The Alien Planet

The planet loomed below, encircled by shimmering rings of crystalline debris that caught and scattered starlight in prismatic arcs. Underneath purple clouds, a teal ocean glistened like diamonds against the sunlight. Kael was tense. Behind the helm of the Starlance, he observed this mystical setting unfolding in the bridge’s windows and, for a moment, he felt tranquil, as if the peace of that natural, untouched landscape had penetrated through his space-faring armor, and through his skin, and had filled his chest with a cold breeze.

Kael was one of the most experienced couriers of the Federation. He had been hired to deliver an artifact of immense importance to the Barbenirs—an ancient device of mysterious origin, said to hold the key to stabilizing the planet’s deteriorating core and prevent a cataclysm that would wipe-out the civilization that bloomed on that paradise.

The ship jerked slightly as it started to penetrate the upper layers of atmosphere. A mechanical voice echoed inside the hull: “The building of the Federation Outpost is in the dark side of the planet, sir. Would you like me to engage the autopilot?”

“Hold.” He said. “I will drive us through the fastest route and get this over with. You know I’m not here for the sights.”

“Yes, of course.” The ship answered, offended. “You are here to deliver the cargo and save the planet’s core. I know.”

“No, Glim. I’m here for Layel.”

“Your sister?”

“Yes. I’ve told you that. Didn’t I? About the disaster in Galdana-Four?”

“When your mistake costed the life of your entire battalion, including your beloved sister?” The robot repeated, inconveniently.

“Yes.” He gnarled.

“But, why are you here because of her? Didn’t she die in the explosion?”

“That’s what I thought, but I received a message with a code-word that Layel and I used when we were kids. She was the only person who could possibly know that word. If she survived the explosion somehow, she must be trying to find me all this time.”

“I see.” The robot replied. “Allow me to take the helm, then, sir. Wouldn’t you want me to calculate the quickest route to the Outpost?”

“Yes—the quickest. Not the most scenic. I know you, Glim. You like to see the wonders of the universe, so you always take an insane route across most of the prettiest places of the planet. But, I don’t have time for that right now!”

“Are you sure, sir? I mean… Look at that!”

Kael noticed that, now, Starlance was piercing the outer atmosphere, and the smooth hum of space travel had given way to the low, resonant roar of air resistance. Dense, swirling clouds streaked with electric blues and violets flickered with bursts of multicolored lightning that leaped between ephemeral spires of mist. A dance of lightning unfolded outside, weaving intricate patterns that stretched like thin arms, fractured into countless branches and, suddenly, swirled and turned downward like roots, only to disappear into an explosion of petals of static energy.

“We are going through massive clouds.” Glim said. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

“Glim, give me back the helm!” Kael said. “I told you, we have work to do!”

“Apologies, sir. I guess I was distracted…”

The ship began to shudder with turbulence as it broke through the clouds. A vast expanse of crystalline trees revealed itself below, stretching as far as the horizon. Towering structures resembling trees, but made of translucent shimmering crystal were rising from the ground. They refracted sunlight into rainbows that danced across the land, bathing everything in shifting, kaleidoscopic hues.

“What the hell is that?” Kael asked, confused.

“These are Barbenirian Sequoias, sir.” Glim replied, his voice revealing a smile of fascination. “These giant plants are sentient, and the Federation considers them an intelligent civilization of plant-based beings. Isn’t it wonderful?”

As the ship rapidly descended closer to the treetops, Kael sensed a drop of temperature. Mystical lights flooded the cockpit, throwing shadows and iridescent waves of color, like oil on water, on the surfaces of the ship’s interior. The crystalline forest sang a profound humming sound that pierced through the hull and reverberated inside Starlance. Then, a mysterious cold breeze denounced that a window had been opened somewhere.

“What are you doing, Glim?” Kael asked. “You’re opening the windows of the outer hull?!”

“N—No.” The robot hesitated, chuckling nervously.

“Close it this instant!”

“But, sir… This perfume…”

Indeed, Kael was starting to feel an incredible smell of a thousand flowers, combined with the scent of recently wet dirt, mist, and morning—a smell that instantly calmed his heart and made him wish that the window remained open.

The ship continued rapidly until the forest gave way to a dark, deep ocean that glimmered like liquid mercury, its surface unnervingly smooth and reflective. Even Kael expressed awe when the image of the sky mirrored itself perfectly on the ocean, creating an optical illusion of infinite space ahead. Starlance’s altitude diminished, and as it flew closer to the water, ripples formed on the surface, revealing that the “water” was actually a mass of trillions of tiny, shimmering organisms that responded to movement. They flew away in dense murmurations, revealing an emerald ocean underneath.

By now, the ship was only a few hundred feet above the surface of the water. The organisms formed a mist of tiny mirrors outside, and emitted clicking sounds as if their wings were made of crystals. The rush of the engines blowing away foamy seawater below, the waves, and the wind, formed an incredible, otherworldly symphony.

“Is this real?” Kael said, stepping away from the helm, and closer to the front window.

“Indeed.” Glim said, knowingly.

Far away, the dark silhouette of a continental mass was beginning to form, from a thin black line into a jagged silhouette of mountains and hills. Eventually, the ship reached the shores, and the world outside transformed once again, as dunes of metallic sand revealed themselves like surfaces of polished bronze, brass, and gold.

