Chapter 27 Rardat Helps Landscape

The tunnel's material put into the lakeside, and topped off with a half inch of sand brought up from town, had added several square meters of flatland, the most for any trip up here so far. They went over to the earlier planted part and transplanted some of the self-regenerated Oats plants over to the new flat area. It was encouraging how much more usable land was now getting made out of the previously uninhabitable rippled lava wasteland. It had seemed like there was so little to show for his efforts of more than a year's toting of black sand up here.

Nansella suggested that they ask Rardat if it could pulverize some of the lava into larger grains, something that would not hard pack into clay that would be difficult for roots to penetrate, although they did not know that would be a problem for sure. The clay type material did make a solid feeling substrate, however. Nansella suggested they also ask Rardat to directly form a flatland that was several centimeters above the high level of the lake, leaving flat surface rock and extending the pulverized material out into the lake, making quite a large flat useable area. It could be done down at the far end of the lake, where their other boat dock was located.

Agreeing that much of their plans required Rardat's help, they set out the next morning up the lava tube, equipped with flashlights, picnic basket, and backpacks full of supplies for their secondary emergency hideout being prepared. Up to the Y, then back down a ways into the other arm of the Y to the collapsed area, where they emptied their backpack's supplies, and went up into the sunshine to make a hot lunch in the solar cooker. "Lets see if Rardat would be willing - the four of Rardat - to stay at this place, instead of us having to make the long trip up to their aircraft each time we come up here" suggested Nansella. Sounded fine to him, Geodon replied, adding that they might even make a more difficult to find place for them to "sleep" just in case PE got extremely possessive of this place sometime in the future. Although Rardat was likely to be willing to help PE as much as Geodon and Nansella, PE's motives might wreak havoc even worse than now, given Rardat's abilities. If only absolute power had not so corrupted PE management, it would be wonderful to team up with the Rardat's and really terraform this planet nicely. But for right now, they could not trust bosses who would steal your stuff and erase your memory of owning it, to be able to benevolently make major modifications to the planet for the benefit of all.

Rested and fed, they re-secured their stuff below in their hideaway, and began the long trek up the main stem of the lava tube; the flashlight's minimal backscatter reflection off the tunnel's mostly glassy surface providing so little information as to what they were about to step into each moment, requiring alert attention constantly, no easy hike, this. They had learned to mostly navigate by the feet, aware of the gentle start of upslope to the sides of the tunnel, doing a slow weave back and forth down the dark lava tube. They again passed the as-yet unknown passageway on the side of the tunnel, then they were at the elevator cage and headed up to the vast cavern which housed the aircraft.

The Rardats did not look like they had moved at all, when Geodon shone the flashlight on them, identifying their special four. But before he picked them up, one of them spoke, asking that two be put into Geodon's backpack, and the other two into Nansella's; Rardat did not like to be crowded against each other more than necessary. Nansella asked if just one of them would like to come along this time, that way no crowding at all; that was fine with Rardat. So they each picked up a Rardat and put it in their backpacks, then as they turned to leave, two Rardat's spoke from inside the airplane, that it was their turn to go next time.

Retracing their steps, except taking the arm of the Y back to their cave number three abode, conversation was a threesome again. Rardat was eager to get busy making the flat area down at the far end of the lava tube, and comprehended the need to make it look like more natural edges of the flattened area as if it had just happened that way. Rardat also said it was just as easy to make sand-sized particles as it was the finer dust size particles made before. So after a stop at cave number three, for lunch and getting the communicator to take along, they soon headed on down to the far end of that tube, emerging were the boat was tied up to the dock on the glassy-smooth surfaced lake.

The Rardats seemed to enjoy being out in the sunshine that energized their life activity; different from living only from their battery stored energy. They designed what they hoped would be the final configuration of the day's work, flattening lava and moving the sand-sized particles off into the lakeside adjacent to that area. One of the Rardat's positioned itself in the edge of the existing flat dock area, and waited for Geodon to program a solar satellite's focused energy beam to blast down onto the spot. It would be a few minutes before the first one came along, and only a few minutes until the next one, but it would be over an hour before the third satellite would happen by, far above them in the correct position. Geodon, Nansella and one of the Rardat's retreated into the mouth of the lava tube and waited, then heart the first whump and a few minutes later the second whump. Then they went back out to see what had happened.

