Opalina Outpost

Chapter 7: Surprise

Lio kept part of his attention on the spot where the mag lane unceremoniously ended and the rest of his interest on the half-assembled locator wand in his lap. He launched himself out of the hov as soon as it stopped, eager to test the wand. Snapping the remaining pieces of the handle in place, he examined his new treasure. The treasure that would find even greater treasure.

It looked like a metal spider attached to the end of a fishing rod, but the supplier had assured him many times it was the finest model available. The arachnid-esque legs were sensitive enough to pick up Mastali alloy deep beneath the crust of rock and dirt. This was the sort of toy that only Enlightenment units were allowed. His brother's connections in the capitol had been helpful in getting around the permits. Never mind that Alonso would string him by his heels from the ramparts of the family estate if he found out that Lio had name-dropped him.

The walk from the mag strip back to the outpost gave him ample opportunity to test it. He pressed his thumb to the small scanner and the handle controls blinked to life. A faint buzz emitted from the spidery end, and Lio swept it slowly back and forth over a patch of dirt.

He didn't stray too far from the trail, but even keeping that limit in mind, the trip took him twice as long as it would have normally. But it was pleasant, a leisurely stroll with an edge of anticipation, knowing that at any moment the wand might alert him to the presence of an artifact. The heat had receded to a summery warmth, and the sky was cloudless periwinkle deepening to purple, promising a clear night. Perhaps he could convince Aziri and Teres to stargaze later.

The bulbous rocks that surrounded Opalina's entrance came into view, and he sighed. After a bit of wrangling, he managed to collapse the wand and store it in his knapsack. No luck on his first attempt. But there was plenty of desert to explore. If he could get himself out of bed early tomorrow, he could go to the Amphitheater before the others wandered in and interrupted him.

Lio cranked the wheel beside the entrance just enough that he could slip sideways through the doorway. He moved down the tunnel, keeping close to the wall for a few steps until his eyes adjusted, and trotted to his room.

He couldn't help but grin once inside. His quarters were tinier than his closet back in the capitol, but he loved it. Elevated in one corner, his messy bed held court alongside a painting depicting an aerial view of the famous Fennec canyons. The other walls were covered in sturdy shelves that housed a small rack of clothes, assorted baubles and crystals, a miniature First Goddess fountain, and a vast array of texts on the Mastali he'd collected over the years. He laid the locator wand on a low shelf and stole back into the hallway, knapsack in hand.

The sound of voices led him to the lounge, where the whole crew lay sprawled across the makeshift crate-furniture.

"My nails are destroyed!" Rosareen moaned.

Duhar winced from his spot leaning against the wall. "Can you pull a muscle from washing dishes?"

"Hello, hello, hello," Lio sang.

Aziri, stretched flat across two crates in the middle of the room, sat up sharply and slammed his boots into the ground. "Where the fuck have you been, Lio?"

"I had an appointment. But don't worry, I had time to pick up some essentials." He flipped the top of his knapsack back and dumped the contents out across the top of the nearest empty crate. The crew crowded around, even the twins edging close enough to sample the offerings. They'd forgotten to include any sort of fresh fruit in the last supply order, and the crew had been horribly deprived.