Golsho and Ladi gazed at the mountains. “The reports from the satellite feeds that Jal gave me show a deep gorge on the other side of this one.”
“If we go that way, it’s a sheer rock face. Exhausting for those who are not androids,” Ladi stated.
They looked north. “That one appears to have a lot of roughness to it. We might be better off going south.”
“We wouldn’t be going directly west,” Ladi muttered. “Does it matter whether we go a bit north or south?”
“I don’t think so. Our goal is to get to the other side of the range.” They were studying the map when Luk and Jal joined them. “We’re thinking we should go this way.”
Jal saw the note they had made about the gorge. “How wide is it?”
“Too wide to safely use a zip line.”
Jal listened to their reasoning and agreed with their decision to go south. Again, the group spent the day climbing. The members who weren’t androids had developed great muscles and strong backs and most of them were enjoying themselves immensely. There were a few who wondered if what they were doing was worth the effort.
As people followed the leaders, they began to wonder if there was a better route they could have taken. A few approached Jal for a long day off. “According to the map, there’s a fairly flat area up ahead. Can you wait one more day?” it asked.
“I’m beat,” Alerveco Nacu admitted. “I’ve never been this tired.”
“Are you feeling sick?” Jal asked.
“No. I’m just drained. I’m off to bed,” he responded.
Jal turned to the two people who sat down by it. “Are you exhausted too? Or can you last another day?”
“I can make it,” Tora Kavoos said. “Alerveco approached us and asked us to join him in this request.”
“I’m fine. If I sleep well, tonight, I won’t have a problem,” Elodi Aleris told Jal.
As Jal lay in the tent that night, it thought about Alerveco. When Luminary Yagyasan had brought his name up initially and described his personality, Jal had hesitated. Dr. Gyasi told Jal that Alerveco’s curiosity was insatiable, and his determination was amazing. But when Jal had checked into Alerveco’s background, Jal wondered if the determination and curiosity would run out. Jal had accepted the man onto the expedition team, believing that he would drop out during the mountaineering training.
Alerveco was of Tresdon descent, a Nik businessman whose family was known for trying to exploit the natural resources of Zuphreon, but had been shut down several times. Alerveco had tried multiple times to sail from the coast of Iragos Peninsula eastward, believing that there was a continent there. His family had funded his adventures, hoping that he would find a new way to bring currency into their coffers.
Jal had heard him at the evening gatherings attempting to find someone who would join him in an endeavor after the group located something that would be a source of income. Most people were not so financially driven, and although they hadn’t ignored him completely, many laughed when he bragged that the group would become rich and famous from this ‘grand adventure’ they were on.
***
“It’s a butte, I assure you,” Professor Nehee Bakin tried to stop the argument between Sidi Chikat and Chetan Loe. “Mesas are isolated, broad flat-topped mountains with at least one steep side. Buttes are smaller flat-topped mountains or hills with steep slopes on all sides. They are typically topped by a hard cap rock that is resistant to erosion.”
“I thought the terms were exchangeable,” Chetan Loe remarked. “I stand corrected, Professor,” he said with a smile.
“Regardless of what it is, we’re going to spend two days here, resting,” Jal announced.
“We’ve arranged to have fresh fruit and vegetables transported in,” Dr. Gyasi told everyone. “I’ve also asked for a variety of meat products.”
“Why are you doing this?” Alerveco Nacu asked.
“Because we’ve been eating a lot of dehydrated food the past few weeks. We need to keep everyone healthy,” Dr. Gyasi responded. “We’re projecting that we have about a solid week of climbing before we’re out of the mountains and down to places where we can live off the land.”
Chetan Loe went back to Professor Bakin. ““There are no trees up here. Is it because there’s no top soil?”
“That’s right.”
“So, nothing will ever live here.”
“Correct.”
Chetan next went to Golsho. “How will we go down? Will you make a zip-line again? If you do, what will you fasten it to?”
“We’re trying to figure that out right now. You can listen to our discussion, if you like.”
The climbing leaders studied the map. “There is a ledge here, and here, according to the satellite scans.” Ladi put a finger down. “West.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“There are three over here,” Luk said. “More southwest.”
“Six right here,” Golsho said.
“The six would take us to here,” Ladi pointed to a mountain that was due north. “The three would possibly take us close enough to here. We’d have to put a zipline in.”
“A long zipline like that would be dangerous.” Golsho and Ladi began to argue about the speed and angles of a potential zipline.
Eventually the group decided that it was best to go north.
Chetan spoke, “May I ask something?”
“Of course,” Golsho nodded.
“Are we going in a southwesterly direction?”
“Sort of. We look at the maps constantly and are trying to go west. But we are basing our decisions on the safest way, the abilities of the group, the weather conditions, and a map created by technology.”
“The zipline would be the most exciting way to go,” Chetan said hopefully.
“It would,” everyone agreed.
“Our goal here is not to have fun or make this exciting,” Golsho said firmly. “Our goal is to get everyone across the continent safely. If you want excitement, you can come visit me on Maz after this adventure is over. We have to climb almost everywhere. Well, except in the cities. Our planet is covered with rough terrain. There are places where ropes are left in place permanently, for those who are not Maz or Eza.”
“That sounds like fun!”
“It was terrifying when I was a youngster. Fun when I was an adolescent and climbed everywhere with my friends. Now that I’m older, I sometimes wish the planet had more flat surfaces.”
“What do the older Maz and Eza do?” Chetan asked curiously. “Do they still climb?”
