Eastern Expedition(Concluded)

[Haktiva]

Salkar, Eastern Haktiva. 1900hrs

"So you're absolutely sure about this?", Esmerelda asked Max, her red hair shining in the light of the full moon.
"Definitely. The books were a little faded, but remarkably well preserved otherwise", Max replied, adjusting his glasses to look up at her.
"I can only imagine what will come from this", Esmereld said, her tone filled with anticipation.
"For me, a veritable treasure trove of knowledge. For our Pagian friends, a better understanding of their ally and some excitement. For you.... well you'll get as much attention as your little heart can handle"
"Little?", Esmerelda asked in mock offense. She stood up from her seat at the table, brushing aside Max's documents as she strutted towards him. "I'll have you know my heart. Is. Very. Big".

"I can tell", Max replied sarcastically. Esmerelda placed her hands on his shoulders, applying just the right amount of pressure with both her hands as well as her chest.
"Oh I'm sure....", Esmerelda said into his ear.

[Page]

The Damia 747, one of hundreds of the airline Pagianstar's jets, folded out its wheels and descended smoothly, a landing that was much more pleasant for the full load of passengers than the rough departure out of Talyn, where the unforgiving sleet of February downpoured from grey, windy skies. The flight was full, and about two thirds of the passengers were Pagians, as many tended to go on holiday at this time of year, whereas tourism to Page only surged in the summer months. There were businessmen of both nations, of course, as well as others with a more remarkable purpose for travel.

Two of these 'others' were seated next to each other in the second row of the first class cabin on the left side of the plane. Leaning against the window, looking out with some interest even as her breath unintentionally fogged it, was Nirai Kanan, an employee of the Pagian State Department who had the long-winded title of Deputy Director of Foreign Cultural Diplomacy. Her medium-length sandy blonde hair was only slightly unkempt from her sleeping through half the flight. She was someone who, on days of ambition and self-confidence, liked to think of herself as a decade or so away from inheriting the position of Ambassador to Haktiva. She could dream - ambassador positions were not handed out lightly, and any truly important matters with allies were handled by the Secretary of State himself anyway. But for reaching the tail end of her 20's, Nirai was fortunate to have such a good position already.

In addition to her travel expenses being paid on a government credit card, she would earn 1600 stryyvas in the two weeks or so she'd be in Haktiva, just for "working", by exploring ancient ruins and typing up something for the archives about it. Far more enthusiastic about the whole thing was the man accompanying her - apparently a professor from the university she attended a decade ago, though not one she recalled from those days.

Josef Saingir was a man who always looked to be slightly on edge. He would put unnecessary amounts of distance between himself and others, evident by his legs almost stretched into the aisle and his arms folded inward even in the spacious, first class row. He was thin even by Pagian standards, and taller than the average man. His clothes were utilitarian and cheap except for the designer glasses he wore, over a face that was handsome but always bore expressions that made him looked drained of all energy.

He was the first out of his seat to take his carry-on luggage from the overhead bin.
"Finally, the destination. Air travel really drags on" he commented, somewhat meekly, to Nirai. The observation was lost on her, a woman who spent a significant chunk of her life on planes.
"I tend to either work or sleep, so it never feels that way for me" Nirai replied to Josef. "This time I chose sleep, there will be time to read about everything on the drive to the expedition. I'm quite fond of Haktivan culture, but most people from the State Department forget how to just relax."
"I suppose I could say the same" Josef commented as Nirai stood up and took her own bags. She turned her head and asked "really? I was just lucky enough to get this gig, but you're paying your own way and you've barely said two words to me or looked up from that history book since we met last night in the terminal, so I can only assume you are fired up about this whole thing."

"This discovery is magnificent, and I'm honored to be part of it" Josef explained, somewhat defensively. "I've published eight articles on ancient Haktivan history. But this is my first time travelling abroad since I was an undergrad, it's not something I make a habit of. I'm usually quite comfortable in my office with the internet as a portal to the world."

