Kim looked worriedly at the screen with Commander Tanner.
"Yes, Kim, that's right. It's a train and it's electric!
Machines are being unloaded and construction equipment resembling what we have on Earth is at work. It's technology from a century ago. But it's very close to the Middle Ages. The site at the dam is vast and they are transporting heavy equipment. The whole town seems to be industrialising and there are even wind turbines!
The roads are under construction, and machines are tarmacking!
And some kind of runway is being built near the capital!
Machine guns on the towers and artillery!
Then they zoomed in on the northern duchy and the burning city.
"They bombed with some kind of zeppelin!" It's a huge contrast to the rest of the world! . I hope Maxime and Sacha aren't involved. All our plans have been turned upside down!
"
Kim "What do you mean Commander?"
"Our weapons and numbers could do like the conquistadores and take over an area with ease but if the creatures below are hostile and have modern firearms and they do, they might resist us knowing they might have surprises for us.
They have energy, gases and weapons of destruction. It doesn't take much for them to have missiles and delivery systems to threaten us.
We're up against a modern organised society.
kim: "What if it's Professor Brilliant?"
Tanner: "Brillant is long dead. If you add 35 years since he disappeared plus the journey that took 40 years, that's 75 years, and if he was 64 when he disappeared, that's 140 years. And with medicine, that's just about right, and if he's here, there's no chance unless we have a cryo system, which I doubt, because that was invented 10 years after he disappeared. What we're looking for would be his notes or his assistants, but I doubt we'll find anything.
On the other hand, we're going to try and find the lab in orbit, if it hasn't fallen in the last 40 years."
We're going to drop a transmitter near where our two children are.
Then Kim zooms in on a strange construction near the workshop.
"What's that?"
Tanner : "It's a radome! It can be used as radar, a means of communication and also a radio telescope." It's well proportioned, so it must have electronic components.
The technology is getting even closer, 1945!
Kim: "What do we do?"
"Prepare the shortwave radio and switch to analogue mode. I can't wait to analyse their signal"
"What about Sacha and Maxime?"
"Prepare a discreet night drop. Their LED will flash the closer they get. We don't know what their intentions are..."
I was at the dam supervising the installation of the huge turbine, checking the blades one by one, their alignment and using magic to inspect for defects and impurities.
The winch lowered the turbine onto the bearing cages, the bearings tight on the axle and well caulked to keep out all the grease.
Once everything was in place, the technicians tightened the bolts" What a pleasure to use such tools. It's a thousand times better than forging!
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
The axle was then coupled to a gearbox with regulating synchros, which was attached to a huge generator coil.
Then, when the casing was closed, I circulated the water and the typical noise of a generator was heard.
The transformers hummed, showing that there was power being developed, then the protection circuit was connected and finally the power was linked to the city via the cables.
The electrical network had just been installed.
When everything was in order, Sacha took over to supervise the first commissioning.
From the ship, a large power generation was detected.
It was a modern dam, simplified but capable of providing power to a large city. We were over capacity!
"The power station is on its way".
Tanner :" At least, it's possible to recharge the shuttles now.!! you'll just have to ask them!
Kim: "Commander! the radome is rotating and scanning, I'm getting a very strong signal! do we have to be stealthy?"
"No.. we have no more reserves, wake everyone up reactor 4 is going to fail and our only hope is the shuttle to land everyone. The mission is compromised. If there is any danger, the remaining energy must allow me to turn back and warn the world."
Hearing this remark, Vidocq offered to replace the commander.
"I'd like to see Earth again!
But the commander had no confidence in this military officer.
Then a squeak was heard.
"Hello? Hello? Anybody there?"
Tanner flinched, and it wasn't the voice of his crew members who had been beamed up to Alpha.
He approached the microphone
"This is Commander Tanner! I hear you!"
Then, in the background, applause.
Zalar, Sacha and Maxime jumped up and down, as did Kraa, Krii, Blanche and especially Kroa, who was excited.
He roared, followed by the other wyverns and the whistles, mixed with the common, draconic and English, sounded an unbelievable cacophony.
I signalled to Sacha and Maxime to speak first.
Sacha began to cry and so did Maxime.
"Commander KRIII (then a hubbub that immediately died down) it's me Sacha! We've missed you! Please help us! How are things going?"
"Sacha? and Maxime? "
"He's safe and sound! He's at the power station!"
The commander relaxed.
Sacha: "There's someone who wants to talk to you!
Then in my loud, cavernous voice, the ship's loudspeaker shook.
"Good morning Commander Tanner. I am the Emperor of the Central Continent and my name is Mirmoelnir. I welcome you to Alpha. And I hope your journey from Earth went well!"
Then Zalar howled and pleaded.
"Go ahead, Hero."
"Commander Tanner! I'm from Earth... I'm begging you, I want to go home!"
The commander paused.
"You are?"
"I I am Zalar Zollan! I I come from Albania! I was kidnapped here by mad mages! "
I left the microphone to the humans, I had plenty of time to think.
It was too good to be true.
The "relief!"
Then when the humans had finished whining on the radio, they calmed down and Kim, their friend, asked them about the situation.
Then Kroa took the microphone "Hello up there??? it's me, Kroaaa! Kroaaa!"
Then Krii "My name is Kriiii!
"and I'm Kraaaa!"
Vidocq plugged his ears.
"What the hell is this?"
"What's Kri kra?"
"No! it's not Qoiii!!! it's KRRROAAAAA!!!"
The wyverns started laughing! and whistling and making bird and reptile calls.
Blanche: "I'm Blanche... and I'm all white!!!"
Kroa: "There are wyverns on earth???? Are they beautiful? They breathe fire??? and how big they are".
Kri : "Shut up you obsessed lizard!"
Kroa : "You can talk, you'll get fucked by my brother!"
Kraa: "So what... there's no shame in it!"
GRRAAAH!
Blanche: "Commander, don't pay any attention to those three, I'm the Emperor's wife! "
Kraa: "No, it's Chlorophylle! You're his concubine!"
GRRRRRR "Shut up!! they're listening!"
Obviously, the wyverns had a sense of restraint..nonexistent.
"Hello Commander"
Krii "You've already said hello!!!"
GRRRR MLHLL
BLanche bared his teeth.
"I have big teeth too".
Blanche: "I can freeze you!
Kraa: "And I can spit fire on your snout".
Blanche: "Excuse me, Commander" then laughed "Not here....not in front of humans..."
The commander realised that he was dealing with some really crazy aliens. They were speaking English, with an animal accent and shouts and grunts.
Then Sacha took the microphone again.
"They're overexcited! And they're waiting to see you!
Tanner: "Who are these creatures, wyverns?"
"Yes, sir. Humans here are in the minority but the empire is made up of several sentient races and the wyverns here are intelligent like us but we're afraid. They're gigantic and could swallow us in one gulp but this tribe is kind to us and they're careful not to crush us. We have to run away when they fight."
Tanner: "And Mirmoelnir?"
"He's the emperor, and he's officially married to the empress, and the wyverns are his concubines and wives, and he's looking for a wife for his little brother Kroa."
The weapons and technology are yours?
"No. It's the Emperor... We're at war with a coalition of states. Mir has never wanted to collaborate with democracies. He rules here with an iron fist and we're all scared. He has slaughtered 2 powerful armies and purged the palace of an insurrection. The previous emperors were crazy gamblers and sadists who, along with the nobility, ruined the entire empire. The peasants fled and those who remained died of misery."