It was the morning of the third day since the Big Cats, JonMo, B127MZ, and M237B9 had parted from the former territory of the Intruders. Both B127MZ's and M237B9's ships were parked in front of the Kingdom of Exdom's castle. JonMo, B127MZ, and M237B9 stood facing the castle with 50 Big Cats on either side of them. NaVatch and MoTac were immediately at their left while EvNat and LoSat were at their right. These four Big Cats had their laser cannons on their backs.
On a telepathic signal from JonMo, these four blasted their laser cannons at a high angle over the large crowd of citizens gathered in front of them. Then all 100 Big Cats roared in unison. The citizens shouted and clapped with delight. Their heroes were before them. Then the crowd parted.
Queen NanavakPa and her four-year-old grandson King EdmoPo made their way to the front of the crowd. The little king nodded to his grandmother and the Queen began to speak to the crowd and the gathered heroes, "The debt of gratitude for the valiant ones who have preserved our liberty is to be engraved in a new monument that will be placed in front of the castle. Furthermore, the Big Cats are forever protected and sure friends of the Kingdom. Their lands will never be encroached upon without their permission. StraVatch has volunteered to be a Captain in the army of the Kingdom of Exdom. His responsibility is to be the chief liaison for the Big Cats with the King's Army. EvNat has been named the Captain of the Big Cats. A contingent of 100 Big Cats, led by EvNat, will be outfitted with laser cannons and EvNat will train them in their usage."
The Queen continued, "The Outpost of B127MZ and M237B9 in what was formally known as the King's Hill is now the sole property of these two robots. No one may enter there without their express permission. B127MZ has also agreed to work with scholars in the Kingdom to upgrade the schools such that basic skills of reading, writing, and math may be understood by all. Adult classes will also be made available. In addition, M237B9 has agreed to be the first president of the College of Exdom. Advanced topics will be taught there as well as trades in the technology of the ships owned by the two robots. We need more ships and jobs will be plentiful. We will no longer restrict which profession our youth can apply for. Growth is needed and regulation is to be minimal, yet we want to preserve the beauty and grandeur of our land. Lana has been chosen as the Kingdom liaison to the Big Cats. Their interests will be heard in a monthly meeting of the captains. Captain ArnoMo will become head of the King's Army and has strict orders to cooperate with the Big Cats, B127MZ, M237B9, and JonMo.
Queen NanavakPa concluded, "Last of all, JonMo has been named as Captain of the Raging Sea. He has an interest in getting vessels on the sea to traverse the waters. A pier will be built out into the Raging Sea under JonMo's direction with the help of the robots. Another pier will be installed at the beach near the former Intruder's camp. He will go to the former Intruder's camp to set up a permanent base and catalog their technology. The goal will be to use their technology wisely. I know much has been announced and there is much work to do to set these things in motion. Everyone is needed, but please stay in your previous professions while we sort this all out. Thank you, my good people."
With everyone milling around and talking excitedly about the announcements, JonMo made his way to where Lana was communicating with the Big Cats. These great beings had been told everything that the Queen had said via telepathy. JonMo casually walked up to Lana and she casually looked at him. "Will you be my date for the grand celebration ball to be held tonight?" She paused and thought and said, "Only if you come with me now and practice the dances." She held out her hand and JonMo took it. Off they went to practice.
JonMo was a busy man. The first pier was taking shape on the land. He had studied the engineering principles needed under B127MZ's tutelage. The pier had to be very sturdy to withstand the beating of the Raging Sea. JonMo had put on his water suit and braved the surf to find the best location for the pier. He mapped the depth and slope of that area and used these calculations for the slope of the bottom of the pier. Nice round roller logs were put under the pier while it was under construction. A team of 10 men and women had been assigned to help JonMo build the pier. Another 10 had been assigned to cut the logs needed from the trees in the Great Forest. They were instructed to plant new trees in the areas where they cut down ones to be used in building the pier. Seven additional citizens from the transport sector were tasked with bringing the logs to the beach construction area.
It was quite the construction as the pier had to be long enough to get past the rough surf into the relatively quieter waters. A boat with a sail, very foreign and of much interest to the citizens, was constructed as well. The design came from the records of B127MZ's ship. He had to dig deep to find them, but he did and JonMo used them to direct the building of the first boat of the Kingdom of Exdom.
A trolley track was put on the top of the pier to allow carrying the sailboat to the end of it. There was a ramp on both ends of the pier to allow the loading and launching of the boat. A place to dock the boat after launch was constructed on the far side of the pier.
At last, the day came to place the large pier into the Raging Sea. There was a box lined with slats of strong timbers the length of the pier. Four teams of six mules each were tethered to each side of the backward part of the pier. Mule drivers had practiced the maneuvers to get the pier into the sea without sending the mules into the raging surf.
