Millwalker

Sandstorms, gusts and gales of wind are frequent but short lived. Every thirty minutes to an hour wind conditions will change from placid and calm to stormy and breezy. The largest vessels use these gusts to power kinetic storage devices which allow for uninterrupted travel during the calm periods if no significant wind. These vessels use an array of horizontal and vertical rotating sails and spiral windmills to capture and deflect wind from the ship. The sail material is made from a biopolymer skin stitched together. This skin is a product of the native insects that die off in great numbers every 8 years. This material is strong against abrasion and makes up the outer carapace of that beetle. The ships clamor over the ever shifting dunes on hundreds of interconnected stilts. Looking much like a strandbeast and composed of very lightweight and somewhat flexible pithy wood of some great tuber that seeks deep underground water deposits. The mechanisms to transfer energy to the legs us maintained by elaborate pulleys guiding a tough steel wire or chain and stonework gears made of a very lightweight porous volcanic rock. Accommodations for most passengers is on-deck and there is no provided seating or furnishings besides rows of benches and small shelves for baggage. Passengers make their own small camps and anchor their sand screens and tents to the deck by small metal rings embedded there. Many travelers engage in friendly trade and share meals, stories, news, companionship, and services in an ad-hoc manner. Most trade between towns and enclaves is carried by these machines and many bulk goods are stowed in nets hanging above and below the main deck. There is an enclosed cabin which houses the bridge and sensitive navigation and communication gear, as well as the infirmary. Travel between towns can take between weeks up to several months but usually small outposts are within a day's detour if a stop is requested or planned. Sometimes shuttle tenders add or remove passengers for added convenience.