“No. The Shamozolts came here specifically looking for them. The original crash site is about two hundred miles east of here.”
“We thought we had it bad, but look at this place, there’s nothing here but sand in every direction. It’s a miracle they survived,” said Sie.
“We assisted them as we assisted you and with our help they established themselves in a cave system with access to an underground river that runs through this area. The humans remained underground for a long time, following the course of the river as it wound its way west.”
“If the Awangs are all damaged like this one, then we can forget the settlement because we won’t make it,” said Mica.
“Do you think David may have already reached the next Awang?” asked Sie.
“That would depend on his fortunes, but there’s a good chance he has, which means we have some catching up to do,” said Robin.
“Are there likely to be any more of those Squalvolvans out here?” asked Shou.
“Let’s hope not,” said Mica.
They started walking and when the sun showed itself, it looked somewhat hazy, which could mean it was going to cloud over and this would make their first full day in the desert a bit more bearable. They had no control over the weather or the terrain and walking for hours on the shifting sand was hard going.
Occasionally they would happen upon an outcrop of rock, islands refusing to be buried by the sea of sand. Here, they would stop briefly and take a sip of water from their gourds, before continuing their arduous slog across the desert.
It remained hazy throughout the morning and a developing headwind became a minor sandstorm, which blew in from the west. By midday, the conditions had got pretty bad and Sie found herself walking with her eyes closed most of the time, in a bid to keep the sand out of them. Shou was having the same problem, while the Ammarla had this layer of protection, so the sand went around them. They had nonetheless all adopted the same position with their hands over the tops of their gourds, their heads down and bodies angled into the wind.
The conditions made them more determined and they were pushing hard. Unable to speak without getting a mouthful of gritty sand was also helping to focus their minds on the task of reaching the next Awang.
They kept their breaks short and would huddle together behind whatever cover they could find, have a drink and then they were off again. Despite their best efforts, by mid-afternoon, it was clear that they weren’t going to make it to the next Awang by nightfall. The conditions were just too bad and it was hard to imagine that the storm could get any worse, but somehow it did. There was no let-up and after a full day of being blasted by sand, the cracks were beginning to show.
It was taking a great deal of effort to put one foot in front of the other and a little relief came when they dropped down off the sand onto a flat area of hard cracked terrain. Proof that it did rain here occasionally. The area was scattered with small windswept bushes and next to each bush was a baby sand dune and Shou smiled to himself at the idea that they were walking through a sand dune nursery.
Shou immediately regretted looking around at the baby sand dunes because he now had an eye full of sand and while trying to clear it, he noticed a shape in the distance that didn’t fit in with the landscape. Robin had also seen this anomaly and thought it might be worth checking out.
Shou shouted over at Robin. “What is it?”
What they had actually found was an old wreck, a bit of history rotting in the desert. An all-terrain vehicle left here by the Shamozolts and it was soon obvious why it had been abandoned. One of its huge tracks was broken and perhaps lacking the necessary spares, the Shamozolts had left it here to rot. Because of its robust construction, it hadn’t really rotted at all and more importantly its bulk was offering some shielding from the wind.
Shou tried one of the doors, but it didn’t want to budge, which might have been due to the damage. It looked like a corrosive substance had leaked onto it from the extreme pitting that was evident. In the end, the wind forced him to take shelter with the others.
They guessed they were looking at some kind of support vehicle for those stationed out here and the desert was no doubt littered with other examples.
“They put a lot of effort in trying to find the people out here,” said Shou.
“Yes that’s true, but eventually the extraction of ore became their priority,” said Robin. “There is evidence to suggest that the Shamozolts were guided to this ore to distract them from their search.”
“Really?”
“We’ll see the extent of the mining effort when we get down to the river. It’s hard to miss. The Shamozolts were relentless once they got started.”
As they sat there shielded from the wind, Robin was keen to find out if there was anything in this wreck that they could use, so he got up and wandered around the back of it. There was a door here, recessed into its bulky body, with no corrosion, only a lock to deal with. Robin fancied his chances and within a few moments the door hissed open. Its interior had remained airtight, which was a good sign.
Shou was up in a flash, eager to find out what goodies they could plunder, only he was a little disappointed, the cupboard was practically bare. The two of them were looking for different things and Robin was more than happy.
The space inside equalled that of a good-sized removal truck and while they rummaged, Mica and Sie came in out of the wind to see what they were up to. So far, Robin had found a couple of blankets and a ration pack that would feed the four of them for a couple of days. Mica then noticed a water container, which would hold their water better than the gourds.
Shou had managed to get himself up into the driver’s compartment and he was imagining what diving one of these things must have been like. There were banks of buttons and dials and he noticed something tucked down the side of the seat. A weapon? Shou held it in his hands and quickly realised that it was some type of optical device. Despite its size, it was reasonably lightweight. At one end it looked like a pair of binoculars, while at the other end it resembled a spotting scope.