The command from JonMo came and the mules started pulling the land-bound pier toward the Raging Sea. The roller logs were placed underneath and in front of the pier. At first, it went slowly, then momentum took over. The mules ran pulling until a line marked in the sand. Pins were sequentially pulled to release the mules as the pier hit the last rollers and then pounded into the sea. The big crowd, including the Queen and her grandson, were there to watch the event. The 107-meter pier slid out into the ocean until some large ropes snapped taut and stopped its forward motion. Then the workers, all ten fitted with new water suits, started taking rocks down the box in the bottom of the pier to lay them along the length. This anchored the pier and that work took 12 hours to complete. The rocks that had been stacked nearby helped in the process.
Many wanted to begin walking out onto the newly installed pier to the calmer waters past the surf. Not everyone would do this as this was a very foreign action. Many did, and it was an exhilarating experience for them. The pier had been under construction for nine months. During that time JonMo and Lana were often seen together around the kingdom at social activities.
The following week was the first time in history for a boat to be launched into the Raging Sea. JonMo's eleven-meter sailboat had been built upon a trolley. It was now pulled up to the front ramp of the pier by two sets of four-mule teams. Wooden rails had been made for the dolly to guide it as well as make it roll more easily over the sand and up the ramp. The mule teams strained harder to pull the sailboat up the ramp onto the pier. A large rope was attached to the back of the boat so it stopped once it was on top of the pier. Four strong men then controlled the trolley roll on top of the pier. The sailboat-laden trolley stopped when its wheels bumped into a board that was laid across the trolley tracks. Then another strong rope was attached to the trolley. The rope was just long enough to allow the trolley to go down the pier's seaward ramp and allow the sailboat to float. A line was also attached to the sailboat so it would not float away.
JonMo gave the command and the board was removed. With a push from the four strong men, the trolley rolled down the ramp. With a jerk, the trolley stopped when its wheels were mostly submerged in the water. The sailboat shot out into the sea until the attached line became taught. The men then helped JonMo bring the boat to the side of the pier. There was a ladder there and JonMo, joined by B127MZ, climbed down and got into the boat. The Royal Band, newly constituted, came to the end of the pier and played a fanfare. Lana was there too and blew a kiss to JonMo as he and B127MZ pushed off and raised sail.
JonMo and B127MZ sailed south. A stiff oncoming shore breeze moved the sailboat right along. JonMo was amazed that he enjoyed this so much. They were sailing down to where a river met the sea. This river was three kilometers from the southern end of the Intruder's former territory. They planned to sail up the river as the river's flow blocked the intensity of the waves where it intersected the Raging Sea. They would sail far enough up the river to find a location where a docking pier could be built. Hopefully, that was not too far upriver as sailing upriver was challenging.
After tacking back and forth to get upriver, JonMo spied a small bluff that should make a good location for a docking pier. Workers and materials would need to be transported here. They maneuvered the boat near the bluff and B127MZ sprang lightly onto the shore with a rope in his hand. The boat was tugged by the river's current, but B127MZ had the rope cinched to a tree and the sailboat came alongside the bluff with a slight bump. JonMo was then able to lower the sails and stow them before going ashore himself.
They scouted the land as they walked up to the former Intruder's territory. JonMo was tired of referring to it as the "former Intruder's territory", so he suggested the name "Opportunity" for this land. B127MZ said that was about as good as any and said they could present that to the Queen. They noticed that the land was fairly level between where the sailboat was docked and the Land of Opportunity. It would minimize the difficulty of moving materials. There was also a forest bordering the land of Opportunity. They would first need to clear the trees to make a passage to the Land of Opportunity and those trees could be used for the docking pier. Satisfied with this knowledge, they walked back to the boat.
They sailed back toward the home pier in strong winds and some rain. JonMo had a queasy stomach when they finally landed by the dock on the home pier. Of course, B127MZ had no problem and climbed nimbly to the top of the pier. He gave JonMo a hand up as he looked a little unsteady.
Several days later a new excitement surrounded the pier. Loved ones and curious citizens had come to see 10 men and three women who were preparing to embark with JonMo and B127MZ. Their task was to build a sail barge, and as this vessel would be too big to launch on the home pier, they were going to the Land of Opportunity to build it. A husband and wife team were assigned to be the cooks for the group. Two more teams of a man and woman were going with large bolts of heavy fabric. They were the sailmakers. They had the most experience of all the citizens and had been directed by B127MZ to make the sails for JonMo's first sailboat. The balance of the seven men plus JonMo and B127MZ would construct the sail barge. Again, Lana was there to send JonMo off. This time he got a real kiss.
