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Can a trio of shipwrecked newbies help preserve Dinotopia's legendary peace and harmony? |
| The governmental machinery of Sauropolis moves slowly -- yet once it agrees on something, well, Phil marveled at how fast the operation was coming together. The Waterfall City PO was jammed with incoming and outgoing messages. Carpenters dispatched to Windy Point brought wheels and axles to build undercarriages -- like trailers -- for the two selected boats. Wagons and their Triceratops teams arrived there to transport smoked fish, bait and other supplies, as well as the crews. But no armored Brachs or any of the usual convoy stuff. The idea was to bring everything to Treetown, a convenient spot to assemble the convoy for the remainder of the trip. A fully equipped convoy rapidly consumes supplies -- so it's smart to have it travel only the Basin part of the journey. At breakfast, a few days after the meeting, Phil read a letter from George: "It's my privilege to volunteer for Operation Dragonfly. Everyone is willing, whether going or not, to pitch in and make this move a success. The Rainy Basin carnivores depend upon our plan as much as we do. 'Survival of all or none!'" Eddie pondered over this a bit and then announced, "I'm going to speak with James this morning and volunteer for the convoy. With all the material and fish, they'll need lots of rigging and winching." "That's good news, Eddie, I'm sure you'll come in handy." Phil was both pleased and amazed at how his friend had recovered from his miserable depression. Treetown, of course, is known for turning boys and girls into men and women -- with hundreds of 'shells' having 'cracked' there. Yet, it seems, also a fine place for the broken to find recovery. Operation Dragonfly was like no convoy ever assembled. Its tremendous size required more help than normal, so the call for additional volunteers went out among Treetown's residents. With both of his friends volunteering for the convoy, Phil wondered if he should as well. One thing was sure -- either he or Bob needed to remain at the weather station. So, while at the station together, Phil spoke with Bob to see how he felt about the convoy. "Remember, Phil, you told me we should stay out of that place." "Yes, I did, and I still feel that way. No one should trespass there out of curiosity. Yet, it's different with a duly authorized convoy. First -- unlike with curiosity seekers, the convoy serves a noble purpose. And besides, every preparation is made for the safety of both the humans and the saurians as they travel. Why not speak with James the convoy captain? He can explain how it works. It would look good on your record when meteorology assignments come up. And one more thing." "What's that?" "Remember our little drinking party that evening? Did you enjoy it? "Sure did." "You'll be going where that stuff comes from," referring of course to the Black Fish Tavern. Phil was happy to see that he convinced Bob at least to speak with James about the matter. Phil would have been willing to go -- yet Bob, younger and stronger, would be more useful. Scientists, of course, do go on convoys -- yet really, this only makes sense when needed to identify plants and such. Otherwise, Phil thought, they get in the way. "Bob, let's see you perform the entire morning observation, from the measurements to the write-up." Phil only watched as Bob methodically went through the instruments, checked the windsock, and began scanning the skies for telltale clouds. He nearly fell backwards when a huge, scarlet-colored form swooped a yard in front of his nose, accompanied by a wicked screech. It circled around only for Justin to yell, "Got you Bob!" Phil chuckled. "It's become a rite of passage for new Skybax riders to buzz the station!" "Boy, he got me good. I almost landed on my butt." "'Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," replied Phil. "What is a horse, why does it need shoes, and what's a hand grenade? "Oh, never mind." Phil finally understood that the idioms and aphorisms that had served him so well in his previous life are useless here. He'd have to learn some new ones -- like, "Are you in the horsetails?" which means, "Are you hopelessly confused?"  Justin stood out among the lunch crowd, proudly wearing his Beginner Rider's uniform. Justin told Phil, "Between this convoy and shore patrols covering for the missing dolphins, our squad is stretched thin. Thus, the invitation went out for us Beginner Riders. This convoy will be my first real gig." "How do you feel about it?" "Awesomely, although already I'm missing Stephanie. Yet she's with me in spirit -- and her forecasts are so helpful to all us Riders. Just today, she had us time our departure with a tailwind -- this saved an hour of flight and a tub of fish!" Phil rejoiced so much in Stephanie's success that he forgot about the new scientific forecasting methods in his advanced class which had brought Dinotopia's meteorology to this level. "What's your flying partner's name? "Misty, and she's the sweetest as well as the most beautiful Skybax in all Dinotopia. I love her to death." "Don't let Stephanie hear you say that!" "She knows, and she's cool with it as I keep her first always." Phil of course is happy for them both -- the valiant Rider and the capable meteorologist, with their common bond of love. Stephanie's situation, though, reminded Phil of lines from an old Judy Collins song ... He loves his d---ed old rodeo, as much as he loves me. As they were speaking, the convoy preparations were ramping up all over Treetown. James had his staff arrive from the outposts. With all their experience assembling convoys, together they mounted an operation which would be the envy of any automotive plant, if only they were aware of it. Each element arrived "just in time," in the order needed. The fish wagons, the fishing crew, their boats and double teams of trikes arrived from Windy Point. Food supplies, more Trikes, Brachs and their armor were scheduled from Vidabra. Becky the Protoceratops translator arrived from Bent Root. The convoy's complement: The two boats on trailers, the smoker and its adjutants in a wagon, three food wagons, one supply wagon, and one spare wagon. Enough smoked fish "to treat nearly every carnivore in the Basin," thought Eddie. Tents for the workers. Four Brachiosaurs and 20 Triceratops for protection and motive power. Five Skybax and their riders -- one per Brach plus one for the wagons. The humans totaled twenty: Eight fishers and twelve convoy crew. The morning arrived when the convoy would depart Treetown. The thrill of adventure, tempered with the fear of the unknown, filled the town's atmosphere. Matriarch Esmeralda gave the traditional pep talk. She kept it short and encouraging. "... Above all," she said, "observe the Codes. 'Others first, self last.' 'Survival of all or none.' Press onward toward the end of restoring peace and harmony to all Dinotopia. Each footprint and wheel rut brings you closer to your goal." Then the convoy moved out in precise order, down the Backbone Mountains toward the Rainy Basin, for their journey to Sauropolis and beyond. Phil had reminded all three of his friends to send word whenever they could of the convoy's progress. So far it appeared quite a routine trip. George reported, "We see carnivores every day. We leave them gobs of fish -- and they leave us alone. Eddie has adopted Bob as his helper, and both are doing well. And we're halfway to Sauropolis!" Later he sent, "This afternoon I broke into a sea shanty. Got some dirty looks from the saurians, but it was worth it." He vowed to teach the whole convoy crew this song, simply because the dinos loathed it. From Eddie's point of view aboard a huge Brachiosaurus named Buttercup, things were going quite well. "I forgot all about the danger," he reported. "As long as I keep busy hauling on the ropes, I'm happy to be of service." The convoy pressed on, leaving a trail of happy carnivores in its path. "Nothing like the last convoy I was on. This time, we're out not just for our own survival, but that of every saurian of every stripe we meet. And Becky's excellent translating smoothed the process tremendously. She's been offering every dinosaur the services of our healer, who only then can help. He treats the wounds which some have sustained from hungrily attacking each other. And then these carnivores, which had I thought so evil a few months ago, showed their appreciation. Each followed us for a way, protecting us from other carnivores yet to get the message. It's love over everything!" Something occurred to Eddie while writing this. Later he spoke with George: "You know, the word 'love' doesn't appear anywhere in the Codes. Yet we all need to apply love in order to truly fulfill them." "That's rather deep, Eddie. Keep far away from the Waterfall City crowd or they'll make you a philosopher!" |
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