Ibn Sharjar: Coffee, Crystals, Canyons & the lands of the Fraj-Senni
Posted on 14 Nov 2022 @ 8:34am by Atif ibn Sharjar - Merchant of the Al Ashar
Edited on on 15 Jun 2023 @ 6:08pm
Mission:
Ongoing Mission - Planet Obsidian
Location: Lethini Deadlands
Timeline: M3 D06 1630Hrs
2956 words - 5.9 OF Standard Post Measure
Ibn Sharjar refilled Tej-Jilek’s cup from his brass coffee pot, the man had requested to try some of his Arabic coffee and was enjoying the experience. In return he had shared some of the breakfast food his wife had brought along for the family.
Atif had a sweet tooth and Kniva’s homemade Mignar fruit jam had been delicious, it had a spicy taste, different to others he had tried and was excellent on some unleavened bread. “The spice helps preserve things in the summer heat” she told him.
Some six hours into the flight, the family seemed quite at ease aboard the ship. He had transported other Obsdianite passengers in the past, but often they had been nervous about the journey, uneasy about flying. He recalled one group who had spent the entire flight huddled under their robes praying loudly and constantly to the Divine One. Thankfully that had been only a short trip.
Breakfast finished, Atif returned to the cockpit, he checked the auto-pilot, they were on course and schedule and he settled back into his chair. The sun was up now and the desert spread out before the forward windows, the heat shimmer was already present and the line between land and sky was a flickering blur. As he was running west, at just two hundred and twenty meters, the Al Ashar’s shadow, a dark silhouette, danced along the ground ahead of them.
They had crossed the Sea of Glass during the pre-dawn darkness, now they were traveling across open desert, mostly dunes and the occasional rocky outcrop. Checking his navigational display, he saw the foothills of the Rupathan Mountain range just coming onto the screen. Another hour or so and they would appear on the horizon.
A green smudge came up to port, within a few minutes it had cleared, the sand giving way to a rocky depression in the desert. The narrow valley was lined with stunted trees and scrubby plants, there was the occasional glint of silver within the green, one of the few places on the planet where open water, in this case a shallow river, ran along the surface. Its source was high up in the, as yet, unseen mountains. The river valley was a thin line of life and greenness in the barren brown land. A few whips of smoke arose into the cloudless sky. Breakfast cooking fires from a village nestled high up on the valley side, almost touching the desert, leaving as much of the lower irrigated land as possible for their crops. Out on the edge of the valley some small figures, probably children, tended a herd of Chuchaki. The animals grazing on the spiny cactus, shrubs and bushes that found just enough water to survive far from the river in the valley below.
The cockpit door slid open behind him, looking over his shoulder Atif saw the two boys standing there. “May we enter please?” the older, Gabrul, asked.
“Of course” Atif waved them in and pointed to a bench seat on the starboard side near a window. “Sit there, you will have a good view”
The two moved forward and sat down, young Sasil quickly had his nose pressed to the window. Gabrul tried to be a bit more mature and sat stiffly at first, but not for long. Sasil nudged him and pointed to a group of Kalpask. The enormous Centipedes were sunning themselves on a patch of rocky ground, the insects soaking up the heat of the early morning sun after the chill of the night. Soon they would be active and roaming around, hunting. Gabrul looked over disdainfully at first but then when a couple of the beasts rose up on their many legs and began to circle each other in a challenge fight, he quickly joined his brother at the window, the pair of them chattering away and pointing out sights to each other.
“You have a cargo to go to the Oasis of the Nine Stones?” Ibn Sharjar asked the owner
“Yes” Gabrul replied “Perhaps three cart loads”
About fifteen to twenty one cubic meters Ibn Sharjer reasoned, he had more than enough room for that. He nodded, “What would that consist of?”
“Certain supplies for my Tribe,” the man waved a hand at the various shelves of his Apothecary store, “Mostly medicinal, salves, ointments and unguents, the sun and the glass have no mercy, even for the faithful who ever follow their paths. Also, some herbs, spices and gray-salt. And my kin, my first son, his wife and my two grandsons, who will be returning home”
“When would the cargo and your people be ready?”
“Tomorrow morning, early, an hour, perhaps two, after midnight”
It was an unusual time, though Ibn Sharjar did not mention it, establishing trust with a new client meant a certain level of discretion was required.
“My ship is at the starport; loading to take place there or do you prefer another location?” He asked, if the man wanted to move under the cover of darkness, he might also wish another, less public, rendezvous.
