The Espurna was burning hard towards the planet following the path Xe’nia had sent them, it would still take them an hour and a half to get there.
Jordi was on the bridge, no point in moving the coach and other stuff back into their position when they were about to fill the ship again.
He was looking at the map of the research installation and the path that was written over it.
The Empire had excavated a canyon and covered its walls with metal, then a series of tunnels that went deep down the earth. From the schematics, it looked like an ant colony made by two meter tall ants, because that’s basically what it was since it had been designed and built by ki’rlenn .
They would have to navigate through that metal maze going down for about five kilometers. The reason why they hadn’t shot some holes so they could just go down was because the planet was unstable but the structure was not, and it had been made with a metal that could handle temperatures as hot as lava.
So, even if the whole continent disappeared somehow, the structure would remain without changes. Maybe flipped sideways a bit but that was it.
The kirkuggers would have to navigate the structure, reach the lowest part where the research crew was currently waiting on a specially designed silo, load a few and go back.
The main problem was the planet getting hammered by that radiation and its magnetic shield was currently a mess. That meant that the planet was suffering a series of cataclysmic events.
High winds and even tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, the planet was currently very unstable.
Although the tunnels of the structure were big and wide enough for the kirkuggers to navigate, the tectonic plates around could be moving with the earthquakes. The metal the structure was made of was sturdy enough to resist all of that without deforming and even if it hit the mantle it would be able to withstand those temperatures; but navigating a structure that could move sideways or even fall was not an easy task.
As they rushed towards the planet Jordi was seeing in real time the planet's current status. Other explorers had placed some geothermic sensors surrounding the structure to receive data about the ground underneath. Those mixed with the satellite drones that were observing from orbit were giving them an idea of when a change could occur.
Currently there were four kirkuggers inside, two loaded going up and two going down to get some more people.
There were three more in orbit, waiting for their chance and helping with the observation and calculations.
“Friday, Jeeyze, you can stop the rushing, we will be getting in the queue” - said Jordi out loud, and he felt the ship slowing down a bit.
“So, Friday, what do you think?” - he said looking at the schematics.
“Well, those kirkuggers there are doing the best they can, I don’t think we will go any faster.” - she answered - “What worries me is the stability on the northern side” - she continued, and a zone got illuminated - “Their observations have shown some activity lately there. Not a big earthquake yet but the tectonic plates on that zone look like they’re moving and may hit each other.”
A simulation appeared on the screen showing what could happen and how it would affect the structure.
It showed the tectonic plates crashing against each other and the whole ground moving with the shock-wave. The structure remained the same but was pushed towards the south, displacing all the terrain in its path.
“And this is considering the material is as sturdy as they say it is. I have no reason to doubt their specifications but we’re talking about serious energy displacement here.” - informed Friday.
The simulation showed the speed of that displacement. If a ship found itself inside the structure during the event it would need a warning to adjust and not crash on the tunnel walls.
“I’m confident the other kirkuggers have reached the same conclusion, this is standard stuff for us AIs” - she reasoned.
Jordi was still glued to the simulation, and that was just one of the events that could happen. The planet was bigger than Earth with an equatorial diameter of about twenty thousand kilometers, which meant that both the troposphere and stratosphere were larger as well, giving more than enough space for bigger and more terrifying storms than those found on humanity’s cradle.
For instance, there was currently a typhoon on the other side of the planet which was about three thousand kilometers in diameter and with winds of more than 300 km/h. But it was moving slowly and still at sea, and hadn’t touched land yet.
“And how is Jeeyze feeling? Is the radiation hurting her much?” - Jordi asked
“Not since the first hit. I wasn’t sure how to properly attune the shielding but after that hit they’ve been in sync so I don’t expect things to change” - Friday answered - “And thanks for asking” - continued with a smile on her voice.
“We’re all on this together and, at the moment, I’m the most useless of all. I can even hear Ryoshi hunting, I guess the parasites don’t like the radiation at all” - he said with a worried voice.
