneered at me and went to the next cadet in line, and when he was done harassing all of us; he stood before us and told us that the rest of the day would be spent in fear, then informed us he would take us to a place where fear was supreme. Hitch went to the edge of the cliff and pointed down, beckoning us all to come and see; then he said that the place we go will be filled with mortal terror, and told us that last year three cadets nearly died making the journey. Of course I had plenty of practice climbing the cliffs in the canyon I made camp in, but I allowed several of the others follow Hitch down first before traversing down into the canyon myself, and all the rest followed our lead into the depths. Sergeant Hitch climbed down from handhold to foothold, traversing across rocky divides and clambering up and down cracks in the rocks; and though many followed without much difficulty, I matched Hitch effort to effort taking my own paths down the cliffs beside him. Hours later and only two stumbling in their climbing, we made it to series of very narrow ledges where the going was somewhat easier; but the narrow path led to a gigantic chasm between two giant arroyos, and before anybody could react Hitch jumped across. Many cadets chickened out about then, allowing the braver behind them to jump over first; but I backed up and made a running start, tumbling in mid-air and landing squarely beside Hitch. Before he could comment on my fancy move, I looked around at all the markings etched into every rock surface in the area; and commented that all this graffiti defaced public property, and the Commander should hear of this vandalism! Hitch grabbed me by the scruff and told me that Gideon Altair founded the Skybax corps in this spot, and every pilot that ever was carved their names here as tribute to that day; then he dragged me to one spot and showed me Gideon’s mark and to another and I saw Will Dennison’s mark, and he even dragged me over to sally DuHame’s mark saying even my friend was here! He told all the cadets that even they may become great pilots, even malcontents like me; then growled at me to have a little respect of their traditions, of which I meekly apologized and claimed ignorance even though Arthur Dennison also mentioned this in his writings. After chewing me out, Hitch offered a small hammer and chisel to the nearest cadet and told her to put her name there, followed by everyone else in the platoon; but when it came to be my turn to make my mark; Hitch confiscated the tools, saying that only ones that respect the corps can become a true pilot and thusly leave their mark here! Though disheartened I stood aside and waited Hitch’s next order, which was to retrace our steps and return to the Skybax training barracks; and although three stumbled on the way and we all got blisters on hands and feet, none was otherwise the worse for wear save for being completely exhausted. Sergeant Hitch did not even let us rest before he led us through the training facility to the Skybax simulator, marching us completely around the apparatus in the middle before halting us and ordering us to attention; and we looked around at the other cadets in another platoon that were practicing on it, he watching us as we saw what was going on. Some were falling off while their instructor gave them tips on staying on, and another cadet was near the lever of a grating to an air duct that led someplace where a great howling wind was channeled into this chamber; he opening it or closing it slightly at his instructor’s order, and then Hitch said in a lower tone so as not to disturb the users that tomorrow we would be using this device. We continued to watch for more than an hour, and then the platoon using the Skybax simulator was ordered away by their instructor; and Hitch saluted them all as they left while we followed suit, and when they were gone he turned to us and smiled. He said that there was still a few more moments of daylight left, just enough time to allow us to get a feel for the machine; so he ordered first one and then another cadet to attempt mounting the device. I was last of course, and he told me to give it a try; so I paced to the back section of the simulator and hopped through the tethers supporting it and onto the simulator saddle, wobbling the whole thing in the attempt. Sergeant Hitch stormed over and pulled me off the machine, demanding what kind of mounting THAT was; so I told him the proper way to mount a REAL Skybax was from the rear, so you don’t risk injury to the wings. He said that this is just a beginner’s class, and the simulator was designed to be mounted from the side; and just because I had been carousing with a real Skybax. It doesn’t mean I knew anything! Then he told me to mount the simulator right this time, and as I did one of the cadets asked that if how I did it was the correct way then why aren’t we doing it like that; a thing of which Hitch barked if he was going to have trouble with her too, and that shut them all up for the rest of the session! Hitch made me mount the simulator twenty times before he was satisfied; and asked me if I learned my lesson yet when I was done, and I meekly asked when we were going to actually use it. He simply said ‘tomorrow’ and had us all stand in line again, noticing the light had gone from the canyon he then marched us out of the Skybax simulator room; then marched us out and down to where our stations were, having the owners of each station fall out and enter them as we passed. The last station we came to was mine, and as I was about to enter it for the night; Hitch told me in a lowering tone that he would have his eye on me from now on, and any breaks and he would personally beat the Copro out of me. But as he turned to leave I told him it would be a moot point anyway, for I had already beaten him twice in fighting; but I told him to have no fear of me doing anything wrong, for now I was here for a purpose. That silenced Hitch, but he stomped away just the same; leaving me alone to light the lamps and prepare for bed, and soon my thoughts returned to the events of the day. I noticed that sergeant Hitch was trying to ignore him, which was probably orders given by commander Nemo; but the man’s grudge he seemed to have against me made him give me all that grief, and my egging him on like that certainly did not improve his disposition any! Right now my only real goal was to pass Skybax training so I would have the experience to test out my safety equipment, but with all this guff I was surely to get from Hitch; I was unsure how hard it would be; and the Matriarch said that there would be other things to consider in finding out who was responsible for the thefts the Skybax pilots were doing in Prosperine, and I didn’t know whether I would be allowed time to do a decent investigation! Quite frankly, I did not know what was in store for me here; but at least I had some previous training thanks to both my time in the finger canyon and through the courtesy of Crosswind, and with that prior experience what I went through so far didn’t seem so hard - but it was only my first day, for crying out loud! I shrugged and went to bed, my mind reeling with possibilities and consequences until thoroughly frazzled; I nodded off to sleep dreamlessly, only to wake to the sound of a Skybax screech and blazing ruddy rays of first light in my eyes. I got into my uniform in a moment and rushed out to the parade ground plateau, only being beaten by three others in my platoon; and smiled politely at Hitch as he arrived before the last of our group showed up. Hitch walked up and down the line glaring at each and every one of us in turn, and then paced to the center of the line and turned around; ordering us to sound off and state our names for roll call, and when we were done he smiled and told us ‘kiddies’ that there was a lot of things to do today and we all had better keep up. The birds were flying high over our heads, and we were unaware of them jockeying for positions to land and pick up their pilots at the landing pads a mile up the canyon rim from us; but in that formation high above a Skybax that was already saddled came swooping in close to our position, coming in and landing a dozen yards away from Hitch just as he finished his last sentence! Temporary pandemonium reigned as the cadets scattered for the giant bird’s wings, and Hitch suddenly turned and scowled at the beast; but I recognized the eyes and crest coloration of the Skybax before me, and smiled at Crosswind as she winked at me. I told her to behave herself, and Hitch tried to shoo her away as she snapped and hissed at him; so I asked her what the problem was and she turned so I could see the bag she had on her saddle, and I rushed up and took the contents of a scroll out of it. Hitch rushed over and grabbed the scroll from my hand and began reading it, then raised his eyes and mumbled that the commander would hear of this, then told us to remain at attention until he returned. He stormed off as the rest of the platoon reformed the line in front of the great bird, and I snuck out of line as his form disappeared from view; then I stroked Crosswind’s beak to quiet her, then looked at the rest of the cadets who were staring wide eyed at us both! I told them all that this was Crosswind my friend, and she was quite friendly for her species; saying that she helped me to get into the Skybax corps, and I owed her a lot. Some of them shied away from her, and I assured them that she was quite friendly; then asked one of the braver ones to come up and see, for they had never seen a live Skybax up close before. I told them that as soon as their training was over they would become friends with a Skybax of their very own, and it would be a friendship like none other; that both them and their birds would form a bond so close that they would almost seem to share thoughts, and would certainly share most of the rest of their lives together. I reached for a closer cadet and led her closer by the wrist, close enough for her to touch Crosswind’s beak; and the touch lasted for a second but the cadet told us that she felt something in the touch, a thing that I told her was Crosswind’s way of saying hello! This loosened the trepidation for the rest of them, and pretty soon they were coming up by ones and twos; and Crosswind really seemed to enjoy the attention she was getting, made known by her chortling and cooing! I did not know how long Hitch would be away, so I told the rest of my platoon to get back in line or we would get into trouble; and they all scrambled to their previous spots, and I was last as Hitch finally came into view. Hitch came into the area and stood in front of us, but he seemed to know that something went on in his absence; but seemed to pay it no mind as he lifted the scroll, looking down to read what it said. The first thing he did was call my name and order me front and center, then looked at me impatiently as I complied; then he returned my Skybax salute while Crosswind looked over his shoulder, he merely looking at her with disdain! After commenting that I was always the center of trouble, he said that the scroll had new orders that I was compelled to comply to on pain of imprisonment, and the orders stated that my training would include one hour of actual flight every day at this steed’s digression; orders as per edict of the Pteros council - effective immediately! I saluted with a ‘yes sir!’ and stood at attention, then he looked at Crosswind and asked her if she was going to instruct me now; and as the bird nodded to him he stood back and said that I may as well get it over with, then told me that I would have to make up the hour at my next leave! Crosswind turned her back to accept me, and Hitch addressed the rest; ordering them to the simulator room double-time, then as I got on her back Crosswind swooped up and down the cliff face with me on her back! I hung on for dear life as she came to the bottom of the arc and began her climb, yelling in panic at first that turned to a shout of joy; she screeching to quiet me, she banked around and out toward the center of the Amu canyon. At first she flew relatively straight, but then as she joined up with some of her kin in midair, she began to match their moves! These birds did a zigzag course through stone arroyos and around twists in the canyon, through natural arches and around pinnacles; and all I did was cling for dear life on the saddle handles and gritted my teeth, that was until I began to get the feel of Crosswind’s flight. I leaned and turned into her turns, and dipped and rose at her climbs and falls; and she sensed that I was getting so used to this she dared to twist into a barrel roll, but only once as it was my first official flight - but as my training progressed over many months, it was certainly not my last!… ---------------------------------------------------
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Post by thundertail on Jul 12, 2011 7:48:02 GMT -5
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THIRTY-ONE:
“UNORTHODOX INSTRUCTION TEACHES ALL.”
---------------------------------------------------- The next few days were the most grueling of my life, for not only was I driven double-time by sergeant Hitch; the flights by Crosswind took me deeper and deeper into the canyon, where the terrain was savage and rougher than any I saw so far! My meal times were always rushed, and my sleep was more often than not disturbed by various nocturnal events; like emergency drills and pretend raids and other annoying noises, punctuated by the presence of my ‘friend’ sergeant Hitch! I had various instructors besides the man, though, and my academic classes were always harder than I figured; teaching me and my platoon everything ever known about the Quetzilcoatilus Skybaxus, and all that was known about flight and other skills. As a prerequisite for building my Parasail and Parasuit, I had to learn everything there was on aerodynamics and flight mechanics, as well as familiarize myself on every mode of flying transportation ever invented on Dinotopia - finding that everything I had read to come up with my equipment designs were actually used hundreds of years ago! When it came time to demonstrate my skill at what I had learned, it was by actually trying to teach the platoon from a blackboard; and in one of the teaching assignments to the class I did was on all that I studied so far (Demonstrated by me making a small wooden airplane powered by a band of rubber, which I let go and it sailed out the classroom door and down into the canyon!), and as everyone learned all that I taught, I was given a passing grade on it! During that time the Matriarch had arranged that my campsite in the finger canyon be dismantled, and my things sent to me by courier and various hands that had special instructions; which said to wait for me in my station that day, and hand me my notes I left there to me personally. I thanked them and gave them a few Drachs as a tip, then went to put my things away when they left; hiding my notes at the bottom of my footlocker, and then arranging all my camping equipment on top of them to hide them. I had been thinking constantly about what I would need while I was here, and there were things back on my property in Baz that would be greatly needed here; so I sent a courier to Baz and to the Akin-Bak shipping company, telling them where I was and what I was currently doing. Then paragraphs later I asked them if they would kindly send Emil Fergusson’s Skybax saddle hidden in the closet under the main stairs to me, and also that old helmet that I had bought from a trader in Raptor Flats - things they were well aware I had. I had no sooner sent word there when my training beckoned me, and I was off on another bout of it’s rigors; and I was oblivious of the passage of time when many weeks later the Quartermaster summoned me to his office, saying that personal parcels were frowned upon in the corps. He said that I had two crates waiting for me, and that I had better get them before they were confiscated by the commander; so I rushed there to inspect what had come for me. The larger and flatter crate contained the saddle Emil Fergusson had used during his life with the flying circus, and the Quartermaster recognized it right off; saying that a mere cadet does not deserve to have such a fine saddle, but I said that for my good services to him in his latter years he had left it to me in his will. He gruffly disposed of the crate as I pried open the other, cube-like crate; and in it was the motorcycle helmet that I had procured in my shipping business, all white with a built-in mouth grate and a darkened full Plexiglas face shield. The Quartermaster did not know what to make of such strange head gear, but he told me that such a thing was not regulation; and that I could get into trouble wearing it in flight, but I merely smiled and said that I would take my chances! I slung the saddle over my shoulder and grabbed the helmet by the chin strap and walked out of the Quartermaster’s office, and noticed that the late afternoon had turned to early evening; ruddy canyon light casting everything in shadow, so I decided to quickly take my prizes back to my station before curfew went into effect. I walked between buildings and down alleys, shortcuts that led back to the section of stations that mine was a part of; but paused as I overheard two pilots talking, and what I heard made me take steps back behind the building I had just walked by. They were speaking in low tones, and one was saying that he had gotten this jewelry case with lots of necklaces and rings in it; and the other wanted to see, saying that his haul had all sorts of jewels in it too plus a few Sunstones. Then they got to speaking about how to divide the loot, and one cautioned that the boss would be by for his cut; and as I began to go sergeant Hitch saw me as I took my things around the other side of the building, and stopped me dead in my tracks. He asked where I got the saddle and helmet, so I told him I sent for them from home; saying that they would help in development of my safety equipment, but then he pulled me back between the buildings in an almost pleading way. Instead of commenting further on my things I was holding, he asked me if I had heard anything in the past few moments; anything strange that was spoken, and I knew I had been caught spying so I told him I had! I said those two have something going on, but I said I had nothing against someone making an few extra Drachs on the side; for they probably had a family and children to support or something, and extra money was probably needed. I excused myself and began to go, but Hitch asked me what I thought should be done about that; so I shrugged and sighed, not wanting to let him think I wanted to get involved but giving him a Dinotopian answer just the same. I told him that back at Baz I was a pretty rich person, and my shipping company was doing far better than I had hoped; but I told him that as rich as I am, gold is quickly losing it’s luster. I said that money is fine, but nothing beats helping others over oneself; for the joy of making a difference in someone’s lives far outweighs any kind of riches, and told him that I learned that lesson well since I’ve been here - and maybe those two should learn pretty much the same lesson one day. He said that it was a fine thing to learn, and asked me if I was going to tell on them; so I just said that I was too busy with all this instruction and my research to bother with it, and he nodded and went his own way - little knowing that I was assigned to uncover this very same thing, and not only did I suspect those two pilots were in on it, I now suspected HE was in on it too! I went back to my station and stowed my new gear for the night, placing the helmet on the top of the armoire and placing the saddle across the top of my only chair; then I prepared for bed in the usual way, and thought of what I had witnessed tonight. The Matriarch was right that the ones organizing those thefts were high up in the Skybax corps, and I suspected that those pilots were pretty low in that hierarchy and not really worth dealing with save for seeing who they answered to; and sergeant Hitch didn’t seem to be the king-pin of the organization, though he was probably within the organizing staff. Since I really didn’t have a lot of evidence to go on concerning this, I figured that more evidence would show itself to me as time went by; so I rolled over and set my mind to thinking of other things, like my training and my project until my brain could not think of anything more. In the morning I passed through muster with only a cursory chewing out, reason being sergeant Hitch had a penchant for tasking us down into the canyon through a different climbing route; marching us past most of the training facility’s buildings before crossing a natural arch to a gigantic arroyo miles across, then ordered us to climb down. The formations we were climbing among were familiar to me as many of the same ones were present in the finger canyon to the north; and since I knew quick ways across them, I took to leaping blindly from formation to formation. Soon I was way out in front of the rest, and Hitch yelled for me to wait for the rest; and told me gruffly that such stunts were foolish and dangerous, and such behavior would be a bad influence on the rest who were less experienced climbers than I was! As the rest arrived at our location, I told them that I was sorry for showing them all that; and that it was very dangerous the way I climb, so please don’t do it unless you’re extremely sure they could do it. Hitch interjected and ordered them not to climb like that, then told me not to do that ever again; so I shrugged to the rest and stated that we heard them, and to do as he says and not as I do! The rest of the climb went uneventfully save for the occasional stumbles and near falls, and we traversed the canyon under the great stone arch we crossed earlier that day; arriving back at the base within a few hours of sundown, which meant I had a short amount of time to prepare requests for materials I would need for my project! The next day I sent those requests out by courier, took Emil’s saddle from the chair in my station and ran out to a secluded bluff just under the row of stations of which mine was a part; then summoned Crosswind by articulate waving and shrill whistles, and eventually she saw me and swooped past my position many minutes later. I smiled as I bowed before showing the saddle, saying that it once belonged to the famous Emil Fergusson who was better known as Emil Fargo; and she marveled at the colorful patterns and pretty sequins it was adorned with, then I explained who he was and the history it shared with him and his Skybax steed Powerglide in the flying circus and the Dinosaur Olympics. Her questioning squawk asked how it came into my possession, and I told her that he had it willed to me after many months of service to him and his wife in their latter years; expressing the sadness I felt at their passing so long ago, but then brightened things by saying that I chose to give it to my very best friend: her! Crosswind slowly lowered to examine the pretty thing more closely, then she bowed so I could take the corps-issue saddle off her and turned to receive her new gift, of which I slung onto her back as the harness fell over her elongated head. She looked back to see how it fit, cooing in amazement and turning so I could get a good look; and I smiled and whistled like a wolf, saying in coyness that I thought she couldn’t look any prettier but was wrong! Crosswind chortled at the light teasing and turned so I could mount her, me asking if she wanted to try it out as I did so; and she crouched and swooped up into the sky, indicating by her excited chortles that she liked this new ornamental saddle! She flapped for a long time to gain altitude, then circled around until she spotted a small group of Skybax and converged on them; and though most of these were rider-less, there were two pilots riding among them. We swirled in among them as crosswind got their steed’s attention, she saying in their own language (I assumed) that she had a prettier saddle than theirs; and I waved and pointed at the thing as we streaked by, flapping a tuft of tassel and brightly colored material for emphasis! We flew with them for many hours until some of them broke off to fly to other parts of the canyon, or landed in secluded niches amid the spires to roost; and since crosswind was getting tired anyway, I had her turn back for the barracks and set me down on landing pad B. I dismounted her and began down the steps, but at her chattering refusal to leave I turned and went to her; and she presented her beak for a moment of affectionate nuzzling, her way of thanking me for her brand new saddle! Late the next day after navigation mathematics and strategy classes I finally got to work on the motorcycle helmet, which had seen time in the ocean and was scratched up and pitted; and most of the Chrome metal pieces were corroded but still usable, but after many hours of cleaning the helmet looked little better. I concluded that it could not be worn like that though it seemed sturdy enough, so I got to work repairing the damages as best as I could; and the next day I ordered up some acrylic paints from the Quartermaster, of which he only had paints suitable for painting clay pottery in four of the basic colors. I wanted to give the helmet some character, so I designed the artwork on it so it resembled the head of a bird of prey, and as I was no artist the helmet came out looking like the head of a multicolored parrot! Days later after the paint had a chance to dry and cure to a soft glaze in the sun, I went to Crosswind and showed it to her; putting it on and trying to squawk like a bird, and the scene seemed so funny to her she wouldn’t stop chortling for a long time! I found out when I wore it in our flight that day that it was unwise to put paint on the Plexiglas face shield, for the opaqueness of the paint hindered my vision somewhat; and every time Crosswind turned I could not see out of part of the visor, so I took it back to my station and removed some of the paint from a few critical areas with linseed oil. Finally it seemed done, but it lacked the luster that it once had; so later I requisitioned some clear varnish and gave the whole thing a clear coat of it, then at last my new Skybax helmet was done! Another week went by in my training and I realized that I hadn’t gotten around to rendering my preliminary drawings for the Parasail and the Para-suit into full-sized working blueprints, I simply didn’t have the time; and quite frankly, I forgot due to the rigors of my training! I began at the Quartermaster’s office and finally making a request with commander Nemo, I found there was indeed many such workshops scattered around the base; but commandeering one of them involved so much red tape that I grew discouraged at ever acquiring it, even offering to rent the space using my own money had little effect on the outcome! Evidentially all it took was to wait for politics to play itself out, for it was only a matter of weeks before a large workshop was assigned to me; and it was a single storey stone building with a flat roof and stair access to the roof, set mid-way between the mess hall and the commissary. It had all sorts of work benches and plenty of space to lay out life-size blueprints to make patterns for the pieces of cloth needed to stitch together my Parasail, and lots of other room to develop the Parasuit that was only roughly drawn at best; and would need the most development of the pair, but first I would have to juggle my time between regular Skybax training and the special training given to me by Crosswind in order to do this! So thusly I got to work at a drafting table and four-by-eight foot sheets of drafting paper and draftsmen’s paraphernalia, first making a life-size form of the Parasail accurate and feasible; and then making accurate patterns of the hundreds of separate pieces needed to be assembled for the working model, and then finally doing the same for the Para-suit - and nearly a month later in between instruction I was done with that phase of the project. For my diligence in getting the blueprints drawn up, I was lagging behind in my training; so I had to work double-time catching up with the rest of the class, so the next week or two I did nothing further on my project. Many weeks later the halfway-point in my Skybax training came nigh, and to celebrate the event the commander gave each of us a one week furlough. I used most of that time finishing up my patterning, and still waited for the supplies I ordered to arrive, linens twine light and strong and plenty of silk billets - the closest material to the synthetic materials parachutes and things of that nature were made out of. I worried as I waited for these things, but my mind grew weary from both physical exhaustion and mental strain accumulated over the past fifty or so days; so I decided to take a few days off, even though I had nowhere else to go and no one I knew was expected to visit me. I really had no plans to do anything in town or such things at this point, so I decided to meander around the base and look into some of the places I hadn’t seen for my busy schedule. I visited all the workshops which were mostly vacant save for some staff doing research on the canyon’s plant life and geological properties; and then I went to the paddocks and other maintenance areas for the Skybax and their equipment. The very last place I visited nobody on base had told me was here, and it was perched between the buildings of the base and the sheer cliff walls; and it was the base’s recreation center, a complex made of a nondescript but large building. This hall had many rooms, set up for weightlifting and gymnastics and sparring; and also a social club of sorts where pilots and ground crew could come and carouse with one another. This place had arrays of circular tables for larger groups spread throughout this space, and separate booths where more intimate conversations could happen; and all of them were served light fare and drinks from a bar and a small kitchen attached through the back. I went to the bar and asked the barkeep what he served, and he said that he could make any type of fruit and herbal drink I could imagine; so I simply ordered up a cold Jinka infusion, looking around the area for anyone I knew as I waited for my drink. In the corner was an old portable piano, and I sat at it after getting my Jinka tea; thinking of everything I did here so far and all the others I missed in Baz; and I had been trying to piece together the music to the lyrics of songs I had remembered in the outside world - and played some of them in my travels even though I hadn’t the time to do it here yet. I saw that some pilots enjoying the place left or moved to other spots, and new pilots or ground crew entered the space; and I figured that this place was pretty popular for the base, even though nobody let on it was here! At last my mind reflected through a song I was remembering, and the lyrics and tune got stuck in my head; a song that described everything going wrong and that one should take light the hard times; for things like that pass away eventually so I fingered the piano keys trying to find the right notes. That done in my mind, I began to play it slowly without the words, and when I finally got the whole thing practiced; I began to sing it as I played better this time, and this drew the attention of everyone currently in the room… ----------------------------------------------------
