It didnt take long for the group to get to the meeting place, and, as people started to arrive, Zoe got to setting up her holo projectors. Tyson gave Zoe a hand silently, just reading the instructions from her, seemingly trying to actively avoid Yasmin.

Zoe kept looking at the crowd that was gathering. She saw a few with some very obvious Talents, animal fur, rock like skin, smoke leaking from ears and nose and someone looking insubstantial. Many others were arriving too, those who were older than herself, and likely older than any Talented, were also arriving. Zoe broke from her tasks and quickly scanned the growing crowd. They looked hardened and worn, similar to the twins. They hadn't known the easier life she had had and that made her even more determined to share and grow her community.

A small group had gathered with Yasmin, Joe and Maddison, all people that the gathering crowd looked at. Must be the people in charge, she thought to herself, seeing people of all ages in the small group, all of them projecting confidence and strength.

You got it in one, Tyson confirmed. They're the ones you're going to have to convince.

Zoe nodded to Tyson, determination flooding her.

~

"Know your target. Learn who they are, watch how they react, focus on your end goal."

Zoe sat with a few others in a small room, Lauchlan and Hayden sitting on either side of her. One of the elders, Alison, stood at the front giving a speach on how to be a better diplomat and negotiator. She had been a CEO of some company before the war and had lost most of her assets to governmental take over. As the Community slowly formed, she had taken on an ambassador and teacher role. All of her students knew perfectly well that they'd have to negotiate without her nearby, sooner or later.

~

Avi ran a quick status report. The only thing that Zoe would be concerned with would be power levels. Knowing the likely drain that was going to happen with the projectors, Avi deployed its solar panels.

Zoe glanced at the vehicle and nodded once. The weather had been nice enough that soaking up extra energy was easy, regardless of how warm she thought it was.

"Listen up folks," Joe said from his perch on the edge of the fountain in what was likely a conversational tone for him. Zoe winced at the loudness. "Zoe here is from Europe, bringing folks like us together in a larger community. Give her a listen."

Nodding once to Zoe, he dropped down and sat in front of the crowd, his head still almost head height. Zoe then noticed that the council, as she was dubbing them, had spread out, but were all in the front, even Maddison was standing with Yasmin, facing her. Only Tyson stood near her.

I'll make sure you're heard, he said as she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She flashed him a thankful smile before she started.

"Thank you Joe, and thank you all for taking a moment to listen to me." She noted a quick glance from Yasmin to Tyson, but ignored it, lodging it away as something she wanted more info on, later.

~

Zoe kept her speech short, figuring those nearby wouldn't tolerate waffling on, as Alison had put it. She activated the projectors and got the amazed reaction she was after. She explained how the Community worked and how each and everyone could help and be helped.

The reaction to her speach surprised her. The younger ones, and even a few a little older than her, immediately pledged to join. Some others were convinced by the presence of Maddison and Tyson, the Talented twins well known here.

What Zoe felt was the tipping point was when Maddison announced their attack on the Bloodless Pact, and their success. Maddison then went to point out that, if Zoe was able to be a power tipping point in this area, what would her Community look like on a battlefield? What would they do to protect their own?

Joe stepped up next to them and scanned the crowd, asking for a show of hands on who would go with Zoe. The majority raised their hands immediately, followed by most of the rest.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Quickly stepping up again, Zoe announced her intention of continued support to anyone who stayed, alongside the promised support for Llandillo.

Her final announcement was enough. There were few left who didn't want to leave their home, but were definitely happy to receive support.

Knowing full well how big the cargo plane awaiting them was, she believed that there was space for everyone she could see here. She was thankful for the foresight of making sure there was seating for several hundred installed prior to this mission. It did make the trip feel like there was next to nobody travelling to Australia, but it also got competitive on who could fill the most seats. Zoe had politely stayed out of the banter, but was now confident that the others would be amazed at her efforts. She silently reckoned to herself that, with Llandillo, she would overfill the plane.

A little bit of frenzied planning later and Zoe had a sort of plan. Asquith would shore up its defences, not that they weren't already good, while Zoe helped plan their exodus. They had no idea if the Bloodless would attempt to retaliate, but it didn't hurt to prepare anyway.

