Return to Earth

Chapter 13

Kierst and Tabari were patrolling outside the wall, since Dune was laid up with a damaged ankle. It wasn't some animal that had gotten him, but a simple tree root that stuck up a little too high off the ground. Since their arrival the previous week, they'd all been bit by bugs and spiders of all kinds, but were fortunate that it wasn't the two they'd been warned about. He hated everything about the patrols surrounding the walled-in ship, which protected them from everything.

The only good thing about being on the ground outside the walls was they no longer needed to wear the helmets. Their suits did everything the helmets had done and without the deadly environment of the moon or space, weren't needed. They were still needed for flight from the altitude in case something went wrong, but Kierst would rather risk a malfunction in the air over the hazards of the ground.

Tabari was enjoying himself outside the wall, which made for a ridiculous sight. They were supposed to be in the air, looking from above to determine human proximity better than the satellites could. There was no reason to be on the ground until everything was set. The promised well was still being dug by slow moving lasers, since plasma would've been too dangerous. The heat could cause steam vents to open, which could give away their position. It didn't matter that there was no one close by that they could detect, since it was part of protocol.

Until the well was dug, they were stuck with chemical showers. As far as Kierst was concerned, protocol could go jump off a cliff. They were surrounded by amazing scents of all kinds, but within the walls where they lived, only the chemicals could be smelled. At least he had the sun on most days, which was enough to keep him from losing his temper.

They were nearing the river, which sounded like something out of a nightmare, but Tabari was all smiles. There was something off about the smell as he stopped and reached out for Tabari. A questioning look appeared on his mocha face, which shouldn't have been seen as clearly as he could. They were all supposed to wear the black over their heads, but he just had to ignore one of the few rules Kierst agreed with.

Tabari kneeled a little in an awkward way to reach look him in the eyes, since he knew his height could make people uncomfortable. "What is it?"

Kierst kept his voice low for some reason he couldn't explain. "Do you smell something?"

He grinned as his soft voice responded without fear of anything. "Of course. It's called nature. Never thought I'd see the day of walking through paradise."

Kierst shook his head a little. "I'm not talking about the normal scents. There's something not quite right in the air."

Tabari took a few deep smiths of air and grimaced from catching a hint of something wrong. "Why'd you have to say anything? I was happy not noticing that, whatever that is, and you just had to point it out."

His hand slapped a mosquito who was making a feast of his exposed forehead, which caused Kierst to laugh. "You know that's going to itch like crazy."

Tabari smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "What's a few bites compared to feeling paradise on my face."

Kierst thought about heading back, but the footage would reveal they stopped short when checked later. Their position was little more than guess work, since the satellites above weren't perfect. If he lied and got caught, he'd be on the ground for at least a month as punishment. If he were with Dune, he'd risk the departure, but didn't know if Tabari was the type to keep his mouth shut.