Where is the moment we needed the most You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost They tell me your blue skies fade to grey They tell me your passion's gone away And I don't need no carrying on You stand in the line just to hit a new low You're faking a smile with a coffee to go You tell me your life's been way off line You're falling to pieces every time And I don't need no carrying on Cause you had a bad day, you're taking one down You sing a sad song just to turn it around You say you don't know, you tell me don't lie You work at a smile and you go for a ride You had a bad day, the camera don't lie You're coming back down and you really don't mind You had a bad day, you had a bad day Well you need a blue sky holiday The point is they laugh at what you say And I don't need no carrying on You had a bad day, you're taking one down You sing a sad song just to turn it around You say you don't know, you tell me don't lie You work at a smile and you go for a ride You had a bad day, the camera don't lie You're coming back down and you really don't mind You had a bad day… Oh.. Holiday… Sometimes the system goes on the blink And the whole thing turns out wrong You might not make it back and you know That you could be well oh that strong And I'm not wrong So where is the passion when you need it the most Oh you and I… You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost Cause you had a bad day, you're taking one down You sing a sad song just to turn it around You say you don't know, you tell me don't lie You work at a smile and you go for a ride You had a bad day, you've seen what you like And how does it feel for one more time You had a bad day, you had a bad day Had a bad day, had a bad day Had a bad day, had a bad day Had a bad day, had a bad day ~ Daniel Powter; ‘Bad day’ ~ _ www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmNTAvnSais---------------------------------------------------- I was too engrossed in the music to notice that nearly everyone present turned to watch me play, but as the few that applauded started up after I was done I looked around in shy startlement; then at a familiar female voice to my left, saying that she thought it was me, so I turned and saw it was none other than Sally DuHame! Dressed in her pilot’s uniform with promoted insignia on it, She walked over from her seat at a wall table, continuing to say that when she heard that familiar tune; she knew it was someone from her group of castaways, then stood by the piano and stated that she never knew I knew the piano - nor how to sing, either! I simply told her that I took piano lessons while I was in Baz but omitted my piano lessons as a child, and that if she called that singing she needed her hearing checked; and she laughed as she looked me up and down, seeing I was in uniform and all that. It finally registered in my mind that she was in her uniform too, and her insignia said that she currently outranked me; so I snapped to a sitting attention position and saluted her in a Skybax way, a thing where she laughingly told me to stand at ease! Sally stated that she had heard that I was now in the Skybax corps, and there was a great commotion a while back; for her bird would not let her fly him, but she didn’t understand why. Then she said that she figured out by what rumors said that a special trainee candidate wished to enroll in the corps, but the commander disallowed this and the council of Pteros intervened; then she asked me if I was that trainee, so I paused before saying yes in an ‘I’ve been caught’ way. She smiled and congratulated me for this, and said that it was a wonder anybody let me in for my previous time here; and then stated that I must have wanted to join for some reason, so I told her that I had invented safety equipment, things that only I could research and develop. Sally asked me what they were and I told her, asking if she wanted to go see how far along I was so far; and she said that she’d be delighted, so both of us rose as I placed a bit of money on the top of the piano for the barkeep - who snuck out from behind the bar to collect it after we left. I led sergeant Sally DuHame through the labyrinthine lanes between the buildings of the base to my workshop, unlocking the door and lighting the lamps; and she marveled at all the plans and notes and drawings I showed her, explaining that these things were commonplace in the Outside World but little known here. I told her that the suit I was designing is much the same as the ones that skydivers use, saying I had to explain to the Dinotopians it was like the gliding of a flying squirrel; and she told me that she had a few friends that skydived, and knew these things well - so I asked her if she would help me design it right as I knew very little on how to make one. She said that she didn’t know how to make them either, but she could help in the design of them as she at least saw one in person; then she asked me if I knew how to tailor them together, and I said that outside of mending a torn pocket I was clueless. She liked the design of my flying wing or Parasail, but wondered if it was air-worthy and practical for use; and I told her that I based it on the parachutes used on Dinotopia today, but I had no idea on how to assemble the hundreds of pieces needed for it to work. Sally DuHame suggested that I hire some seamstresses or at least learn how to sew, and I told her that I may have to do that; and then she asked what material I would make them out of, and I told her that since there was nothing like synthetic materials here I would just have to use good old-fashioned silk. I started putting away some of my blueprints while she helped, but then she got near in her labors and turned to look at me; and before I knew it she grabbed me in a great hug, saying that she was so proud of me for becoming a Skybax pilot at last! As she pulled away she said that she would do what she could to help me in this, and not to worry about sergeant Hitch; then said before she left my workshop that he is a boor, but that he would leave me alone if I did a good job. I did not know what to make of her affection just then, but I enjoyed it never the less; and in the next few days more supplies started arriving for me, but not the way I liked. First off the things I requested came to me in small amounts, and another was the fact that what I ordered was not the things I requested; for I ordered many hundreds of square feet of silk in all one color and it came in by the ream and one at a time, and another thing was they were all of different colors and patterns! I ordered strong thread, silk twine and a lot of canvas material; and the thread I got was too thin and the twine I got was too rough; and though the canvas material came in as I wanted it, it took three shipments to get all I would need. During this time I saw several pilots with ground crew, and they were loading some things into one of the vacant workshops; things that were not exactly Corps issue, if you know what I am getting at! Many times I would see pilots and their steeds leave for their missions sporting empty saddle bags, only to come back with those bags full; and many times I would see cadets moving crated materials or things in sacks from one building to another at the direction of a higher ranking cadet. Though nobody confronted me about these discoveries, it seems that I was observed in my observations; for many of the others around the base and even those in my platoon were giving me sidelong stares and worried glances, and many would change their tones in conversations they were having as I walked by. While I was at the Quartermaster’s office getting one of the last loads of things needed for my project, I was walking back with it when a pair of cadets was struggling with a big haversack; and dropped it spilling it’s contents all over, and I went to help them pick it up. It contained jewels and other contraband, and they said their mother wanted them to hold on to this for them which I knew was a lie; so I told them they should use a stronger bag and helped them move it into a store room, palming an expensive ear ring while they weren’t looking - of which I later sent away to the Matriarch by Postal Bird in secret for evidence. All the while I acted indifferent to what I was witnessing, either simply continuing the thing I was doing before seeing it or simply shrugging and continuing on my way; and sometimes I would make a mouthed comment that sounded innocent enough if I was within hearing of them, but in all these times I was gathering evidence without trying to act like I was. The day after Sally DuHame visited me, I was riding Crosswind on another of her jaunts through the Amu canyon; and she began relating to me about the terrible nightmares she had been having lately, and I listened on with both concern and interest as my friends should not be tortured so by their own thoughts. So I suggested that I sleep in her nest with her a few nights to comfort her, and she reluctantly agreed; especially after joking that I do not snore, so that night I climbed to her nest and stayed the whole night long. The following morning I woke before she was up and began to climb back to the base, as it was still before sunrise I thought I would get there on time; but I arrived at the parade ground platform moments after all was lined up and Hitch was counting off the roll call, and he gave me a sidelong sneer as I called my name - the last one to do so. He let into me saying that I was late and should get there on time, giving me a demerit for tardiness of which I thought I deserved; but what I didn’t think I deserved was how hard he pushed me that day, and didn’t let up until his time with the platoon was over! The next day it was his turn to be absent, the courier reading that sergeant Hitch had taken ill and appointed ME squad leader for the day; so when the courier left I looked at the troops and paused, for I had no clue as to what Hitch wanted us to do that day! I told them that since the sergeant did not leave me his curriculum for the day, we were to repeat what he had taught yesterday; which had been to climb down to the larger arroyo to the left of the base and back, then ordered everyone over the side. Things were going good for a while as I led everybody down, and nobody stumbled or slipped just yet; but all of a sudden as we were nearing the first plateau down, a cadet slipped and fell the remaining sixty feet to the rocky ledge below! I rushed down followed by the rest of the platoon, and found he was alive and conscious and full of pain; and all he really had was a compound fractured femur, and it turned out that I was the only one who knew anything about medicine for my hatchery work! In our packs we all had materials for minor first aid, but this required far more than we had combined; so I told some of them to find some large and strong sticks to make a splint and poles to make stretcher supports, and I told some of the others to remove their uniform shirts to make a stretcher back - omitting the females of the group for modesty! I treated the majority of the fracture, pushing the bone back under the skin and wrapping it tightly with gauze strips, then waited for the others to get back so I could stabilize the wound; but when they came back empty handed, they explained why. It seemed there was a Skybax nest a tenth of a mile away on the plateau, but the bird there would not let them get near; so I told a female cadet to stay by the fallen one to hold the leg and comfort him, then rushed to the nest to see what was the matter. The bird had just laid her eggs and was too protective to let anyone near, so I came as near as I could and bowed; and she saw that I was earnest enough so she offered her beak, and I related by Communion the urgency of our need and the injured cadet. She seemed to understand, and allowed the other cadets to quickly obtain the needed branches if we left quickly; and we all hauled them back to the stricken cadet, and from there I rigged up the splint. I gave instruction on how to make the stretcher, sliding the poles into the sleeves and down the insides of the tunics end to end; then securing them together to make a strong linen support for the cadet to lay in, and when we all were done we began loading the cadet into it. By this time the Skybax got curious enough to come over to see what was going on, and at that time I was thinking of the difficulty of the climb; for the whole platoon was going to have to pull the fallen one up in a horizontal position, no matter how treacherous the climb back out would be! I saw the bird and figured we might need help in the rescue, so I Communed with the bird again and asked if she would take one of us to the base to summon help; and as she agreed I told a smallish female cadet to ride the bird back to base, and I had to instruct her how to mount the bird and hang on to her shoulder blades in flight - thanking the bird before she took the terrified cadet up into the sky! The going was slow for us to bring the fallen cadet up the cliff faces, holding the stretcher level while finding footholds and wrestling him across small gorges and other strata; and those that brought ropes used them as they rigged rope crossings for him, and it was a good thing the man passed out during my administrations as it would do no good if he struggled and fell out of the stretcher! It took nearly the whole day, but we made it up to within a hundred feet of the level of the base before help finally arrived; mountaineers and healers came down and assisted us, and I accompanied the fallen man to the infirmary as he was my responsibility. I told the rest to file out to the Skybax simulator and wait my return, as yesterday that was where sergeant Hitch had us practice yesterday; and then I related to the healers there what steps we took to rescue the man, and they marveled at my field medical work as the man suffered no further injury from the arduous trip back. As soon as I knew the cadet would be OK, I found some wildflowers growing in between a crack in the stone paving of an alley, and went to Hitch’s quarters to wish him well from his illness; but found him not there, so I asked where he was and the cadet said he was in his office doing his paperwork. I found him there all right, head bowed with stylus in hand like nothing was going on, so I placed the wildflowers on his desk and saluted; reporting how my day of command went, relating the accident and what I had the platoon do to rescue the fallen cadet. All he did was nod and said that this was much as he had to go through training the troops, and now I knew what he has to go through every single day when training me - and now I could show him a little respect; so I simply nodded as I digested this wisdom and thanked him for the opportunity at command experience, saying that it would come in handy when training the troops on my safety equipment - but all he did was sneer and dismissed me! To tell you the truth, I really did respect the man; but with all the things going on plus the fact that he may be in on a crime; I did not think I could give him much more regard than I already did! I simply left his office and went to the Skybax simulator, where I coached many of my platoon on furthering their skills there; which was until Hitch came and observed my coaching without being noticed, then decided to take over for the rest of the day! Finally I took a trip into Canyon City and searched in clothing shops and dressmaker’s shops for their seamstresses, asking them if they could help me; and though most would not two were able to help with special permission from the commander to enter the training facility, and another was willing to give me rudimentary lessons in sewing so I could do some for myself. I knew I had all different colored lengths of silk to work with, so the Parasail was beginning to turn out looking like a patchwork quilt; but since it was merely a test model the color really didn’t matter, and as all the pieces came together I knew it would be a sound piece of equipment. I borrowed a tailor’s dummy to tailor the Para-suit, one with detachable arms that could swing to the horizontal position; and within the suit I wove in thin elastic along the winglets connected to the arms and legs of the suit, made so they would fold down when the pilot was standing and spread out in flight - and the same went with the ‘tail’ winglet located between the legs of the garment. Within two weeks the Parasail and Para-suit was completed, and I decided to test out the suit first; me practically waddling out to meet Crosswind with it one day as she chortled, and chortled all the harder when I commented that it was no wonder her kind spends most of their time flying! I clambered onto her back and she took off, me explaining that I wanted her to gain as much altitude as she could; then as soon as I let go she was to swing around and try to center me on her back, and to dive for all she was worth as I didn’t know the exact factors in doing this maneuver. At about fifteen thousand feet I let go as she went nearly vertical, and I fell backwards with the wind whistling all around me; and then I spread my arms and legs and the wind pulled me to a flattened position, and indeed I was falling slightly slower than I would had I not been wearing the suit! I rolled and turned my head slightly, seeing Crosswind barrel nearly straight down on me; and I lifted my knees and matched her general heading, getting closer and closer to her back the whole time. I came to within feet of the saddle and reached down, which took all my aerodynamic properties away from me; and I landed on the saddle with a jarring thump, quickly taking the usual pilot stance atop it! Since the maneuver took up most of the altitude, Crosswind had to pull up abruptly; but soon was in a climb, and I patted her neck and shouted over the wind that we did it! I suggested that we practice the maneuver a few more times to get it right, but we had better climb higher the next times for safety; and we did so; but the third try I missed the mark and crosswind had to scream down from the sky to retrieve me, and the only thing I could say in my frazzled condition was ‘woops!’. At last and after a couple more tries we decided to call it a day, and as we landed on one of the base’s landing pads; many pilots and cadets rushed out to cheer for us, and commander Nemo also saw us and complimented us on the feat. Pretty soon the prototype of the Parasail was ready, and the reason why it took longer to develop was trying to figure out the correct positions of all the tethers that connected the chute edges to the harness pack; and all that I folded and stuffed into a prototype chute pack made from a reconditioned backpack. The testing for the Parasail was made well away from the canyon proper, in some meadow and terrain that was many miles away from the canyon and almost midway between the Forbidden Mountains and there; and Sally DuHame and her steed accompanied Crosswind and I to the spot. Crosswind and I took off, Sally on her steed giving chase; and we all gained altitude sufficient to unfurl the chute, and as soon as I was at about the same height as I took for the suit I fell backwards off Crosswind’s back. I did not wait long to pull the ripcord, doing so just as I cleared Crosswind’s area of flight; and the Parafoil unfurled in a really slow way, even though it did so and slowed my fall. I turned and twisted in flight, using small handles connected to tiny flaps within the wings that let some air out of one side of the chute or the other; and maneuvered myself until I was in the almost exact center of the meadow below me, setting my feet to a trot as the breeze propelled me and the chute slightly down range. Sally landed followed by Crosswind, and I told them the difficulty of it unfurling; and said that I would have to attach a drogue chute to the main one to drag it out faster, but that would have to wait until we got back. Sally helped fold the chute back into the pack and we all went back up to try it again, this time jumping off Crosswind as she banked left to avoid Sally’s bird; and the Parasail came out at an oblique angle which spiraled me around several times before the prevailing winds and my maneuvering turned me around straight; but this time I was too far down range to use the meadow I used the first time, and I ended up using a clearing carved by a stream to land in - getting my feet wet in the process! We practiced like this two more times before the daylight told us it was time to go back to base, and we turned back east to the Amu canyon and the Skybax training facility; and everyone back there asked how everything went, and they marveled at what we told them! Just because both the Parasail and the Para-suit worked out well separately so far, it was a big question whether or not they worked well together; for I had never used the latter with the added weight of the former on my back, and extensive testing to that end would have to commence before I was sure. I knew that with that added weight my gliding with the suit would take away some of the aerodynamic properties, but I didn’t know by how much; so the only way to find out was to test them both together; and even though I knew that if something went wrong, the chute would slow my fall so I could land safely - and that was a comfort! For this phase in the testing we did it in the finger canyon, or rather several thousand feet above it; and as Crosswind dumped me backwards off her back I floated away from her flight path with the suit, she returning many seconds later for me to land on her once more. Though she indicated the landing was much tougher on her back, it did little else to impede her flight; and after several practices landing there I jumped off her one last time and pulled the chute, her and Sally chasing me down to see my progress. The umbrella canvas I stripped from a used parasol and strung to the middle leading center edge of the Parasail worked perfectly and dragged the chute out of the pack in seconds, and I landed kind of askew on a plateau and allowed an updraft to lift the chute and me back onto it; then Crosswind landed beside me and I nodded in satisfaction, Sally helping me to fold the chute into the pack as soon as she landed, and we mounted up and tried it again several times that day before going back to base. Between all this and the rigors of Skybax training, my life at base was always hectic and full of activities that challenged my skills at every turn; but I knew my official training was quickly coming to an end, and I really did not know my fate after that. I had proved that my plans for the safety equipment was plausible and practical, I had passed most of my official training and went through everything my instructors set out for me to accomplish; and I even rode a Skybax my first day here, a thing only trained pilots did at their graduation ceremony! I would not expect anybody to say this to my face, but I knew that my training had accelerated way beyond what anybody had ever done here; and I doubted that Will Dennison or even the great Gideon Altair could boast such a feat, but I let on like everything was normal and so did all my instructors. I waited and practiced flying and using my equipment every day until the day came where my platoon would be called to the parade grounds, and the commander would call us all individually to take their first flights; a thing that seemed all but routine for me, a feeling that Crosswind made sure that I would feel! As I waited I constructed from enough white and red silk to create a formal Parasail, which would be all white with the cut-out red silhouette of a Skybax in flight; and another Para-suit that was all black and resembled a standard pilot’s uniform - and with my motorcycle helmet painted like a bird and Emil Fergusson’s ornamental saddle I had a stunning demonstration planned in my mind after those ceremonies ended!… ----------------------------------------------------
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Post by thundertail on Aug 5, 2011 4:49:24 GMT -5
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THIRTY-TWO:
“GRADUATION AND DISCOVERED RESPONSABILITIES.”
