Jorv started to run, and I did my best to keep up. However neither of us would be able to outrun the skifter. Jorv was looking at his wrist, at least I thought he was, the sandstorm was picking up speed and I was lucky to be able to see him at all.

“There’s a mission near here!” Jorv yelled.

“You want a bunch of dead monks on your conscious Jorv?”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take!”

I looked back just in time to see the skifter jump a big dune, its drive mill churning up sand as smoke bellowed from the engine. Jorv saw it too, and picked up the pace.

“There it is!” Jorv said, as he pointed down toward the mission. This was as close as I had ever been to a mission, and it was more beautiful than I thought possible. It’s luminescent crystal mounds were visible despite the driving sand. I stood still in awe as Jorv stumbled down the dune. “Come on!” Jorv screamed at me, jolting me out of my reverie.

I heard the kervian bellow something over the roar of the skifter engine.

We’d been spotted.