Finding the edge

"Well we now have protection from the sand" Nick said pulling the thick leather boots up and laying the cloth from his trousers over them and adjusting his tunic before wrapping himself in the cloak.

"You are supposed to put the leggings in the boots for protection." Hasso replied pointing to his own boots. "Leather is far more durable then linen."

"Are you mad I took the higher quality boots?" Nick asked

"I didn't know they were higher quality." Hasso replied coyly "Why don't you haul all the gear to demonstrate their quality."

"You want to hold on to the blueprints and the books." Nick said holding up one hand and razing the other. "I think they should be left behind. Hand them to me and they will stay."

"I know, I know" Hasso said picking up the tube with the blueprints in it with a makeshift strap to put it on his back and the books in a makeshift bag. "I just can't let them go."

"Let's just get going." Nick said starting to clime the sand dune. "I don't want to be here when the sun goes down."

"Agreed" Hasso said climbing up the sand dune himself.

- - -

"I can see the end of the sandy desert" Nick said pointing towards the east as they walked. "Then it looks like deserted desert, brown vegetation, rocks and boulders. Then the mountains, a lot more brown with not much green."

"Well luckily we don't need water or food to survive."

"And with my new eye we can keep walking all night."

"Speaking of night" Hasso said pointing to the horizon in the east "That has to be one of the moons you saw."

"Yep, can't see it well now. But it should be dark enough by the time we hit that bolder."

"Can you at least make sure it's a bolder with that weapon? I don't want to deal with another toad."

"You have one to." Nick said gripping a board from the crate with nails poking out its top.

"But yours is always in your hand, while you take practice swings. You are far more efficient with it than i am."

"Fine, I guess I'm the warrior of the group. But what does that make you? The book man?"

"Just because I value knowledge over violence and seek to avoid danger. Doesn't mean I can't fight."

Nick griped the board and held it to the sky "Then if that bolder is a bolder lets spar."

"I don't want to be filled with holes."

Nick gently drooped the board to his side "Then it will be hand to hand, OK?"

"Fine. But we have to hurry there." Hasso said starting to run past Nick. "We shouldn't spar in the dark."

"Then the race is on." Nick replied as he started to sprint and his cloak waved behind him.

- - -

Hasso stopped his run well before the bolder, as Nick came up right behind him.

Nick looked back over the sand dunes they just crossed and in to the setting sun bathing the sand with a reddish hue. "That had to be over a three mile sprint. And no gasping for air at the end. Got to love this robot body."

"I almost forgot, you Americans don't use the metric system."

Nick poked the bolder with the board "Sorry for being different. But this is a bolder and you know what that means."

Hasso started to take off his luggage and cloak. "Lets just promise to keep the damage to a minimal."

Nick flung aside his cape with a flourish. "Fine by me. Ready?"

They both took awkward fighting positions in the twilight. Nick started with a clumsily thrown kick that was easily dodged. Hasso's reply was a punch just as clumsily thrown and easily dodged. Nick threw a few punches himself that were easily dodged or blocked. And the exchange continued with little change, nether one of them were skilled enough to land anything that could have done real damage to their bodies.

Nick started to hear a warning message in his head. "Wait, stop for a sec."

Hasso stooped and relaxed his posture "What's wrong?"

Nick waked over to the bolder and sat down beside it. "It's saying my battery is critically low."

Hasso took a seat next to Nick "Well you did do a lot today. How long does it say for a recharge?"

Nick layed back looking at the moons rising in the east "It will take about three hours if I don't do anything."

Hasso fallowing Nicks gaze "Then let us rest and study the night sky."

"Well that one definitely looks like the moon from earth, white and cratered."

"But the other has a blue segment like a body of water."

"Could it contain life?"

"Who knows anymore."

"But that is our moon right?" Nick asked not getting a response then looked over a Hasso and waved to get his attention. "Isn't that earths moon?"

"There is no big dipper or southern cross in the sky. In fact I can't find a single constellation I know."

"So that's not our moon?"

"All I know about that orbiting body is that it gives me the largest ping I've heard so far."

"So something large is there."

"It's only giving off a ping. And I have been thinking about the ping signals."

"Me to, I think they are distress signals like an SOS."

"And the ping signals get muted when we are in another channel."

"So the battle raged on over the lands and in to the heavens"

"Possibly, we are only going off of what we can do and its implications. We need to get to that bigger signal to see what it's capable of."

Nick lifted his had towards the white moon "What if it has a space ship that can take us up there?"

"I always wanted to cross the edge of the planet and in to space."

At that moment the boulder started to move making Nick and Hasso climb to their feet and run away trying to grab their belongings.

The boulder slowly opened up as spindly legs came out of the crevice. "What the hell is that thing!" Nick yelled brandishing his weapon.

The bolder than rolled on to its legs and started walking away.

Hasso shrugged "A giant pill bug?"

"I don't know if I can take anymore suppresses with my battery so low."

"You were supposed to check if it was living."

"No, I was suppose to check if it was a toad, that's not a toad." Nick pointed the dog sized pill bug crawling in to the dark but before it disappeared a tung shot out from the darkness dragging the pill bug in a new direction. "That was a toad."

"Let's just find another place for you to rest."