---------------------------------------------------- As the last days of my Skybax training quickly neared, the spirits of both my platoon as well as myself gained momentum tenfold; even though the final tests concerning such training grew at about the same rate, and Crosswind was no slouch in her final tests with me either! My grades said that I was now an expert on every academic aspect of the Skybax corps, and my physical aspects of the training proved I was healthy and physically fit enough to perform any kind of activity deemed necessary for the corps; and through my personal practice with my Parasail and Para-suit, I was also an expert on those things too - in fact I was the only one who knew anything about them here, so I gave myself a passing grade on that training as well! Amid all this there was parties and get-togethers among all the pilots and support personnel sporting a handful to dozens of participants, and many of them even got visitors from all over the island; even though they had to stay in canyon City and only get brief passes on base by request, and even my brother Peter stayed in the city proper as he requested to assist the saurian guards there - but I knew he was there just to see me graduate! One day I was just getting ready to go on a small furlough in town to see my brother at the guardhouse beside the main gate, sergeant Hitch came to me in my station and ordered me to attention; saying that he had a little surprise for me, and to follow him. I did not know what he had in mind as he led the way to the canyon rim, but knew right off when he ordered me down the side after him; and he took the most difficult route into the canyon I had ever gone at that point, and even though I followed him handhold for handhold the whole way I had no clue to what he had in mind. We were getting very close to the Sentinel statues near the boundary between the Pteranodon border below and the Skybax space above, and soon he began stating many comments; some including how I don’t follow orders and how I was just an upstart, and stepped on the toes of everyone that commanded me. I said that I was sorry for my behavior the first time I came here, saying that for all my life I had been ordered around; and back then I could not stand being treated so again, so I blatantly refused any kind of training up to and including undergoing imprisonment in the brig. I told him that I learned a lot since I had been here, and grew up a lot; and when I saw what happened to that poor Skybax pilot back in Baz, that I just had to do something about it. I told him that I had acquired a great admiration for the Skybax that day, and even though it went against my personal desires; I knew I had to forget that to help out the Corps, and that I was sorry for undermining his authority with the troops and all, but I didn’t know I was doing that. He said that I had been holding out on them the whole time, saying that nobody had flown a Skybax their first day; and even Gideon Altair had to gain trust of his bird before he was allowed to ride him, and that Hitch himself had to spend the night in his steed’s nest before he was allowed to ride him - and it burned him up that I was so lucky! I knew right then that I was not only subject to his superiority complex, but I was also a target of his jealousy; and told him that I did not join to be better than he was as all people have their own brand of skill, that I was here to be better than myself and nothing more and being jealous of one‘s natural skill was very un-Dinotopian of him! I told him that he needed not be jealous or angry that I might be able to do a few things better than him, and that I was only here to perfect my safety equipment; and he told me that as I was here I was subject to do what the corps wants of me, and enrollment meant a lifetime commitment - a thing he said I do not have for long it seemed! Just then the rocks he was using as a handhold gave way, and as I was right beside him caught a flailing hand and pulled him to a safer area many yards to his left; and as he caught his breath he told me that this thing did not change anything, so I retorted that I was merely trying to save a valuable officer of the corps and nothing more. We lowered ourselves onto a plateau and walked for many hundreds of yards, toward the Sentinels where he said we were to clean the Sunstones that power them; but along the way a Skybax came out of nowhere and began strafing us, making her loud screech and making us duck and run for cover as she tried to hinder our progress. Hitch wondered what was the matter with her as we crouched for cover, and without hesitation I told him I would ask; running out from hiding and climbing a sixty foot tall pinnacle on the lip of the plateau, crouching low and waited for the bird to pass this way. As Hitch yelled that I would be killed, the bird soared mere feet over my head, and as she passed I sprung up and grabbed her taloned feet; she screeching and rising in an instant, struggling for all my added weight! She spiraled to try to shake me off, but I used the centrifugal force and spun up and onto her back; then as I managed a mounted position, I stroked her neck to calm her. I used my Communion skills and asked her why she was attacking us, and she indicated with both thought and pointing a beak that her nest directly below our position had eggs in it; so I nodded and said that we didn’t know, and if she let me down near my friend we would find another route around her nest. Seeming to agree she circled around and landed on the plateau many yards from the still flabbergasted sergeant Hitch, he moving towards us as I thanked her and she flew off; and Hitch then exclaimed that he had never in his life seen flying such as that, but I cut him off by saying that the bird has a nest near by and wanted us to seek another path around. Not relenting even after the Skybax went back to her nest, Hitch asked me wonderingly how I did that fantastic maneuver; so I beckoned him around to another path as I began to explain, saying it was part of a story I heard about Will Dennison. I said that one day Will was doing a routine inspection of a harbor somewhere, and there had been rumors of sea pirates that frequented there; so he was inspecting a ship and having a conversation with the captain when he overheard the crew planning something, and the captain acting defensive and elusive when Will asked him about it. Soon the captain had the crew try to capture Will, who eluded them all about the ship; knives in hand they cornered him and nearly got him; but he escaped up the rigging and through the sails, climbing all the way past the crow’s nest and to the tip top of the mainmast. There was no escape for Will now or was it, for he gave a great whistle and his Skybax Cirrus swooped in and around the ship; and Will grabbed the bird’s ankles as Cirrus twirled around to have his friend land on his back, and off they flew to tell the authorities about the incident. It turns out the pirate gang was confronted and escaped, but they were chased by the other fishing fleets in their ships; and eventually ran aground on the Razor Reef, and soon they were forced to surrender. I finished the tale by saying that rumors say that some of the descendants of the pirates were still alive today, and perhaps one of his ancestors was one of them; but Hitch just shrugged it off and said I just made it up, but I told him it was true and just proved it. I told him that the maneuver I just did was the same as the one Will Dennison did; and if that maneuver proved plausible to do then the whole tale was true, and as he clung to the rocks pondering this in disbelief I impishly stated that I WAS a test pilot after all, and my job was to test things! Sergeant Hitch marveled at me the rest of the trip back to base, and though I could not know his real reason for taking me there; I surmised that this was his personal test to me and I think I had just passed, but his duty aside I still could not fathom why he was involved with the crimes he sent his pilots to do. Quite frankly I did not really think of all this due to my preparation to graduate, and I even overlooked the several clandestine meetings of some of the same pilots in my hurry; but my mind returned to it full force when I saw that Matriarch Maryanne Talbert suddenly show up, her main reason for being here was to attend the graduation. I did not know she was here until the evening she showed up at my station with commander Nemo in tow, she saying that she put in her all to get me into the corps; for she knew I had talent and vision when she viewed my notes on my safety equipment, this being said for the commander’s sake. She asked if she could see me alone, and made sure nobody was around before asking how I was doing; then whispered that she had gotten my piece of evidence I sent, and it belonged to the wife of the mayor of Prosperine - she reporting the burglary to the high council. I said that I saw several pilots doing strange things, showing their loot to each other and rumoring that their boss wanted their cuts; and that I saw the storehouses around here sometimes full of booty, and I rattled off a half dozen names of the ones I knew was in on it including sergeant Hitch - and told her that I vaguely suspected commander Nemo too! Maryanne Talbert told me that no prosecutions can be obtained with my eyewitness accounts, nor with my rumor or hearsay; and that ironclad physical evidence would have to be obtained somehow, and I told her I would get it no matter how hard it was. She asked me if cadet Sally DuHame was in on it and I said that I didn’t think so, but then again I didn’t actually ask her if she was in on it either; so she told me that she had been checked out and she was oblivious any of this was going on, and thusly it was safe to confide in her if I chose - and perhaps she could gather evidence too. I nodded that I would comply and she nodded, then she wished me good-night and then turned; saying that her husband, Mayor George Talbert, would attend my graduation - news that I smiled and told her he would get a display he would never forget! Within a few days I received an invitation to go to the parade grounds in full dress uniform, and I knew what was going to happen there; so I prepared everything I was going to do to give the greatest demonstration of Skybax safety equipment they would ever see, and thusly I told Crosswind my plans and she loved them! Instead of my dress uniform I cleaned and pressed my black version and wore that instead, bringing the pack the white and red Parasail was stowed in and the Para-suit that was black as well to the grounds; getting there early to prepare everything, and waited as guest and cadet and official alike began to gather. The ceremony officiated by commander Nemo began with a somber yet inspiring speech, dealing with the honor of the Skybax and what we stood for; and when the applause was over for bit, he began another speech directed at the many platoons currently at parade attention before him. Once the applaud for this was over, he began to recite each cadet’s name and summoning them front and center; saying personal words to them like he were their father sending them off on their own for the first time; and after that the cadet would be asked to ascend the ceremonial landing platform and summon a Skybax, mounting the bird for their ceremonial first flight. I was the last one to be called forward, and commander Nemo told me that my first flight was not necessary as I had been flying since my first day, but I told him that it was tradition that it happen this way; and besides, it made for good practice - and practice makes perfect! Before I summoned my steed, I told everyone present that in an hour or so I would demonstrate my new safety equipment; and that the show would be most spectacular, and all should stay around to see! I climbed the steps and summoned Crosswind with both the traditional way and shouting her name, for she was circling high above and was waiting for the signal (I had gone over our entire routine with her yesterday.); and she landed on the pad like all the others and turned to accept me on her back, then dove down beyond their line of sight before going into a nearly vertical climb. We made it above the level of the cheering crowds and continued onward and upward, leveling off many hundreds of feet above them; then circled into the canyon along with the rest of the cadets, and we rose and fell and cavorted with the rest for merely a half hour before I got an idea. I told Crosswind that we should start our demonstration pretty soon, and we wheeled around as we split off from the rest to head back towards the base. As we landed I was asked what all the fuss was about, but instead of replying I went to where I put my Para-suit and put it on over my black dress uniform; then I strapped on the Parasail pack and rushed back out from hiding still strapping on my bird-like helmet, and once there I saluted the commander and everyone there and mounted Crosswind once again. The guests and the rest there stood aghast at my helmet, but not for long as I swiftly mounted the waiting Crosswind and she took off; gaining altitude like never before, the crowd gasping in awe at the speed! It didn’t take long for Crosswind gained sufficient altitude, and I patted her on the neck while saying that we do it like we practiced; and with a squawk she immediately flipped over and sent me catapulting off her back, the ones on the ground gasping because they feared that I had fallen off! I spread my arms and legs as the winglets took the air, slowing me down somewhat and setting me belly-down in a gliding position; and Crosswind was waiting for this very moment, for she had circled around and began to match my fall. Within a thousand feet of the rocky ground and buildings below, Crosswind and I met and I scrabbled for the saddle; and when I got there Crosswind pulled up well within the safety parameters of the base. We did not hear it, but the crowd below exploded in cheering; and my bird squawked and climbed back up into the air above, and I let out a whoop despite myself! The next time I simply spread the winglets and floated off Crosswind’s back as she dove, parting ways like two halves of a rose petal; then gracefully soared down toward the gaping crowd, and down and down I fell! Crosswind screeched and plummeted down after me, and my winglets were stretched to their limit just as Crosswind caught up with me; and I scrambled on seconds before I would have hit the ground, Crosswind pulling out of the dive a mere fifty feet above the heads of the crowd (A miscalculation on my part, but nobody but Crosswind and I knew this!)! After we gained altitude again I figured to end this part of the demonstration, and as I fell away from Crosswind’s flight path I pulled the ripcord and my white Parasail with the red Skybax silhouette unfurled without a hitch; and Crosswind saw this and spiraled around my slowly floating form, screeching as I turned in my chute to smile at her. It took many moments for the Parasail to get me to the ground, and in that time I maneuvered this way and that; making those on the ground confused as to where I was going to land, zigzagging this way and that over buildings and cliffs and the crowd. As I drew lower to the ground I flew left and circled around over the crowd and went right, making some people and dinosaurs to scramble out of the way instinctively; and one more circling around and I lined myself up with the longest stretch of the parade grounds, making my legs run in midair at a trot because I was still going at a good clip. My feet touched the ground and I quickly undid my chute harnesses, letting the chute and pack travel the rest of the way to the ground; then I turned and approached the commander and the mayor of Waterfall City, saluting in a Skybax way before working the strap to my helmet and working it off my head. As soon as I did I could hear the cheering din from the crowd of personnel and dignitaries and other relations standing and applauding, and as I drew near the mayor of Waterfall City could not wait to shake my hand; saying that he always knew I had it in me, and showering me with a storm of ‘well done’s. Commander Nemo also shook my hand, saying that these devices will add greatly to the safety of the Skybax; and that I would have a letter of commendation added to my record, and since I have been flying since I got here I would be considered a full pilot from now on. I saluted him after this, saying that I will formulate a curriculum of training for the other pilots and cadets right away; with his permission of course, and turned to leave but sergeant Hitch was there wishing to shake my hand too! I was stopped all of a sudden at Nemo’s halting command, stating that if I were to be a trainer; then I should also receive a change in rank to go with it, so he said he would put through a promotion skipping over corporal to sergeant first class. Hitch whispering that he was third class and still outranked me, and Nemo stated candidly that it wasn’t by much; and it took all I could muster not to laugh at their candor, so I saluted all three once again and left the parade grounds after that salute was returned by them both. I went back to my station to stow my gear, intending to report to the commander’s office later for further orders; when I had a visitor knocking on the portal doorway a moment later, and I turned to see that it was my brother Peter! I shook his hand as he told me congratulations, saying that what he saw was the stupidest thing he ever saw; and that jumping off a perfectly good Skybax was crazy, but I knew that he was only joking and surrounded him in a hug! After that he took a step back and said that he was really proud of me, for I just accomplished what he would never do in a thousand years; explaining that his vertigo forbade him to never look out a ten storey window let alone fly one of those creatures, but I was well aware of his affliction and said there are things some would do that others wouldn’t. Peter then said that he thought he admired how well I did in business here, but this achievement far surpassed anything even he would do; but I then remembered my manners and offered him a seat, and he just stated that he was just stopping by and would soon be reassigned to the guard barracks of Chandara - then he saluted and left my station. I waved goodbye to his retreating back, then began to take off the rest of my Para-suit; many things on my mind at the moment, then heard shuffling at my door portal once more. Sally DuHame was there carrying my Parasail pack, of which she had packed but didn’t secure; and some of it was dangling out nearly tripping her, so I helped her bring it to my bed and set it down there. As soon as the pack was out of her hands she rose and gave me a gigantic kissing hug, saying that was one spectacular display I made up there; and that sergeant Hitch had her pack my chute as he heard she helped me out a little during testing, and I thanked her for that help and this help as well. Sally took several steps and turned, requesting that she help me organize the curriculum and other details to train the rest how to use these things (She pointed.); saying that she was good at organizing things, so I thought a moment and smiled. I said that I had to arrange mass producing Parasails and Para-suits, think up ways to train the pilots to use them and many other details that I hadn’t thought of yet; then said it was a lot of things to do, and I would no doubt use the help. I told her that since she outranked me by a step, all I could do was to respectfully request her help if she wanted to, but Sally didn’t skip a beat before saying that she would be delighted to help! She grasped my hands into a hug and retreated in thought, grasping some paper and stylus from my desk and wrote down the goals I had just said; then wrote down her own thoughts on each point, showing me them after she was done. I merely glanced at them and looked at nothing in thought, and Sally saw the look of concern and asked me what was wrong; so I told her there were a lot of things to think about, and that was besides this new project. I said that there was something terrible going on within the ranks of the Skybax, and the Matriarch had pulled a lot of strings to get me in here to try and unearth what’s going on; and Sally sat on my bed to ask what exactly it was, so I told her. I said there had been a series of robberies in various towns, raids done by uniformed Skybax pilots; who would raid caravans and break into places to steal goods and jewelry and other things that were easy to take away by a Skybax, and that our own Skybax brothers and the superiors we follow were all in on it! I told her about what I saw and what I heard, and what rumors said outside the corps as well as how sergeant Hitch reacted when I found out about it; and said that even though I acted like I was unconcerned about it, such reactions from him told me he was in on it. Sally said that she had observed such behavior in a few of her fellow pilots too, but when she went to report it to one of her superiors he told her to think nothing of it and he would take care of it; and the funny thing was that these things still went on, but her busy schedule at times prevented her from reporting further - a thing I said they probably kept her busy so she couldn’t report! I asked her what she thought about this, and Sally told me that such things were unacceptable in the Skybax corps; and even a Dolphinback like her could see that, and that something had to be done for the integrity of the corps. I told her that I couldn’t exactly order her to help me in this either, whether I outranked her or not; and that even I volunteered to help the Matriarch out on this, but before I could finish my thought Sally DuHame told me that she wanted to help me out on this thing as well. I cautioned her that it might be dangerous and one needed to be very smart and careful, and she told me to relax; for she had seen plenty of detective and cop programs on TV back home, and she knew how to be crafty! We gave a small chuckle to that comment, and then got to work discussing the details of what I had to do to teach the Skybax corps how to use the Parafoil and Para-suit; and we worked on it for many hours until sergeant Hitch arrived at my portal door, telling us both to report to commander Nemo’s office. Commander Nemo first congratulated me on my graduation from Skybax cadet training, and said that he had never seen a person undergo training at such an accelerated rate; but said if I did as well the first time I was here then he would have had a better impression of my abilities this time, and told me that I had indeed been holding out on them and it was not a Dinotopian thing to do so. Sergeant Hitch could not hold it in any more and broke out laughing, apologized for it and suggested to his superior that he shouldn’t tease me so; for I had convinced the sergeant that I was truly a Dinotopian and a Skybax pilot of the highest caliber at that. Nemo coughed and said that one of my caliber can take a little levity from time to time, and asked both Sally and I to have a seat; then he asked if we had come up with any ideas in my curriculum yet as we complied and sat, and I told them both that we were just planning what to do when we were summoned. I said that there were a lot of things to prepare for, like the mass production of the Parafoil and Para-suit and the acquisition of sufficient material and personnel to assemble them; and I also told them that organizing criteria for training the cadets is still in the works, and perhaps some kind of simulator would have to be devised in lieu of actual practice with live birds. Sally DuHame said that she wrote down a few things that might be needed to get started, and that we were still working things out with quite a few points; and that it would take a while to make a viable plan at this stage. Commander Nemo then asked an awkward thing about the both of us, for he asked how both Sally and I feel about working together on this project; and as we both looked at each other in embarrassed shock, I told them diplomatically that though we were shipwrecked together and liked one another a bit, this joint project could only be enhanced by our friendship. As Sally smiled at me sergeant Hitch said that he knew of a place in the canyon that might help in the training of the pilots, and it was called ‘chasm of the winds’; which was located on the other side of the canyon, where the southerly winds from the great desert blow down the canyon and is funneled through a narrow chasm into the uplands above the canyon rim. He said it is many miles south of the sentinels, and though it takes many days to get there on foot; a Skybax can take one there in a matter of hours; but before Hitch could say anything further, Nemo interjected and said the place was just too dangerous. He said that he had been there once, and the winds through the cave system was so great it could blow someone clear out; or paste one to the side and dash someone against the jagged stone walls, and only the most experienced birds can get to within a thousand feet of the place. Even though Nemo continued to describe the dangers of the place, I was getting ideas that that place night make a good simulator; and with proper safety features built into the place, it might make a perfect Para-suit simulator! Even though the intense winds described to me might be too severe for safe handling of the Parasail, other methods of training could be devised; but I thought actual practice with real birds for it would be the best way for now, and as the two were talking I grabbed the notes Sally was holding and wrote my ideas there as she peered to look. At Nemo’s inquiry on what I was doing, I simply said that the chasm of the winds might work out after all as a training area; but it may need some safety measures set in place in order for it to be used, and described how the high winds would simulate freefall and allow the pilots to practice using the Para-suits. Hitch asked me how I was going to train with the Parafoils, and after a thought I told him that perhaps the only viable way to do this was off the backs of the birds themselves, and only first year pilots and ones of sufficient flying experience train with them. I smiled at everyone and assured them that these were only preliminary ideas, and other ideas that might be better could be thought up as time goes by; and they said not to worry as this was new technology to them, and a pioneer in these things was allowed time for experimentation. I told them that the academic portion of their training would also be of the experimental nature, but I was sure that advanced aerodynamics and other technical instruction would be mandatory in order to man these devices; and Sally DuHame said that she would glean enough material to teach the pilots, and would get busy with this at her first opportunity. After many moments of non-official talk, like things concerning our careers as pilots and other planning; Sally and I were dismissed from commander Nemo’s office, so we saluted and left as Hitch and his superior began to go over some administrative paperwork as we turned to go. Both of us made it three steps when we heard Hitch ask Nemo if we suspected anything, and Nemo said that this project would keep them so busy they could not but in; and Hitch told him that he would see they stay busy, shuffling papers as he finished and rattled our nerves as we digested the implications!… ----------------------------------------------------
Babe, tomorrow's so far away There's something I just have to say I don't think I can hide what I'm feeling inside Another day, knowing I love you And I, I'm getting too close again I don't want to see it end If I tell you tonight will you turn out the light And walk away knowing I love you? I'm going to take you by surprise and make you realize, Amanda I'm going to tell you right away, I can't wait another day, Amanda I'm going to say it like a man and make you understand, Amanda I love you
And I feel like today's the day I'm looking for the words to say Do you want to be free, are you ready for me To feel this way I don't want to lose you So, it may be too soon, I know The feeling takes so long to grow If I tell you today will you turn me away And let me go? I don't want to lose you I'm going to take you by surprise and make you realize, Amanda I'm going to tell you right away, I can't wait another day, Amanda I'm going to say it like a man and make you understand, Amanda
You and I, I know that we can't wait And I swear, I swear it's not a lie girl Tomorrow may be too late You, you and I girl, We can share a life together It's now or never, And tomorrow may be too late And, feeling' the way I do I don't want to wait my whole life through To say I'm in love with you ~ Boston: ‘Amanda’. ~ ----------------------------------------------------
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Post by thundertail on Aug 5, 2011 5:03:15 GMT -5
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THIRTY-TWO:
“GRADUATION AND DISCOVERED RESPONSABILITIES.”
(Continued.)
