StormWeb: Chapter 1 A approaching storm.

Chapter 1: A approaching storm.

The sand was brought into the tents by a warm wind that rushed over the desert. The sun had set below the horizon and the night had its palm firmly set over the camp. A few guards where on patrol with weapons casually slung over their shoulders and googles covering their eyes saving them from the sand while granting them better vision in the night. One of the guards noticed a movement at the top of a tall sand dune and via his communication unit alerted the other guards. The movement became a man, one with a face covered in a wide shawl and a body garbed in a worn combat suit. At his waist a gun was attached, it was depleted of ammunition and the knife that hung beside it had been his only defence for the last three days. One of the guards recognised him, made a gesture to the arms brother beside her and the two began a fast march towards Captain Belatu Cadros, he had been missing for twenty-five standard days. The two guards reached the Captain, heard his low mumbling as they grabbed each of his arms and began dragging him back to the camp.
         A tall shadow exited one of the tents, the cape it wore was disturbed by the wind as it looked over at the guard grouped up around the body of Captain Belatu Cadros. The tall shadow took a step forward into the light of a torch and his face was lit showing the rock dry and grey skin of his face as well as the eyes setting on the crowd and a grim smile crawled over his lips. With grand steps he made his way to the guards who scattered before him and revealed the Captain receiving emergency medical treatment by a soldier. "Take him to a tent." Commander Wreath said. "I'll contact HQ when the storm has settled and tell them he has been found and is ready of pick up." A gesture implied the urgency of his news and the guards scattered to follow them while he returned to his tent.



Outside she heard the wind tugging at the tents as she removed her goggles and dried sand from her face with her hands. She had shut the tent tightly but still some sand was blowing inside creating a small dune where small lines of sand danced. In two motions she removed her belt and loosened the fitting of her suit then leaned forward to look at the wounded and confused man. He had been muttering thing ever since they retrieved him but she could make no sense of the gibberish. She took her water bottle from her waist and twisted the lid open, poured the dirty liquid into his mouth and he swallowed. He had received two medical injections and only needed to rest so that he could reforge his strength before they came to pick him up. She removed his combat armour then inspected his body further. He had traces of wounds but no fresh ones and most of the old wounds where infected with sand. She removed the rest of his clothing, covered him with a blanket then poured some more water into his mouth. Reached for the scanner at her waist and activated it, brought it slowly over the body and to her surprise there where no sign of sand fever infection. "Strange." She noted, made the same procedure once more with the same result. The female guard took the communication unit from her belt. "SX16 reporting. Captain Belatu Cadros shows no trace of sand fever infection. He should be infected wandering the dessert for almost a month. I request access to more advanced equipment." She rose to her full length in the tent while awaiting the reply. Nodded as she received a positive one. "I will retrieve it right away." Slowly she returned the communication unit to her belt while she regarded the Captain.



The engineer browsed the shelf using his wrist computer to check the content of the boxes. "We have a AD scanner somewhere around here." He gave her a glance with his bright eyes wide and the youthful face most found quite charming. "With all this moving about things are always in disorder." He cheeked a box and pleased with the return on his screen. He took the metal container from the shelf and slammed it into the desk where the female guard stood leaned. "I need your signature." He showed her his wrist computer and she wrote her name on it with a finger then he looked at the screen himself and wrote his name below hers. "Boadicea." He said with a sigh and looked at her. "It has been awhile. I have a few dry rations?"
         The woman released a sharp laughter past her lips. "Busy." Took the box in her embrace then looked at him with some kind of care. "Maybe under better circumstances." Fluttered her lashes then turned towards the door then left through it.
         He sat down on the unfolded metal stool and deactivated his wrist computer. Listened to the wind outside while he said her name. "Boadicea." Smiled and brushed sand from his pants. Remained there restless a moment then looked over his shoulder at the shelves and crates. Regarded the ceiling awhile before switching the wrist computer back on to check the ammunition inventory. Low on everything. They had not received a shipment for over a month and he hoped that they would bring supplies when they came to pick up that Captain. He inhaled, made a check on the food supply and somewhere among all those digits he made his decision. His shift was soon over and afterwards he could gear up and make a trip to visit Boadicea.



