The Space Spoon novel Chapter 60

People on Larva 5 traveled at night utilizing the energy they had accumulated throughout the day. They had developed improved power cells capable of capturing more solar energy. No chieftain would go on a journey without a sand ship. Tejeda's knowledge prompted him to bargain with the fearsome Chieftain Boppa for a mode of conveyance.

Three droids gave them the means to see clearly. One at the bow, lighting their path as the sand waved around on its left and right. The second droid hung high on the mast, shedding light on the deck. The third one at the stern where Hanga used the rudimentary helm to control the vessel.

As the ship's solar cell engine powered up, a low rumbling echoed over the deck. In a tightening grip on the wheel, Hanga steered the ship southward, accelerating more rapidly.

“How long until reaching our destination?” Shayla asked.

Tejeda examined her. Considering everything she had been through in Boppa's cave, she seemed to be as good as new. He then studied the map. "Three hours to the mountain range, when the sand ship is rendered ineffective. We should arrive after two days of trekking across a mountain pass. Maybe less if we keep up a fast pace throughout."

"Well, time to sort out the supplies and split the rations." Shayla started unzipping the backpacks. "We have to make due for at least five more days."

After two hours, three piles of food bags, water canisters, and various other survivor gears stacked the deck.

Tejeda changed the goal marker on the geo-location tracker on his wrist. Now it pointed toward the spot marked with an X on Boppa’s map. Was she a chieftain, a witch, or a pirate? There was a high chance he would never know for sure.

Hanga had a look at the engine sensors. The lights had dimmed since they had left Boppa's cave. "We must replace the solar cell. I'll need full power to navigate past the first line of rocks."

C1313 darted toward the back of the ship, where they stashed the replacement the chieftain had given them. “I’ll do it.”

As she rushed to the stern to change the boat's power supply, a broad smile painted her normally unfazed face. She climbed down the ladder into the ship's bowels and vanished into the black emptiness below deck. A few minutes later, the intensity of the sensors' lights grew, and the engine buzzed at full power.

"There, all set," Hanga yelled to let C1313 know she could come back now.

Tejeda smirked. C1313 was trying to make herself useful, considering she hadn’t much to add for the team. Soon she had to realize that she was doing enough. But Tejeda wasn’t the one to give her comfort. Not his style.

It wasn't long before they felt the first gentle bump of a rock hitting the keel. The ship swept past little pebbles that protruded from the sand. Tejeda had to crane his head back to view the tops of the mountains, which rose vertically. The ship's lights barely lit a tiny area around them.

Hanga and Tejeda leaped off the ship as it came to a complete halt. A rope tethered the anchor to the ship as they dragged the former over the dunes that surrounded the mountain's base. The rocks in this area were ideal for tying up the ship. They wanted it to be there when they returned on their way back, so they had to secure it.

Hanga hesitated as his hands tightened the knots. "You know, I-I was thinking... I-I've always thought of you as a... a..."

She threw down their backpacks onto the sand before jumping as well, along with C1313.

Tejeda shifted his gaze to Hanga. "Connect a droid to my geo-location tracker and program it to follow the course I've selected on my device. We'll have a better marker and a wider field of vision."

A droid was prepared as per his instructions and started the trek, its small, scrawny legs dipping deep into the sand. That wouldn’t be a problem once on the rocky ground, and it would be able to pick up the pace.

“Let’s get as far as we can during the last few hours of the night. If you see any good shelter for the day, let me know. The terrain will get rougher the closer we get to the western side of the mountain pass.” Tejeda picked up his part of the baggage and started in front of the others, setting a fast pace.

He could tell they had left the dunes by the crunching of gravel under his boots. And, just as he had predicted, the landscape shifted somewhat. Caves dug deep into the mountains provided a cooler and more comfortable refuge.

As they continued their trek the next night through the mountain pass, Tejeda thought about this mission. The task varied on his OMG scale from 3 to 9, depending on how far Kirian had gotten with his research.

He got a better grip on the straps of his backpack. Soon, the hard part would start. A scientist was harmless on his own. But if his experiment developed beyond the confines of ethics and better judgment, this could end up being very, very bad.