---------------------------------------------------- When I got ready the next day, I asked around for an hour trying to find Sally DuHame; for she was to help me organize the training I was to officiate in regard of my safety equipment, and I could not find her anywhere on base! Asking around, I found out that she was in the base library; but I still couldn’t find her after many moments of searching, so the curator there escorted me to where she last saw her. I came to a large study table next to an annex to the library, filled dangerously with tomes and scrolls; and presently Sally came from an adjoining aisle loaded just as dangerously with more, and I rushed over to relieve her of some of the overflow. She thanked me and asked if I would get the other book cart down the lane she had just emerged from, then found her again when I was done with that chore; she smiling and stated that we had better get started, and I helped her fetch this or that tome as she prepared aspects of the material my future students would learn. We then visually planned out the curriculum we were working on, employing the aid of a blackboard and reams of paper. We corroborated for hours, and finally drew up a viable outline of what needed to be taught for the academic portion of the training; and spent most of the rest of the day going over the subjects within each training session, but we only had enough material to cover a mere week’s worth of instruction! I shook my head at the complexity of it all and told Sally that it was going to be harder than I thought, then began thinking of other aspects of training the cadets; telling her that we were going to need a lot more material, and suggested that we should send word to the Waterfall City library. I said that they had a more extensive selection of related subjects there, and we could have the volumes we need there; and if it cost anything to have them shipped here, I would be able to pay for it. Sally nodded and suggested we figure out the logistics of fabricating Parasails and Para-suits in mass numbers, and I said that we should start out small; saying to make about ten of each and train the pilots in small classes, then she asked how we were going to make them all. I hadn’t thought of that, but thinking quickly as she wrote it down; I said we should also hire a group of seamstresses or anybody competent I sewing, and I would show them how to make them. Little did we know for our concentration, the day quickly waned; and the curator came to shoo us out, us collecting our notes after returning everything to their places. I said that we should go to my workshop and drop off the notes we had just compiled, and there we went over a few things once again before the last rays of light disappeared from the canyon; and since our brains were already weary from the day’s study, Sally kissed me good night as I shut off the lights there and I walked her to her station. She gave me another kiss good night there and I wondered why she did that as I walked back to my own station; but figured it out as soon as I got there, and smiled the whole night long at the implications! I woke the next morning for roll call, then accompanied Sally back to the library; and our main objective was to locate detailed maps of the Amu canyon, so we could locate the exact location of the ‘Chasm of the winds’. Many of the maps did not have that location on them, or they had a very vague indication and places in the general area where one could not fly. Three of the maps had the location at last, but they were topographical maps done by professional surveyors; and many of the inscriptions were in their technical jargon and we could not follow them very well, but we copied these maps as best as we could and combined many of the features of the other ones. Sally said that the maps were fine, but she said that we still didn’t know the right direction to go; so I told her that commander Nemo and sergeant Hitch had been there in their careers, and maybe we could ask them. Sally whisperingly cautioned me if that was a good idea, for if they were in on those thefts; could they not send us off in the wrong direction and get us lost, but I assured her that they didn’t know that we knew - and besides, our birds knew the canyon well and would always lead us home! We saluted commander Nemo at his desk, and waited for him to complete his morning quota of paperwork before making our request; and Nemo told us to fly relatively south from Canyon City, past the Sentinel statues and roughly south southwest along the opposite canyon rim. He said that there was a no-fly zone hundreds of yards from the Chasm of the winds, where the winds were too fierce even for the strongest Skybax; but there was a flat landing area there where the birds could wait, and one would have to climb in through a series of clefts to the chasm proper. Commander Nemo gave us a topographical rendition of the canyon face between the landing ledge and the opening on the rim where he said the wind was so great exiting there that it could upturn even the heaviest medium dinosaur; and could sweep a human several dozen yards into the air to dash him against the cliff faces all the way to the bottom, then asked us if we were sure we wanted to go there. I simply told him that the pilots will need some kind of simulator to mimic freefall, and that would help them master the Para-suit; but he said he was aware of this, and merely questioning our bravery as he dismissed us shortly after that. Sally DuHame and I saluted him and exited the commander’s office, and near my workshop we gather our supplies we would need for the long trip; just enough so it wouldn’t be too heavy for Crosswind and Sally’s steed to carry, and summon them at the landing platforms. We mounted up and told our steeds the destination, and Crosswind squawked that it would be too dangerous to fly there; but I say to her and Sally’s steed that we won’t be flying anywhere near the really windy areas, and say there is a landing area not to far from the chasm. After that we take off and head nearly directly toward the Sentinel statues on the other side of the canyon, catching thermals with the rest of the flying patrols flying that morning; flying in and out of arroyos and other rock formations, zigzagging in tandem along the far canyon walls. As the eyes of the Sentinels twinkled at our passing, Crosswind led the way along the steepest part of the canyon; and soon we were flying amid rock formations little witnessed for their distance from the base, and as we rose high above the canyon rim we could see the canyon’s ending in the extreme far southern distance. Soon great gusts of wind met our birds wings, and it became more and more difficult to keep a level course; but true to commander Nemo’s map a ledge became apparent along the cliff face, and we steered our birds toward it and made a windy landing. The map said to follow clefts along the far edge of the ledge, and that would lead us up and out of the canyon; and we would soon find a large sinkhole a hundred yards from the cliff edge, so onward Sally and I climbed through. It took many hours of perilous climbing, but at last the canyon edge was attained; and still we had an arduous hike through the rough stone bluffs that hid our goal, and when we got there the place did not seem too impressive save for the blasting wind coming from the hole. From the look the hole used to be an ancient lava tube, thirty yards across and seeming to go down nearly vertically as far as the eye could see for the wind; and any sand or debris for dozens of yards around was vacant due to that wind, and we squinted peering down it through the nearly constant gale. Wind whipped our hair and any loose clothing as we pondered what could be done to make this place a simulator, and then I got the notion to reach out into it; receiving a blast of wind that threw me back several feet, and made Sally and I laugh at my foolishness! I retreated around an arroyo to change into my Para-suit and came back, Sally asking if I was crazy to try what she thought I was about to do; but I simply said it had to be tested as I walked up to the hole and jumped in, spreading my arms and legs so the gale could catch me up. I leapt and thought I was falling, but I opened my eyes and I was still several yards above the hole; floating in mid air and turning as per my experience with the suit to face Sally, smiling as I told her it was like floating on a cloud! I twisted and turned in the air stream as I drifted to one side of the hole to the other; but many moments later the intensity of the wind faltered and began to wane, and I began to sink right down the hole! As the air pressure decreased I floated down like being on an elevator, only this elevator made erratic speed as the uneven wind came up to meet me; and I was dragged from one side of the hole to another, nearly being snagged on the jagged inner walls all the way down. I floated to the very bottom of the nine hundred yard deep shaft, lowering my feet as the floor of the chasm was near, and I stood at the bottom of the nine hundred foot shaft wondering how I was going to get back up; and then Sally yelled down the hole if I was all right, and I yelled back that I was. Looking behind me I saw light filtering through a shorter horizontal shaft, the place where the wind originated; so I hiked through it and found myself out on a much lower bowl shaped ledge, and looked out over the vista spread before me. In the farthest distance was the southernmost lip of the Amu canyon, and below that a watery cataract lay with a seething whirlpool churning the water down and down like water down a drain; and over the lip of the canyon in the distance a raging sandstorm raged over the cliff and was heading my way, so I ran back into the chasm and waited for what would no doubt be a hurricane force blast! When I reached the vertical shaft I yelled back up to Sally what I found, and to brace herself as there was more wind coming; and as soon as that was out of my mouth it came, bringing along it’s own mini storm of sand! I spread my winglets and let the gargantuan blast propel me up the shaft, me bouncing from one side of the tube to the other and nearly cutting both me and the suit along the way; and I popped out of the top of the hole like a cannon ball out of a cannon, using the trajectory to throw me clear - and landed directly atop Sally who broke my fall! Sally gasped at the impact, but otherwise did not seem to mind though I apologized; in fact she simply laughed at me as we got back up, and told me that I had to wait for any stuff like that - me nearly blushing at the implications! She then asked if she could go down there to see for herself, and I said it was OK by me if she knew how to use the suit; of which she said she did not, so I lay belly down on a low table of rock many yards away and demonstrated the movements she would need to use in order to remain stable. I then took off the suit and gave it to her, she disappearing around a small knoll to change into it; and I smiled at her gait with the ungainly suit she had on as she walked by me, giving her my motorcycle helmet in passing so she didn’t crack her head open on the rocky walls below. Sally DuHame turned as she heard the wind in the chasm raise in pitch, then smiled as she turned and dove into the upward stream; and even though this was her first time with the Para-suit, she floated there unsteadily as she got used to the aerodynamics of her gliding. She shrieked with glee and moaned as an errant gust knocked her askew, flipping and yawing this way and that; but after several moments of this she righted herself and pivoted to face me, smiling as she yelled through the gale that this was great! Sally DuHame did not have long at all to enjoy the floating, for fairly soon the gale died off slightly; and she moaned in dismay as she began to sink, then screamed as the wind died off altogether and she began to plummet down the chasm! Before she collided with the bottom of the chasm or so it seemed, the wind picked up speed and Sally landed in much the same spot as I did moments ago; and she yelled up the hole that she was all right, and many moments later the wind from the chasm picked up once again. Soon her body floated up to hover directly at my line of sight, and she bent her legs slightly to drift forward enough for me to grab her hands; so I pulled her out of the air stream and propelled her back onto solid ground once again, and as soon as her feet met the ground she grasped me in an embrace. She said that it was one of the most thrilling things she had ever done, and said that she wanted to go do it again; but I reminded her of our mission and asked her how she liked it, requesting her professional opinion of the experience and not the latter. Sally DuHame told me just about what I had surmised during my trip down the chasm, for she said that for one; the walls of the chasm were jagged with sharp protrusions and loose and dangerous stone, and perhaps all the loose rock could be chipped away to make the walls safer in case a cadet should bump the walls in training. I also noticed that it would be dangerous if one should fall all the way to the bottom, dashing themselves on the floor of the chasm and obtain injuries or even be killed; and Sally suggested that some kind of cushioning could be placed down there, but I said that maybe it would be better if we spread a large cargo net or something like that just above the bottom - which would break their fall safely and would be more cost effective besides. Sally liked the ideas, but play punched my arm for being so business-minded; and then went to her pack after handing me the painted helmet to write down those ideas, and I got to work stowing the gear we brought into our packs for the arduous climb back to where we left our steeds. When all was presently done we began our climbing trek back through the rocky wilderness to where we left Crosswind and Sally’s steed; and hours later we got there, observing as we got closer that Crosswind and he were chattering away to each other in Skybax dialect. I jokingly stated to them that I saw that they were getting acquainted, and accused them of being boyfriend and girlfriend; of which they mimed innocence and incredulousness with their eyes, so I recanted that Sally and I were friends too, and it would be all right if they were friends too. We stowed our gear onto their saddles and presently mounted up, circling high above until we wheeled back toward base; and once we reported what we found and submitted the safety ideas to commander Nemo, we went about organizing the other aspects of this project. As the days passed, Sally DuHame and I cobbled together the criteria concerning the academic aspects of the safety training; and many of our other plans began to bear fruit, and in ways that neither of us expected. Many days before I visited the chasm of the winds, I had sent Postal Bird messages to the Akin-Bak shipping company, telling Ricky and company to see if they could get hold of as much silk material as they could; then ship it all to Canyon City as quickly as possible, and also made a list for them sent by Overlander courier on all the other materials I would need to complete the Parasails and Para-suits. Pretty soon these supplies began to come in by the cart load (The carts definitely had my logo on the side of them, but I did not recognize the pullers nor the drivers; and reasoned that Ricky had hired other cart teams, and also bought several new carts as well!), and so much of the material was brought that there was barely enough room in the workshop to walk from one side to the other; so I petitioned commander Nemo to allow me a store room somewhere on base. I asked for the small warehouse next door to the workshop as it was so close, but Nemo kept on suggesting other locations; and the next day I entered the warehouse and stood aghast, for the whole place was just full of things not normally corps issue - illegal contraband and lots of it! I stormed to the commander and told him what I found, but he acted unaware and innocent of it; and as I escorted both him and sergeant Hitch to the place, the latter acted elusive and said that someone else was using this place without authorization. I told them both that this outrage would have to be reported to the high council if the owner did not come and claim it immediately, and said that I would do this soon if this mess was not cleared up; and the very next day I found the warehouse completely void of any illegal substance, and Nemo told me that I could store my materials there now if I wished. All this seemed quite fishy to me, and I kept a closer eye out for any other clandestine activity throughout the base; but for the longest time I saw nor heard nothing, and this made me even more suspicious! Sally in the mean time completed all the groundwork for teaching the cadets in a classroom, copying all the study material and gathered all the supplies to be used by the students; and she wanted to use a small room near the commissary for a classroom, but the room she had wanted to use was crammed full of the contraband recently vacated from the warehouse I had requested! It seemed that she vehemently complained to the commander, and within a day all that loot had mysteriously disappeared too! Still Sally was pretty mad, and she sent a message to the Matriarch describing the incident; right after she confided in me about it and I told her my own experiences with the booty, and at my cautioning she sent the message the next time she was in Canyon City proper. I had also sent word far and wide to any construction crew available if they would go to the chasm of the winds and instill the safety features I had described to them, to chisel the inside of the chasm smooth and install a large cargo net near the bottom to catch anyone who fell down there; and soon they came to that remote spot, doing the dangerous job with all the vigor and determination truly becoming Dinotopians. They worked on it for many weeks, and I couldn’t have been more satisfied with the work; for they made the walls smooth like the bore of a cannon, and the cargo net was securely fastened to the lower walls with many strong iron cleats. I smiled at them all and gave them all words of thanks and congratulations on a job well done, and said that this new facility would be a great asset in the training of future Skybax pilots; and I paid them well for the whole effort, and gave each one a fifty Drach bonus besides! I could not wait to bring the first cadets here to train them, and Sally felt likewise about teaching them in her class; but before we had the chance to do so commander Nemo and sergeant Hitch had devised a plan to keep us quiet about their booty stored on the base, and both Sally ad I found ourselves the victims of some unexplainable accidents. In one of my practice flights, my Parasail came out all crooked and tangled; and I nearly injured myself when I landed nearly falling off the edge of the Canyon, and on inspection I found that several of the tethers that held the chute to the pack had been cut! One day Sally was in the library gathering new problems for the cadets to study when she heard a creaking, then watched in horror as many rows of shelves began to topple down like dominoes and the avalanche was heading her way; so she dove under a table and scurried out of the library on her belly as all the shelves went crashing down, only to find out later that the footing to the first one that fell had been cut off with a saw! You can bet that we investigated these strange occurrences for days, and even though we found evidence that these things happened; we could find no one that we could blame for them, and Nemo and Hitch were no help either! All this time and not to either Sally or I nor Hitch and Nemo, the Matriarch had received Sally’s message, and took many steps to bring the organized crime ring in the ranks of the Skybax corps to bay. The first thing she did was to seek out pilots and support personnel in other towns that were loyal to Dinotopia and have them reassigned to Canyon City, and then once these ones were ingrained into the troops there, she had them switch clothes with a garrison of saurian guards she had also placed at Canyon City. With the help of these she began to uncover the goings on here herself; and it was only by a chance encounter with one of her planted ground personnel that I became aware of this, and I immediately told her about everything going on. However, Sally DuHame saw me talking with the female informant and jumped to conclusions; and I had to quickly tell her the situation, in private around a secluded spot of building as there were prying eyes. Sally sounded relieved that the Matriarch was helping as she told the informant her side of everything that happened, and the female informant told us to just keep on going like nothing is happening; for there were others here now, and they were methodically gathering evidence to bring this crime spree down. She told us to write down our accounts as evidence for an imminent trial, and said to tell no one that they were at base; and then she disappeared around the other side of the building, never to be seen again. Shrugging, we both got to work doing what we had been doing; gladdened that there were others here now that would help uncover the smuggling ring, and to be around as back-up in case there was more trouble! Fortunately, we were both nearly done with the training preparations; and gave a full report to commander Nemo at a meeting we requested, and to be said quite frankly, he acted like he was really enthused by it! Right away we combed the base for the first training candidates, taking at first ten of the most experienced Skybax pilots and omitting the command staff for now; and at last the first group of trainees, and I was there as they stood at attention while I took the roll! I began my speech by telling them all that being a Skybax pilot was the most dangerous profession on Dinotopia, and that dozens of pilots fall off their steeds every year; plummeting to their deaths in the canyon without hope of rescue, and elsewhere on Dinotopia where death is also present. I told them that this marks the time when that statistic will be greatly reduced, and that the safety equipment I had invented will be their savior (Each wore a tan Para-suit while I wore my black one.); and after applause or cheering from the still at attention group of ten, I told them to mount their steeds and wait in a circle formation for me to join them. Crosswind carried me to where they were in formation, then I led them all toward the far southern tip of the Amu canyon; where we eventually landed en-masse’ on the ledge that was many hundreds of yards away from the area of gale force winds, as close as the Sakybaxes could safely fly. Then I led the way climbing the rocky cliffs toward the canyon rim, where I traversed the boulder strewn terrain to the giant hole that howled like a pack of banshees at our feet; then told them all to get prepared after they all had a turn looking down the thirty yard wide hole, and told the brashest one there to jump in when they were. He complained, but shouted in dismay as I pushed him in; and then his screams turned to silence as he figured out how to right himself, then floated up and out of the hole to hover at our waists. Many trainees lost their nerve that day, but they all experienced the simulator as I made sure of it; and though some had difficulties keeping a level formation in there, they all had at least three turns in the gale-force air stream and got a taste of what it‘s like being in freefall. The next day we had them testing the Para foil we had them mount their steeds, but many balked that it was crazy to willingly fall off your Skybax; so I agreed that it was crazy to fall of their Skybax WITHOUT wearing a Parasail, and it was perfectly safe to fall off wearing one - of which both Sally and I demonstrated when out birds took the lead. Each hesitantly did as we did, and they all struggled with the tethers until they achieved a level glide plain; but by the time their feet touched the ground with some stumblingly so, they told us that this would greatly improve safety among the Skybax corps! In class the same ratio of cadets grasped the concepts of aerodynamics and flight, but they were not necessarily the same ones that did bad at the Chasm; and after the first week of teaching these classes, Sally and I figured they would all pass sooner or later! Sally DuHame and I were so busy training our group of cadets that we did not notice the arrival of Matriarch Maryanne Talbert, only being alerted to the fact when we were suddenly summoned out of one of our classes to the commander’s office with all due haste; and when we got there we saw on Nemo’s ashen face a look of impending defeat, and the look on sergeant Hitch’s face looked like defiant defense. She thanked us for joining them, and told us that there were serious charges against the commander and sergeant; and we were needed as witnesses to the accusations if we were willing to comply, and of course Sally and I agreed as one rarely disagrees with the Matriarch of Dinotopia! She began her account of what was discovered amid the ranks of the Sktbax corps, and used testaments from her planted agents as well as accounts Sally and I had reported to her; and she asked us to elaborate on these things as well as any newer offenses we had witnessed, and became very cross when she heard of the attempts on our lives. At length she stated that she was appalled at what was going on here, and said that it was up to the command staff to keep things like this in check; therefore she said that she had no other choice but to convene a hearing against sergeant Hitch and commander Nemo along with everyone identified as involved with these crimes against the people, and both of them as well as the other guilty ones were hereby stripped of rank and suspended from the Skybax corps until further notice. She got up and escorted us out of the former commander’s office as she summoned guards to take Nemo and Hitch to the brig, and then Matriarch Maryanne Talbert paused to ask us how my safety equipment training was coming along; and taken aback, Sally and I told her that it was going along very well and the first trainees should be proficient enough within a month. She smiled and suggested we had better get them ready soon, then told us that we had better write up our deposition for the court as the trial will be in a few days; then she left us to our own devices as she left the Skybax training center for the center of Canyon city proper, where little known to us delegates and legal staffs were massing for the most controversial trial Dinotopia had ever known! At the trial a few days later, and since the mayor of Canyon city was also responsible and deemed suspect as well; George Talbert the mayor of Waterfall City officiated the tribunal, and his opening words gave hope to both the plaintiffs in this matter as well as the defendants. He said that in all the annals of Dinotopia as well as the morals we all hold so dear, nothing of the kind has ever happened before; that true and good Dinotopians of impeccable integrity would stoop to such barbaric behavior was nothing less than if they were pirates, and that a crime like this shall not stand if he had anything to say of it. That being said, he had each and every witness give their accounts to the jury that was made up of citizens and saurians from many other places who were not told the nature of the trial until they arrived in the courtroom; and this took several days as the defenders of the many on trial countered the jurors that provided the support to the charges, and even Sally and I had to go up in front of the court to officially give our accounts. With the evidence Sally and I uncovered, along with testimonies of many of the Matriarch’s planted people; Hitch and Nemo was declared guilty along with the rest in on it, and the commander and sergeant and most of the rest of them was disbarred from the Skybax corps - and those proven to have a lesser role or were innocent pawns were given extreme reductions in rank. As for their punishment, all were sentenced to work in other professions that was of far less stature than what they were used to, and most were given saurian guardians to make sure they do not think of doing such things again; but when punishment for Hitch and Nemo came up, all were at a loss as to how to punish them. I did not really have an idea on what to punish Nemo and Hitch with, nor did I think my suggestions would be taken seriously as they were jokes; but the council seriously considered them, and as I rose and got their attention I told them what I thought. I suggested that mister Nemo would no doubt wish a position where he could rise to the upper echelons of his trade, and said that his new job be the lookout on a ship and man the ship’s crow’s nest for a living; saying that captain Rachael Myers might be delighted to help out in this matter, and accept him into her crew. Chuckles followed as I told them where I thought mister Hitch should be, saying that he needed a position where he could be outstanding in his field like he was as a sergeant; then said that he should be assigned as a farmer’s hand on a crop farm in the Northern Plains, and admitted that I had no particular farm in mind for the location. The mayor of Waterfall City finished chuckling with the rest, and after a moment’s thought and consultation with the jurors; said that these suggestions were excellent ideas; and thusly these places is where misters Nemo and Hitch should go, and said that the rest of the accused would go to comparable places all around Dinotopia after more consultation with the court. The prisoners were escorted out of the courtroom after little more ceremony, and mayor George Talbert regally adjourned the trial with a tap of his gavel; then turned and hastily halted most of the remaining members of the Skybax corps present, including Sally DuHame and I. With the Matriarch at our side, he told us all that this was grim times for the Skybax corps; saying that there was now a gigantic hole in the chain of command, and temporary replacements would have to be sought out to maintain the corps’ integrity. He said that even though there were more experienced pilots in other areas of Dinotopia and many of command rank elsewhere; these persons were needed where they were, and instead of spreading command out that thinly a new commander and officers would be chosen from our group. He told me that even though I was vastly lacking experience in command, he asked ME if I would take the commander’s chair; and corporal Sally DuHame could be my assistant commander if she wished, at least until they found suitable replacements he hastily assured us! After a moment’s thought to prepare what I was going to say, the rest thinking I was deciding what to do when I had already made my decision; I stood and told the mayor that I could not vouch for miss DuHame’s wishes, but that I would be more than happy to pitch in and fill the commander’s position for the time being. Amid the applause the ones remaining gave me, I warned them that I was woefully inexperienced in command; and I would probably be deep over my head in my lack of abilities, but the mayor of Waterfall City scolded me my lack of confidence and said I would do fine. As Sally finished clapping, she stood and said that she would be glad to be assistant commander and lead the Skybax corps at my side; and said that she had a little more experience both as a pilot and knew more about how the corps worked, and would help me along to the best of her ability. This said, the mayor of Waterfall City said that an official swearing-in ceremony was in order; and the very next day we both were indoctrinated as commander and sub-commander of the Skybax corps. In front of every cadet and pilot with scores of rider-less Skybax flying in circles high above our heads, I had to make a speech of introduction to them all; and Sally DuHame had to do likewise, but at the end of it all they all gave us a rousing cheer! The first of many duties soon came about, and as our training of the pilots in the safety equipment continued we found several pilots that excelled at all that was being taught; and of these we assigned two positions where they would help train the rest in this respect, giving them accompanying raises in rank one of the more pleasant duties I had to officiate. The trial was officially over and the delegates soon began to leave, and a more unpleasant duty I had to perform was seeing off the prisoners of that trial; visiting mister Hitch and mister Nemo in their cells down in the brig, a place I remembered well from my stay in them. Mister Nemo seemed drawn and remorseful, lamenting a lifetime career that he had loved; but mister Hitch sneered at me from behind the bars, saying that I was enjoying their incarceration and that being commander was what I wanted all along. I told them both that I did not make them do the things that brought them to this terrible place, and I was not to blame for that; and that I respected them both for training me like they did, but as their crimes made everything they taught me in question I must now re-evaluate what they taught me. I said that I never really wanted this command, and that my intentions was to develop and test my safety equipment so they would be instilled as standard equipment in the Skybax corps; and then I said that after this was done, I would have taken my leave and return to my regular life. I said that thanks to them my stay might be indefinite, a great inconvenience to me personally; but then I said that the Dinotopian ethics I learned said that one must do their all for the integrity of the people, no matter the cost to that person. Both nodded at this as the guards came to take them away, and I gave encouraging words as they were led up and out to where their transportation was waiting for them; and as I followed them out Sally DuHame came looking for me, and told me that there were other duties I had to perform. Those duties included administrative duties and mountains of paperwork, all details being explained by the former commander’s secretaries and other administrators on the staff; and I looked at all that had to be signed and filled out and back to sally, where I asked her what I had gotten myself into this time!… ----------------------------------------------------
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Post by thundertail on Sept 8, 2011 19:41:56 GMT -5
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THIRTY-THREE:
“COMMANDER AND HEAD OF THE SKYBAX SAFETY SQUAD.”
