The night didn’t deliver the much needed relief from the heat. After hours of writhing discomfort, Ordon gave up on his wished for deep slumber and rose with the morning suns. The skin under his eyes was heavy and tight. His palms were still raw and tender to the touch from all they had endured.

Ordon sauntered over to the causeway view from the window. Beside him groaned the gurgle of fuel filling his Speeder. Cowering to stretch his eyes awake, Ordon pondered the great distance he was to travel across in the hot fog. Blankets of sand coated slopes and mountains. Jagged rocks jutted through thickets of native trees. The rising suns glittered off the ground's curves and grooves. The air vibrated above the rock surfaces in the warping heat. He left the daunting view with a gruff sigh and returned deeper inside the cavern to where the now fried, frayed, and blown scraps from the failed link heaped in corners. From his back pocket he took his Notekeeper.

The trappings of man. Self inflicted or not. I have spiralled myself down into a place I would have never imagined. But this will be it. The final stop. I can’t lose sight. I still need to make the delivery. Despite this predicament that I’m in, I know I still need to. At first shadow, I will start running the battery again. If only it needed a fraction of power like way back when.

I remember my first radio. Not the first I held or used, but my first radio. The one that went on to communicate with over a dozen different systems–all with my youthful, cocky voice on the other end demanding fortunes and promising greatness. A sham. A liar and a menace. What horrors and hurt I have oozed out into this world. Once I’m outta here I can at least set something right. If I can find the perfect way. Share what miracle and change this could bring. The violence and tyranny finally given end. This is my quest now. If karma, God, or any of that stuff exists–hopefully doing this will create some good. Shine something positive on this existence that I so frequently brought harm to. Yes. This will set things right. 

—

He began wrapping all the areas of exposed skin on his body. Tightly bound round his forearms and shins. Goggles wedged between face cloths that lodged into his neck wrap. Close against his back fitted his solution pack. He hadn’t gotten completely used to the heat. No one could–it was inhuman. Though, he’d at least managed to calm himself to not lose as much moisture as he first would. The hazy saunters of his first expeditions still haunted him. How he’d cover miles phasing in and out of consciousness. Those years had humbled him. Now he knew to be cautious. His speeder had clicked and vroomed notifying it was full with fuel. Ordon rifled through the scrap from the broken link tower and salvaged a few parts. The cavern outpost he was in had stairs down that curved around a big piece of rock. Thankfully, the storms completely covered all the steps with sand. The speeder did just fine hovering along the top of the smooth path. No steps to confuse its balance.

FULL SHORT STORY COMING SOON