Sand Castles [Part 2]

Posted on Wed Nov 16th, 2016 @ 9:27pm by N'alae t’K’manatran

1,396 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Celebrate Culture
Location: Tiberius IV
Timeline: Back-post

[...Previously]


Khiy pulled the shuttle away from the doors and headed to what looked like a suitable rock surface a few meters away from the base. “Looks like we are taking the stairs.” To say he was uneasy about that prospect was an understatement. Not only did the stairs look like they were in dangerous condition, but to get to the stairs they would have to somehow transverse five or six meters of treacherous shifting sand. “If we can get to the stairs.” He muttered.


[...Continued]


N’alae scanned the surface below them with the ultrasound wave generator that Winkle hand installed on the shuttle. The blurry image that bounced back revealed the area to be mostly rock underneath a relatively thin layer of sand, about 50 centimeters or so. “There’s a rock shelf about ten meters starboard that looks solid enough to land on.” She told Khiy.


Khiy looked over to where N’alae had indicated. It looked no different from any other patch of sand. He resisted the urge to ask her if she was sure about her readings. Instead he turned his head and faced her. “Just so you know, I am particularly fond of this shuttle…” He then turned the shuttle and eased it down on the invisible rock shelf.


Even though the scans looked good N’alae still held her breath as they landed, almost anticipating the shuttle to sink into the sand despite the rock below it. A large cloud billowed outwards as the shuttle settled down but remained on the surface. She looked at Khiy, waiting for something to happen. After about a full minute she finally let out her breath.


“Well, I guess we should go take a look.” She said, a little giddy.


“Why not.” Khiy smiled back to her, relieved. “We have already tempted fate today, let’s keep rolling the hot dice.”


The rear hatch opened and began lowering with a humming sound. Immediately sand started to drift inside, even though there was barely any wind. N’alae quickly tugged the scarf that was wrapped around her neck, up over her head.


Knowing the conditions beforehand, N’alae was dressed in a slightly clingy, beige desert excursion suit. The material was light and breathable but durable, and would stand up to the fine sand. It was a single piece that fastened up to her chin, with reinforced material at the foot, knee, elbow and seat. With any luck, she would avoid the ‘sand everywhere’ effect mentioned in most of the reports about this planet.


In addition to the suit she also wore mid-calf desert boots of a slightly darker color, a rust-colored fitted jacket that came to her hips, and a beige scarf now wrapped around her head and neck. A pair of black goggles sat atop her head while a filtration mask hanging around her throat. She had a holster strapped to each thigh: one held a Romulan phaser and the other held a tricorder. A pair of dark brown gloves were tucked into a pocket just above her right knee. Any other equipment she needed, as well as a full canteen of water, was stored in a brown backpack which rested behind her seat.


Khiy wore an outfit of similar color emblazoned with the TGT logo on it’s sleeves. Not that anyone would see the trademark as it was covered over by a heavy fitted duster. There was clear patchwork done on it a number of times over and clear evidence of scarring. Khiy had never been a fan of how hot the coat could get in the direct sunlight, but it’s weight and length worked charms on keeping sand from getting everywhere. Besides that, he had the duster since before he started smuggling and he was in no hurry to replace it. Every loose stitch was a story to him.


He put on his desert glasses which covered his eyes almost completely like a set of goggles would. He toggled the daytime switch on them and immediately they polarised and tinted. The glasses cost him a small fortune as they were considered military grade, however, he had spent much more on sunglasses just because they had a popular brand logo blazoned on them. At least these were functional.


N’alae shouldered her pack and moved to the rear of the shuttle. She unlatched case and removed a portable wave generator that he had stored before leaving the ship. Stepping carefully outside and onto the sand, she began searching for a way over to the outcropping. What she saw wasn’t exactly promising. The shelf they were on dropped off again a few meters away, leaving a lot of sand between them and their destination. Likely shuttles landed in the hanger, not on the surface itself.


She turned back to Khiy, stuffing the generator into her pack. “Looks like we’ll have to jump.” She smirked, then walked back inside the shuttle and opened another crate. Grabbing a pair of levitation boots, she tossed them to Khiy and then pulled down a seat and before taking out a second pair for herself. “I really hate these things.” She muttered as she looked one over. Sighing she tugged them on over her boots and strapped the control cuff onto her right forearm.


Standing she shuffled around the rear compartment for a moment, frowning at how clumsy the boots made her feel. “Check.” She said, then activated her boots. Immediately she rose a few inches from the deck. Technically the boots were designed for vertical movement only, mostly to aid workers who needed to reach a greater height. But with some careful maneuvering, one could use them to cross a horizontal distance - so long as it wasn’t too far. Lose your balance though and you could tip head-over-feet and propel yourself downwards instead. Na’ale had a momentary vision of herself plunging into the red powdery sand, then skipping ridiculously across to the stairs. She shook her head and deactivated the boots, dropping the few inches back to the deck with a thud. “I really hate these things.” She said again.


Khiy found himself amused at her discomfort, mostly because she was saying what he felt. “Damn ungainly, right?” He seated himself on the bench near the exit ramp and began attaching his own anti-grav unit. While he remained seated he pulled out a belay rope and locks. He picked one of the harnesses off the rack above his head and started slipping it on. “Forgive the phrase, but we should be attached at the hip on this one.” He then passed her one of the locks and nodded in the direction of the second harness.


N’alae gave him a sarcastic look, raising an eyebrow slightly. She knew he was being serious but still found the comment to be slightly in bad taste. “Uh huh.” She mumbled and took the lock from him, then picked up and slipped on the second harness. It had been years since they could have been considered ‘attached’, and although she trusted him more than anyone else, a lot had happened since.


They quickly gathered their remaining equipment and exited the shuttle. The hatched hummed closed behind them. They stepped up to where the generator had told N’alae the edge of the stone shelf was, and looked out over the sand to the outcropping about fifty meters away.


The distance seemed much further to Na’ale now than it had a moment ago. Fifty meters was a goodly distance when all you had was a pair of levitation boots and a bottomless expanse of sucking sand below you. She glanced over at Khiy; he was probably going to enjoy this. It was just reckless enough.


She was right. Khiy was once again filled with that nervous energy one gets from a mix of anticipation and trepidation. These were feelings that Khiy had almost forgotten over the years. “Not exactly a typical Tuesday these days.” He smirked. His gaze turned to his friend. The smirk quickly vanished and was replaced with a solid look of self confidence. “We got this.” He meant it.


OFF


Khiy Tal’ehrihn
Owner/CEOTGT


N’alae t’K’manatran
Grey Star Securities
Captain of the Morning's Wake

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