There was just enough adjustment for Shou to align his eyes with the device, but he couldn’t see a thing through them. He would show them to Robin and maybe he could make them work.
Shou concluded his fantasy with a look through the scope of the vehicle’s plasma turret and then headed back to the main compartment.
The others had amassed quite a collection of less interesting, but more relevant items, which now included a couple of backpacks.
Sie noticed that Shou was holding a strange looking object. “What’s that?”
“I think it’s some kind of optical device, although I’m not seeing much through them. What do you think, Robin?”
Robin looked them over and the reason Shou couldn’t see anything through them was that they were out of power. All was not lost, as this particular model was covered in solar crystals and a spell in the sun would charge them up.
“We’ve done all right,” said Shou.
“Yes, not bad at all,” agreed Robin.
No one wanted to go back out into the sandstorm and a unanimous vote confirmed they would overnight in the ATV, so Robin closed the door on the weather and they settled back for a well-deserved rest. The Awang was still a few hours away and they were really hoping the sandstorm would subside by morning or else it was going to be another miserable day tomorrow.
The worst thing about waking up was that they had run out of water and Shou had developed a thirst, which he imagined would take an ocean to satisfy. They rose before sunrise and Robin pushed the door open of the ATV and all was calm. What a relief.
They gathered up what they had found and distributed the items into the two backpacks and while everyone was getting themselves ready, Mica practiced a few Jimbo moves, which helped focus her mind.
They were walking again and Clom slung the pair of optics he’d found, over his shoulder, so that the sun could work its magic and bring them back to life. He was
a bit impatient and kept holding them up to his eyes, hoping they had charged up. It was about an hour before they came to life and Clom then spent most of his time looking through them.
“Aren’t you tired of those things yet?” asked Sie.
You could see by the look on Shou’s face that he wasn’t and he was the first to spot the sun-bleached rocks of an Awang.
“There it is,” announced Shou.
“Let me take a look,” said Robin.
It was hard to tell if the Awang had suffered the same damage as the first, but if it had, they were in trouble.
Sie couldn’t believe how tired she felt and she wasn’t alone. The Awang was a welcome sight, but they were holding back in case they needed to make a hasty retreat.
Mica had her Jimbo in her hand ready to crack some skulls if necessary, while Robin was trying to get a feel for what had passed this way recently. The problem was that the sandstorm had wiped the place clean, so he wasn’t picking up very much at all.
After their cautionary approach, they were soon close enough to see that this Awang was intact. They were still hesitant about stepping inside, but the promise of a cool drink was too much of a temptation and they finally succumbed.
A cool breeze came up from the depths of the Awang to greet them, which provided instant relief from the baking desert, but Robin wasn’t going to rush into a possible trap and was holding everyone back until he was satisfied. He quickly established there were no traps, which was good news and that wasn’t all, because just inside were two sets of tracks, two sets coming and two sets going.
There was no denying the evidence. If David had made these footprints, then he wasn’t alone since the other set belonged to a Shamozolt.
“That can’t be a coincidence,” said Mica. “We saw the same thing back at the forest.”
“There can’t be too many parings of this nature, even if we are on the same side now,” said Sie.
“I still can’t grasp the idea, if I’m honest,” said Shou.
“Well, whatever,” said Mica as she took out a light crystal and lit it. “It would seem that David is travelling with a Shamozolt and that’s better than nothing.”
Mica was right and their thirst drove them down the passage where they came upon an expanse of water, an underground lake, fed by a river that they could hear rumbling deep within the cavern.
Shou and Sie were curious to find out more about the natural light down here.
“What’s that haze on the water?” asked Shou.
“It’s a luminous discharge, created by a semiaquatic insect. It’s what happens when the male is trying to impress a female.”
“Love gas,” said Shou.
Mica smiled. “Yes. That’s a pretty good description.”
“Is the water safe to drink?” asked Shou.
“Perfectly,” said Mica.
The cool water felt and tasted great, but there wasn’t time to linger, as it was obvious that David was following the course of the river and probably well on his way to the next Awang. After filling their water container, they headed back up to the entrance, although no one was looking forward to going back outside because by now it would be scorching.
“Robin, you gave us the impression that this settlement is some distance,” said Sie.
“Yes, about five hundred miles.”
“My god, that’s some trek.”
“And we can’t change that,” said Robin.
“It will take weeks before we reach it. Have we got weeks?”
They didn’t have weeks and Robin was eager to leave and he led them out into the heat.
After five hours they were struggling and only a little over halfway. They continued and by mid-afternoon, they were desperate to find some shade, but there was nothing around and their water was disappearing fast. Shou was trying to take his mind off his discomfort by scanning the horizon with his new toy. At least that’s what Sie was calling it.
The desert looked pretty dead, but Shou had seen fleeting glimpses of life and he was on the lookout for something when he spied an outcrop of rock rising above the dunes. After bringing his discovery to everyone’s attention, it was decided that they should make their way over to it, in the hope of finding some shade there.
