“Agreed,” Cal-com said, leading the way down into the outpost that contained several thousand inhabitants, though many were vagrants such as them, searching the stores and restaurants for the luxuries of life while out in the harsh desert. Paul did buy another pack and straps, lashing them together into what looked like a monstrous weight, but when he put it on it didn’t seem to unbalance him, though he was leaning forward a bit more than normal.
After two hours of shopping and a quick stay at an Inn for the use of a shower only, Paul and Cal-com headed back out, heading southeast and into the Sand Sea after crossing another ridge that allowed them to look out at the complete blankness before them from a height of a dozen meters as a bit of rocky outcropping was visible poking out of the endless sand.
“That looks like all soft sand,” Paul noted.
“For as far as I can see, even with enhancement. I do not think anyone else will be out there without a vehicle.”
“Can you see any of them?”
Cal-com did a scan with his visor, picking up something far to the left, with him pointing in the direction.
“One distant object moving, probably on a tract to the High Desert resort on the far side. If we head further to the south we should be where no one else has cause to go.”
“If this is supposed to make me feel small, it’s starting to work. Even flying this seems like it would go on forever.”
“As powerful as you have become, you are still a mere spec compared to a planet.”
“Yet the specs are fighting planet-sized Hadarak,” Paul noted as they just stood and took in the view for a moment.
“With wisdom, not your bodies. The small only become large when applying wisdom, and the wiser they are the greater effect they can have. But they will always be small, though they must envision the perspective of largeness in order to understand it.”
“Like directing a massive space battle and forgetting you are onboard one of the tiny ships?”
“Indeed. But Star Force doesn’t build tiny ships anymore.”
“I got tired of losing them,” Paul scoffed, cupping his hands over his eyes but still unable to see the vehicle Cal-com said was there. “Can you handle the jump down?”
“If you go first to measure the sand depth, yes.”
Without a word Paul hopped off the edge and fell down to the bottom, hitting feet first and toppling over from Cal-com’s point of view, with him being dragged to the ground by the weight of his pack. He slid out of its harness and stood up, walking left and right while dragging his feet in the sand until he found a deeper spot, upon which he drew an ‘X’ with his hand.
“Drop here,” he yelled up.
Cal-com took his pack off and tossed it down, with hit hitting near the X but not exactly on it. He waited until Paul pulled it out of the way before jumping with more accuracy and hitting the spot his friend had designated, with his feet sinking in almost up to his knees before his feet hit rigidity and he toppled over suddenly from the awkwardness of not being able to bend his legs forward at the knees for balance.
“The hard ground isn’t very deep,” Paul said, handing the Voku his pack as he stood up and dumped sand out of the folds in his robe. “I think the sand just moves around on it. That’s probably why there are no large dunes. It’s too thin to pile up very high.”
“Or too dry,” Cal-com amended. “The air feels different down here.”
“It does. Why is that?”
“I can’t explain it other than altitude,” he said, pulling out the map and touching a small spot to get it to reveal more data.
“Anything there?”
“It suggests the Sand Sea has no water table beneath it. A hard rock platform baking in the sun with no water from above or below.”
“That doesn’t explain the feel change on the edge of it. My skin is being sucked dry.”
“As is mine, and there are no noticeable air currents in play. Shall I check it?”
“Go ahead,” Paul said, giving his friend the go-ahead to cheat and scan it technologically, saving him from having to do it. Right now he felt small and didn’t want to lose the newfound poise.
“Magma beneath us, running along the ridgeline,” Cal-com reported a few seconds later. “Deep enough not to worry about, but the heat from it is causing the air here to rise along the edge, which draws the drier air from further out in and up.”
“So this is what it’s gonna feel like out there all the time,” Paul said, grimacing.
“Shall we choose an alternative destination?”
Paul looked up at the sky, seeing the sun was well into its descent past the apex. “Another type of storm, I guess. Do you want to try traveling at night instead of the day?”
“I am content either way.”
“You’re the one with the dark skin,” Paul pointed out.
“And the superior genetics. My robe conceals me enough, and I require less water than you do. The choice is yours.”
“Superior genetics my ass,” Paul said, walking ahead of him. “Mine come from Zen’zat.”
“Voku were the Elders’ more recent model.”
“I thought that was the Bo’ja?”
“Yours were not meant to reproduce.”
“Ok, you got me there. But we don’t need a visor.”
“Your squinting says otherwise. My race was designed for environmental hardiness. Yours was upgraded from a weak race of Ter’nat. Zen’zat or no, the base coding is in my favor. You sound like you still find pride in your Zen’zat heritage despite your