It was like the entire continent had been carved from a single block of metal—copper, gold, silver, they all combined and mixed together, shimmering against the red lights of the setting sun. Great desert pavements extended to the North, their pebbles like emeralds and rubies throwing flares of colorful light. Mountains and hills sat on the South, their peaks rippling and shifting as if alive, covered by silvery snow.

“Where are we?” Kael asked, leaning on the window, fascinated.

“This is the bronze desert.” Glim replied. “A legendary place—there are many mentions of it in my database of most beautiful places to visit in Federation Space.”

The ship kept going until the golden dry hills and ravines gave way to an endless expanse of sand dunes. They were made of tiny metallic grains that moved, like water, but slower and heavier, with variations of the planet’s magnetic core. Incredible waves that resembled a slowed-down oceanic storm crashed and swirled, leaving tiny, reflective grains suspended in the air. A magnetic field formed green auroras that moved like streams in the dark sky, splitting up and combining with each other.

“These magnetic phenomena are incredible.” Glim said.

“Magnetic?” Kael mumbled, as the word brought him back from a stupor of fascination. “Glim, get us out of here! This can cause interference in the ship!”

“Don’t worry, sir.” He replied. “Defensive shields are on. It can’t affect us.”

“Are you sure?!”

As soon as Kael asked that, he felt static charges interfering briefly with the ship’s systems. The virtual buttons and panels of the cockpit flickered and failed, and the air felt charged, making Kael’s hair stand up on end.

“Uh—Sure.” Glim hesitated.

“Glim, get us out of here, now!”

The robot sighed and changed the route of the ship. It was now heading Northwest, gaining altitude. As it did, the star-lit night sky painted with long streams of aurora filled the ship’s windows. The desert below was but a black, distant surface that occasionally emitted sparks of lightning from the magnetized, metallic sand.

“Take us to the city already!” Kael said. “I have things to do, remember? No more scenic routes, Glim!”

“As you wish, sir.” He replied, with sadness. “Though, the route to the Federation Outpost is not too bad from here. We will be approaching the Barbenir Capital soon.”

Kael walked back to the helm, and noticed that the panels had returned to normal, and his hair was no longer standing up with static electricity. Now, more relaxed, he opened up a map in one of the panels, and saw that the Starlance was finally headed to its final destination.

The darkness outside remained as such for a while—only stars above and a black surface below revealed themselves through the windows. Then, as Starlance approached the capital, tiny flickering lights started to appear in the horizon. These lights became more numerous and diverse as the ship approached the edge of a sprawling metropolis.

“Welcome to the Capital City.” Glim said, proudly.

“Just take us to the building, Glim!” Kael complained.

“We will take a route straight to the Outpost, sir. I swear on my motherboard.”

Kael nodded, and observed the towering structures outside: dark silhouettes of twisted, spiraling buildings and sharp spires that climbed from the ground and pierced through the clouds above. Thousands of red lights swarmed around the buildings, revealing dense traffic of hovering cars that moved with exquisite precision in suspended highways.

The city’s architecture defied physics, with buildings that branched out like giant trees. Floating platforms connected by shimmering silvery energy bridges formed an orb-like web between them. The outer walls were clad in reflective materials that shifted colors based on the angle of light, giving the city and ever-changing appearance.

The Starlance then reached the avenues of flying traffic, and arranged itself perfectly with the other thousands of vehicles, their red taillights glowing against the darkness of the urban night. Now, closer to the buildings, Kael observed that bioluminescent suspended gardens hang in midair next to the walls of buildings, casting soft, ethereal light that reflected against the mirror-like finish of vehicles. In the distance, colossal constructs were orbiting the city like satellites, hovering quietly and heavily atop the tallest buildings.

After traversing most of the giant metropolis, a massive plaza revealed itself between the skyscrapers. It was dominated by a single monumental structure—the Federation Outpost. The dark building, an impossible spiral of floating sections that rotated slowly around a central column, rested quietly under a constellation of flying vehicles. Its outer surface was a living mosaic of light and texture, constantly shifting to depict abstract scenes of the planet’s history. Surrounding the building there were massive, hovering monoliths inscribed with glowing runes in the Barbenirian language.

“This is the Outpost.” Glim announced. “You have never been here before, sir. What do you think?”

Kael was leaning on the front window, awestruck by the sheer scale and intricate design of the structure. It seemed less like a construct, and more like an alien life form frozen mid-metamorphosis.

“I think it’s one of the coolest outposts I’ve ever seen.” He said. “Do you think Layel is here?”

“If she is alive, sir, she would definitely come here. I’ve read her profile. It matches someone who would seek the most beautiful places of the universe to live and work. She is like me—a seeker of beauty.”

“I think I understand now…” He said.

As the Starlance landed, the ground pulsed with light, syncing to the rhythm of the ship’s engines. A faint vibration ran through Kael’s boots, as if the planet itself was celebrating his arrival.

The ship powered down, leaving Kael in a silence punctuated by distant city sounds. He took a deep breath, adjusted his coat, and stepped out of the cockpit. Outside, he was received by a cold night air that announced the coming of a great thunderstorm. Dwarfed by the massive city around him, he felt butterflies in his stomach—though a great certainty filled him with a spark of will that would not be easily defeated. He was going to deliver the cargo and search for his sister, no matter what. Whether she was alive or not, that message was to him, and it had a meaning. He never overcame the guilt of what happened in Galdana-Four, but, at least, he could have some closure.