Desert Company: Retrospective

The twenty-fifth day of Tav. After four days out of sea traveling southwest, they could finally see the moors of the Walang Sahar de Islas through the windows below. They were beginning to be accustomed to their prison life, eating their routine pita bread, learning to use the bathroom in the ship’s head, and plotting their way out. The Al-Wa boat would stop at the Walang Sahar de Islas for maintenance, and then finally dock in Tasdaha at Port Eshnuk.

The most probable reason that Tayang would let them go above deck at the islands was because of the abnormal phenomenon that would occur there.

The Walang Sahar de Islas, an archipelago that was shrouded in a layer of fog and mysterious anomalies. These islands were first explored when they were found off the coast of the southern continent, the Buhang conquistadors sailing towards the islands in 1492. Upon entering the vicinity of it, they learned that they couldn’t use any sahar. A later investigation by Azu researchers had proved that past a certain zone, called the Hitei limit, saharic particles would not be present in the atmosphere around the islands. Due to the bizarre nature of it, no nation or tribe had ever dared to claim it, for it reeked of taboo. Even for the irreligious, sahar was a natural element in the universe. Such an oddity would be named the Islands of Kur, coined by the native Dineh south of the archipelago.

“We’re approaching the Hitei limit! Standfast!” Saya heard the navigator call out from above. When she looked outside, she could see the shadows of the islands veiled in a misty fog. For normal people, they could sense the density of saharic particles near them. Saya could feel that sensation as well, but in an instant she felt it disappear. It was as if it had been yanked out of her, as if one of her senses was lost. Her feet were heavy. She caught herself nauseous. When she regained consciousness, she noticed Suruj and Toqemur were doing much worse, on the verge of vomiting on the floor. So the side effects vary on their sahar level, Saya concluded. Suruj and Toqemur had higher than average sahar levels. While Toqemur was born with the innate mastery of the particles, it couldn’t compare to Suruj’s. The state of gagging soon went away once the grunt from before came down and gave Khouw the sign to unlock the cages. Using keys, he unlocked the two cages. Everyone filed out one by one up onto the surface.

Light fog surrounded the ship, the islands beginning to be seen in more detail. The sea was calm, with ominous ambience. Even if she’d never seen it before, the harbor of Sangre de Mga Diyos, the gloomy colors of beige buildings and white pillars, were similar to what she pictured. Saya saw the sailors of the ship working diligently in rotation, pacing past them every minute or so. The fighters all huddled towards the bow, in awe at the sight. While everyone was gazing at the harbor, Saya noticed Toqemur on her knees, praying.

“You believe in the Yyvubia?” She walked up to her. Toqemur opened her eyes.

“How rude to ask that to my face,” She replied, smiling. “All Khoitan were raised to believe in the three Yyvubia: Azazel, Balaam, and Kibuthan. But when I began to work never did I believe nor prostrate myself to the Yyvubia ever again. Until now.”

“Why pray now?” Saya asked again.

“Double questions, eh? I guess you can say that I’m hoping to get out of this mess alive. I’ve ignored the divine for years, so maybe it is the time for my repentance. Although if I do get out, I’m never going back to Buhanggilog. Perhaps I’ll live in the plains of the Kakai tribes, and see how it goes.”

“As long as we’re still one, we will fulfill L’s wish. And sorry for the last question… Um,” Saya twirled her fingers. “Do you think that a non-believer can learn how to pray?”

A grin slowly beamed from Toqemur’s face, her eyes sparkling. “Sure, I’ll teach you the basics.”

 

“When we finally go above,” Kwazhak said with conviction, “Make sure to tally up the number of employees on this vessel. It will determine our chances to make a move when we finally arrive at Tasdaha.”

 

Saya didn’t forget the contingency plan. Although she had determination, her heart felt heavy when L crossed her mind. What would he do? He was the mastermind of the operation. There were around twenty-three personnel aboard the ship counting heads. There was no chance to miss any of them; they had to maintain the boat. When it finally docked at Sangre de Mga Diyos, the sailors prepared the gangplank straightaway. The port’s valet came in to assist the docking process. In orderly fashion, the ship was successfully tied to the landing.

At the tip of the bow, she spotted Ashojan gazing at the islands, as if he was in awe.

“Since you were born in Tasdaha, have you been here before?”

His shoulders jolted up in surprise. “N- no I haven’t. But I’ve seen it before from the coast,” He looked back at the islands, a desolate rocky plain of swirling trees and sinister cliffs. “A place where no one can use sahar… Is this paradise, or pandemonium?...”

“Neither,” She responded, placing her hands on the railing. “The look of the place alone creeps me out. Like a void. I’ve heard of this place in textbooks, but it's scarier seeing it in real life.”

She rubbed her shoulders in fear as she couldn’t separate her cuffs in the cold. Saya couldn’t imagine herself living or working at this harbor. A lingering sense of desolation, and gloom came from the valet talking to the ship’s crew, their voice low and quiet. No sahar could be used. Anything that would require anything that was dependent on it, generators, buggies, appliances would never function in this region.

“Never again, stop genocide! Away with the Dineh Kazaàd!”

A mob was stirring up commotion, marching towards the pier. They chanted the same words over and over again, armed with signs and candles. Nearby port workers attempted to stop them, but the crowd pushed them aside.

“Captain Tayang! They’re protesters!” A soldier alerted everyone, pointing at the mob marching towards the ship. Tayang, emotionless, let out a sigh and went back into the cabin. He returned outside, cocking a submachine gun in his fingers. The crowd shrieked in terror as the captain pointed it to the sky and fired a few rounds, the sound stinging in their ears.