"Shit!" The first part of her forced the word from her lips while the other relieved by the uttering. Tried a second time to get a x-scan from the right lung but some awkward malfunction made the AD scanner shut down. With a sight she turned to the rebooting scanner, forced the front hatch open and revealed the inside were hot sand had mixed with the components. A second sigh as she reached for her water bottle, took a sip herself then poured a little into the mumbling captains mouth. "Sand." Then Boadicea smiled and began cleaning it with her fingertips as best she could.
         Her communication unit sparked and a voice was heard distorted by the sand blizzard. "The storm is increasing in strength, initiate secure tent operation." The voice died and Boadicea suited up to secure her tent. Wrapped her clothing tighter to her body and fitted the googles to her head. The guard had been right, grains of sand whipped against the unprotected parts of her face. She reached the first metal skewer, used the sole of her boot to force it deeper into the loose sand then secured it with a ebel strap. Around her more shadows where working against the wind to secure the tents. When her last ebel strap had been attached she took her communication  unit and reported. "Med tent one secured." She returned into the tent and closed the flaps behind her, secured them then continued to clean the AD scanner.
         She closed the hatch. Attempted to x-scan the right lung again, received a blurry scan then and magnified it only to establish that no oddities where present. Continued with the left lung then the abdomen with similar result. Gave her patient some water then ordered the scanner to analyse the pictures digitally.
         She heard movements outside, a hand ripped the flaps of her tent open then a soldier came inside covered from head to toe in some kind of cloth. He tossed her a bag then closed the flaps and secured them. "Thoth." Boadicea said as she opened the bag. Inside it was two bottle of water and two dry rations, she tossed it back to him. "I'm busy." Smiled and returned to cover up the patient, continued to check the pulse and breathing of the babbling Captain as Thoth stripped himself to reveal his face. She glanced at him, felt joy somewhere deep inside and blushed beneath the layers of dirt that covered her face.
         "And I don't have time waiting for better circumstances." He replied and regarded Captain Belatu Cadros. "He doesn't look good. Infected?" He crouched and placed the bag beside him.
         "He is not sand fever infection. That is what puzzles me." She looked at the AD scanner. The progress bar was at a steady 34 percent. "We are all sand fever infection, but he who has been lost in the desert for twenty-five days has not a trace."
         "Deep mutation?" Thoth continued now showing more interest in the patient then her.
         "Not that I could see, the AD scanner is analysing the pictures." She replied as the Captains babbling filled the sudden silence.
         He looked at her. "What is he saying?"
         Boadicea shrugged her shoulders. "No idea." She looked at him, narrowed her sand yellow lips to a smile. "He uses the word nefij a lot."
         "Tribal speech." Thoth said replying to her smile by looking away and brought his focus to his wrist computer. Accessed the database and brought up the file on Captain Belatu Cadros, browsed the info awhile then slowly began speaking. "There is no record of him speaking it."
         "So he has been with them." She guessed with eyebrows raised. "But we are allied with the Dessert Tribes, he should have been able to contact HQ."
         The wind increased outside and they could hear sand strike at the tent, they would soon be in the eye of the storm. "All tribes are not so kind to us." He reached inside the bag and grabbed the metal canister of a dry ration and tossed it to Boadicea. "Any signs of torture?"
         She cracked the canister open and looked at the dry black powder with the aroma of spice. “No.” Reached for her bottle of water and added some to the canister then closed it. Shook if forcefully while she looked at him. "Why the treat?"
         "Stupidity." He said and regarded the sand floor.
         "Yes." She added softly but with a smile, opened the can again and poured the content into her mouth, chewed it then swallowed. "I think something bad has happened to him." She pointed with the empty canister at the Captain. "He needs real medical attention."
         He took the second canister of dry ration from his bag, held it a moment feeling the weight then tossed it so it landed in the sand beside her. "Whit this storm I doubt we'll be able to contact HQ, and if we could they would not risk sending a transport." He looked at her and saw her fingering the second canister. "Take it, you need it."
         Boadicea did not allow her embarrassment to show but inside her it was present like a burning sensation. The two where silent a long moment listening to the storm outside and the mad Captains mumblings. She devoured the contents of the second canister then looked at him. "Thanks."
         "How long has it been?" He asked casually as he made himself a little more comfortable.
         "Three months." She replied her voice split with worry and sadness as she dried herself around the mouth then regarded her fingers covered by a thin moist. "But you don't need to worry for me." She smiled. "I am completely capable of doing that myself." But she was flattered that he did so, few men had that gene present in their DNA string.
         "I'm worried about a lot of things, you're the only one that's grateful." He loosened the straps around his chest and waist and deactivated the wrist computer. "I will try to sleep for a few hours, wake me when you want me to watch him."
         Boadicea nodded feeling her heart enveloped in that sweet feeling she felt when being with him. Looked on as he made himself comfortable on the sand, closed his eyes and waited for sleep to arrive. She closed her mouth and looked at the patient whose mumblings still continued.