Back at the tent the team was feeling uneasy with the storm sounds.
“Why does he want to do the fixing by myself?” Harkle asked.
“I agree. We are stronger than Myka. We could help.” HuSiy added.
Etheridge countered. “Myka is the second in command. She needs to be by his side and know what he is facing.” Etheridge was Myka’s best friend and trusted her and the leadership of Micmash. He had brought them through some very scary research trips. “Why are you so unsure of them going out there alone? They have fixed the tent before on Antac and Tatac in worse conditions.”
Harkle replied, “I just think this place is different. We have no one to get us out of here if this storm destroys everything. We always had an escape plan back in our previous expeditions. The ships weren’t far away to pick us up if we needed help.” Harkle had a tendency to challenge his leader. Sometimes it was needed when it came to mechanical issues with the machines, but he liked to argue about things that he didn’t have expertise in. He was uncomfortable with Mic’s quiet pensive way of leading. Mic would analyze the situation before he would make a move, but it always seemed too long for Harkle. Even though he saw that Mic did make good choices he often wondered if in a serious situation he wouldn’t be able to make a quick decision.
“That is very true. I know we have had bad storms before but this one is worse.” Ch’aska said while drawing closer to her husband, HuSiy. They both decided to come together on this exploration. The Achik force discouraged couples traveling together. Both had been on smaller research trips with Micmash but not as a couple. She is a great botanist and he is a great builder, known for his greenhouses and efficient recyclable structures. They had pushed to be placed on this expedition together. Mic happened to have both of them and their talents, but still had reservations on having a couple on board.
“I still don’t believe everything is alright in Mic’s head.” Harkle mumbled under his breath.
“Calm down team. Storms happen. Everywhere. Mic and Myka know these tents like the back of their hand. Let them figure the fix out. Trust our leaders. Your fear is only because it is a new planet and we don’t know what is out there.” Tica, the medic, was trying to calm the anxiety of this exploration and it was starting to creep into their minds. This was technically a one-way trip that they signed up for. She had been trained medically that this would happen, but she never thought it would happen days into the expedition.
Both Mic and Myka stared at the tornado and back at each other. They knew this could be devastating to their team if the tornado changed directions. Thankfully it seemed to be parallel to their position. For now, the worse it could do is tear apart their campsite and leave them stranded.
“Mic!” Myka said. “We need to fix that covering?” She pointed at the roof where the covering was flapping in the wind.
Every step he took was heavier than the last. Mic wished he had grabbed the anti-gravity boots from off the spaceship.
“Do you have your hook with you?” Mic asked.
“No. I don’t.” Myka bit her lip. “Should I go back and get it?”
“Possibly. Keep an eye on the tornado.”
Mic glanced around trying to see if there was anything that he could use to grab the flap. It wasn’t flying too high. Jumping for it seemed possible, but would it be safe? He didn’t want to take the chance on injuries early on in their mission. “Let’s go get the hook.”
“I’ll go back. I think this rope is long enough.”
“Okay. Has the direction of the tornado changed?”
“No. I’ll be back.”
An outline sketch of Myka was the only thing he could see through the storm. The wind gusts would come and go changing directions all around him. He didn’t want to admit it, but this storm scared him. Mic was pushed to his knees either by the wind gusts or God. While down on the ground he cried out to God in prayer.
“Lord, I need your help.” Mic sighed and continued in his prayer, “I know that you called me to this journey. You are the creator. Can you please give me wisdom? I need to protect my team. Not all of them are followers of you. They trust me to lead them well. I don’t want to lead them to a failed mission and -- Death! Show me a way out!”
Mic kept kneeling there silently. In a still small voice Mic heard God speak to his heart, What about Antac? What about Tacta? Who was with you there? Mic responded, “You were.”
A peace came over him like many times before. He opened his eyes checking on the tornado and for any sight of Myka. He saw that the tornado had changed directions slightly. He needed to make a decision fast. He inched his way back to the tent’s entrance following the rope that he was tied to. Each step kept getting heavier. What were they going to do? He glanced back at the tornado. It was turning again. His thoughts started spinning. We need to get out of here! Could we use the pyloxes? We have enough but can they withstand this storm? Mic stopped looking in all directions to see which was the safest route out of the storm. Towards the north there looked to be clear skies. Then a glimmer of light caught his attention. Was it a reflection of one of the suns? Was there something out there? The light was growing bigger and drawing closer to their camp. Follow a small voice spoke to Mic.
As Lekla settled up their roncol, he prayed to the Great Ch’uya, “Help me save these creatures from this storm.” When he heard the storm coming across the plains, he knew he couldn’t leave those unique beings out in the middle of it. Ever since he was born in the Zarken Mountains and not on the Pine Forest island he felt different from all his friends. His mother told him that he was a gift from the Great Ch’uya. His friends didn’t treat him any differently so he would go along with what they played, but at night he would stare off into the darkness above and wonder what those bright flashes of fire floating above them were. Some were big, while others moved fast and then disappeared. Everyone that lived on Pine Forest Island never ventured beyond the Zarken Mountains. And the few that did never came back. The Great Ch’uya showed him creatures and places in his dreams that look so different from his own tribe and home he always felt compelled to search for answers. As soon as they had saved up enough supplies, his family ventured out into the ch’in pacha.
A few days back while riding his roncol trying to collect a missing howle a gigantic boom startled his roncol, knocking him straight to the ground. After he gained his senses, he saw this enormous object falling towards the ground. When it got close to the ground fire shot out from the end of it. He wanted to approach the contraption, but then a large door opened towards the ground and creatures with black skin and red stripes came out walking on two legs like he did. Thankfully he spied on them behind a cluster of rocks. His curiosity grew even more when the creatures popped off one head to expose another head underneath. Each creature’s under-head were all different. The tallest one had dark skin and a smooth top. Another one had lighter white skin but with curly fur on top only. Still others had redder fur top. Lekla was starting to see his dreams come true as one by one came off the contraption. He waited behind those rocks until they unloaded multiple boxes. He didn’t want to spook them, so he returned home when it got close to dark and there was no chance of them seeing him.
As he rode into the storm, he could see the camp of their makeshift buildings in the distance. But what scared him more was the sand wind-tunnel heading towards them from the west. He sped up his roncol in hopes to get there before the wind-tunnel did. He cried out to the Great Ch’uya, “Help me! I need to find them Wise One!”