Even walking through the bridge to the terminal, they could already feel an aggressive heat in the air they weren't used to.
"But this is too good to pass up?" Nirai inquired.
"I was prescribed some travel to somewhere warm would improve my psychological well being. And yes, this is too good to pass up" Josef answered.

"Fair enough" Nirai said. "I have a taxi reserved. Since you're apparently staying at the hotel you may as well come with. They'll tell us at the front desk where to go and what to do."

[Haktiva]

The drive for the Pagians went fairly smooth thanks to the driver beating the rush hour that engulfed the streets everyday. The Oasis Hotel was the largest in the city, its structure that of an old palace, three stories high with rooms surrounding a massive courtyard. The lobbey was adorned with fancy rugs and tourists from all over.

"Ah, Ms. Kanan. Mr. Saingir. Welcome to Sulkar", the concierge said enthusiastically. "Miss Esmerelda is waiting for you in the courtyard by the fountain. Please, leave your things here and we'll have them sent up to your rooms"

[Page]

How to pronounce:
Jaw-SEHF SANE-guhr (last name with a Pagian accent indistinguishable from "Singer")
NEAR-ree-ah (rhymes with Syria) Cannon

Josef dug his vaporizer out of his pocket as soon as the concierge took his luggage, and took a puff from it. Its contents were only tobacco, or a modified blend anyway that boasted stress reduction properties. It tasted slightly like orange shisha and the aroma was very subtle, making it usually alright to use indoors. He was trying to not become too dependent on the device which more resembled an asthmatic's inhaler than the sleek designs the young and wealthy students who attended his classes had.

Meanwhile, Nirai walked up to Esmerelda fanning herself with a tourism pamphlet she grabbed from the front desk just for that purpose. She smiled and let out a deep breath, the heat already having an affect her on.

"Good afternoon, Esmerelda. May the Goddess reward you for this most kind invitation" she offered a somewhat formal Pagian greeting.
"Hello" Josef said upon catching up. He unbuttoned his collar with his free hand and stowed away his vaporizer in his shirt pocket. "What an amazing discovery, I can't wait to see it with my own eyes. I am Doctor Josef Saingir from the Talyn Academy of Science and the Arts."

TASA was Page's elite university. A student who wanted to go there had to be seen as talented enough to be given a scholarship, or had to be very, very wealthy. Teaching there was quite a privilege as well, one Josef held for four years. Much like Nirai dreamed of being an ambassador, Josef dreamed of the day he'd have tenure.

"I'm also the author of Eastern Haktiva in Antiquity" Josef stated somewhat proudly. The austere titled book was no bestseller, but it had some minor renown in circles of academia. Being a scholar of foreign history in Page, despite changing and progressive attitudes among younger generations that were much warmer to people from abroad, would usually mean being less respected and adored than the leaders of national history. But the book was a fair accomplishment and the two thousand copies it sold over the last year was enough to fund his trip.

"I must confess to not being as adept as Josef" Nirai told Esmerelda. "How far is this historical site and what did you discover?"

[Haktiva]

"It's a pleasure", Esmerelda replied, not looking very hot in her robes, which did little to hide her curvy features. Perhaps it was her umbrella. "The site, or rather the map to it, was discovered by Max Ferenz, our young wonder in the field of archeology. Our destination is Kasad-El, an ancient city that was buried beneath the sands. The site is bound to be full of old manuscripts, artifacts, and wealth"

"Of coarse it wont be easy to get to, as is the cliche in this line of work", Max said, approaching from behind the group, dressed in little more than his boxers.
"Ah I was wondering when you'd join us", Esmerelda greeted happily.
"You tied me to the bed", Max replied flatly.

"Well at any rate it's best we leave as soon as possible, lest word gets out somehow and the Badlands will be even more inhospitable than usual", Esmerelda replied indifferently.