---------------------------------------------------- The process of transition from pilot and instructor to commander of the entire Skybax corps was trying and involved getting used to a lot of tedious paperwork, but within a matter of weeks I was catching on to all this as well as the political aspects of the position; and with the help of Sally DuHame my co-commander as well as all the others in the secretarial staff, things were made more smooth for me as I made the adaptation. Even though my training as commander progressed over the weeks, it was evident that my command skills were not of the caliber of former commander Nemo’s; for example I would return any Skybax salute with a cursorily wave if I acknowledged them at all, and I would keep any troops I would address at ease instead of at rigid attention. But all of this I learned as proper protocol, and eventually began to convey myself in a more military manner; and this is telegraphed to the troops I command, a thing the higher echelon of the corps begin to show relief over! Despite my being commander, I still had to train the pilots on the safety equipment I invented; and even though the first ten who were being trained on them were doing well enough, there were still many more that still needed training. Of the ones that were already undergoing the training, only three I found proficient enough to help train the rest; but the one person that I did not need to train as she was training at my side all along was Sally DuHame, and her skilled performance in them was nearly equal to my own as she practiced with the Para-sail and Para-suit nearly as much as I. I had employed many seamstresses and tailors to manufacture more Para-sails and Para-suits in a mass-production campaign, soon expanding our supply of eleven sets into fifty. Through my shipping connections I had arranged a constant supply of silk and other supplies necessary for the task, but the ones keeping the silk worms that made the stuff were saying that their poor little creatures were getting no rest; and my cornering the market as it were was decimating the silk supplies for the rest of the island, for the dressmaking industry in many towns were hard put and causing the prices of such garments to rise alarmingly. A duty that reminded me of my first time here included the indoctrination of new cadets into the corps, young and nervous they would stand before me while I read their files; fidgeting as I told them what they could expect in the Skybax corps, and advising them what would be expected of them as cadets and pilots. With help of the secretaries and clerks I would then lead them to a classroom, and from there I would wait until they were finished with their general intelligence exams; and then I would sit down and pretend to pares through their answers as they waited uncertainly, generally smiling because most of them would generally pass - for the exam was mere a test of character and not really meant to see how smart they were! I had to also be present for their physical exams and hearing and sight tests, and since I took medical training at the hatchery at Baz I could actually perform many of the particular medical tests performed on many of them; and even so it was my regretful duty to reject a scant few of them, much to their ashamed chagrin. Amid all this activity, I am invited to a meeting in Canyon City proper; hosted by the mayor of the town as well as all the other dignitaries of the town, and by decorum as per the commander of the Skybax corps I could not refuse. Sally went along with me, and they accommodated us in the town’s finest hotel for the two day meeting; and even though I insisted for separate rooms, they had us stay in the largest two bedroom suite the hotel had. The meeting had to do with how the base was faring under my new command, and detailed reports of the financial status of the base; and even though they touted the increased finances my safety equipment was putting on the base, I assured them that most of the funding was coming from my own personal pocket. All wanted to speak to me personally, and some of their conversations included my personal take on the assignment and others about my being a former Dolphinback and how that would effect my command; so in all cases I told them that I would do my best as Dinotopian, and I would not fail as I was a part of the island now. This also goes on for many days as both Sally and I meet dignitary after dignitary, and then on the last evening there Sally haltingly tells me how she feels about this new situation; how her dream of being a full Skybax pilot had been fulfilled, mainly because of her enthusiasm and determination making her so. She said that she would have been satisfied with working her way up in rank by her own merit, but saw in me the first few days I was there that I also belonged in the Skybax; and wanted me to pursue the same path because she really thought I was cool back then, and even saw through my determination to leave the Skybax that I would be able to achieve anything I set my mind to. When at last she heard that I had come back with new ideas and a new determination to join, she knew that I could do that too and wanted a part of that; which was why she volunteered to help me with it, and was willing to go through all the dangers that came about prior to the demise in the old commander’s career. She said to me that she was quite surprised when the mayor of Waterfall City recommended that I should become the commander, and was even more shocked when he asked that she be my assistant; and that because of me she had skyrocketed in rank well beyond what she had a right to expect! She told me that in all her time here her impression of me was merely one of mild admiration, but now that all this has happened she could do nothing but adore how things had turned out; and that ever since we first met she merely liked me, but now that all this has happened she knew that I really cared about her - and quite frankly so did she as she came over and encircled me in a kiss that I gladly returned! The meeting in town adjourned by Noonmeal the next day, the mayor and council satisfied at my account of how the Skybax base was faring and assured that I was going to do my best for the corps; so Sally DuHame and I flew off on our Skybax steeds to the base proper, circling each other and playfully jockeying for who would lead the way home. As our duties continue we find we have very little time to pursue the budding relationship we have discovered among ourselves, merely having time to say a few words or sneak a tiny kiss walking down deserted hallways; and all during that time this frustrates both me and Sally DuHame, but we both know that duty comes before any personal business between us and keep our frustration to ourselves. During the next few weeks I find that I had even more duties for the corps, for the commander of the Skybax corps must also travel to all the corps outposts and inspect the goings on there as well; but I know that I must not let the base go leaderless while I was away, and since Sally DuHame was next highest ranking I asked her if she would stay behind to run the base. Even through her reluctance of being away from me all the time it took to perform the duty, she knew her duty was to the corps; and knew she could not refuse my orders either, so she accepted the duty like the professional Skybax corps person she was. After we said our good byes, I went to the troops and picked two of the best trained pilots not assigned to train the others on the safety equipment to join me; two male pilots named Cunberland and Gobels and their steeds Zephyr and Cumulus, and have them go to their birds and prepare to leave first thing in the morning. A clerk had given me our route we would fly in the morning, and I went with it to where my two wingmen were preparing; and briefed them on both the route and what we were going to inspect at each outpost, and especially to demonstrate my new safety equipment before them - a thing both humans smiled and chuckled at the prospect as they were nearly as expert at it as me! Onward and upward we flew, skirting over the Canyon City training facility and skirting that side of the Amu canyon roughly south and then to the east; and sail over our first stop on the tour, the coastal port towns that service the Outer Island, Ahimsa, Kuskonak and Farrago. After nearly all day of flying, we landed at Kuskonak which held the only landing facility big enough for us; as the ones in the other two towns could only house two Skybax teams at a time, so I sent word by Postal Bird for the others in those towns to join the ones at Kuskonak. Once there we inspected the base and found it to be satisfactory, and then Cumberland and Gobels and I flew up and demonstrated our new safety equipment much to their amazement; and at their request I gave them all transfer slips to train on them at Canyon City, but said that it would be on a rotational basis as relief for their posts had to be arranged first. The rest of the time there was spent inspecting the aeries at Ahmisa and Farrago with their occupants guiding the tour, and we found their little bases satisfactory as well; and Cumberland and Gobels and I asked them separately how things were on the Outer Island, they saying that all was quiet until the fruit harvest commenced over there - and then was the time they would see some action. All ten pilots as well as their steeds gave us all a group salute as we left several days later, and we returned them as we did figure-eight maneuvers above their heads; our birds screeching farewell to their kin far below as we shrank out of sight. Kuskonak was nestled upon a low rill of hills that skirted around the southern coast of Dinotopia, so we followed that rill for several days before arriving at Hardshell; on a low peak at the far end of that chain of rills, and surprised the pilots there by jumping off using the Para-suits; then gliding down into their midst using the Para-foils, the superstitions Skybax pilots there thinking I was a monster with my avian-painted motorcycle helmet on! After quelling their fears, I explained myself and my purpose here; then went to inspect their aerie before telling them about the training transfer like our last destination, they saying that they would train if ordered to and me telling them it would be a requirement to know these safety devices. After this tentative offer we hurriedly took off and went on to our next score of towns on the list. We landed in the Arduon aerie and made yet another inspection of their quarters, then flew up and demonstrated the safety equipment; then explained the rotational transfers once again, but only one of the six pilots finished filling out the transfer by the time we had to leave. Pretty much the same things happened in the towns of Vorshatas and Neoknosis, even though we mixed up the order of our business at each small city; and we stayed a day in each town to absorb the local flavors. Then we flew over a great river delta system that flowed out into the southern seas to the triple town that spanned this huge delta, the towns of Neoknosis, Mearamy and the great Oasis; where it looked like most of the crops were grown for this region, and patrolled by a joint aerie that held many dozens of pilots and their steeds. Here I told Cumberland and his steed Zephyr to cover Vorshatas and Gobels and his steed Cumulus to cover Neoknosis while Crosswind and I went to the Great Oasis; and told us all to inspect the aeries and demonstrate the safety equipment for all these pilots and their steeds, and six days later we met up again at Neoknosis for a group farewell from all the Skybax pilots in the area. The next leg of our aerial journey took us over nondescript terrain before seeing any farmsteads, and pretty soon the stone edifices of the major city of Chandara were seen; a sight comparable to the spectacle of my first glimpses of Waterfall City many years ago, for Chandara was the third greatest city on Dinotopia. Many squads of Skybax met our group in midair as we got near, and escorted us the rest of the way to their aerie at the top of a boxy structure just at the fringe of the walled city; but their birds cried out as we left our steeds and glided down to the least safest altitude to unfurl our Para-sails, and these pilots circled down as we landed at the base of their outpost. When all had landed we explained the nature of our equipment and the method of training with them, and also I was there to perform a routine inspection of their base; but some of these pilots asked what had happened to commander Nemo, so I told them the tragic discovery of their covert enterprises and they simply gasped in disappointment. It took many days to finish inspecting the citadel there, and many more to begin training them on the new safety equipment; for most of the pilots and birds were permanent residents of Chandara and couldn’t leave for proper training in Canyon City, so we instructed most of them there well enough so they could train future cadets. Our stay in Chandara was delayed even further as the emperor there wished us to make several formal speeches, and he also insisted we partake on a grand tour of his empire as well as attend many feasts; and our presence went over so well in that city that none of them wished us to leave, so I had to remind them of our duty and our mission as we gradually begged our leave after nearly a full month there. Instead of going on our westward course, Gobels suggested we head north to Ebulon; where his older brother who was a second year pilot was training in a more extensive way, and I said it was a good idea as we were to train all Skybax pilots sooner or later. Over forests that thinned to deserts we traveled, and met four Sktbax and their riders that seemed to be in an aerial dogfight; using padded lances to knock their opponents from their steeds, and a lucky blow from one of them sent the human from her bird to plummet to the sand below. As soon as I saw all hope was lost for her, she unfurled her parachute and glided to the dusty ground; her steed landing and crowing condolences as she re-mounted the creature, and it was then that the rest noticed our trio of flyers. As soon as the female pilot was aloft, the rest formed a cordon around us and led us deeper into the howling desert, onward to a series of low bluffs nestled in the dunes; but as we drew closer we found out that it was one massive block of stone many miles long, and the fact that it was sculpted like one gigantic Sphinx! We landed as a group atop the brow of the giant sculpture, and was led through the surreal eye socket - Skybax and all - into the base proper; where there were nearly a hundred pilots and other support crew hustling around amid their various duties, and before Gobels, Cumberland and I could see our birds safely in their paddocks, the commander of Ebulon had found us and saluted sharply. This female of African descent had straight hair that stood straight up and a face chiseled from mahogany with a build that suggested she could take on all three of us at once, but commander Pooja Hedges’ soft eyes that seemed to speak of both understanding and determination and gave me pause in introducing ourselves; so I coughed and haltingly did so and then immediately informing her of the inspection, a thing she informed me that Ebulon was in a constant state of readiness and was run by the books at all times. By the end of the day the general tour of the establishment was completed, and so was my official inspection of which Ebulon passed with flying colors; and then we were assigned quarters for the duration of our stay and ate Miorningmeal with the troops the next morning, but ate fast as the next group of jousters readied themselves for flight. With all present during the meeting before that, I explained the principals of the Para-suit and the Para-foil; saying the latter operated much like their parachutes, and demonstrating how to steer by rigging mine onto a hoist so the lines and control handles were exposed and showing how to steer the chute so they could land where they wanted. Intrigued, Pooja insisted I join them in the morning’s joust; for she wanted to see how the Para-suit operated, so off Crosswind and I went with the rest that morning into the heated ruddy morning sky. The jousting lance was connected to the saddle by a thin rope for easy retrieval, but I instead rigged it to my boot as I would soon be separated from the saddle for my demonstration; and fifteen minutes later I was engaged by the commander of ebulon as she dove and aimed (Both crosswind and myself were instructed on how to joust, which the bird was to duck as the rider was to sway; and any miscalculation would either pummel the bird or knock the rider from the saddle.). Her first pass missed me by inches, and she immediately turned and circled around again; but I could not see her for the sun and the lance ploughed right into my midsection! It knocked most of the wind out of me, but I righted myself and glided right down to Crosswind’s waiting back a moment later; and Pooja nodded in approval at the maneuver, right before she tried another pass. I saw this one coming and immediately separated from Crosswind, and her lance passed between the both of us as I scrabbled for the rope with the lance at the end of my boot; and as I grabbed it I passed between Pooja’s flight path and whacked her right off her steed instead! Her chute opened just as crosswind retrieved me in mid air, and we circled her until she hit the sandy ground hundreds of feet below; and as her steed landed to pick her up, we all set our course back to Ebulon as the afternoon began to make itself known. More days than I cared to count passed at Ebulon, and by then most of the personnel there had some experience with the new safety equipment; and many plans had been arranged to import their own equipment from Canyon City, and even Cumberland and Gobels had their turns training these pilots over that time. Between this training I got plenty of chances to chat with commander Hedges, for she wanted to know how I came about being commander of all the Skybax and what became of commander Nemo; so I began relating all the events that occurred between the time I entered the skybox corps until now, how nefarious activities were detected and how it was found that Nemo and his trusted personnel were in on it. She said that there were rumors of things like that going on, but she never believed them; so I said that I was planted there by the Matriarch to find out the truth, and made temporary commander after Nemo was ousted. I told her one day that I once knew a girl named Pooja, but she was small and of Indian descent; and she worked with me in a kitchen I used to work at back in the Outside World, and she was helpful and cheery. I confided in her that I merely wished to introduce this safety equipment to the Skybax corps, and never expected all of this; so she told me that some people deserve positions of power while others have it thrust upon them, and that I was doing my best and that was all to be expected of me. That boosted my confidence in what I was doing so much that the remainder of my stay at Ebulon seemed to fly by, and as all the pilots there became proficient in the safety equipment; I knew that it was at last time to go, and began our last day there saying good bye to all these people who had become our closest comrades, and before I mounted my flying steed for the last time Pooja came up and gave me a light peck on the cheek! We forsook our side trip and fly roughly west once more, along the Great Belt Road; and perform our duties at the six small Skybax outposts in the small towns and villages along the way, staying for as long as a day to as little as a few hours at each stop. At long last the Polongo river was seen shimmering in the distance, and we set our course in a more northerly direction to follow it upstream to the two other major cities along it’s length; for our first destination was the shining city of Sauropolis, and our final and most important stop was at Waterfall City the island’s capitol. At Sauropolis we landed amid the bustling crowds of humans and saurians, but nobody seemed to notice us at first; but then a saurian guard grunted that the aerie was across town in a low citadel there, and to see commander Guida for orders if that was what we were here for. I thanked the guard anyway despite his terse attitude and we flew up in the direction indicated, the aerie being a chalet-type structure with a small courtyard in it’s center; but as we landed we saw that the Skybax were still in their perches and the six pilots were busy planning a game of ‘Give-and-take’ in the facility’s mess hall! I looked at Cumberland and Gobels and shrugged silently, and they gave me curious looks; then I turned and yelled them into attention, and all their game pieces got strewn everywhere as they scrambled to do so! Once they stood erect I noticed the age of these pilots, for all their heads were turning grey and none seemed any younger than fifty; then I introduced myself as the new commander of the Skybax corps here on an inspection tour, and my other purpose here was to introduce new safety equipment to their troops. The shorter and more portly of the group who saluted and said he was commander Guida said that he hadn’t heard of any inspection scheduled, and said they really weren’t prepared for all this; but I said like the commander I was supposed to be that true Skybax pilots should be prepared for everything, and that they all should be ready by the end of the day as I walked him into his office and took his desk. As I waited commander Guida brought me dinner and Gobels and Cumberland reported on the condition of the birds in their nests, but unfortunately even these poor beasts were old and woefully out of shape; and I told them that perhaps I should assign both new birds as well as pilots to the Sauropolis aerie, and Gobels saluted and told me that it was within my authority to do so - a thing of which I said to let them see how they pass inspection first! We all got their best accommodations and a good night’s sleep, but the veteran squadron of Sauropolis Skybax worked all night to make their headquarters presentable; and when I went to inspect it, I found that they had done an admirable job after all. Thusly I passed them, then told them of my new safety equipment; but informed them that because their squad was so old, their participation in using them was not necessary. I suggested they request new pilots be transferred there, and that those of them of retirement age should consider doing so; and not because I was cross with any of them, but Skybax codes required pilots and steeds to be in top shape. Guida nodded at the wisdom of this, and said he would begin with the oldest among them as soon as I departed; and I nodded back saying that I would depart by the next day, then offered to play a game of ’Give-and-take’ with them! As the sun rose above the buildings east of Sauropolis, Gobels prepared Cumulus, Cumberland prepared Zephyr and I prepared Crosswind for the northward journey; taking off and flapping our way to Waterfall City, where another unknown responsibility awaited me… ----------------------------------------------------
People say Don't ever look behind Happiness is just a state of mind Rock and Roll lives and breathes in the hearts of the young So carry on You're running' on borrowed time Trying' hard to survive Keep on running' Your time in coming' Keep your dreams alive
Follow Your Heart (You got to Follow Your Heart) Living for the day, forget about tomorrow Follow Your Heart (You got to Follow Your Heart) Any other way can only lead to sorrow Don't wait any longer Follow Your Heart
Play for keeps And try to never lose Live it fast but live the life you choose Rock and Roll lives and breathes in the hearts of the young So let it ride Each time you roll the dice Luck will finally arrive Keep on running' Your time is coming' Keep your dreams alive
Oh, listen to the rhythm Your heart won't lie Rock and Roll hearts Just never die, never die ~ Unknown. ~ ----------------------------------------------------
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Post by thundertail on Sept 8, 2011 19:46:04 GMT -5
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THIRTY-THREE:
“COMMANDER AND HEAD OF THE SKYBAX SAFETY SQUAD.”
