fandomhigh | Keeping Your Advantage: Terrain and You, Week VII [Monday, Period 4]

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keeping your advantage

Keeping Your Advantage: Terrain and You, Week VII [Monday, Period 4]

"Welcome to your last official class of the semester," Ghanima said as the students arrived. "Today, we're looking at a type of terrain that is near and dear to my heart: the desert."

Deserts take up about one third of the Earth's land surface, and usually have a large diurnal and seasonal temperature range, with high daytime temperatures and low nighttime temperatures that can reach 45 °C/113 °F or higher. The dry desert air is incapable of blocking sunlight during the day or trapping heat during the night without water. Thus, during daylight most of the sun's heat reaches the ground, and as soon as the sun sets the desert cools quickly by radiating its heat into space."

"Most deserts are formed by rain shadows; mountains blocking the path of precipitation. Deserts are often composed of sand and rocky surfaces. Sand dunes called ergs and stony surfaces called hamada surfaces compose a minority of desert surfaces. Exposures of rocky terrain are typical, and reflect minimal soil development and sparseness of vegetation."

The Danger Shop rippled around them, and the students would find themselves standing on a rocky outcropping, looking out over a landscape of sand and blinding sun. "It is unfortunate that many people equate deserts with a hostile environment that conspires against human life," Ghanima continued easily, seemingly unbothered by the change in scenery. "In the popular media, desert areas seem to be considered to be at the top of the wilderness list for danger. The historical fact is, however, that the human race was cradled in arid lands and people are well adapted to survive in deserts. Learning to be part of the desert's ecosystem, and not view it as an antagonist is the first step of desert survival. Preparation starts with how you dress. People stand upright and receive only 60% of the solar radiation that animals on all fours do. By adding a proper hat, with a wide brim and closed crown, the head and body are further protected. A common mistake made by new desert visitors is wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts. Loose fitting long sleeves and pants provide good air circulation and much better protection than sunblock."

"Deserts are defined by their lack of water. Learn to ration sweat, not water. By staying in the shade, limiting activity to cooler times such as night and using your available water, your chances for survival increase greatly. Sipping water does not get it to the brain and vital organs. Take a good drink when you need it. People have been found dead from dehydration with water in their canteens. Also, do not rely on "parlor tricks" such as solar stills as a primary source. These will often produce more sweat digging the hole than is obtained from water gained. Learn to locate water through areas of green vegetation, flights of birds, converging animal trails and digging in the outside bends of dry creek beds."

"You're probably all expecting a final," she said, looking at the students. "I hate to disappoint you, but you aren't getting one here today. Instead, go ahead and play in the sand. Try not to get bitten by scorpions, get heatstroke, or burn your hands. Learn how to walk - and run - without falling."

"Next week, for those who are interested, we'll be going on a little trip." Ghanima tilted her face towards the sun, shutting her eyes and smiling. "Anyone is welcome, and we will be going to Arrakis. Dune. Seat of the Imperium and fiefdom of House Atreides. Those of you who want to go along will get a final of a different sort, something that cannot be replicated in the Danger Shop to any degree of accuracy." She waved one hand, and another hologram shimmered into being.

"You will ride the worms," she said simply, walking over to one of the rising behemoths and placing her hand against its side. "They say that God created Arrakis to train the faithful. In truth, I think he made it for Shai-Hulud to roam. Nowhere else in the Known Universe will you find these beautiful creatures; they are the life and breath of this planet, and the primary mode of distance transportation for the wandering tribes of Fremen. That does not, however, mean they are tame."

"The sign-up sheet will be on the door of my office until next Monday." Another wave of her hand, and the worms vanished as she turned back to them. "Now go play, and no throwing snakes at each other."

[OCD up]

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"Up top! And then we can lean over and see what we can see!"

Because massive fake worms were totally asking to be climbed up onto!

Dinah looked up, then over at Zack. "Last one to the top is a chocobo!" And jumped up on one scale, looking for a hand-hold.

"I'll have you saying Wark in no time!"

See, Zack could make running leaps that would make a cricket hang its head in shame. And so he was going to back up, and take this one at a run.

It possibly helped that his DNA was practically indistinguishable from that of any of the monsters back home, huh? Not that he knew that.

"Woooooo!" Okay, so he wasn't on top yet, if they were considering the creature's head to be the top. But on the back was a good start, right? "You need a hand up?"

"Dude!" Dinah flailed for a second, then got her grip and balance back as she made her way upward. "Okay, maybe...." She shook her head and yelled up, "Sometime I'll be able to walk on air and just glide up there!" Maybe. Possibly?

"Well, then I guess I'll be the chocobo once you can!" He took a seat and grinned, waiting for her to catch up. "I hear I do a killer chocobo stomp!"

Someday, he'd do it right beside a real one. That would be so cool.

That might, or might not, be a "Wark! from Dinah's position. "What's a chocobo stomp?" she called up, when she was less than ten feet below Zack.

