In The Beginning, Gail Daley [red white royal blue .TXT] 📗

dark waves of insects, sometimes two or three thousand each and they covered an area like a blanket. It was miserable work. To keep from being stung, everyone simply pulled their hats netting down to cover their heads. The herding dogs and horses wore mesh bags over their heads and ears to help protect them from the stings and burrowing insects.

As each animal in the herd passed through the entrance to the shelter, there was a hissing buzzing sound and dead insects fell in heaps by the doors. "If we let the little buggers in with the stock, it would defeat the purpose of coming down here for shelter," a clanswoman staffing the entrance explained to Zack and the children as they followed the last herd up to the opening.

"You don’t leave the door open after we’re all inside do you?" Zack questioned as he dismounted. He handed off his pony to Roderick to take down to the stable area.

"We close the main roll-up doors, but the bug screen stays on," the woman responded. "Just in case some poor soul was caught outside, they can get inside the screen and then contact us on the com. We decide then if we want to let them inside or not."

Previously the underground catacomb had echoed with emptiness but now it resounded with the noise of complaining animals and yelling wranglers. The wagons used by the Roundup were shunted over to the side. Once he knew everyone was inside the shelter, Zack stayed to watch as the doors slid down, sealing it off from the bugs and winds. The early Vensoog colonists had learned the hard way that a dome’s rounded edges caused the winds to slide around round structures where they would have torn apart structures built in other shapes.

"How long will we need to hide in here from the bugs?" Zack asked Katherine.

"Well, those itty-bitty ones are just the beginning. They’re lunch for the larger bugs that follow them. We are usually down here for about three weeks. Then the storms will come in, and they usually last about the same. A lot of the larger native Vensoog animals like the Sandie’s and Nessies and some of the birds hibernate during this season."

Passover

THREE WEEKS later Clan members who weren't permanent Lodge residents had moved into the living quarters on the second floor of the massive dome. During Passover, most Clan residents rode out the storm in their own quarters. Passage from one dome to another was done through three underground tunnels. The herds and flocks brought in during Roundup were confined to a series of corrals around and above the lake. The rest were kept in the sheltered ravines of Blue Talon Canyon.

Katherine was giving the children and Zack a tour of the Lodge’s Command Center on the top floor of the dome above the cavern. Katherine and Corrine had flipped a coin to decide who would handle their official duties during the day and who would take over at night.

“This is our command center during the Storm Passovers," Katherine explained to Zack and the children, showing a tier of virtual screens, each with a person monitoring it.

“It’s a little old-fashioned compared to what you probably used in the military," she added to Zack, "But they still work." She moved to the first virtual screen. "This is Joyce; she handles our storm watch so we can know exactly when the leading edge of each storm will reach us."

A tall, light-haired woman glanced at them, nodding a greeting before returning her eyes to the screen in front of her. "I estimate we have about three hours before the first one hits," she told them, gesturing to an arc line with a ragged edge on the screen. "This one looks like about a Class seven. It will be rough."

"Thanks, Joyce," Katherine nodded and moved on to the next screen. "This is Karen. Karen looks out for our various animal sections, to make sure no trouble starts. How does it look, Karen?"

The woman with short black hair and a friendly smile turned to face them. "Well, the Ostamus are antsy, but everyone else seems calm. Your little Sand Dragon settled right into sleep, so I reckon she’s down for the duration."

"That’s a relief," Katherine grinned at her, remembering how difficult it had been to get Violet to agree to allow Jelli to take her place in the subterranean cavern. Then Violet had panicked when Jelli started to hibernate and it had taken the combined efforts of Katherine, Mistress Leona and Karen to reassure the child that Jelli’s ‘sleep’ was normal. Karen touched a section of the virtual screen and it revealed Jelli snuggled into a rock alcove with a sandy floor, away from the warm underground lake that served the Lodge. Violet was leaning back against the rock wall next to Jelli with her study tablet in her lap. A closer look showed she too was asleep.

An older woman was handling the next station which showed a view of the busy medical center. Cora was apparently checking out a strain on the arm of a man whose feather spattered pants showed he had lately been in the bird section. "This is Myrna; she coordinates with Cora, our senior medic about injuries during Passover."

The woman looked up and smiled. "So far, nothing serious. Mason there pulled a muscle breaking up a squabble between two Ostamu groups. We’ve had injuries come in with some fishers, but nothing to worry about."

The next virtual station showed the sheltered cove below the Lodge and the marina docking area. The water had already risen to cover the wharf. Several fishing vessels were moored with masts fastened down and their decks sealed. The last one was still unloading men and hauling supplies up the steps toward the safe room. As the crew from the fisher entered, Zack noticed the room door looked very much like an airlock on a ship. "Does that seal?" he asked the young boy monitoring the