(Continued)
---------------------------------------------------- Our flight to Waterfall City from Sauropolis went uneventfully, just trees mingled with thickening settlements met our eyes from our high vantage point; and I had the idea to make a grand entrance in front of all the bigwigs down in the city, so I shouted my plan to Columbus and Gobels as we flew. I told them to go to the Skybax aerie at Aqua Stadium and prepare everything for their inspection while I put on the grand entrance, then told Crosswind what we were going to do; and she cackled with delight at the thought of putting on a show, and I did too as the point where we would split up soon approached. Columbus and Gobels peeled off and continued on toward the Sunstone tower, which was on the way to Aqua Stadium; and I wheeled around and down to where the town square that was in front of the main steps to the Council Chambers, bidding Crosswind to gain sufficient altitude so I could safely jump off and land with the Para-sail. The moment came and I separated from my steed, spreading the folds of my Para-suit and catching air until I leveled off; and saw scores of citizens looking up in terror, for they thought that I had accidentally fallen off! Someone had ran into the Council chambers to warn of the impending accident, and the building emptied to witness the spectacle; but I simply fell on, looking as helpless as the ones below thought I felt! Just as the last possible moment of safety arrived, I unfurled my Para-suit and it snapped into it’s wing shape just as the crowd of humans and saurians gasped and screeched disaster, and I turned and twirled in the comfort of maneuvering to a cleared area amid the growing crowd; and the saurian guards on duty there began to usher the rest back much to my gratefulness, for I didn’t want to bowl any of them over when I landed! Just as I descended to below the level of the buildings, the mayor exited the Council chambers and witnessed my landing in the now cleared town square area; me walking toward him as my chute dangled on the ground, where some citizens began gathering it up. Mayor George Talbert shuffled up and pumped my offered hand, praising my aerial acrobatics and my grand entrance into his fair city; then asked me what brought me all this way, so I modestly said that a duty of the Skybax commander was to make an inspection of their Skybax aerie here. I told him as we turned amid the continuing cheering toward the steps that I had just completed inspections on the southern outposts, and I was working my way around to the northern ones; and he said that he shan’t keep me long, but the Council would not mind knowing how I was faring these long months. And thusly he escorted me inside the chambers and through to a prominent place in that great hall. Many of the delegates that did not emerge to see my performance were already seated or what was anatomically proper for their species; and all of them turned their heads to witness my placement, murmuring to themselves who I was and who I now was. Presently the rest of them began to arrive and take their former seats, and by the time they were through; the mayor had taken his post at the ship’s bow podium high above the congregation, looking around before tapping his gavel to regain order. After reviewing a few brief previous issues that took many moments, mayor George Talbert began introducing me to the rest of them; and bid me to stand as he finished, motioning me to make a speech of sorts as I chokingly searched for the right words to say. I cleared my throat one last time and first greeted them all, saying what a pleasure to be among them once more; then went on to describe the itinerary of my mission, and the fact that most of the aeries I visited passed my inspection. I also told them that I introduced each outpost to my new safety equipment, the things I had demonstrated upon my arrival; and many softly commented at what they saw me do, and one actually asked me how I came up with such marvelous inventions. I began to describe the tragedy of the fallen Skybax pilot on my property in Baz, and my resolve to make sure this would not happen again; and thusly I thought of similar inventions originating from the Outside world, devices that people from there utilize for an exotic sport, I said as they gasped. I told them that I knew nothing of their manufacture at first, but the designs I came up with served the purpose well; so I took my plans to Canyon City for submission, and through the disappointment of them being turned down (Solemnly admitting my failure there many years ago, and they saying I would never be welcome there again.), but thusly I was determined to join the Skybax and develop these things myself. I was at last admitted (I told them that I needed the influences of the Matriarch herself to force them to enroll me into the corps.), but I soon discovered a conspiracy emanating from their top echelons, and when I secretly told the Matriarch; she said to gather as much evidence as I could, so onward I trained and worked on my inventions until the day I graduated with them little knowing I was also witnessing evidence against them. I told them that soon after that the plot was exposed and commander Nemo and his assistant sergeant Hitch were found guilty along with many others, and summarily drummed out of the Skybax corps; but there was a large hole in the chain of command so I was asked to fill in until suitable replacements could be found, and though I found that the chore of administration was not so difficult as I thought it would, I would have really preferred to be out there flying my Skybax. Many other questions were asked of me, both of my life prior to being washed ashore as well as my life after leaving Waterfall City for the first time; and I did my best to answer them all, and when all their questions were exhausted for now many fell silent. I was asked what I was going to do while in Waterfall City and I said that I was to inspect their aerie first, then introduce their pilots in the use of my new safety equipment; and then after a brief rest bit I was to move on and inspect the aeries in the outposts to the north; then the mayor told me that he insisted on showing him and my staff the finest in the city’s hospitality, a thing I tried to beg off by saying that Skybax pilots were used to more Spartan fare - a thing he touted off and said that was rubbish and he insisted! Fairly soon the mayor adjourned the court for the day, and all delegates and their assistants attended the reception in the antechamber of the court directly afterwards; and I was halted many times by them as they asked me more personal questions, the mayor politely ushering me elsewhere when these questions took on a more personal vein! Once this broke up about a half hour later, mayor Talbert escorted me into his private office in back of the council chamber; bidding me to sit as he went over some paperwork for a moment, then looked at me thoughtfully before saying what had evidentially been on his mind all this time. First he commented that he had wished that he had become Skybax commander when he served, but he had merely been sub-commander at Prosperine before pursuing a political career; and that I was in a very envious position as such, and that I should be proud of my achievement instead of treating it like just another job. He said that he noticed in me that I was afraid of being where I am, and though I can do the job well; the enthusiasm of the proposition is absent, and everyone that sees it sees a man inept to do the job. He then said that he was sorry that he had not as yet found a replacement for me that was suitable, but he would redouble his efforts so I could retire from the post as soon as possible; but then I stopped him of his assessment of me and told him that he didn’t have to try that hard finding a replacement, for there was a lot of criteria to meet and it could take a long time even if candidates were found. I told him that being a Skybax commander wasn’t as bad as I thought, and when I said I would volunteer for the post I meant to stick it out to the end; and I told him that it wasn’t such a bad thing after all being in the corps, and that I was sorry that I resisted training when he sent me there the first time. Mayor George Talbert seemed to sigh with relief after I said that, then said that he shouldn’t have been so insistent; and that he was totally unfeeling of my wishes back then, and that he forgot that Dolphinbacks had to first learn to become Dinotopian before they are treated like one. He apologized for being so crass, and then brightened and stated how far along I had gone in (I had to remind him how long I had been here!) nearly six years; establishing myself as one of the best shippers in the Northern Plains AND becoming the commander of the entire Skybax corps, and told me that those achievements are definitely things to be proud of. When I confirmed this, he asked me how my shipping company was going; but I said that I had been away from it for so long for the Skybax corps I had no idea save for an occasional Postal Bird saying all was going well, and informed him that one of my stops would include visiting the Akin-Bak shipping company to see for myself. He chuckled and said that command had it’s privileges, and then reminded me that it was about time I made that inspection of the Waterfall City aerie; and my eyes widened as that fact hit me and I rose, and George Talbert escorted me out of his office and through the courthouse out to the front steps. I retrieved my pack at the front steps, and noticed that the ones who stowed my Para-foil had packed it wrong; and thought I would have to re-stow it when I got to the aerie, but what I didn’t expect was the fact that the mayor escorted me there every step of the way! Word had traveled fast in the city, and all along the way both human and saurian alike stopped to witness my passing; and some actually came up to greet me and the mayor while others of the merchant professions offered for me to test their wares, but a small group of saurian guards that I never noticed were there kept most of the rest at bay in our wake - save for the cheering that seemed to constantly follow us. By the end of the hour we arrived at the Aqua Stadium, and the mayor led me through the front colonnade to one of the main interior stairways amid the currently unused grandstands; and as it was my first time inside this complex, I was glad to be led by this man of great importance. We reached the uppermost tiers but still was not anywhere near the roof of the complex, and the mayor led me around to where a small access stairwell emerged; and from there and through a thick set of doors the midday sun greeted us blindingly from this rooftop vista, and the wide ledge we were on housed many small buildings with Skybax being prepared for take-off. My assistants Columbus and Gobels had briefed the commander there of my arrival, and the pilots there were busily giving any smooth surface a cleaning and polishing any metallic ornamentation around; and also scurrying around securing anything that was to be stowed; and as one of those scurried by he noticed our arrival, handing off the saddle he was carrying to another to run and tell the commander. Mayor Talbert led me over to some of the buildings as he knew the way to the commander’s office, but we were met half way there to the portal by this older fellow with mutton-chop sideburns and full commander insignia and dress uniform; he saluting in the Skybax manner before bowing to the mayor, saying his name was commander Weems. He informed me that his base was ready for inspection at my convenience, and that my assistants briefed his staff on the safety equipment of my invention; all while escorting us both to his office, several flights down into the stadium where the viewing booths were located - one of the best views of the stadium, he informed me discreetly! I simply gave mayor Talbert the eye as I scanned his office, and then asked him how our steeds were being handled; he saying they were being treated to their first class accommodations, and equally fine suites were being assigned to us as well. I nodded as I sat and stated that lord mayor Talbert has already given us accommodations in town, so Weems sputtered and said that his hospitality takes precedence over his; but George halted him and stated that if rooms were already set for us then that would be fine, and I added that all Skybax should be on base by curfew anyway! That said, I informed commander Weems that; if the base was already moot for inspection, that I could do that at my leisure during my stay. Upon such a question, I told the commander of the aerie of waterfall City that we would be demonstrating the safety equipment during our stay as well as explaining their use; possible reasons why these devices could be used (Aerial acrobatics not withstanding!); and to encourage the pilots here to transfer to the canyon City aerie for more extensive training on them, their time of training would be anywhere from a week to several months depending on their proficiency, where they shall return much better pilots and birds. At this the mayor rose as Weems and I rose in courtesy, and the mayor said that he would now take his leave as we no doubt had other things to discuss; and motioned for us to stay where we were as he showed himself out, us looking his way curiously. Weems was the first to sit back down and so did I, and we both fell silent as he signed several documents on his desk before parking his quill and placing the paperwork in an out-basket; then looked at me for a second before he began to speak, stating that it was quite unusual for a Dolphinback to rise in the ranks of the Skybax to commander of the whole corps so soon after graduating cadet school. I became candid and told him that, quite frankly it was quite a surprise to me as well; but not unheard of if he knew the whole truth of the affair, and then I went on to describe the plot of thefts concocted by former commander Nemo and many of his personnel and their subsequent trial for those deeds. I said after this and his reaction (One appearing that he knew something of it, but didn’t want to be found out!) that it was a great justice to have it put to rest at last, for now the corps can be run as it should; and since I played a vital part in this justice as well as being in the corps myself, it was decided that I would be the commander until some suitable person could be appointed to take my place. I said that until this was done, I had to perform the duties of Skybax commander to the best of my abilities. I knew what his reaction would be before I said it but said it anyway, so I asked him if he wished to be transferred and promoted to skybox commander; and he withdrew wide eyed and said that he was not qualified and the fact that a replacement commander here would be hard to find, so I smiled as I rose and told him it was merely a thought and not an order! I exited commander Weems’s office and up into the aerie complex proper, and within moments I met up with pilot Columbus; who was conferring with a female sergeant there with a roster of names, and after the appropriate salutes I asked him for his report. He said that all pilots were ready for inspection, and all the roosts were clean and also ready; so I told him that I would do my inspections differently this time, whispering that I would do it in a nonchalant way - and asking if he would convey that to pilot Gobels. I strolled out across the top of the stadium toward the roosts, where the birds were staying; and Crosswind crowed in recognition, she evidentially arriving there after we parted in midair earlier in the day. I went to her and stroked her great beak, cooing if she was comfy and other things as she preened at the attention; then saw my wingmen doing pretty much the same as they fed and bedded them down for the night, and then I scanned the entire roost area to see that there seemed to be nothing out of place as the rest of the birds there were in differing stages of slumber. After I was sure Crosswind would be OK over the night, I got up and walked out; searching for the barracks and other pilot Stations where I and my wingmen would spend the night, and finding after briefly asking directions by a passing pilot that our accommodations seemed to be the best they had. In the morning we were invited to a big spread commander Weems had arranged, but before we were informed we had already eaten in the mess hall with the other pilots; and though Weems was a bit upset when he heard this, it didn’t last long as he and others witnessed us preparing to take flight. We donned our Para-suits over our regular uniforms, checked our packs that contained our Para-foils before strapping them on and affixed our flight helmets before staging our turns at summoning our steeds; and we took to the wing as soon as our turns came, following the rest of the airborne patrols that circled above to guard the city below. With hand signals to my wingmen and the others, I indicated that we were going to first demonstrate the Para-suits; and for the rest to follow us down to witness the technique, so I had Crosswind gain as much altitude as she could as Columbus and Gobels steeds followed me up. At the peak of her climb, I separated from Crosswind in a flip; and immediately spread my arms and legs as I rolled to a gliding position, floating laterally at a slightly less than a freefall velocity. My friend followed me down while the rest trailed her watching what I was doing, and when I arrived at the least safe altitude for Skybax pick up; Crosswind got into position below me and I fell back into the saddle, all the rest following me cheering and raising an arm in victory! Gobels was next, and he performed several turns and spirals before Cumulus matched his maneuvers and he caught him on the saddle; and just then Columbus pitched off his steed, and he also did many figure-eight maneuvers before Zephyr slid under him and we all fell back into formation with the rest of the Skybax pilots. Both the citizens on the ground in the city below and the other pilots at Aqua Stadium witnessed our performance, and this roused grand enthusiasm for all in waterfall City; compelling all the pilots there to line up to request transfers to canyon City for training on my safety equipment, me granting it as rotational transfers became available. I told them all that eventually all pilots in the Skybax corps as well as their birds would know these things. But they all must be patient as it takes time with my limited trained staff to process them all, I told them; and took as many applications as was given me, which turned out to be the whole base of two hundred men and women! For many days I stayed there and demonstrated and showed and instructed them all, just so they would have a hint at the extent of the training; and then on the final day commander Weems asked how they fared on the inspection, and in his office I told him they they passed of course! He was just about to conclude things so I could leave, but halted him by saying that the events that led to former commander Nemo’s ousting must have been known by others, and by his antsy behavior at the mention of the incident I suspected he might nave been in on it to! At first he denied it and soon admitted he knew something was up, but he didn’t want to get involved with it; so he looked the other way when others reported strange happenings at Canyon City, for he wanted to protect his impeccable image being so close to the delegates of Waterfall City. I nodded at this information, then jokingly said that it was therefore a good thing it was all over; but even though I complimented his wisdom to keep out of it I criticized him for not bringing it up to the authorities, and he looked shameful at this. I told him that he really had nothing to do with it anyway, so there was no real crime for him as far as I was concerned; but I said that if he heard of anything like that happening within the ranks of the Skybax corps, to please tell me all about it and I assured him that he would not be implicated in it - nor this incident either, for which he was quite relieved! I said my good bye and rose after his handshake and Skybax salute, then turned to leave and inform my wingmen to prepare for the next leg of my flight; which was delayed for almost the whole next day as the mayor wished to give us all a grand feast and send-off I remember to this day! After that we sped up the falls above Waterfall City and followed the Polongo river for many miles, crossing the Hadro Swamp and over the Obnubian Mountains to the city of Volcaneum, a trip that lasted several days as we were traveling over some rough terrain with unpredictable updrafts and fog. Volcaneum had a small aerie for it’s size and importance, and though they passed my inspection and I informed them of my safety equipment; we did little demonstrating there as the air was filled with ashy smoke and not too healthy to be in for very long, so we took off again heading steadily north. Along the way I suggested we take a little side trip west, saying that there was a little bit of business I had to take care of in my home town of Baz; and though I spoke little of it during my trip, I could tell that Gobels and Columbus knew something was up due to my silence up until that point. We then made the course correction and was over the town of Baz within an hour, and the buildings looked much smaller and so was the town footprint from this high up; and after circling the town of twice, I led the way toward my own property of four Rosepetal lane. We passed overhead twice before settling down in the grassy area between the house and barn, the proliferation of carts and activity seeming to be ten times more intense than when I left; but none of them there recognized me as Ricky dropped what he was doing to greet these strange Skybax form another place, me taking off the avian-painted motorcycle helmet as we got to within feet of each other. Ricky’s face lit up with joy and recognition as he saw it was me, and rushed to shake my hand before remembering and doing a crude Skybax salute; noticing the color of my uniform and those of my wingmen and exclaiming that I had come a long way, and he immediately yelled to the house and barn to come see who it was that was visiting! The humans in their midst came over first as many of the saurians were tied to carts and being readied for trips, and the first one I saw was Jake Forsythe who had grown his beard back; and he pumped my hand vigorously before asking about the uniform as I told him, and then Toby Hertz came out of the barn bleary eyed from sleep to do the same. Flatbottom saw me with his good eye and bellowed hello as he took the half loaded cart he was tied to with him, and nuzzled me to the ground as I laughed and got up; hugging his horn as I told him I missed him, and the full grown Nellie did pretty much the same to me - wrestling his way out of his harness as he did so. By the end of an hour all the creatures in the barn had greeted us all, but a triple squeak from the direction of the mansion brought three Troodonts my way; and I smiled as Natalie, Zoie and Gavin leaping up to be the first to hug me, and me noticing how much the latter two had grown! I went on to introduce my wingmen and their steeds, asking Ricky to see about a roost for the latter; and presently Natalie said that she would prepare two of the bedrooms and my own bedroom for me, Columbus and Gobels. I nodded and followed Ricky back into the barn and saw Thoth’s slumbering form fill hid gigantic stall with his Brachiosaur body, and noticed that few other dinosaurs that I did not recognize were there as they had already gone out; but Flatbottom and Nellie still refused to go on their runs just yet, and I couldn’t blame them as I missed them as much as they missed me! I looked around, trying not to get in the way as Ricky and Jake Forsythe began to clean out the three stalls nearest the open barn door for Crosswind, Zephyr and Cumulus; and just as I turned Ricky did also, asking me what I was doing here, so I began my story the day I left here the last time. He now knew the determination I had, and heard that my safety equipment was going to be a big boon to the Skybax; but wondered why I wore the uniform of a commander, shocked when I told him they made me commander of the ENTIRE Skybax corps more so for the reason why! I told him that I guess I had to stay on until they found a replacement, and that I was currently on an inspection tour of all the bases; and that I stopped here for a visit, then grew sullen and told him to meet me up in the library when everything was done. As soon as I knew the birds would be all right for the night, I led Columbus and Gobels into the house to the dining room; and pretty soon the feast commenced, all my favorite things including pizza! Conversation was bright and colorful during the meal, and just as Natalie suggested Zoie and Gavin go to bed; I said that I wanted to go to the library to go over the books, and Ricky took that as his cue to follow me up there. I suggested that Columbus and Gobels relax in the sitting room before bed and went up the main stairway to the library, and as both me and Ricky got there he fished out many notebooks of figures; showing me this or that trend of profit or loss, but I halted him with a stare. I leveled with Ricky about many things, and the first thing I told him was that I really didn’t know how long it would take for me to be replaced; I said that it might take many years or many decades at this rate, and I didn’t know when I would ever be back. I said that ever since we established the Akin-Bak shipping company, it was he that had done most of the work; and for this I was grateful, but ever since this Skybax business came up he had been doing it all. I told him that he was a much better shipper than I ever was, and it wasn’t fair that I not be here and still get a share of the profits; so I told him that I would go into town tomorrow and sign the shipping company over to him, then smirked and told him I wanted to keep the house for a place so I could retire here. Ricky’s jaw nearly dropped to his knees as shock overtook him, and he stammered whether or not I knew what I was doing; claiming that he couldn’t take over something that had been my dream from the start, and he was only here to help me - and not himself. I told him not to worry about anything, and for being my friend like he had been and putting up with all my Copro; he deserved to have it, reminding him that giving was a true Dinotopian tradition and it would be rude to decline the offer. He huffed and tried to think of a rebuttal, but bowed his head and smiled; taking my hand as he thanked me profusely, then excitedly grasped me in an embrace as he whispered that I would be a friend of his family for generations. To lighten the moment as he let go, I picked up a ledger and studied the numbers; saying that he had claws of gold, the way the numbers were in the black most of the time. At this he took another one and showed me how profitable things were at about the time I requested he get all that material for the safety equipment, saying that I had helped them gain contacts that spanned the island; then tipped him off that pretty soon ALL the Skybax outposts would need the safety equipment, and prices for those materials would only go up! We chatted about business for many more moments, Ricky boasting that he had made contacts as far south as Chandara and the Outer Island; me nodding and relating about the warehouses in the Skybax training base in Canyon City that always seemed to be full of contraband goodies, until we heard footsteps coming up to occupy the bedrooms on this floor and we wrapped things up for the night. I left and Ricky gave me one last handshake before using the back stairs to his abode above, and I trudged down the hall to my old bedroom in the corner of the house; feeling the familiar softness of the bed as I remembered the rustic hardness of the beds I had slept in since my last night here, and I began to think of the changes in my life even here as my mind soared along on Crosswind’s back for the rest of the night. In the morning Natalie provided a sumptuous Morningmeal for us all, Gavin and Zoie nearly arguing on who would sit next to me (Ricky must have told them all that I was giving the shipping company to them, and they were acting especially nice this morning!); and we were all well nourished for the day ahead, and even though no real duties were necessary for my wingmen I certainly had things to do. I told Gobels and Columbus to mount up and patrol the environs around Baz for the day, if for no other reason than to assure the people below we were on watch I told them; and they did so with little fanfare, me patting crosswind’s bill and asking if she wanted a day off today. I asked Ricky if he could spare a puller for the day as I was going into town, and upon him inquiring of the saurians in the barn that morning; the two that voiced most definitely they wanted to take me were Nellie and Flatbottom, so I was democratic and told Nellie that he was younger and stronger and could pull a cart all day and Flatbottom would most likely enjoy an easy assignment as he was older (Proud huffs from the one-eyed beast!) - and at great trial Nellie reluctantly agreed to the arrangement. I gave both affection and hitched a large saurian saddle to Flatbottom, me looking like a mere boy for size as I rode out of the barn on his lumbering back; then waved at everyone still present at barnside and near the house as they all waved back, and onward down the lane we went to the center of Baz proper. The people of Baz did not know what to make of us, for why would a Skybax commander be doing riding atop the back of a Triceratops? Before we stopped in front of the fruit stand some had made the connection, for they recognized Flatbottom nearly right off; and if it was me on his back then one of their own citizens had come back home, and from then on I was greeted with much more vigor! I asked the proprietor of the fruit stand what news of the town he had in my absence and he said all was well, but asked why I wore the commander’s uniform; and as many now present wanted to know as well, I told them everything that went on since I arrived in Canyon City. Elizabeth the now news lady of Baz asked many questions, and she jotted my answers down promising it was a great story for her newspaper; and once all this was over I asked if the mayor was in his office, and with many children following close behind Flatbottom we trundled down the main street and stopped at the steps of the Baz town hall. I patted Flatbottom and asked him to wait there, then climbed the steps with a combination of the physical vigor I felt and the troubled determination of the task I was about to do; and as I walked through the door the mayor’s assistant was there sorting papers, and she didn’t recognize me for my uniform and greeted me with all the grace befitting the commander of the Skybax instead. I asked her if she recognized me and as I told her my name, she told me that I would get into trouble if I walked around impersonating a Skybax commander; so I had to reiterated that I was indeed the commander, and briefly explained to her the situation leading to becoming it. She asked me my purpose here and I said it was for a visit, and when I told her why I was at the town hall she told me that the mayor was in charge of property transfers; and bellowed for him to come to the front, he shuffling in with a double armload of scrolls. I helped him place them on the desk, and when his eyes went from the task to me his eyes lit up with recognition and shock; and asked me what I was doing here, and in that uniform as well! I briefly repeated what I told his Partner, and then went on to tell him the reason for my visit here; saying that I wanted to turn over my shipping company to my business partner Ricky, admitting that I didn’t know how long I would remain