[Page]

"Tied him... to the bed?" the inquiry awkwardly escaping Nirai's mouth.
"Now, now, it's not proper to pry into others' personal lives" Josef interrupted.

"Well" Nirai continued, really having no response to that, "shall we get dressed and hit the road?"
She fanned herself faster than before.
"I suppose my colleagues will be envious if I come back with a tan" she mused.

[Haktiva]

Esmerelda stood up from her chair. "Follow me", she said, leading them to the other end of the courtyard.

They eventually came to a room guarded by what looked like some sort of paramilitary. The symbol on the berets of the men were orange with a black and whit image of a hooded skull. "Local Mercenary platoon under my own employ", Esmerelda said as they walked past the saluting mercs. "The Veiled Death as they call themselves"
"I don't recall anyone asking", Max chastised.

Inside was a large assortment of gear. Camel backs, tents, radios, all you'd ever need was there. Esmerelda tossed Nirai a large spherical helmet, a small hole in one end under the visor. "Special Extreme Climate System. Built in air conditioning, air filter, and fiberglass shielding. Mostly reserved for Spectre teams, but I managed to pull a few strings to get a few for this expedition of ours", Esmerelda said with a smug grin.
"For once you're habits yield results favorable to more than one person", Max commented. "Are you sure we'll have enough water? There aren't any known sources in the badlands. Plus we'll need antivenin in the event one of us gets bitten or stung by whatever lurks in the sand. Oh and guns in case we run into any overzealous prospectors or mercenaries".

[Page]

"I... hunted a bear once, with my dad" Nirai mumbled as she looked over the gear with some apprehension.
Josef was already sucking deeply from his vaporizer once more, flooding his veins with the sweet nicotine before it would be much harder to do so.

Nirai looked back at Josef and asked "there aren't snakes, right?" and then to Esmerelda "I don't do snakes. There aren't snakes in Page."
"Well" Josef began to correct her as the sweet smoke meandered out of his mouth "it's true there are no vipers endemic to Page, as they cannot generally survive the harsh winters, nor any constrictors, but there are three species of nonvenomous colubrids on Andryand Island and along the Sea of Talyn, as well as the elapid Drysdalia coronoides, a remarkably resilient creature, though there have been no fatal bites ever reported and they generally are not seen by humans."

Josef's lecture only irritated Nirai who only repeated "I don't like fucking snakes" as she tried on the helmet.

[Haktiva]

"Yes there are snakes in the desert, but I'd be more concerned with the camel spiders and scorpions", Max said, no sympathy in his voice, nor hint of amusement.
The inside of Nirai's helmet flashed a few times, a light blue HUD appearing. Options for zoom, AC, and dim appeared in the screen.
"It works like a touchscreen", Esmerelda said, walking up to Nirai. Up close, Esmerelda appeared to be at least half a head taller than her, as well as thicker in a few areas. She placed two pinched fingers on Nirai's visor and parted them, her the screen zooming in on Esmerelda's amber eyes before she pinched her fingers again to return to normal zoom. "It will also read your water level if you attach the camel back to the front instead of a filter. Plus you can change the HUD's color according to your preference", she said, a little excitement in the last part of her speech.

Max took the liberty to dress himself in his gear, which included fatigues, boots, and a sort of cape. He held a large helmet under his arm, which looked like a lightweight polymer version of an oriental straw hat.
"I suggest see to any personals you may require for the trip, lest you can't sleep without some sort of blanket", he said, walking out of the room.
"If you have trouble sleeping, I can be of some assistance", Esmerelda said in a flirty manner as she selected her own gear, her back turned to the Pagians.

[Page]

"I have my alprazolam and my vaporizer, though I suspect if clean air is scarce I won't be using the latter" Josef declared.
Fascinated with the HUD and how advanced the gear was, Nirai began to experiment with it and phased out her fears of what might terrible things might happen to her in the badlands. She resented that Max, being so attractive, was also so cold. Josef was charmed by Esmerelda though found her a bit too... outgoing.

