“Yes. And quarries. We noticed a lot of settlements around them. My guess is they’re exploiting the resources. But the oceans are small and few,” Derek replied. “Chances are there’s not a big population.”
“Look at Trexus-3,” Sofia added, moving our focus to the slightly bigger, blue-and-white planet on the other side of 2. “Given its distance from the sun, it’s mostly ice and snow. There’s plenty of water, but it’s permanent winter out there.”
“That would probably mean even fewer people. We did find structures and settlements there, though, didn’t we?” Esme asked, her brow furrowed. I knew she was already digging through the memory of what she’d read from Dmitri and Phoenix’s observations on the topic.
“Exactly. It’s inhabited, we just don’t know how many of them are there, given the haze,” Derek replied. “But it’s Trexus-2, our destination, that is the most fascinating.”
Indeed, the closer we got to it, the more beautiful it seemed. Its patches of green and blue reminded me of Earth. It had the perfect conditions for life. The atmosphere, the right distance from the sun to allow for a healthy climate and changing seasons… My heart was already racing as I wondered what kind of people lived there. I’d been wondering from the moment we’d first been told about the mission.
It was also the biggest of the three, though still slightly smaller than Earth. It had two moons, to my surprise. One was almost half its size, a monstrous white marble, while the other was merely a pebble, crimson in color. They seemed close to one another, and perhaps someday they might even collide. I knew the white one would win that battle rather quickly.
“Imagine what that big-ass moon looks like at night!” Esme exclaimed, her eyes wide and twinkling. “It’s got to cover half the sky…”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Sofia replied, smiling broadly as our interplanetary spell began its descent toward Trexus-2.
We finally passed through the thin layer of mist, and we were now able to see much more. My breath left me as I stared through the windshield.
If the journey itself had been full of wonder and awe, our approach was loaded with adrenaline—not because of the ride, but because of the anticipation that was building up in each of us. Our destination was truly the crown jewel of this solar system.
Its waters were deep and blue, tourmaline velvet stretching for thousands of miles, and filled with who-knew-what kind of marine creatures. The continents were wide strips that had broken off from the whole a long time ago, scattered across the planet, with oceans swelling between them. I could see the green patches of woods, the rocky mountain clusters, the deserts. White clouds threaded above. The eye of a storm looked right at us from the dark side. I did not want us to be down there, only imagining what sorts of calamities it might let loose.
“Preparing for atmospheric entry,” Derek said, flipping various switches on.
The control panel blinked in a plethora of colorful lights as the shuttle responded to his commands. Sofia pulled one of the levers to her right, and the entire vessel roared to life. Behind us, neatly tucked against the wall, the serium batteries’ blue glow intensified as the engines were kicked into motion.
“As soon as we reach it, the interplanetary spell will likely disintegrate,” Nethissis warned us. “It’s one of the risks we calculated from using just a handful of proteins in a blood droplet from you, Derek. Had we had a pebble, at least, from Trexus-2, we wouldn’t have had an issue.”
“That’s okay, Nethi. We prepared for this,” Derek replied.
“One minute,” Sofia warned us.
The world ahead expanded, and we could see the mountain ranges better, snaking through fields of emerald green. We were away from the storm, thank heavens. We had clear skies, and we’d agreed on a certain set of coordinates, using the shuttle’s navigation system. They were supposed to lead us straight to the largest settlement we’d observed through the modified telescopes.
Esme took my hand, squeezing gently. I gave her a reassuring smile. “We’re okay. It’ll be okay,” I whispered, knowing she sometimes needed my support. She was one of the bravest creatures I knew, but even Esme had her weak spot. She was a walking contradiction, my sister. Thrilled and scared of new adventures, at the same time. It made everything more exciting.
“Twenty seconds,” Sofia said.
I counted the rest in the back of my head as the interplanetary spell bubble began to shake, forcing its way through what seemed like a sturdy, dense atmosphere. The magic buzzed around us, the sound nearly scratching my brain with its sharpness.
“Five, four… three, two… one!” Sofia breathed as we went in.
My heart stopped for a moment, everything else shaking around us. The entry was surprisingly smooth and short, though, prompting me to open my eyes so I wouldn’t miss a thing.
“There she is,” Derek breathed.
We were headed for one of the biggest of the five continents, an S-shaped piece of dry land covered in lush forests, rich fields of wheat, and broad mountain ranges. Rivers streamed across from north to south, and there were cities built along them. Dozens! Dozens of cities, many of which we hadn’t been able to properly observe through the lenses.
“Holy crap,” Esme managed, her jaw dropping.
“We’re headed for the southwestern shore,” Derek said.
“That’s where the coordinates take us, right?” Nethissis asked.
The interplanetary spell bubble began to fade, like a pretty summer’s dream, golden flakes flying away as the shuttle became active and subject to gravity. The engines grumbled softly, the batteries zinging behind us, as Derek and Sofia piloted us to our preset destination.
They checked the computer board occasionally, following its screen compass in order to guide us in the right direction. The shuttle made a sharp left turn and a daring drop, ripping a gasp from my throat as I gripped the plush armrests.
It was Esme’s turn to take my hand in hers and mouth an “It’s okay” at me. My cheeks burned, and so did my throat, but she was right. We’d get through this. We had to. A crash wasn’t going to kill me, but I was in no mood to get myself maimed so early in the game.
“Everybody, get ready,” Derek said. “We’re steady now, but we’ll be landing soon.”
From what I could see through the windshield, the terrain was smooth. The sunlight wasn’t too bright, either… It seemed odd, like a soft haze. It cast itself over the world, deepening the shadows and sharpening contrasts in ways I’d not thought possible. It was breath-taking.
We were flying over fields of wheat and flowers that reminded me of the English rapeseed cultures—patches of bright yellow blossoms that went on for miles. To our west, deep woods rose above the rolling hills, cradling all sorts of tales of their own. Behind them, a mountainous beast reigned over the land, with snowcaps and rocky ridges.
To our left, the ocean awaited, and on its golden shores a giant city bloomed, with tall towers and brick-colored roofs. As we descended, I could see its massive pier and the harbor, where strange ships were anchored, their veils glistening in metallic red and green as the wind blew against them. Narrow alleyways created a marvelous maze of passages across the entire city, with green squares and a group of majestic, palatial buildings smack in the middle, on higher ground, overlooking the others.
“I doubt there’s any air travel here,” Amal said, her voice barely audible. She, too, had found herself mesmerized by the view. “We would’ve been intercepted already, don’t you think?”
Sofia seemed inclined to agree, but she only offered a faint nod in response.
Derek, on the other hand, held on to some skepticism. “Maybe they don’t need airships or don’t use them as often. It all depends on how quickly they saw us coming,” he replied. “After all, what took hours for us meant days for them.”
That theory was quickly proven right as we got closer to the ground level. The ships we’d seen earlier in the docks weren’t regular vessels at all. They had bat-like wings pulled tight against the steel and hardwood bodies, and I was willing to bet they had engines at the back, and that they could easily take to the air once they left the bay.
“Oh, they definitely fly,” I said, pointing at the ships.
Their metallic structures glimmered in the sunlight, making them look like stylishly upgraded frigates with shiny sails and dark, expandable wings. I was already dying to ride in one. They looked like an insane amount of fun.