Even though they had envisioned what it would be like, they were still amazed. Rardat said it had used up most of its battery energy along with using the solar blast to do the work, so it was busy soaking up sunshine now. Geodon was amazed at the extent of the dissociation of the sand particles; apparently it took less energy to make sand grains than dust grains. there was a cleared space of what must be a thousand square meters, if it was indeed all flat under the heap of sand now laying on the flattened surface. Geodon said that was enough for today, but the Rardat which had done the work asked to receive one more solar blast for today, so as to fully recharge its batteries and do a little trim work on the edges of the previous landscape cut. Geodon set the timer so they could get out of the way well before the next solar blast, and he used the shovel which he had optimistically brought along, and began shoveling the new sand off the edge into the side of the lake.

In 45 minutes he had a surface area more than double that of all that he had made in a year by his labor of bringing up buckets of sand from the town. Then the Rardat positioned itself where the solar blast wold happen, and the rest of them returned to the safety of the inside of the tunnel, although Nansella remarked that the tunnel would not be so safe if the Rardat work was directed toward the tunnel. The Rardat with them said that they would not be hurt; the dissociation beam was selective and would only work on the lava, though they might get covered up by the resulting sand. They were contemplating that in imagination when the whump was heard.

Reemerging from the lava tube, the scene looked much the same, although the now fully recharged Rardat assured them that it had indeed artistically sculpted the perimeter of the flattened field to resemble natural lava foldings. Rardat understood the need to have camouflage, hidden security. Geodon asked they what would they need to hide from. Rardat replied that there was a kind of being that sometimes roamed the space as Rardat did, and it was prone to attempt to destroy Rardat on sight. Wondering what kind of weapon would destroy a Rardat that ate a lava-blasting burst of concentrated power for lunch, Geodon refrained from asking more, thinking that maybe he did not want to know. He then used his communicator to re-direct the solar focussing satellites to resume pounding away at the site of cave number six; he then got his shovel out and shoveled more sand into the lake, filing in an ever large area for planting more oats. When Geodon rested, Nansella took a turn at the shoveling getting a little bit more done by the time Geodon had rested up enough to get to shoveling again. It was getting to be a long trek from where they were scooping sand, carrying it over to the lakes edge. Nansella remarked that it would be nice to have a wheelbarrow; she had seen them on the agricultural areas of the town, but did not see how such a thing could be carried here on the pylon transfer pod system.

Rardat asked what a wheelbarrow looked like, how was it made. Geodon brought up a photo of a wheelbarrow on the communicator, could Rardat perceive the image? Indeed Rardat said it could. So Geodon found where the specifications of a typical wheelbarrow was located, including an exploded view of the pieces involved, including the axel and wheel as separate assemblies. Then one of the Rardat's moved over to the edge of the remaining vast pile of sand, and there was a buzz sound. Rardat then asked that the area be shoveled clear of sand. Geodon wearily got up and took the shovel over and began scooping sand, but encountered objects in the sand, digging further, he found a nicely formed wheelbarrow assembled except for the wheel and axel pin; those pieces he also found in the sand pile. assembling the wheel to the wheelbarrow by using the axel pin, he then tentatively pushed the wheelbarrow around a bit; the wheel was as hard as rock but still would be able to roll sand, most likely. So with renewed strength of enthusiasm, he shoveled a load of sand into the wheelbarrow, and trundled it over to the edge of the lake. The wheel sank into the sandy area, however, so he dumped it at the sand edge of their new land area.

Nansella suggested that they next have the finer material produced, and use it to make hard packed fingers out into the lake, which ought to support the wheelbarrow's wheel, and then sand could be dumped to the sides of those fingers, to fill in between them. Sounded good to Geodon, suggesting they work on that tomorrow. Nansella got out the solar cooker, and heated up a nice meal for them , while the Rardats were busy making friends with the goldfish at the edge of the lake.