Hercules immediately took Turbolift #1 from the Bridge to the Primary Transporter Rooms, as he had been instructed by Doctor Cross, and there met with the Transporter Chief.

“You must Transport everyone up from the planet immediately,” Hercules said, “on Doctor Cross’s orders!”

“Woah there!” replied the Chief. “Hold on! Wait a moment there lad! That’s not going to be so easy! Can I ask why?”

“Doctor Cross told me specifically ‘no if’s or buts’, so you must do it,” Hercules replied. “Do it now! We have made contact on the Bridge with some kind of powerful AI working on behalf of an Ascended species, and she is worried that we are no longer safe here. We don’t have time for questions now. Don’t you still have the Transporter lock on the crew who beamed down?”

“Er… well that’s the problem,” the Chief replied. “Technically speaking, I still had the lock on them as ordered but some of the crew who beamed down came back on the shuttle a few minutes ago, while some that went down on the shuttle stayed down. They’ve all split up and separated like white girls in an old horror 2D movie! Some have gone underground into the mines, where I’m not sure I can get a lock on them anymore. Some went off along the river, some into the village, some up the hill. I think I can bring most back easily, but it’ll need to be in small groups… and it will take some time!”

“Well… okay! But can you start now? …Can’t you?” Hercules asked.

“Yes, but shouldn’t we inform the Captain?” the Chief asked. “He’s in negotiations. He wouldn’t like it if we just take him away!”

“I’ll speak to him,” Hercules replied. “Doctor Cross said that she would take any stick for making this decision, but she believes that it is important.”

“Okay, I’ll start right away!” said the Chief. He began pushing buttons on the console and then pulling down the big lever.

The first group to be beamed back aboard were those still at the original landing party beam-down site, where the samples had more recently been assembled and packed onto the shuttle. Then he began working his way further out, picked those who had been sampling by the river or in the village. Those who had gone down the mines, the Security detail, and those who had gone to the Elder’s Hut would have to wait until later. That meant that the Captain and senior officers were going to be the last to be brought back.

• Kahuna, Weapons