Skybax commander and that it wouldn’t be fair to him if I take my share of profits and not share the work. He said that was a noble gesture as he searched for the proper forms, asking if I wanted to give him the entire property; but I just said the business only, saying that I may need a place for my retirement. He chuckled and came over with several papers, one was a resignation form for the Baz business guild and their copies; and many more releasing holdings in town and it’s copies, and lastly a transfer form of business that I needed Ricky to sign as the benefactor - as well as it’s copies. I spent the time signing and writing a brief deposition on the appropriate ones, the squat Protoceratops filing the copies in their places while leaving the copies I was to have on the desk; and pretty soon the mayor said I was done, congratulating me on my new and exciting career and shaking my hand as I rose to leave. Flatbottom and I rode out of town, not the way back to my property (Now greatly reduced as I no longer owned the Akin-Bak shipping company.); but down the road that led to the Baz hatchery, for I was sure that by now Jake Forsythe had told his wife Anna that I was back in town and I wanted to see her. Once there I went inside after asking my friend Flatbottom to wait outside, and saw that even though there was little activity inside; the workers there were still hard at work doing the various maintenance jobs necessary to keep the place in shape, and milled past these workers in concentrated search for Anna. I met healer Squibb first, and he first told me that no civilians were to enter here; and then his birdlike head tilted as he saw who I was, chortling at the unexpected pleasure of seeing me as he pumped my hand. After a brief chat on what I was doing these past months and the goings on at the hatchery, I asked him where Anna Forsythe was; and he said that she was here, in her room in the upper lofts. I was confused as she lived with her family down the road, but when I saw her there in her bed I rushed in to her side; and when she woke and turned at the sound, her rheumy eyes lit up and stretched her arms toward me. I asked her what was wrong and she said everything could not be better, and as she got up to a sitting position I could see the reason why; for she had the abdominal lump that told of her advanced pregnancy, she saying that she was almost at the third trimester in it! I congratulated her with a kiss and called Jake an old dog for he was the culprit, then began telling her of my exploits at Canyon City; and chatted of this and that for the longest time, me asking many times how Tom and Sally her children were doing. I found that Tom was vying to go into the Saurian guard by training in gymnastics and other physical endeavors, and Sally’s exceptional grades qualified her to enter governmental administration when she was finished with school; not to mention that she was suspected of her mother to have a boyfriend she was seeing, and at length Anna Forsythe invited me to feel her belly as pregnant women sometimes do. I complied by placing my hand there, saying to the unborn fetus that I would see her (Anna told me, for mothers always know!) in a few months in a sweet way; and as I heard Flatbottom’s bellow from out front, I gave Anna a loving kiss and rose - waving and saying good bye as I reluctantly retreated. We made it back to four Rosepetal lane late that afternoon, and after I took the saddle of Flatbottom’s back and led him into his stall; I went in search of Ricky Troodont, finding him inside the mansion in the kitchen. His whole family was there, and he was telling them of how he was going to run the shipping company and other things concerning the house and property; and I just let him talk until he saw me as he turned, smiling at his startlement. I held up several scrolls and said that everything was all set in town, and asked him to meet me in the library a minute; and when we were there he examined the paperwork carefully before asking me how it went, me saying that in the outside world beaurocracy would have held the transaction up for months. By this time Ricky had finished reading the first few scrolls, and figured out the proper places to put his mark on them; and as he began rolling them up and slipping the seals back on I told him that now everything was official, and that he was to deliver those scrolls to the town hall at his convenience to have them notarized. Then I took his hand and shook it vigorously, repeatedly congratulating him on being an official business owner; and as he retracted his clawed hand and rubbing it (I had shaken it rather hard, and apologized!), he told me that Natalie was preparing a wonderful dinner for me and my wingmen this evening - a going away meal as he had gotten a Postal Bird asking why I was late inspecting the Skybax aeries in the Northern Plains! My eyes widened as I realized that duty came first, and at the meal I told Gobels and Columbus that we were to leave early tomorrow morning; and in the morning there were plenty of tears and well wishing as we prepared and mounted our Skybax steeds, me reluctantly giving the order to at last take to the wing… ----------------------------------------------------
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Post by thundertail on Sept 27, 2011 17:52:17 GMT -5
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THIRTY-FOUR:
“THE RETURN TO MY NEW HOME AND MY ACCEPTED FATE”
---------------------------------------------------- I flew in silence toward our next destination, sullen in the decision I had made about the Akin-Bak shipping company; but I was sure I had left the place in great company, for Ricky was a top-notch shipper and a trusted friend. Our next stop was in Bonabba, not exactly an official Skybax aerie; but the roosts there were kept up by the Earthfarmers there for the frequent stops the Skybax made while in the area, and another reason was I wished to see matriarch Maryanne Talbert while I was in the area - for she was the leader there among her other duties and I was sure to find her there. We swooped across the fields and plains there at full speed, lower than treetop level when the mood hit us and rising above that to avoid the plentiful Bracheosaur workers there when they were out in the fields; and in the great distance the tall barns and other structures were steered for, off to one side stood a great wooden building with a large Sunstone shining atop it - which would no doubt be the Romano Hatchery the largest hatchery on the island! We landed in a clear spot near a barn complex that showed the most amount of activity, many medium sized quadruped saurians slowly scrambling out of the way while a few human or smaller biped dinosaurs rushed in to tend to our Skybax, Crosswind screeching at them to let them alone. Still with my helmet on I dismounted and walked up to them and asked if the Matriarch was around, then bashfully removed the helmet and smiled at them; and as one of them scurried off to fetch her, I explained that the Skybax were not exactly a tame bird and their pilots would tend to them. I looked around at the productivity of the bustling workers and smiled, thinking that the Matriarch sure ran a tight ship; then I told Columbus and Gobels to take our birds to the roosts after inspecting Crosswind, Zephyr and Cumulus - for we had ridden through a huge insect swarm crossing over some foothills back there and all of us were stained with their carcasses! As I began to walk away I caught Crosswind’s comment of them tasting yummy and chuckled (She had her beak open through the swarm for some reason and now I knew why!), then almost ran into a knot of Stenochysaurs rushing to a cart in the distance with crude pitchforks and other implements as I turned my head; my destination being the barn where all the other workers seemed to be dispatched from, and an older female human came out to regally meet me before I made it yards away from that barn. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert gratefully took me into a hug, then drew away to ask how my trip went so far; me smiling and beginning my inspection report as she escorted me inside the barn, my voice now echoing for the cavernous vastness. This barn was simply a large storehouse once full of wheat and hay by the smell, and it was large enough to store enough of this fodder to feed all the Brachs on the island for at least six months; but it was now empty save for many small piles on the floor, which were being tended to by several of the many hundreds of workers I had seen so far using pitchforks and several small pushcarts. After several moments I had finished telling her how my inspection was going so far, then stated that she was probably wondering what I was doing here; and I told her that Bonabba had some roosts for the Skybax, and she assured me that they keep those well maintained and staffed with volunteers. I told her that I knew this from reports, but the main reason was I somehow knew that she wanted to hear how I was doing in general; so I came in person to tell her, and she asked me to please go on. I told her that I had visited the mayor of Waterfall City her husband, and he had said that there were no candidates as of yet to take over for me; and she said that she had also been personally looking, and her luck was as bad as her husbands. She told me that she would redouble her efforts and I should be replaced as quickly as possible, but before she could stammer it all out I stopped her; saying that I had come to an epiphany about my fate on this island, and that to that end I had given my shipping company to my business partner. Her mouth dropped in shock and her eyes told me to continue, and I told her that the fate they had planned for me was the right fate after all; and it took all this time for me to finally realize this. I told her that it seemed that I was destined to be with the Skybax all along, for my drive to help others was silently being squelched by my shipping business; for I was helping myself almost exclusively, and this ate away my desire to be a shipper. I told her that I can help a lot more people in the Skybax corps than I could ever do by delivering their goods, and even though I would have liked to rise in the ranks of my own merit; I could probably do the greatest good being their commander, so I told her that if they never found a replacement for me it would be all right. Matriarch Maryanne Talbert gave me another small hug and told me that she had always known this to be true, but what needed to be done was to make sure that I knew it too; and told me that she knew that if I had someone on my side to help in the fate I thought I had, I would finally realize that this fate would be a false one. She smirked and told me that the only thing she didn’t know was how long it would take for me to make the realization, and I smirked too and told her that neither did I; and then she straightened her sun hat and asked me to follow her, out of the barn and into the bright sunshine. She led me down a cart path past the farm complex and down a wooded lane, the mile walk seeming like nothing as she turned toward a huge building with a Sunstone blazing atop it; and telling me that this was the Romano Hatchery the largest hatchery on the island and the fact that she was Hatchery Master there, we entered and I saw the place was three times as busy as the hatchery in Baz. Rows of nest boxes lined the center of the large space, and three of the four walls held incubation chambers; and the humans and other creatures rushing around to inspect the eggs there (The place seemed to be able to hold some three hundred eggs, and must have been at least half full of them!) not noticing us as we milled among them. The Matriarch told me that the busy season for hatching is coming up, but they were having trouble with some of the eggs due to some vitamin deficiencies in the dinosaur mothers; and that there had been a pretty severe rash of cracked eggs of late, and it was a good thing that I had invented that procedure to save them! We went into a much smaller room with a mere dozen nest boxes, and saw several human workers apply plaster to the eggs they were working on; but there were several more in the other boxes there not being tended to, and I sidled up to one egg while Maryanne took up space near another. Assistants came out of side rooms with prepared batches of plaster, and set some bowls next to some of the ones working on the eggs; but an assistant made a comment about why a Skybax pilot was doing Hatchery work, and the Matriarch told her that I had invented the procedure and knew what I was doing (Me admitting in a whisper that it had been a while since I had done anything like this!). I went to work on the Ankylosaur egg I was given, toweling the plaster along a three-axis crack with my finger; cooing to the little female in there that she would be all better soon as I wiped the excess off with a wet towel I was given, and when I was done there were three more I helped to repair. By the end of an hour I had done all the eggs I was obligated to do, and as Maryanne finished up her small clutch of cracked eggs; she escorted me out of the hatchery where Columbus came walking up the path to meet us; saluting and saying that all the birds had been cleaned up and bedded down in the roosts, then turned and led us back through the farmyard proper to an area where a series of thick wooden perches stood at differing heights for takeoffs and landings. The squat building next to it was arranged similar to one of the Skybax Stations back at Canyon City, only having a larger footprint and housing several nests big enough for all three of our birds; and Crosswind crowed greetings sleepily as she surveyed us entering, me viewing the three cots that we were to sleep in tonight and seeing Gobels already using his as he lay there quietly watching us as we entered. I only took a brief look around and pronounced that it had passed inspection, Maryanne Talbert loudly letting out a breath either in relief that their roost passed or my simplistic method of inspection; and then told us that Morningmeal would be served in the communal dining area in the worker’s quarters one hour after sunrise tomorrow, and I informed her that we would be going shortly after that. At that announcement she turned to leave us, and the gravity seemed to have left the place at her passing; so I chose a cot and sat on it; preparing to go to bed for the night by first taking off my boots, and as I turned at his question Columbus asked me if everything went all right. He told me that he noticed the troubled look on my face before coming here, and now that look was gone; so I told them both the true reason why I sought her out, Gobels rising on an elbow to hear. They said they knew that I was a Dolphinback and troubled by a great many things, but never knew that I never really wanted to be a Skybax pilot; but they both figured that since I realized that this was what I always meant to be after all, then I would make a fine commander - just as I was proving to them this whole trip. I smiled at this compliment, saying that praise like this was just what I needed; and that they make fine assistants to me, and asked them if they wanted to stay on as my assistants when we got back (Telling them it was just a request and not an order as I wanted to be as democratic as possible, but they said they would gladly do what ever I would have them do with no questions asked!). With conversation waning with our weariness, we decided to cut the chatter and get some shuteye; each blowing out our own candles and turning over in slumber, my dreams being ones of triumph and fame. At Morningmeal we ate heartily of the fruits and other fare provided, but that was after I received a rousing ovation from all the workers there and bidden to make a small speech to them; and Matriarch Maryanne Talbert made one of her own, saying how proud she was with this Dolphinback that washed ashore and now became the leader of such a great establishment. After that we got our Skybax steeds ready and prepared to take off, out birds needing to hop to the highest perches of the roost to gain enough height for takeoff as the fertile ground was too soft to make a running start; and so off we swooped toward the next leg of our journey of inspection, heading just a little further north to Irenic the first seaport along the northern coast. There were no real aeries there, but word was they needed air support for some of their shipping and I wanted to see for myself just what they were talking about; but all I could see from up in the air was many ships vying to use their narrow port, so maybe what they meant was they were nervous about sea pirates or something! All I could see from there was that the cliffs above the town held small ledges, and those could be used for future Skybax roosts if necessary; and told my wingmen that I would make the suggestion when we got back, and then took an easterly direction down the northern coast of Dinotopia. After many days of flight and roosting at the many towns along the way, we find ourselves over the lands controlled by the Pirates; and as we discover the only probable place for them (A citadel perched on a tall cliff.), we fly low enough over it several times to make sure they know we now patrol this region from the air! At last we landed in the aerie in the sea port city of Azonthas, and after we do a quick inspection and I describe the new safety equipment to them and all other business we intended for them; the mayor of Azonthas invites us all on a grand tour of the city, as he had heard of the new commander of the Skybax and wanted to honor me with his grand presence. We stayed there for three days before his opulence overpowers us and wears us out, and I beg leave by saying that our duty is on a pretty tight schedule; and we must be on our way so we can be back before Harvest begins, and as he lets us we go to the aerie to prepare our birds and leave Azonthas. From there we take a more southerly direction, over forest great and strong with little room for our flying steeds to land; and then a grand clearing emerges where roosts on every tree able to support them becomes visible in the distance, and when we land we find by the sign that we had arrived at the aeries of Treetown. Their great heights reminds us of the chasms of the Canyon City is perched atop, so we traverse the trees with relative ease after we have the Skybax attendants take care of Crosswind, Zephyr and Cumulus; right to the commander’s office in one of the larger buildings in some of the thickest trees I had seen since I had been here tending my Dolphinback Reunion so long ago. The female commander seemed as old than me but not much more, but her light brown salt-and-pepper short-cropped hair and somewhat raspy voice told me that she was a lot older than me; but she greeted me with cordiality befitting a new commander without being overly showy, and this impressed me about her more than the impeccable way her aerie was run. I told her that I was on an inspection tour and inspect things fast, saying I already decided that her aerie passes with flying colors; and then I told her about the new safety equipment I had developed, and though she said that the Para-suit was a thing unheard of in Dinotopia - the Para-sail was simply an improvement on the parachute concept. I praised her on her astuteness about these devices, then told her that there would be training for them going on in Canyon City and soon Ebulon; and there would be transfer requests for her troops as new cadets are rotated through her ranks, and at this she said that she would inform her troops. At this point she rose and insisted to show me and my wingmen their aerie, and after that she led us around Treetown proper in a grand tour; her lithe acrobatics negotiating through the rope walkways and sheer heights denied the fact that she was much older than I, and more so testifying that Treetown was her home town! With the circuit of the town completed, the commander of the Treetown aerie led us to the mayor’s council chambers high atop four of the largest trees in the forest; and from there I made yet another small speech before the commander led us back to the aerie proper, and there we bedded down for the night. The early morning air brought mists through the forest, and Gobels, Columbus and I took off amid it nearly flying blind; and as we cleared the treetops high above our vision became clearer, and we saw the beauty of Deep Lake shining like a sapphire in the near distance. We headed for it as the twin cities of Cornucopia and Bent Root lay just at it’s nearer shore, and made it there before mid day; to a well needed roost that was on a boxy citadel at Prosperine; and the outskirts of Bent Root nearer the lake lay just at it’s borders, but while I was viewing this spectacle a skinny man of African descent and sideburns rushed up to greet us. This commander bore no resemblance of sergeant Hitch save for his race, and his higher nasally voice told of his relative youth; so I saluted back and told him who I was and the fact that I was on an inspection tour, and that I wished to introduce some new safety equipment of my own design for them to witness and request to train on. He bowed and agreed to everything I said, then led me down to the pilot’s quarters and his offices while I told Columbus and Gobels to tend to our birds; then this commander told me that their aerie patrols both Prosperine as well as Bent Root, but admitted there was not much going on around here to warrant constant patrols. I said the safety of travelers through these parts as it was so close to the Rainy Basin was most important, and they should take the post seriously because of it; so he just bowed again and said they would redouble their efforts as tourist season would soon start, and I just smiled and told him that this would be well. After this he was just about to rise and give me a tour of the place when Columbus entered and said the birds were secure, and that an aide had just assigned us our Stations; so I acknowledged this and followed the commander out into his rather small base, where I had him rally all of his pilots not currently out on patrol. To keep them all on their toes, I gave each pilot a close visual scrutiny before going on to the next in line; and when I was done I gave a speech concerning me and my new post, and the particulars about my safety equipment before turning and going to Crosswind to prepare for a demonstration. As Gobels and Columbus followed me up in the air, we did several fancy maneuvers as we rose to a safe height for deployment; and the pilots below gasped and smiled as our Para-suits floated us back into our bird’s saddles, and watched in awe as our Para-sails unfurled and we made pinpoint landings within their midst. I then announced that there would be transfers to Canyon City for more extensive training in them for all, done on a rotational basis as replacement pilots and birds became available; and then passed out two transfer copies that I told the commander they may copy for submission as desired, and lastly bid them a farewell as our inspection tour was on a tight schedule. Crosswind, Cumulus and Zephyr took off shortly after that with us on their backs, and we made a curving course roughly south over the Backbone mountains; then quickly swerved east once again as the stone ramparts of Rocky Pass became visible, and then I told my wingmen that we were going roughly northeast for a spell. When asked I told them that there was one city there that needed my assurances, and that the seaport city of Prosperine was badly hit by the goings on of the former commander of the Skybax and his minions; and that they needed to be reassured that this business would never happen again, for I was now their commander and their new protector against nefarious activities. Nodding at the nobility of the mission, Gobels and Columbus tightened up the formation and followed my lead; heading over wasteland and poorly conditioned farms and cropland below, getting waves from the farmers in their fields if we flew in low enough to be spotted. Three days later and having stops twice for rest, we saw the encroaching eastern sea and the clods of trade ships littering a ring of sea around a great stone city; and Crosswind cried out as she knew that rest was near, in some of the best aeries this side of Canyon City! We circled the city twice, my wingmen suggesting we demonstrate what my safety equipment could do; but I thought otherwise as to not startle those below without explanation, and we zeroed in on the large facility that was the Prosperine Skybax aerie. Their efficient manner as they collected our steeds when landing showed that word had gotten out of the new command, and for some reason they had a foreknowledge of our arrival; but I surmised that the commander her was no doubt in on commander Nemo’s schemes, and wanted to show that they were still the hallmark of Skybax proficiency to make him or her look innocent! I saluted the older blonde-headed man that greeted us, saying that he was co-commander Franz and would escort us to commander Wyatt’s office immediately; but I told him to belay that and asked if we could tour the base by ourselves, and since I outranked him he could not refuse me the request! As Franz offered to show us around I told him he could inform the commander of our arrival, and once he was gone I had Gobels check the outbuildings and other places for anything suspicious; then turned to Columbus and told him to find where they keep the records and go through them to find anything suspicious, and when they were gone I decided to poke around the pilot stations and stables and mess room. Just then a diminutive Dromeosaur came up to me as I was thinking of grabbing a snack there and saluted me in the Skybax manner, but the most remarkable thing about this creature was the fact that he was wearing the form-fitted uniform of a Skybax commander; apologizing for not greeting me personally when I arrived before stating that his name was commander Chicope, and I told him that it was all right as I saluted back and tried to hide my surprise at this revelation - for I did not know they indoctrinated dinosaurs as pilots! I told him who I was and the fact that I was the new commander of the Skybax corps, then told him of my inspection as I grabbed a plate and began filling it with a salad of sorts, apologizing for my rudeness but it was a long and hungry trip; and he said that it was all right and to help myself; and that Midmeal for the troops would start any time now anyway, then he slowly inquired what had become of commander Nemo. I told him as I ate that he was found guilty of nefarious activity and piracy, and he and many of his cohorts were drummed out of the corps by the Dinotopian council; and when asked I told him I was appointed in his place and bidden to reform the corps so this would not happen again as I ate, and just then Columbus and Gobels came into the mess hall and informed me that our birds were taken care of and they were nearly done with the completion of my orders - but I simply told them they were free to come have Midmeal with us. After they got their meals and sat, I told commander Chicope that I had invented a few pieces of safety equipment to aid in saving the pilot’s lives and would demonstrate them for the troops shortly after inspection, and he bid me to tell him more and I did so as he listened raptly; and then said that he would definitely like to see how they work and I told him they all would see soon enough, then requested that he rally all his troops after Midmeal so I could address them all personally - which was gladly granted. Soon many of the crewmen and women began showing up at the mess hall by ones and twos, and as many of them noticed me they stiffened and saluted; but I just saluted back and told them at ease, saying I like to run things rather informally. All ate in near silence, and when they were done immediately began to leave, but commander Chicope informed them as they left to rally in the parade area as their duties permitted; and as the last of them began to leave, I took it as our cue to leave as well. Commander Chicope led us to the parade area, where many rows of troops were already forming; being bidden to do so at the forced direction of their various sergeants, and when all were in order their commander paced as he began his introduction of us and our purpose here. After this I stood front and center and shook his saurian hand before beginning my speech, saying that my inspection of their base paled in the light of the new safety equipment we bring; and told them there would be a brief demonstration afterwards, bus then said that there was another reason for me being here. I told them that there had been a recent change of command in the upper echelons of the Skybax corps, and the reason for this was because there were certain ones that were bent on profiteering from their position; and then said that these people have been found out and dealt with, and I assured them that such a thing would never happen again as long as I remained in command. I told them that these profiteering raids were staged from this base if not by the personnel of this base, and that there would be stricter scrutiny of this base from now on; but I assured them that none of those present were implicated in this scandal as all were brought to justice, and that simply this area was the area where the most complaints had come from. I smiled and told them that without further delay that our demonstration would now commence, and we three mounted our steeds and took to the air; and even though the usual demonstration seemed rather old to us, the pilots in Prosperine were profoundly impressed and entertained! After the usual formalities of inspection shortly thereafter, Gobels, Columbus and I graciously bid our good byes to the pilots of Prosperine; but I found myself asking commander Chicope how one of his kind ever got into the Skybax corps, and he said simply that he was trapped in the canyon one day and saved his former steed who had a broken wing - becoming best friends and Partners ever since. The then commander told him that since he had a perfect relationship with a Skybax already, he could try out for the corps; and since his saurian stature was more enduring than a human, he naturally aced all the training, and thusly he grew in the ranks to become commander of this base. I thanked him for the information and told him that we could actually become close friends despite the difference in rank (A thing he smiled at as he saluted my takeoff!), and then boarded Crosswind and followed my wingmen up into the sky; then we circled the base at prospering twice before settling on a course, and that course was home because quite frankly we all were weary of the trip! The remaining miles slipped by our wing tips as the fringes of the Amu canyon were detected in the converging river system below, digging deeper into the earth until the raging river was a thin ribbon in the canyon deep below; and as cliffs and arroyos sprouted up from it we saw the beginnings of life fluttering about the sides of the ever widening canyon in the distance, and at last the carved natural spire domes of the saurian city of Pteros could be seen - where the heaviest concentration of flying creatures seemed congregated. As we drew near Pteros many patrols of Pterosaurs began to file out of their patterns to match out course, only to pull away as their airspace territories were reached; and as we came parallel to the avian city a whole platoon of these flyers came out in formation, framing a lone Skybax of some importance by his position within that flock. As the grouping got closer it fanned out and flanked us, effectively surrounding us but otherwise making no hostile maneuvers; within this mass the important one flew near and matched the speed Crosswind was managing, and through my communion with my steed I found out that this was Altair the leader of Pteros. He related that he was quite pleased with my position within the Skybax corps, and blessed my command with all the goodwill Pteros could offer; and chortled that he had always thought I had it in me to be the leader of the Skybax, contrary to what he said at our first meeting so long ago (He indicated that the mayor was effectively scraping the bottom of the barrel if he was sending me into the Skybax corps, back when I was fully resisting being trained my first tenure at Canyon City!). I thanked him and told him that I would do my best, and wished him a long life and a peaceful leadership before he tore off back home all of a sudden; and his entourage gradually fell off our course by the layer, and soon we had to make the rest of the journey to Canyon City alone. For what seemed like the first time in a million years, our Skybax’s feet finally touched down on the landing pads of the Canyon City Skybax training facility; and we wearily slid off their backs as they trudged off to their awaiting roosts, and as we saluted the ground crew that tended us all three of us gave ourselves a communal high-five!… ----------------------------------------------------