“The starport is acceptable”
Ibn Sharjar nodded, so the man was low profile but not secretive. “Though it may be impolite of me, we having just met, but we are both merchants and so please forgive me if I bring up price…”
“I understand” the old man nodded, “Though I must confess I am a poor bargainer” the edges of his mouth rose slightly in a smile
“Ah, I also” Atif responded, he held out his hands “It is a failing of mine”
“As a healer and apothecary my wish is always the best health for my customers, profit is not a consideration”
“A most worthy philosophy to cherish the wellness of others, over one’s self” Atif replied, his own smile rising
Gabrul dipped his head “You are most kind, I am sure we will soon reach an agreeable fee. Would you care for some coffee?”
“That would be pleasant, thank you”
The Apothecary got up from his desk and went to the entrance door, poking his head through the curtain Ibn Sharjar heard him call out, placing an order. The man returned and retook his seat, opening a drawer in his desk he withdrew several small pouches and a roll of brown leather, placing them on the desktop.
“I have heard you know of Pitra-Tani opals. Have you traded in Obsidian crystals?” The man unrolled the leather, laying it flat, then opened each of the pouches in turn. He drew several dark stones from them, of various sizes, some small, some as large as a chicken egg and set them on the leather. Even from a distance Ibn Sharjar could see the stones shimmered with a deep iridescence.
Gabrul turned and lifted an oil lamp down from a cabinet behind him, placing it on his desk near the stones. Instantly the iridescence grew, ebbing and resurging in the flickering glow from the lamp.
“These are the most common, plain black” He explained pointing to the first pile. Though plain, the stones had a silvery glow to them. Ibn Sharjar nodded, he had seen such stones, they were used in a lot of local jewelry. Necklaces and bracelets mostly.
Gabrul moved to the next two piles, “These are less common, red and green” The flecks within these stones flickered with an orangey-red or a bright, almost insect-like, shimmery green”
There was a knock on the door frame. Gabrul flipped the leather up and over to cover the stones then called “Enter”
A young boy pushed through the curtain, carrying a wooden tray upon which was a coffee pot, two cups and a small plate of sweet pastries.
“Here on the desk please Fardig” Gabrul beckoned the boy over. He approached and placed the tray down, eyes wide seeing the off-worlder in the shop. He poured two cups of coffee, passing them to the two men, left the pot and set down the pastries.
Atif lifted his cup, it was rich and dark, a creamy foam on the top, he sipped it, careful not to burn his lips.
“Thank you, Fardig. Give my regards to your father” Gabrul slipped the boy a coin and waited until he had left, then uncovered the stones again.
Pointing to the third pile he said, “These are quite rare” He lifted the largest and held it up by the lamp. This stone was aglow with burning golden flakes, some quite large, they caught and reflected the lamp light, sending bright yellow beams into the shadows of the shop. The effect was impressive.
Atif nodded in appreciation. “Most attractive” He could see such jems being the centerpiece of a necklace or perhaps earrings.
“Some say they are the tears of the Firey One, trapped in the obsidian, when he was last vanquished by the Divine One. Not all will wear them for this reason.”
Garbul replaced the stone on the leather and moved to the last pile. These were smaller stones that the others. “These are the most uncommon of all” He held one in in his hand, it had a shimmer to it, but it was different to the others, not as bright, seemingly paler in comparison.
He took it between thumb and forefinger and moved it up to the lamplight. Instantly the stone lit up and a bright cascade of colors exploded within its blackness. Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, multiple shades of each, glittered and shone, casting rainbow rays across the room. “These are rainbow crystals, as rare as the rainbow itself on my planet”
With a tiny annual rainfall, measured in a few centimeters, rainbows were indeed seldom seen on Obsidian.
Gabrul held it out and Atif took it, holding it to the lamp himself. The effect of the internal cascade of colors was stunning. Ibn Sharjar had seen and traded in any number of precious and semi-precious stones in his time. These were indeed something special, he knew a couple of jewelers who would pay well for such jems.
Gabrul picked up his own coffee and took a sip. “Would these be of interest?” he asked
Atif shrugged his shoulders, placing the stone back with the others “They are perhaps worthy of further discussion… to pass the time, while two new friends drink coffee”
Gabrul smiled. “I shall order another pot”
“By the Prophets!” Ibn Sharjar flipped off the auto-pilot and hauled to starboard on the short control stick on his chair’s armrest, then increased his engine speed by fifteen percent. The Al Ashar bucked and lurched as the forward edge of the sandstorm rolled in.
During the morning, and early afternoon, the ship had cruised westward, climbing up and over the first and larger of the Rupathan mountain ranges, then they had encountered the eastern edge of the Lethani Deadlands. A flat plain of dark gray volcanic glass. Then the land rose up, forming the second, lesser range.
Coming out of a long canyon in the late afternoon they had run into a sudden sand squall. Cooler air from the mountains displaced the hotter air over the glass plain, that rose churned and roiled, lifting grit and glass shards into the sky.
The windscreen darkened as the light was obscured and the ship was buffeted by the unpredictable gust. An eerie noise began, a harsh, rushing sound, as the wind driven grit scoured over the hull. Several alarms sounded on his panel as Ibn Sharjar worked to keep his craft under control.