“Yes, some of them do, but not nearly as much. They live with younger family members who help them.”
After two days of rest and meals of fresh vegetables and meat, the climbers resumed their journey. The mountains were closer together, and they moved from one to the other more rapidly. Toward the end of the afternoons, they would come to anchor points that had been marked with large x’s. These were places where a team of two could sleep safely. When the leading climbers had identified enough sleeping spots for all the teams, they would make an announcement on the communicators. Team members would then announce when they had reached their places for the night.
“This is nothing like I expected it would be,” Jal said to Sidi, as they looked out at the dusky sky.
“It’s not anything like I thought either. I thought we’d be killing monsters.”
“Where did you do that?”
“Carvis XJ7 has all kinds of monsters. I was on Tipheras for a long time, there are a lot of giant rats, goblins and men we had to fight off to protect our ore. I was captured by a slave trader one day during a fight. She sold me to a merchant who took me to Olara. I did everything he asked and built up his trust. One day he sent me out on a delivery and I made the delivery. But I didn’t return to the merchant. I caught a transport to Capisia. That’s where I met Dr. Gyasi. He was a student there. He felt sorry for me and let me sleep on the floor in his sleeping room. I was able to find employment at a clothing shop. I became an apprentice there and would go to the fights on the weekends. I started taking formal lessons. My master would bet on me and split his winnings with me.”
“You could compete at the fights in Nik?”
“I tried that. Those people fight differently. There are rules about what you can and can’t do in the fight zone. Magic isn’t allowed. I got kicked out when I used it.”
“Yes, I can see that happening.” Jal told him how it had gotten in trouble for using magic at the fighting practice gym.
Sidi said. “Not fighting on this expedition is killing me. I guess I’m wired for it. Have a good sleep, Jal.”
Two days later, the climbers could see a flat horizon to the west. Golsho and Ladi argued vehemently about the best way to get there. The map showed that the next several mountains touched one another at a reasonable height, so they had gone easily from one to another.
Now they stood above a wide gorge. A river cut through the valley below. Their only option was to descend from the great height they were at. Ladi announced this late in the afternoon, and for the next hour, there was a huge discussion over the communicators about crossing the river and going back up into the mountains or following the river. They went to sleep that night with the situation unresolved.
As the leaders descended, they put in place a series of ropes that would reach from anchor points to the ledges below. Part of the way down, Mila Goyal refused to continue on. This time, Jal was Mila’s partner. It was able to calm her down, and they moved on.
Jal and Mila were nearly to the bottom, when they heard a scream from above. They could see Tora Kavoos as she swung from side to side. Chetan Loe’s voice came over the communicator. “Tora’s slipped. I think I’ve got her.”
There was static, as he forgot to turn his link off, and he grunted as he pulled the rope tight and secured it with another anchor. He anchored himself, as he’d been taught and grabbed the rope. “I’ve got you Tora,” Chetan said over and over as she tried to scramble up the rocks.
She let out a holler when Chetan pulled her back onto the ledge.
“Everyone stop,” Golsho ordered. “We’re going to give Tora and Chetan some recovery time.” After nearly an hour, Tora stepped carefully to the edge of the ledge. She was shaking when she took hold of the rope, but as she focused, the trembling stopped.
A few hours later, another team encountered a similiar scenario in the same spot. This time, Sage Elvan slid on some small pieces of loose rock as it was beginning to descend. Diya Tak hit her communication button. She was clearly panicking. “Sage Elvan, Sage Elvan’s lost his footing. He’s hanging on the rope above me. I don’t know what to do to help him.”
“Tell us who’s above you and below you.”
“Cirus Young and Maya Ojer are above. Zamani Tu and Lallo Turay are below.”
“Cirus and Maya, has one of you started down already?” Luk asked.
“Maya’s on her way down. I don’t know if she’s big enough to help him. He’s a lot bigger than I am.”
“She knows what to do, Cirus. I watched her at the trainings. She can do it,” Luk said confidently.
Maya stepped onto the ledge a few minutes later. She put in a second set of anchors and hooked a rope onto her vest. “Hold on Sage Elvan. I’m coming!” Minutes passed and everyone held their breath, waiting to hear of a successful rescue.
Sage Elvan was trying to focus. It had worked diligently on improving its grip over the past months, but this was not a good place to be testing things out! “I guess if I’m going to die, it will be for a good cause,” he thought. “Father, if you could see me now, you’d have a heart attack.”
Jal was trying not to panic. Mila, his partner, saw the look on its face. “Jal, breathe. Calm down. They’ve got this. Maya knows what to do. I was on her team a lot during the trainings. Focus, Jal.”
“Okay, I’ve put the anchors in the rock wall. Going down to him,” Maya announced. She moved slowly down the rock wall and using an extra rope, helped Sage Elvan regain its footing. They climbed back upward to the ledge. “We’re safe,” she said into the communicator.
“Thank you,” Sage Elvan whispered. “You saved my life.”
“You knew what to do. You helped yourself.”
Again, Golsho ordered a break. An hour passed, then two. “Are you ready to try again, Sage Elvan?”
“Yes. We’ve marked an arrow on the ledge as a reminder to be careful about the loose footing. I’m going down now.”
The groups moved more carefully, wary of the edges of the ledges.
Sage Elvan was waiting when Jal descended. The two embraced, filled with relief at seeing one another intact. “I wish we were done with the climbing, Jal,” the sage said quietly.
“I do too,” Jal assured it. “I do too.”