Some love is just a lie of the heart The cold remains of what began with a passionate start And they may not want it to end But it will it's just a question of when I've lived long enough to have learned The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned But that won't happen to us Because it's always been a matter of trust I know you're an emotional girl It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world I can't offer you proof But you're going to face a moment of truth It's hard when you're always afraid You just recover when another belief is betrayed So break my heart of you must It's a matter of trust You can't go the distance With too much resistance I know you have doubts But for God's sake don't shut me out This time you've got nothing to lose You can take it, you can leave it Whatever you choose I won't hold back anything And I'll walk a way a fool or a king Some love is just a lie of the mind It's make believe until its only a matter of time And some might have learned to adjust But then it never was a matter of trust I'm sure you're aware love We've both had our share of Believing too long When the whole situation was wrong Some love is just a lie of the soul A constant battle for the ultimate state of control After you've heard lie upon lie There can hardly be a question of why Some love is just a lie of the heart The cold remains of what began with a passionate start But that can't happen to us Because it's always been a matter of trust ~ Billy Joel ‘Matter of trust’. ~ ---------------------------------------------------- Crosswind, Zephyr and Cumulus touched down on separate landing pads on the cliffs that housed the Canyon City Skybax training facility, panting yet squawking happily that they were home; and Columbus, Gobels and I patted their beaks after dismounting to calm them and thank them for the wonderful ride they gave us. After that we walked toward the buildings of the base as the ground crews came to tend to our steeds (I told them to feed them and wash them, and they should be given at least a week’s time off for their labors.), we then smiled at each other and gave each other a communal high-five; and after that I told them that they had done an admirable job of being my wingmen, then halted their progress to tell them something. I said that they had done such a remarkable job that they deserved a promotion; and should be next in command after sub-commander DuHame and myself (lieutenant commanders, as the next highest ranks in the corps were placed.), and as I told them I would put in the paperwork for them they preened and thanked me. As we continued walking I also told them that I would need to delegate tasks better in the corps, and especially around the base; so I suggested that one could be in charge of the ground personnel and maintenance and the other could be in charge of administration and other ancillary operations, and when they said that they would do anything as ordered I told them that it was up to them if they wanted it and that I like to keep things as democratic as possible. Gobels and Columbus looked at each other and back to me; then said in their own way that they needed time to think of it; so I smiled and told them to take their time, then said as I turned that all of us deserves a week off; a thing that both of them agreed upon, and with that I turned and ran to my office deep within the administration building. I walked past many secretaries at their desks, and saluted back at them as they continued on with their work; then turned into the portal of my office, and what met my eyes was a dreary sight indeed. Sally had obviously had the office rearranged since I had been there last, for the file cabinets and shelving had been put in different spots and the desk now faced away from the door; perhaps so the person sitting would get a commanding view of the canyon from the spacious windows, and perhaps she did this to cheer the place up. She sat hunched over the desk toiling over the stack of paperwork at her side, dipping stylus and pausing momentarily to think; so I quietly placed my helmet on a table near the door before quietly coming over to her chair, then smiled as I hovered near her back. I hadn’t meant to do this, but her drudgery bade me to wish to give her relief; so I raised my hands and placed them gently on her shoulders, administering a light massage on her neck and shoulders. At first she recoiled slightly at the touch, but her relief from stress was evident in how she melted into the administration; as she moaned under the massage she asked me how my trip went, and as I stopped to tell her she rose and embraced me in an unexpected kiss! As I pulled away I nervously begin to tell her the beginnings of my trip of well over two months, but then stopped to ask her about the goings on around here; and she simply sighed and told me that it was a complete mad-house, for on top of the facilitation of training the cadets there were countless transfers to process as well as a million other things. I jokingly said that I thought I had it bad and took the commander’s seat, then asked her which document she was working on and began to endorse form after form; and with the help of Sally DuHame collating all the papers into their files, we both got done with that mountain of papers nearly two hours later. Sally had made us both cups of hot Jinka tea for refreshments shortly before we finished, and as all the paperwork was done we began to chat a little; me telling her she did a great job rearranging the office and that the place needed a woman’s touch, and as I handed her the last paper her hand locked on mine as she stared raptly at me. I smiled at her as she drew near and I pulled away abruptly, then I apologized my grubby appearance and the smell of Skybax and saddle; but she said that it was OK as it became me, and drew me to my feet and led me out of the office. I did not notice as we walked past the secretaries still on duty that Sally DuHame and I were holding hands as we walked, so I unclasped them as we went by; and Sally asked if I liked to hold hands as we left the administration area, and I told her yes and sort of. However, I told her that it wouldn’t seem right if we did things like that in front of the troops; but at this she simply laughed and told me that the whole base knew how she felt about me as she mentioned it to many of the female staff, jokingly saying that I knew how females liked to talk! I nodded at this and grasped her hand again, and then she stated that the only thing she didn’t know was how I felt about her; so I said that she was a sweet girl and a treasure ever since we washed ashore together, so full of wonder about Dinotopia and eager to learn everything about it. I told her that I was just too busy all the time to really concentrate on the fact, and after the incident my first time in the Skybax where she tried to convince me to join under the ruse of romance; I thought her concerns were more to them than me, but she said that she agreed to do that because she really wanted me to train with her because she liked me and we could have been a great team. I blanched and told her that I really didn’t see it that way at the time, and that I should have known better; but she just leaned into me and laughed, turning us both down a passage between buildings. I thought she was taking me to my quarters so I could get cleaned up and get some rest like I so desperately wanted to do, but instead sub-commander DuHame led me down through other passages; out and across lanes just as dusk was closing in, and eventually I found myself being led right to the mess hall. She explained that she thought I might like to eat first, and that I probably hadn’t eaten since my last landing and I nodded (She told me that she knew all about my trying to starve myself out of the Skybax the first time I was here, and told me she would have none of that as she scolded playfully!); so I gave her a light kiss on the cheek, leading the familiar way to the base’s eatery. The lamps were not lit in this shadowy area of the base, and I ignited the Sunstone lamps using a large lever in a near wall inside lit the whole place; but what met my eyes was a whole room full of cadets and pilots and other officials in town, along with many of the friends I had made during my time on Dinotopia! Like a birthday party they all yelled surprise, and as they flooded over me in congratulations; I met and chatted with most of them in surprised nervousness, and after all the greeting was done the mayor of Waterfall City (Whom arranged the whole thing, he told me!) asked me what changes I would make to the corps - I said that my safety equipment was a big change but could not think of any other improvements at this time. He noticed Sally still close to me and asked me if there was anything going on between us two, and to tell the truth as he had heard all the rumors; so I looked at Sally and back at him nervously, telling him that we had been so busy with things here there hasn’t been much time - but I assumed we’d work things out one way or another sooner or later! As he laughed I mentioned the promotions and the fact that many of the pilots at the other aeries would be coming for training in the Skybax corps, and that I suggested retirement for the older pilots as well as other rank changes to facilitate efficiency among the other cities; and after being led to the buffet table set up by the cook and his staff (I sampled many of his fare as I was practically starving and didn’t know it!), I then mingled for a time throughout the mess hall, meeting friends I met here old and new. I was bidden to make a speech to them all; but not an official one as they wished my personal opinions about what I had at last become, and though haltingly at first I poured my heart out to them and ended up by telling them all how much I loved them. At length the welcome home party faded to a close, and we all hung on each other for hours after that; and many of the personnel on base scrambled to afford our guests accommodations for the night, and since I wanted the mayor to have the best bed on base (Mine, of course!) I took to sleeping in my old pilot Station on the canyon rim. Many of the guests had left the base early the next morning, off to this or that private errand in other towns; so only a few were present to witness my first official address of the troops since I had been back, and at this meeting I announced the promotions of Gobels and Columbus and their steeds - as well as the fact of the promotions of at least a dozen other pilots and cadets to higher ranks and special duties. From there I witnessed the first of the morning’s flights in the canyon, glad to see some of the more astute parachutists practice with my safety equipment; and then when enough of them demonstrated their prowess in the sky, I walked toward the Sktybax roosts to visit Crosswind - my co-commander many paces behind my wake. As I made it through the cordon of salutes along the way I saw Crosswind there just getting up, and her chest plumage looked like my hair in the morning (I told her!); and grabbed a slicker from a grooming shelf and began to straighten the mess, she chortling in pleasure at the service as I asked her how she was resting. Sally then commented on how I loved my Skybax and on the saddle that was Emil Fergusson’s and how I certainly improved since I first came to the Skybax, grabbing a towel to help wipe Crosswind’s sleep stiffened wings (The bird was apprehensive at first, but finally allowed the service.); then asked about all the things I told the commanders and pilots at the other Skybax outposts, about how I planned to uphold all the claims - of which I told her that they will be dealt with in due time and as they present themselves. I said their transfers here would only take place when replacements could be commissioned to their bases, and the older pilots could retire if they wished only when replacements were ready to be transferred there; and that the safety equipment would be transported there only when there are sufficient amounts to be shipped, and that those places that can make them for themselves would be given copies of the blueprints and sufficient material to make them when said materials become available. Then Crosswind nibbled my hair for attention and I stroked her neck with the slicker, and then I smiled at Sally and told her that all this would be bogus if I didn’t have her here to help me out; and at that she came around and kissed me right in front of my bird, the latter chortling knowingly as I gladly returned it! Weeks of tedious leadership later one of the drill sergeants fell ill and I volunteered to be their leader at the cadet’s first day of training, so I had the squad form up on a spit if ledge just below the parade grounds with nothing but sky and raw canyon to be amid; and after roll was called I greeted them as commander of all the Skybax and the reason why I was leading them instead of their instructor, saying after that that this course was about fear - and how it was so important to listen to it. Just then Crosswind swooped up from out of nowhere and landed at the edge of the ledge (I had told her to do so to startle the cadets!), and many of the troops scattered but quickly reformed their lines; and I told them that they had better get used to these fine creatures, as they would be with us for the rest of their lives. Crosswind flapped and hissed at them all, sticking her beak in the faces of many; then wheeled and flew back down and out of sight, only to swoop back up and strafe the cadets mere feet above their heads! I jokingly said that she has a mind of her own sometimes as I shrugged, then told them all to stand right at the edge of the cliff and look down; then asked them all what they saw, and a skinny lad with a squeaky voice blurted ‘death!’. I said he was correct, then asked them all what Terminal Velocity was; and a red haired girl said it was the speed of a falling object; so I told Red she was correct, and that the formula was sixteen feet per second per second, then asked them how deep the canyon was. When nobody answered I told them it was nearly three to four miles deep in some places, and asked them to use the formula to calculate how fast one would be going when they hit bottom; then told them when nobody knew that they would be going more than four hundred miles an hour when they hit, and that meant that there would not even be enough of them left for the Pteranodons below to scrape off the rocks - and as they made noises of disgust, I sweetly told them to please be careful! I trained them for the rest of the day, having them climb all up and down the canyon faces to let them experience the great heights; and then take them to the area where I tell them Gideon Altair first established the Skybax corps, handing Red the chisel and small hammer I had brought with me. As I instruct them that they may inscribe their names near the periphery of the main concentration of chiseled names, Red said that she had looked at most of the names there and did not see my name etched here; and I told them all that my first tenure here I shamed the Skybax corps and did not deserve to have my name here, so thusly my instructor denied me the privilege. Many of them defended me by saying that I had honored the Skybax corps with my ingenuity, and I wouldn’t have gotten to the rank of commander of all Skybax if I hadn’t deserved to be one; and Red said that of all I did for the corps I had the right to have my name here, so I gave in and asked the last one chiseling to hand it over! It was only until after I put my initials in a stylized way upon the cliff face that I really felt like a part of the Skybax corps, and spent the rest of the day training them on the Skybax simulator with renewed vigor; and I gave it my all as I described how to properly bank and turn and lean into them so you do not become unbalanced, and many times during my instruction Sally DuHame peeked in - smiling as she left for my renewed enthusiasm! At least a month later a commotion was seen by patrols down below the level of the Sentinel Statues, where per treaty; the Pteranodons below can not go above and the Skybax can not go below, for a battle of sorts is taking place down there with dozens of Pteranodons harassing two of the larger ones. I rushed out to see what was going on and gave orders for a squadron to mount up and I joined them along with Sally and her steed, and off we went to circle above them to see just what’s going on; the two grey Pteranodons were being chased through the sky by the smaller black ones, and suddenly the pair rose higher and higher dangerously close to the boundary for comfort! The squadron tried to lead the two back down while the smaller Pteranodons hung back to circle from below, but the two grey ones broke away from us and broke the treaty completely by soaring above the Sentinel Statues; and we tried to chase them off, around arroyos and past cliffs and inches from the statues; but the Sunstone deterrents the statues have for eyes did little to halt them, and they gave us the slip as they landed just behind the statues! I signaled the others to hang back while Crosswind and I landed near by, making our way cautiously to where the pair squatted seeming to wait for us; and I had Crosswind ask in their own language what this is all about, and though I could not follow the cacophony of voices I knew they were pleading their case. Through Communion with Crosswind I found out that these two had been caught practicing the ‘sin’ of eating the plants down there, and their size and coloration further marked them as outsiders to their flock and different than their brethren; and they were sentenced by their leaders to be killed by their kin, and they couldn’t stand for that because the female was about to have her eggs! I nodded and said that I understood and told them through Crosswind that I was the leader of the Skybax corps, and this was a matter best suited for the council of Pteros to decide their fate and that they had indeed broken treaty and gone past the Sentinel Statues and might be punished for it, but if they liked I could give them Sanctuary until their case is decided. I congratulated them for their impending offspring, and that a nest can be provided for that purpose; and that I was glad they practiced the eating habits of the Skybax, and food would be provided if they were hungry. I told them that after they were rested here, they should follow the squadron of Skybax back to the base; and warned them not to make any trouble as we were more formidable than their kin below, then smiled weakly and said this was merely a formality as they nodded their crested heads! As the two took off preceding Crosswind and I, I signal the squadron to escort them back to base; but as we were half way there the Pteranodons down below break treaty and engage us from below, and all our forces scatter! I quickly signal Sally’s trio escort the two grey Patranodons across to the base and safety, and order the rest of us to counterattack the horde of Pteranodons that were now more than a hundred and fifty strong; and moments later a great aerial dogfight ensues within the confines of the Amu canyon, alerting many other pilots at the base to take to the wing! The standard procedure for fighting Pteranodons from the air is for the Skybax to out-fly them, but there are so many of them against us few there seemed little chance for success; but it was when one of the flying beasts collided with Crosswind and unseated me in my saddle that I came up with an idea, and went into a dive with my Para-suit right into the Pteranodon below me like a human cannon ball! As I hit him dead center I knocked this one out of the sky and slowed my fall using the winglets of the suit, then I spun around and grabbed the wing of the next one to try and strafe me; sending us both pirouetting about so swiftly it unseats both of us, and then I suddenly let go and send that Pteranodon into the one that was following us like a Kung-Fu toss! Just then Crosswind cane by and I get back into the saddle, telling her that I got an idea; and have her gain as much altitude as she could, dozens of other Pteranodons ascending below us and giving chase! At the apex of Crosswind’s climb I tear away backwards and plummet into their midst, grabbing the first one trying to skewer me with his bill by it and reaching over to his crest; then I spin in midair and twist; effectively breaking the Pteranodon’s neck as I flip over the body and landing on the back of the one directly behind that one, and I reached back and pulled his head back until the neck snapped on this one too! Crosswind picked me up just about then once more, and I had her circle around to view the rest of the battle; and saw to my shock and pride that many of the other pilots had seen what I did, and were in the middle of many freefall maneuvers of their own! I jumped off twice more during the battle, and I didn’t know whether or not my Kung Fu skills could be used in freefall; but it proved very useful as I defeated at least a dozen more of my bat-winged foe, and I noticed that absolutely none of my pilots had been killed during it all thanks to my safety equipment! By this time the remainder of the Pteranodons attacking us found our tactics too formidable for them, and by ones and in groups began to disperse far down into the abyss of the canyon; and as all the Skybax currently engaged in it began to let out cheers and Skybax cries of victory, and I circled about to rally them all back to base. When it was my turn to land I slid off Crosswind’s back and staggered painfully into their midst, noticing the many injured and bruised bodies of these brave pilots; and despite this they all cheered me and congratulated themselves with much noise, the more injured of the group beginning to be tended to by their peers. I silenced them and told them that we had beaten them this time, and they would certainly think twice before trying that again; but it was stupid of us for beating them that way, for my safety equipment was meant to save their lives - not to be used in battle like that! I turned and told them to tend to their wounds and take a rest, then turned just as Sally DuHame came rushing over (She had seen the whole battle and was amazed!) grasped me in her arms; but I recoiled and winced at her touched, saying I was battered and bruised and I hurt all over! She asked if I was all right and I said I would heal, then she helped me to where the two grey Pteranodons were; and they both seemed to have seen the battle as well and crowed their approval at our skill; I stated that they should get a nest as I saw how heavy the female was with her eggs, and Crosswind hobbled over (Her leg was hurt when that first Pteranodon ran into her!) and squawked as she pointed to her nest on an arroyo just across from the base. I mimed that they should follow her over as I touched the females belly where eggs looked prominent through the skin, and they seemed to understand as first the female took to the wing following Crosswind’s lead; then the male took off behind them, me ducking as he swooped just over my head. I turned to see Sally there with a worried look on her face, and said I would be fine after I said I had one more thing to do; having her guide me to my office; and once there I took my silver and gold Postal Bird whistle and blew it, then finished the tiny note I composed just as the Postal Bird arrived. I told the creature to take the note to Pteros, to their leader Altair the Skybax and the bird bowed; asking what the note entailed and that she saw the battle in the canyon this morning, and I said it was about that plus a few more things - and that we would appreciate his visit at his earliest convenience. Postal Bird 77 flapped out the window and toward her lofty destination. When I was sure the bird was gone, I told sally that there was one more thing she could do for me; and I slowly got up from my desk wincing in pain, and asked her if she would please help me to the infirmary! She complied and I saw that many of the pilots were already there, the more serious cases (Dozens of sprained wrists and torn ankles, and one pilot had a mild concussion; but all the rest there were like me, just bruises and scratches and severe muscle fatigue.) were being treated by the two healers there while their assistants were patching up the minor cases. The healer saw me and told me not to pull such a crazy stunt again after examining me, and I told him that it wasn’t my intention at all; that it just happened, and he simply gave me a powder to relieve my pain before discharging me. Long story short, I slept for the rest of the day and all of the next before waking the next morning; and I felt much better but I could sense that something new was about to take place, and found out just what it was when a huge Skybax in a fine sash landed on the main landing platform right in front of the troops I was performing roll call on! The giant creature was instantly recognizable to me as Altair, the leader of all Skybax in Pteros; but who I did not recognize was the diminutive human that dismounted him, an ancient man in robes and iron chain about his neck - thin grizzled beard framing his hawkish face. This man purposefully walked p to me and introduced himself as Phineas Sift, saying he was sir Altair’s Partner and interpreter; claiming he spoke fluent Skybaxian and would relate things to his friend when prudent, then turned to the giant bird and squawked out a string of dialect that Altair replied to. Phineas told me to summon my steed and Altair would chat with her, and when I did he asked me to accompany him to my office; and when I did he gestured to his friend that everything would be in order, Crosswind bowing to her superior before nervously squawking greeting. In my office I was bidden to sit while mister Sift took a chair, then smiled before asking me what exactly transpired a few days ago; me beginning by telling him about the pair of large Pteranodons that escaped their peers, and the fact that they requested Sanctuary with us for the sake of their impending offspring. Phineas asked me where these two were now, and I said that they are now in my steed’s nest; in the arroyo just across from the main base, and he nodded. I said that I told them I would naturally provide the Sanctuary they needed, especially when they informed me through my steed that they no longer eat meat and prefer plants instead; but when I went to actually provide said Sanctuary; their kin took offense and began attacking, forcing all of us to defend ourselves. At this news he blanched, saying that this was a serious breach of the treaty we have with them; then asked if any of my pilots were killed and I said that many were slightly hurt, but the abilities of my safety equipment prevented them falling to their deaths - he nodded and asked me to describe the battle. In the battle I told him I fell off my steed, and the aerodynamic abilities of the Para-suit allowed a controlled fall; so I turned in midair and rammed into the Pteranodon directly in my path disabling him, and this maneuver gave me an idea - his silence spurred me on. I said that as soon as I regained my saddle a moment later, I jumped off again and subdued many more Pteranodons by ramming or grabbing them to unseat their flight; then I bowed my head and told him that I knew that I had killed at least two of them because I heard their necks break when I grabbed and twisted their heads, but after I told him that I was sorry for killing them and that it was purely unavoidable did he say that it was all right and to continue. I told him that I knew a martial art called Kung Fu, and that I used some of those moves in freefall to thwart many; and I told him that after many such actions I saw that my troops had seen my maneuvers and began to copy it, soon turning the tide of an overmatched battle in our favor and they eventually retreated back where they came from. He nodded and asked me what I thought the Pteranodons thought of the battle, and I told him they probably thought they were outmatched; so I said that they should think twice before trying it again, and he smiled before saying it was a good thing.) Phineas then inquired of the two grey Pteranodons again, stating that they were the ones that broke the treaty first; but I defended them by saying that they were merely concerned for their unborn offspring, and that I thought they deserved a second chance despite that. He then told me that the high council of Pteros would decide their fate, and depending on how far along the female is along with her eggs; they should be escorted there right away, then rose and headed for the door with me soon following. We found Altair listening to Crosswind seeming to be describing the battle to him, he nodding and cackling animatedly; but all Skybaxian conversation ceased when we came into their presence, Phineas drawing near and bowing to his Partner before touching him in Communion for a few moments. After this and Crosswind standing next to me offering her beak, I learned through her Communion what the two birds had been talking about all this time; just as phineas turned and conversed in English that they would see the two Pteranodons whom defected, and in Skybaxian asked where they would be located. Crosswind squawked that she would lead them there, and took off before I had the chance to mount her back; but in a flash Phineas boarded Altair and swooped into the sky after her, and I rushed to the edge of the canyon to see their flight path. I saw them swoop around the arroyo that contained Crosswind’s nest borrowed by the two crested flyers, and as the ledges there were narrow only Altair landed while Crosswind found perch near by, but I could not tell what was going on from this distance and went to a locker in a near by building and grabbed a spyglass. I saw that Phineas had dismounted and was bowing to them, and Altair’s mouth opened and closed as he squawked greeting as well; the mated pair nodding and listening as their mouths opened and closed in reply, and I watched the whole exchange take place for nearly an hour before Phineas mounted his friend again and swooped back into the sky. The news they gave me was not very good but hardly unexpected, for they said that the Pteranodons would go to Pteros for their trial; but they would be indoctrinated into their instruction for citizenship, but not until the female was finished laying her eggs as she was due any time now! I was instructed to allow them to stay here until that time, and to please transport the fledglings to Pteros with their parents when the young were old enough; and when Sally DuHame came by a while later I told her just what was going on… ----------------------------------------------------
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