"It's when you stomp," Zack said, matter-of-factly, "like a chocobo."

There... really wasn't a better description than that. Sadly.

"Sort of like a strut."

He leaned over to peer down at her, smirk, and then wave a little hello. She was making good headway, there!

"Pbbbttt," was Dinah's response, then she finally crested the edge of the sandworm, rolling over on her back to catch her breath. Looking up at Zack, she said, "I wanna see the stomp."

"What, right here?"

That would be an interesting sight to see, stomping about like a chocobo on the back of a giant sandworm!

"Pleeease?" Dinah asked, trying the puppy eyes on the puppy guy. "I'll wark if you do?"

... Puppy eyes were really, really hard to say no to! That was like cheating or something!

"Maybe just once," Zack decided, laughing and hopping to his feet.

He then proceeded to do the most heartfelt chocobo stomp he'd ever done, complete with the jump-flip-kick combo at the end. And a bow. And a Kweh!

Because he could.

Edited 2009-06-23 00:26 (UTC)

Dinah was both amazed and highly amused, and chortled, "Again!" Then tried to to the part that didn't have an hugely high jump-kick-kweh at the end.

They had to look pretty weird up there, jumping around on the back of a giant sandworm.

Zack laughed and stepped up beside her, joining her in the strut portion of the stomp.

"How many more times do you want me to do that jump?"

Really, he would do it as many times as he was asked to. Zack was a terrible, terrible showoff.

"At least two more?" Dinah wheedled hopefully. "Maybe? Then we can go look at the top of the head and all."

Jump jump strut stomp!

The wheedling wasn't for nothing, and Zack was all too happy to demonstrate his spectacular chocobo stomping skills, the second of which ended in a running jump that really only meant that he could slip a few extra flips in there for show.

And then he was putting his hands on his hips and posing and grinning.

"To the top?" He peered upward again. "We have a long climb ahead of us, yet!"

The posing never got old, really.

"To the top!" Dinah ran to catch up to him, and took a breath, and said, "Slow and steady. It is a desert. Right?"

"Slow and steady," Zack agreed, nodding his agreement. Not necessarily because he really had to pace himself, but it was probably a good idea not to push it, even in a simulation, if he had Dinah tagging along.

~~Zack was such a freaking GaryStu.~~

~~But an adorable one.~~

They headed for the top, the heat of the desert not too overwhelming yet, and Dinah marveled again at the sheer size of the thing. She'd compared it to a mall-size, or airport-size thing once; it was even more impressive, fifty or sixty feet up. And then higher. And higher.

They finally approached the top of the -- head? mouth?-- and Dinah topped to look around. "Sheeeesh."

"Long way down," Zack noted, letting go with one hand so that he could twist about and get a better looksee. "Amazing view!"

Worry about falling? Zack? Hah, never! He jumped out of helicopters onto moving trains for training. ~~Thus making him an even bigger GaryStu.~~

"And we're nearly there!"

Dinah was now wondering, morbidly, about the Danger Shop protocols, and how much would it hurt to land in soft sand, and hmm, maybe it would catch him? Or her, if she fell? She clung to the back of the sandworm, eyes huge, and said, "It is. It really is... I wish we had some rope, though." She gulped, and imitated Zack, letting go with one hand. "Whooooooa."

"Careful, there," Zack said, looking at her with a wary kind of smile on his lips. "If you fall, I'm going to have to dive after you, you know."

He really had no idea what kind of protocols were in place for a drop like that. But he did know that if he took a fall like that in the SOLDIER training room, which ran on similar technology, it would feel the same way that it would in real life, so it was a risk he really didn't think he wanted Dinah to be taking.

Do as I say, not as I do? Oh, Zack.

"I'm not scared," Dinah tried to protest, even as she re-established her grip. "Well. Only, you know. As scared as is sane."

"I think there's a difference between scared and careful," Zack pointed out, and then he began climbing again. Not far, yet! And then they could poke at those teeth or just enjoy the view, or whatever it was that people did when they were sitting on the heads of giant frozen sandworms.

The view, when they got there, was spectacular; rolling gold-red dunes going in every direction. Some of the sand seemed to glitter in the sunlight, with violet undertones; and the hazy gold of the air made it seem like you could be standing on the sun. Dinah gripped hard to the top of the Sandworm, and looked over at Zack. "I'm game if you are," she said, pointing downward to the maw. Maybe they could get a tooth!

(Considering the teeth were as tall as Dinah, probably not.)

"You really have to ask?"

Oh, Zack was so game. And already leaning over, trying to figure out the best way to get in there without taking an unexpected plummet. Not that he wouldn't survive a fall like that, but it probably wouldn't be any fun. And then he'd have to make the climb all over again.

He settled for turning around, getting on his hands and knees, and trying to drop into the creature's mouth feet-first.

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