"Alright, I'm excited, I mean it" Nirai stated, wondering to herself for a moment who exactly she was trying to convince. "Let's get going!"

[Haktiva]

"And here I thought you'd want to enjoy your last night in a nice, comfortable bed", Esmerelda teased. "But if that is what you wish, then who am I to deny you, but I doubt you or whoever paid for your rooms will be getting their money back. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my suite, changing", she finished, winking as she carried her gear out with her.

A few weapons were provided for the Pagians if they so desired. A Mk 22 tranquilizer gun and either a 9mm or 45mm Glock semi auto. These were nothing in comparison to what the Esmerelda and Max carried. Since all Haktivans had military training, they were more adept with a wider variety of weapons. Max had SCARAB carbine strapped to his back, complete with a khaki paint job, while Esmerelda carried a custom made desert eagle, which had it's hammer hollowed out, grip formed to her hand, barrel polished to a shine, and special night-sights.

"We'll take this van out as far as Telva Outpost. From there on it's all legwork, not much else of a way to get around between the dunes and sandstorms", Max said, his SECS held under his arm, though his helmet was already in place, complete with a white cloth hanging around the side and back of his head.
"Make sure not to drink too much on the way there, don't think the soldiers have much water to spare", Esmerelda added, a similar helmet on herself, though decorated with a black painting of a cactus flower in the center.

[Page]

"I think a soldier might have been better suited for this" Nirai whispered to Josef, beginning to slowly start losing her facade of calm.
"We're Pagians, which means we were both soldiers once" Josef tried to reassure her.

"Four months in basic and two in a camp in the taiga is nothing, I mean AD Infantry, not our six months mandatory service when we were 18!" Nirai stammered back at him. She took off the helmet and left it on the ground, and began walking away. Josef chased after her.

"Come on, this is the chance of a lifetime!" he said enthusiastically.
"Guns! They handed us fucking guns, why do we need guns?!" she demanded.

Ever the knowledgeable anthropologist, Josef replied "the Haktivans are a very straightforward people. They speak frankly about what risks one may face, they offer us to be armed as a show of respect, that they think we can hold our own..."

Snapping back with some hostility, Nirai told him "I see those pills you take are kicking in now, doctor! I'm sorry, I had the impression I'd be driving out into a desert in an RV or something, not any of this."

She retrieved a handheld video recorder from her pocket.
"Take it, all I need is a little footage to write one report for the State Department. I'll give you four hundred stryyvas for it."
"I have money, dear" Josef responded apathetically. "You may be on assignment but I took this trip for my own pleasure. Do you know what I was doing on New Year's Eve?"
"No, don't tell me" Nirai said, raising her hands up. "This is a really nice hotel, I think I'll just stay here. You come back and tell me about whatever went on, all the ancients and just- please, I can't do this. It's too much."

Josef continued, lecturing her like she was a student, despite her protests.
"Four papers rejected last year for publication, I hadn't a date in years. I was so bored and my life was so empty I fired my TA's and graded students' papers myself. I spent New Year's Eve standing on the roof of my apartment thinking about oblivion. But I realized then I had two choices, I could kill myself or I could begin to live. Yeah, the chemicals help but this is a pristine remnant of a world of last aeon we're chasing! No lines, no glass in the museum, no tourists with cameras. Untouched humanity!"

Nirai shook her head and clinched her fist and finally yelled "fine! I'll go. Despite the fact the State Department won't pay my ransom if I'm kidnapped by mercenaries who will probably rape me and feed me to some giant desert worm, despite the fact my lips will be chapped for a year, fine. I'll go."

The two returned to the backseat of the van. Josef smiled at Esmerelda as Nirai picked up the helmet and said "she'll be alright."

[Haktiva]

"Oh good. For a moment I thought we offended her", Esmerelda replied, smiling pleasantly.
"There's still time to get a better weapon if she so desires", Max said, his tone mildly considerate. "But I'd rather get this over with", he said suddenly in his normal cold voice. The van roared to life and they immediately sped down the highway.