They all crowded onto JonMo's eleven-meter sailboat into assigned positions. B127MZ had synthesized a medicine to help with sea sickness. No one appreciated that more than JonMo. B127MZ had also created some laser saws that could be recharged by a portable nuclear charging device. There was even one to cut down trees and saw them into boards. It was quite an adventure to get all of these people, food, and materials food to the Land of Opportunity. They had necessarily waited for a calmer sunny day before launching. They pushed off and raised sail. The onshore winds moved the boat up to a slow speed toward their destination.
They arrived without mishap at the river dock and unloaded their materials. The first order was to cut down the trees in the path to the Land of Opportunity. These were cut into boards and brought back to a drying rack they had constructed from limbs. B127MZ had directed the seven construction men to build a shed around the drying rack with two big doors in the front. He then installed a portable heater in the shed to bake the moisture out of the wood. The first dry boards were used to build work tables.
Even with the laser cutting tools, it took four months to build the sail barge. Thankfully the cooks were excellent and the team loved the time they had to sit at a big table and enjoy conversation and good food. They all ate together. After the evening meal one of the construction men would play music on a stringed instrument had had made long ago. He was not an assigned musician in the old system and had kept it hidden. Now it delighted the whole group and they would sing and laugh.
The sail barge took shape as a wide sailboat with a large keel to keep it upright under load. It was thirty meters long and eight meters at its widest point. They had to build a large cradle to hold it while it was under construction. Roller logs were put under the cradle. Several big cats had visited them to watch the construction. They were fascinated by the process. Two of them took on the task of going back to the Kingdom of Exdom to round up several teams of mules. That solved a weighty issue for JonMo as he was not looking forward to bringing reluctant and sometimes ornery animals onto his sailboat to transport to the Land of Opportunity. They focused on getting the job done and in the four months, it was.
The Big Cats arrived with 24 mules and four men to drive the teams. No one knew the way through or around the mountains like the Big Cats. Still, the Big Cats needed two and a half months to do the job. Four six-mule teams were harnessed to the back of the cradle of the sail barge and with great effort and strain it began to move. When the cradle reached 10 meters over the river, they were stopped. Every support of the cradle had previously been greased. The mule teams were attached to the stern of the sail barge. Two men with laser saws had cut away the part of the cradle that hung over the river. The rest of them had staked down the cradle so it could not move. A thick rope was attached to the stern and tied to a tree.
The mule teams again began to strain mightily. The big sail barge began to move slowly out into the river. The cradle had been pointed a few degrees toward the flow of the river or westward while still allowing room for the mule teams. That was the original design. Pins were pulled to prevent the mule teams from being pulled into the river as the sail barge crashed into it. It rolled over to an alarming degree before the big keel righted it. It was exciting. The stern rope was attached to a tree near the river. It went tight and the big sail barge crashed into the bluff. B127MZ had directed the placement of lots of springy branches and leaves along the bluff. This is what the sail barge crashed into. There it sat on the water, upright with its three large masts shining in the sun.
Two men and two women, the sailmakers, the seven construction crew, the two cooks, plus JonMo and B127MZ took to the big sail barge the following day. This boat had a galley and the cooks excelled at cooking duties. The big sail barge arrived at the home pier two days later. M237B9 had directed the construction of a larger dock on the other side of the pier from the smaller dock. It was in place with large cushions M237B9 had made for the barge to rest against. B127MZ advised when to drop the two big sails and just use the jib sails for the last little bit to pull them into the large dock of the pier. Men on the barge had thrown down lines and the barge, with a large bump, was secured to the dock. The first graduating students from the School of Construction at the College of Exdom had built the new dock.
Now the work began to load the sail barge with materials for living in the Land of Opportunity. The Queen and her grandson had approved the name. M327B9 had been busy as the President of the College of Exdom. He also became the first professor of the School of Electronics and the School of Shipbuilding. Practical projects to build tools to find metals and mine them had been a priority for school projects. Learning by doing was the preferred method in this growth period for the Kingdom.
The sail barge would make many trips taking workers and materials back and forth from the Land of Opportunity. JonMo did not go on the first trip. Those on this trip had as their first task to build a house by the river with a large fence around it. As the new airships were to be built in the Land of Opportunity, they also had many materials and equipment to start this years-long project. This first loaded barge did not sail until a magnificent event took place at the palace.
All of JonMo's and Lana's family were there to witness their marriage along with many friends and nobles. It was presided over by the delighted Queen and her grandson the King. JonMo and his wife LanaMa were celebrated at a feast for all who wanted to come that evening.
THE END