The rocky outcrop was almost the same colour as the sand around it and they would have easily missed it, so Shou was feeling quite pleased with himself for having spotted it. When they arrived it was clear that they weren’t the first ones to have stumbled across it, as someone had been using it for target practice. It was nothing to get excited about; the holes and craters were decades old and probably made by the Shamozolts stationed out here.
The outcrop was substantial, a hundred metres high and nearly twice that in length. Most importantly, it offered some shade and that meant a well-earned rest. It was good to be out of the sun and they ate some of the rations they’d found, which didn’t taste too bad, considering how long they’d been in the desert.
Robin wondered how David would be holding up in this environment. Even with a Shamozolt as a companion, it would be tough and what were the odds that this Shamozolt should just happen along at the right time. Pure coincidence or luck? Robin struggled to make sense of it and was drawn to the conclusion that Mica was probably right and that the Shamozolt had arrived with the forest.
The only thing spoiling this idea was the evidence of just one Shamozolt when there would have been dozens in the forest at the time of its displacement.
Since they were relatively comfortable, Robin decided to try and contact Qwamma.
Qwamma had been expecting him, so it was no surprise to see Robin come through and Robin wished he had thought about contacting him sooner. Qwamma was relieved they had made it away from Vulsumar safely. The crystal had been keeping him up to speed on most of the developments and yet there was a huge grey area from the time they had spent on Vulsumar, so Robin helped fill in the gaps as best he could. Explaining how they had received help from an RDU sent by the Harmonic Ones. Robin then switched to their current predicament and the idea that a lone Shamozolt was very likely travelling with David.
Qwamma explained that the Formless Ones wouldn’t be expecting it and followed through with the bombshell that Boroc had not died and had been sent to assist David. Plan B was in fact, plan Boroc.
“He’s alive!”
“The Harmonic Ones saw his potential and gave him another chance. Better that then let his soul end up in the hands of the Formless Ones.”
“So this recycled Shamozolt has reformed?”
“Hardly, he is still very much the Shamozolt he’s always been, but his eyes have been opened and now he can see he’s better off on our side.”
“Yes, but for how long? What if he changes his mind?”
“I don’t believe there will be any chance of that.”
“So if this relationship is working out so well, why are we here?” asked Robin.
Qwamma could tell that Robin was unhappy with the situation and that was understandable.
“Boroc is very capable on the battlefield and the humans of the north are going to need that kind of support against the Squalvolvans since the Formless Ones have amassed quite an army. But you shouldn't need me to tell you why you are needed there.”
It was imperative that Robin reached David as soon as possible because it was likely to take a coordinated team effort to get him to the Hidden Ones.
“When I break the news that Boroc is alive and well, it’s hardly going to pull everyone together.”
“You have to make it work, Robin. There is no other way. David has only survived this long because of Boroc.”
“There’s no way of knowing how long it’s going to take before we catch up with them and if there really is an army of Squalvolvans out here, then we’re surely going to need an army to defeat them.”
Qwamma was inclined to agree, but he didn’t have an army at his disposal.
Robin broke the connection and opened his eyes
to see Mica staring at him and there was no point in trying to keep anything from her.
“Did you make contact with Qwamma?” asked Sie.
“I did and he’s happy with our progress, but he has warned that we are in for a tough time ahead.”
“Great. Talk about tell us what we already know,” said Shou.
Discreetly, Robin asked Mica for her opinion on the news about Boroc and whether she thought now was a good time to tell Shou and Sie. Mica just shook her head and Robin knew she was right. They would have to stay quiet about Boroc because they couldn’t afford that kind of fallout right now. There wasn’t going to be a good time to tell Sie and Shou that the Shamozolt of their nightmares was back from the dead, but with any luck, he might fall victim to one of the many dangers out here in the desert and they wouldn’t have to.
Shou had the scope up to his eyes. “Wow, these things are powerful.”
“We’ve only heard you say that for the hundredth time!” said Sie.
“Take a look for yourself.”
“If I must.”
Shou handed Sie the scope and she looked out over the desert. “All I can see is sand. Oh, wait a minute, I think I pressed something. Hang on. That’s odd.”
Instead of the desert, Sie was looking at a map and there was a small glowing green dot on it. So what did that mean?
“Robin?”
Robin took a look for himself and as soon as he saw that the map was live, he knew it had to be linked to a satellite. Since the scope belonged to the Zolt army, he quickly formed the opinion that the green dot could mean only one thing. It was highlighting Boroc’s current position because all Zolt soldiers were microchipped.
Sie and Shou were still waiting for an explanation and to keep the peace for a while longer, Robin knew he was going to have to lie. The best he could come up with was the suggestion that the glowing dot might actually be highlighting David’s current position. Luckily for Robin, no one questioned how that might be possible.
Chapter Seven
Dead weight
Alliance Page 21