The ride was a few hours long, the dirt road to the outpost provided a far from smooth ride, but the music made it a bit more bearable, at least for Max.

[Page]

"This was one of my favorite songs when I was a teenager" Josef stated proudly. "You might not believe it but this greying hair once hung half way down my back. I smoked the most wonderful kush in those days."

Nirai, still blushing slightly from her meltdown a minute ago, simply looked over at him and laughed softly.
"Oh, I'm serious, those were good days. Pagian kids these days, my students. The rich ones are all into some soulless electronica for the most part. The bright ones might be worse, they're always driving down to Andivi for the death metal scene. The music is nice, sure, but Pagian metal is so nationalistic and morbid. They write about the Civil War and glorious victory, they were children then, they don't know how awful those days were. And now with the conflict in Western Cuba, they're even worse with their rabid flag waving and their 'burn-the-enemy-and-their-kids shit."

While Josef made small talk, Nirai just stared out the window, watching the desert unfold before her eyes.

[Haktiva]

"It's sort of the same here", Esmerelda said. "A lot of music here is devoted to telling stories, though not as nationalistic as you make it sound in your country"
"You say that like there's no nationalism here", Max jabbed at Esmerelda. "You know there's all sorts of people out there that want to see the Haktivan flag across the globe, hell I find myself forced to work with people like that. There's are a few reasons I drink, that's one of them".
"As long as we don't have armbands and rallies, I'll be fine", Esmerelda replied.

They stopped at a checkpoint, a soldier checking their IDs and letting them on their way. The outpost was meager in comparison to other Haktivan military areas, but it was adequate for it's position. They stepped out of the van, walked past a group of soldiers plain basketball, and into the command tent, at least two dozen fans running when they stepped in.

"Ah, Miss. Esmerelda. Professor Ferenz", the officer in charge, a captain who looked to be in his early thirties greeted, though he was probably older given the slow aging of Haktivans. "I was told you'd arrive soon. And these must be your Pagian compatriots?", the Captain asked.
"Yep" Max replied.
"Good. I just need you to sign this registration form. It's so we all know that you passed though here on your own accord. It's mostly a formality"
"Not like we'll get lost due to iron deposits interfering with out compasses", Max said.
"Good thing I brought a few extra markers", Esmerelda chimed.
"Oh yeah, I dunno of you were already aware, but the badlands are in the middle of a sort of gold rush. Thanks to some new scanning technology, large deposits of heavy elements have been found, so now all sorts of people are trying to stake a claim. Hence the guns"

[Page]

"Hard to imagine there are still places on this planet which haven't been dug up, I would have thought the next gold rush would be in space" Josef quipped.
"One of my colleagues who is an astronomer thinks PSI [Pagian Space Initiative] will send a man to Mars in a decade from now, and then it's only a matter of time before they begin drilling through the red soil for riches."

Less enthusiastic about that was Nirai, who declared "yeah, I'm aware, they want to slash our budget by 3% next year and divert some of the funding to PSI, it's ridiculous. They'll just turn the ores there into weapons of war, may as well just keep the State Department in good shape so we can maintain the alliances and geopolitical balance necessary to prevent war."

Again spouting information, Josef told her "ores from Mars might hold the key to exponentially more powerful batteries. But yes, arms manufacturing is sure to follow. A lot of amateur speculators see lasers as the future, but there are some people who think it'd be smarter, if mineral resources could be harvested effectively, to construct ultra-powerful, very precise rounds. Every shot would be a high-caliber hollow point that would treat the best kevlars of today like tissue paper. Rationally, there's no reason to think radical improvements to bullets couldn't compete with laser weaponry in future wars."

"I can't imagine how much worse of a nerd you'd be if you never smoked that kush" was all Nirai could reply with.