The cockpit lights glowed brightly as the grit blocked out all external light. Concentrating on the artificial horizon display he snatched a glance at his sensors, the storm was localized around the canyon mouth, it was perhaps six or seven kilometers wide. Only a minute or so to cross, but long enough to be violently thrown around and a sudden downdraft could slam them into the desert floor if they were unfortunate enough to encounter one.
The door opened and Jilek was there, holding tightly on to the door frame to prevent being tossed to the floor. He looked uncomfortable but not frightened. “Glass-storm” he muttered
“Yes, only a small one, we will be through it quickly” Atif nodded, deftly flipping the ship to port as he felt it begin to heave up and right in an updraft. “Kniva and the children are ok?”
“Sasil bumped his head, but it is only a scratch”
The ship gave a last heave and, as quickly as it had begun, the darkness lifted, the sun flooded back into the cockpit. Ibn Sharjar leveled out and reduced power, moving back to his cruising altitude. He was just about to reactivate the auto-pilot when another alarm sounded. He checked the readout, a thermal cutout had been activated, one of the atmospheric ram scoops was clogged. It was not critical but would need to be cleared or it could cause further problems.
“I will need to land, there is grit in one of the ports” He explained “I will need to clear it before we can continue”
Jilek nodded. “I will tell my family”
Atif scanned his sensors and found a suitable landing spot, a rocky plateau that jutted out of the gray landscape a few minutes ahead. Reducing speed and altitude, turning a few degrees North, he looked forward out of the windscreen, the plateau was a dull reddish smudge in the distance. Lining the ship up, he dropped lower and began searching for a level patch to set down on.
The plateau was not as smooth as it had first appeared, it was cut with numerous steep sided wadies. As he passed over one, he caught a glimpse of an encampment. Several tents were clustered together, nearby was a small herd of Chuchaki and several strings of Eralsu. A couple of figures looked skyward and pointed as the Al Ashar passed overhead.
He located a suitable spot, a flat area, big enough for his ship, but with wadis on three sides. The wadi edges looked frail and crumbly; he was careful to set down right in the middle of the space. The ship touched down, he cut the thrusters, but kept the engine running ready to lift off again, as the ship settled down on its landing skids. There was a minor judder as the skids leveled out, then stillness. Satisfied he shut down and clambered out of his seat.
Going back he checked in on the family. Sasil was sat on his mother's lap, a bump and graze on his forehead, he was smiling but his cheeks showed the marks of some tears earlier.
“I had worse the first time I fell off an Ortananni!” Gabrul was saying “But if you’re lucky you might get a scar!”
“Everyone alright?” Atif asked
“Yes, thank you” Knive replied, as Jelik passed her a jar throm their luggage, she opened it and applied a salve to her son’s graze.
“Is your ship broken?” Gabrul asked “Are we stuck here?”
“No, I just need to clean some of the grit off” Atif smiled “It won’t be long”
“Can I assist you?” Jelik asked,
“Me too?” Gabrul tried hopefully
“You will remain with your mother and brother”
“Yes father”
Leading the way Ibn Sharjar opened the hatch and clambered down. It was late afternoon but the heat was like a hammer, a battering wave that slugged at him and sucked the air from his lungs. He pulled his shemagh up over his head and walked aft, looking up under the starboard wing stub where the ram intake vent was. Jalik followed him, pulling his own hood up.
The vent was packed with a grayish grit, it glittered even in the shadow under the wing. Atif grunted, and went forward again, opening the forward cargo hatch, he hauled out a tool box and rummaging through it found a prybar and a wire brush. Going back to the vent he began poking the gray mass with the end of the bar.
“Be careful Atif,” Jalik cautioned him “Do not get any in your eyes, the shards can blind a man”
Taking the advice seriously Ibn Sharjar raised his other hand up to cover his eyes and moved to the side, out of the way of where the grit would fall. He poked at the mass and it began to flake away, there was a strange tinkling sound as the sharp brittle grit fell and shattered on the rocky ground.
He hacked at it for a few minutes, quickly working up a sweat in the heat, then when the majority of it was out, he used the wire brush to get at the rest.
Jalik had walked off a little way and looked around, he returned with a concerned look on his face. “Atif, how much longer?”
“Couple more minutes, nearly got it all, then I need just to run an air line out and blow off the filter. Shouldn’t be long”
“It would be wise to work a little faster”
Atif caught the man’s tone and turned to look at him. Jalik had his sword in his hand.
“Why?”
“This is the land of the Fraj-Senni. They are the mortal enemy of the Tej-Ka-Jalfa” the man replied quietly “If they find us here, they will kill us, all of us”
From the nearest wadi came an unmistakable grinding noise, that created by the mandibles of a War-Eraulsu.