It was quickly worked out that they wouldn't be able to join the initial departing group, as their resources didn't extend to enough vehicles to move everyone. After chatting with various people at home and on the cargo plane, a plan formed in Zoe's head.

After Zoe had finished setting up her comm hub for Asquith and those staying behind, she pulled Yasmin away from her checking of the defences. "I've got an idea, but it hinges on you and your Talent," she explained.

"Oh?"

"I would like you to make a runway between here and Llandillo, big enough for the cargo plane to land on."

"Oh. How big is big?"

Using a tablet, Zoe pulled up a couple of maps of the area, laying a topographical map over a satellite map. A brown circle of earth visible around Asquith, even on the sat map. A wide line appeared in several places at higher altitudes, almost as long at Asquith was wide. Yasmin's eyes boggled a little.

"Oh. That big."

"Yeah. The cargo plane needs a lot of space to slow down and take off on. The places I've highlighted are just the best possible locations, as they're already flat or mostly clear."

Yasmin nodded and pointed to one. "That one would be best, I think. It's already mostly flat, that area is abandoned and I think I could manage what you're asking inside a month."

Face lighting up as if hearing she was getting a puppy for christmas, Zoe beamed at her. "Perfect! Let's aim for two months, then, I'll come get Llandillo and Asquith. If that area is still abandoned, maybe use the houses nearby as camps and storage for anything that needs to come back with you."

"How many people can this plane of yours take?"

"Currently, about five hundred and fifty, plus cargo," Zoe replied. "I think that would be enough room," she added, thinking aloud. "We'll likely have to use most of the cargo space for extra seats, so, maybe eight hundred if we push it. I'm not part of the people who usually modify vehicles much, so, I'm just guessing at this point."

"That's a lot," Yasmin muttered, stunned that something that big existed. "Biggest plane wreck I've even seen was over near the Sydney airport, it coulda taken four hundredish, and you're telling me you have an even bigger plane available?"

Nodding, Zoe showed the schematics on her tablet for 'Atlas'. The huge aircraft had been a lucky find for the Community and was the sole reason that they could manage to do recruiting missions like this.

"It's currently north of Brisbane. We picked up a fair bit of activity from that area, so thought that may have been the best place to land."

"And you're here instead of with them?"

"Yeah, seeing if I can help by myself."

"You seem to be doing fine," Yasmin said, looking to the side where the twins were helping with some physical labour. "Getting those two on your side helped to convince us here."

Zoe smiled warmly towards the pair, laughing as Tyson winked in her direction. Yasmin snorted and rolled her eyes.

"We have a pair of electric cars that should be able to go with you," Yasmin said, looking towards the town. "A small group would like to come with you, see what this Community is about."

"I presume Asquith has enough supplies to feed whoever is coming for most of a week? My plane leaves in five days, providing it doesnt need to stay for some reason."

"Yeah, basic supplies are no issue, we have food stored for all of us for several months at least."

"That reminds me," Zoe replied, trotting over to her buggy before pulling out a couple of bags of fruit, handing them to Yasmin. "These need to be eaten within a day or so before they turn bad."

Yasmin eyed the bags of mixed fruit with awe before pulling out an apple and biting into it deeply. A moan of pleasure accompanied juice rolling down her chin. "You have more at your home?" she asked, hopeful.

"Yes, and its encouraged to eat them."

Yasmin quickly pocketed a couple of different pieces of fruit, grinning at Zoe. "With all the hard work I'm going to be doing here, I deserve a reward."

Chuckling at Yasmin, the pair went back to work.

~

A pair of large, well used tables had been set up, the various foods gathered from the day either sitting in wide bowls on them or roasting over small fires nearby. Finding a spare bowl, Zoe added her fruit to it, putting it on the end, a little embarrassed that the small pile was, well, small. Trotting back to her trailer, she pulled out a couple of small loaves and a couple of packets of jerky, adding them to the table in separate bowls. Quickly mentally calculating, she didn't think her offering to Asquith would affect whether she needed to resupply from another team. Be the Community personified, Alison's voice wafted through her head from her memories. Be generosity, honesty and trust.