[Haktiva]

"Well at any rate, we have our own job to do", Max said, uninterested.

A few documents later, the group was ready to move.
"The last thing we need is to get separated. So in order to prevent that there's a strobe function. Just the screen a few times and it will activate", Esmerelda said, her voice a little distorted through the helmet.
"Our destination is a few hundred kilos that way", Max said, pointing in the northeastern direction. We best get moving, I want to find a good place to set up camp before nightfall. It's fucking cold"
"No kidding. I'll keep my tent open if you have trouble dealing with it", Esmerelda said.

"Page is practically frozen, or did you not catch that?", Mex retorted. They started moving through the sand, a few soldier from the outpost wishing them some sort of salutation.

[Page]

"Deserts can flip from hot and cold in a matter of minutes, I know, it's like that in Cordenzia. In the summer at least" Nirai stated, looking over the landscape with some apprehension.
"Though most of the year there it just cycles between cold and colder. Probably why all the stargazers crowd the place up in the first week of August."

Josef grinned widely and said "ah, the stars, of course! The further from the dreadful light pollution of urban areas we get, the more we'll be able to see. The galaxy, maybe even the gegenschein under a truly dark sky. I look forward to the night."

[Haktiva]

"As do I", Esmerelda chimed in her flirty manner.
"If you can keep your sex drive under control for just a few moments so we can find a suitable shelter, I'd be very appreciative", Max said, obviously annoyed by Esmerelda.
"How can you be so cruel? After that wonderful night we shared", Esmerelda said with exaggerated sorrow.
"Ah yes the perversion that you've turned the act of procreation into", Max replied, turning to face her, walking backwards as he did. "If that's what you call wonderful, then I can only pray that I never find out what you call unpleasant"

"Okay you've made your point", Esmerelda replied, annoyed.
"No I'm not done yet. You obviously love putting on a show! Hell, I bet you're wearing a thong right nooowwwwww!", Max shouted as he tumbled down the dune he failed to notice.

The party's position on the dune looked over a veritable ocean of sand, the lack of features making it seem endless.

[Page]

"Are you alright, Max?" Josef called down, though he wasn't actually looking at him so much as he was now fixated on Esmerelda's rear side, thinking about thongs.

Nirai stood with her arms folded in, the vastness of the wilderness unsettling her. She was beginning to feel paranoid, and unsure of if some of the sounds she was hearing were real or not.

[Haktiva]

"Yes I'm fine", Max called, his tone back to his normal sense of annoyance. "Why don't you come down here and join me?", he called.
"Kay!", Esmerelda replied, sitting down on the sand and pushing herself down after Max.

[Page]

Amused, Josef said to himself "may as well, before I turn 50 and it's all downhill from there." He slid and let out a shout of excitement, but then lost his balance and began to tumble and roll. Dusting himself off and standing up, he immediately insisted "I'm fine."

Nirai climbed down steadily and slowly.

[Haktiva]

"Too bad", Esmerelda said to Josef. "I'm pretty competent when it comes to healing", she said, winking under her visor. Max rolled his eyes, though like with Esmerelda, it couldn't be seen.

"Let's just keep going", he said through a sigh, walking off.

[Page]

The long walk continued, and despite Josef being the one earlier in the day to advise Nirai not to pry into the Haktivans' personal lives, he was now the one curious about his company.

"So, how exactly do you two know each other? I see you're quite friendly together..."

[Haktiva]

"Esmerelda is my main financier", Max replied frankly. "She's the reason we can go on this expedition. Of coarse the folks back in Citadel could help, but apparently rebuilding Bekenstein takes priority over understanding the history of the country"
"Well being the latest in the matriarchal bloodline, I feel it's my duty to promote the knowledge of the East's past", Esmerelda said. She obviously had a vey high opinion of herself.
"Ah yes I can see where your daughter gets her attitude from", Max commented with disdain. It would have been under his breath, but he forgot to turn off his mic.