Chapter I
He could see the rush of wind push in the tent walls and out again. He had experienced storms before, but this one was different. He wasn’t sure if this heavy-duty tent would hold up. All he could do was hope and pray. As he glanced at his team he just smiled and nodded. He didn’t want any of them to think that their expedition was any more dangerous than it already was.
They were here to investigate, research, and collect data. They arrived about a week ago. Setting up camp took longer than their usual. The possibility of a storm coming soon after their arrival made them work harder. These types of tents had weathered many a bad storm back home, but this was a new planet. Astronauts before them had landed here, but they were the first team of scientists and explorers hoping to make a settlement and get data to send back home.
Thump Thump Thump…
Something came loose. Micmash tried to hide his concern. “Remember guys, we have gone through storms before. Much worse than this one. Let’s get back to work.”
The crew paused to listen, they nodded and then went back to their duties. Micmash knew he had a great team. They were smart and faithful. They had worked on many sites all over their home planet, from the frozen tundra to the hottest desert. They were one of a dozen teams that were sent to do tests and experiments in rough climates and terrains. All of the expeditions were only to test them before they could possibly get chosen for a new planet exploration.
“Let me check outside,” he said, trying to calm the crew. He knew he had to fix whatever came loose outside.
“Let me help you, Mic.” Myka said. She was Micmash’s second in command. Myka had experience way beyond her years. Her test scores were off the charts, but that wasn’t the reason he chose her. She had a great common sense and very calm persona especially when things got rough. She was a rule follower. That was helpful to keep him in line when he so anxiously wanted to try to do something beyond the realm of their expertise.
Mic and Myka grabbed the body and head gear. Even though the planet’s air quality was similar to their home planet they still were not sure what this storm was stirring up. As Myka held the door for Mic, she tapped him on the shoulder giving him the all clear. Mic skirted through the small opening of the tent door and Myka soon followed quickly closing the door behind her. They didn’t want more debris or storm sand to come into the tent. Myka grabbed the back of Mic’s suit and attached herself with a long sturdy rope. With this storm there is no way they needed to be separated. If they both got lost. At least they had each other.
They could barely walk against the wind. They crept around the tent trying to check all the possible weaknesses. Bursts of sand blasted at their helmets blocking their view. Mic glanced out into the storm hoping not to see what his ears were hearing. He put his hand up to block the sand. In a distance only confirmed his suspicions of how bad the storm was. A tornado.
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“It is siquta time, mama.” Lytal said.
“Yes, deary it is. So, we need to stay below for now and away from the door.” Mama grabbed her young’uns and cuddled them close.
“Why is daddy out in the siquta?” Clirt looked up at Mama with a worried face.
“He needs to check on a few of our gardens. To make sure they are safe from the wind.” Mama didn’t need to tell the kids the truth.
“Will he be okay?” Clirt added.
“Oh yes, deary!” She stroked her children’s head hoping to calm her worries down while calming them down too.
They had chosen to move out farther from the tribe a few months back. They wanted to learn more about where they lived. Most of the tribe always stayed in the safety of the Pine forest island. Anytime a family or a person decided to adventure out and see the rest of the world they never came back.
Lekla, the Father, wanted to experiment living in the ch’in pacha that was next to the Zarken Mountains. It was hard at first trying to find a source of water, but after they found large cave underground with a spring. They finally were able to grow planets and raise howles. They were close enough to the mountains that they could easily go back into the tribe and get things they needed or keep up the trade. Mama knew where they lived might not last forever. She could see Father’s spirit of adventure always pulling him into the unknown. She would go along with these adventures as long as they could keep the kids safe. They knew the ch’in pacha brought rough wind siquta so they built their home down below the surface for protection. For now, their life in the ch’in pacha had worked. They were able to grow vegetables and some fruit. The only thing that they couldn’t protect was their meat source. Usually when a siquta comes the howles would run away back to the Zarken Mountains. They tried once to bring them into the cave, but their long curved horns the males had were too big to make it down the hole into the cave. Then the female howles didn’t like to be separated from the herd. It was just easier to let them run for safety and hope they returned the next day.
Mama knew that something was happening farther out across the horizon. Father came back to the cave in a huff just two days ago saying, “There are creatures here.” She tried to get him to explain, but he would only just sit and stare off repeating the phrase over and over again. She still wasn’t quite sure what to make of his ramble, but when he could see the storm approaching, he got extremely worried and decided to saddle up their roncol and head south into the storm. Of course, she was worried, but she would never show that to her children. She quietly kept it inside and prayed to Ch’uya for safety.