As an answer a “bang” came from the hallway, the sound of the cat landing after a big jump.
Jordi took a quick look and saw Ryoshi walking up and down checking the walls, absorbed by the task at hand.
—
When they reached the planet they joined the other three kirkuggers waiting in orbit. The two that were leaving loaded with rescues were about to leave the structure so the two that had been waiting the most started their descent. The other one opened a channel with the Espurna.
“Hi there!” - said the happy voice of a ki’rlenn - “I’m Khurikk and my ship is the Xhona, pleased to meet you!” - they announced with a cheerful tone.
Not that he didn’t know, he had read their details while on route.
“Hi!” - he answered - “I’m Jordi and my ship is the Espurna, pleased to meet you” - he continued trying to sound as cheerful as they did.
“I know what you must be thinking” - the ki’rlenn said - “You have probably read all about us on the long trip to the planet but just waiting is boring! And the other two were not really my cup of tea - is that the proper human expression? I never had tea” - they said.
The other two, the ones that had started the descent, were both old drewells. Probably the cheerfulness of a young ki’rlenn was too much to handle. He had friended some during his studies and was used to their way of being happy to be alive. Still, he couldn’t suppress a chuckle.
“Yes, that’s the proper expression. And it is especially funny since drewells love tea!” - he explained, unable to stop from finding it funny.
“Is that so?” - they said, their mandibles clacking in a chuckle as well.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
A series of beeps made them both check their consoles. It looked like Friday’s prediction would happen sooner than they expected.
Friday and the Xhona’s AI started exchanging information and recalculating their theories based on the information that just arrived, Jordi and Khurikk looking at part of their screens but keeping the channel live.
“I know is a stupid question but is something we humans do, to point out the obvious. Are you seeing this?” - he said, trying to fit a bit of humor in the midst of a very serious situation.
“Yeah I am. And I’ve always liked that from the humans I’ve met, it is a nice way to invite the other beings around into your thoughts.” - they said - “The question is, what do we do with this? The other two are already on their way and the situation is not dire enough for them to stop. And from what we can see the event won’t happen yet. Kurly, sorry, my ship’s AI doesn’t think it will begin until we are half inside the structure”
“Friday, that is my ship’s AI, agrees with Kurly” - said Jordi smiling - “The problem I see from the last data though is that the plaques from the east are also moving weirdly and the event might destabilize them enough that the structure will receive a push from two sides.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. It looks like a doozy” - they commented with a bit of fear on their tone.
“And another human expression!” - pointed out Jordi, which received another series of clacks as a response.
Although ki’rlenn were theoretically sexless they actually had both sexes and, as they matured, they could choose one or neither and remain both. He couldn't help but feel that Khurikk radiated a female presence with almost every gesture.
“Well, my best friend is from Earth and she keeps throwing them everywhere during conversations, and we do chat a lot!” - they explained.
Jordi realized they (or was it a she?) had said “from Earth” and not “human”, the best friend in question was probably an epsilon. He stopped himself from asking anything else, it is not like all epsilons knew each other, was it?
A deep beep made them both look at their screens, the two kirkuggers carrying rescues had left the structure and the other two were about to enter. The ones inside were close to the silo.
Since they weren’t in geostationary orbit but following the structure, they were now about to be just between the sun and the planet. Jordi saw Khurikk quickly tapping their screen.
“Here, use this one now. Without any planet or anything between the sun and our ships the radiation changes a bit, it took someone a while to figure out the best shield frequency and we’ve been passing it along to whoever comes” - they explained while sending a data package.
“Thanks.” - Jordi answered while typing the commands to receive and install the package. Friday could’ve done it herself but this was something that normal AIs couldn’t do without being instructed so he had to make it believable.
And so they stayed like that for a while. Chatting happily and getting to know each other, waving goodbye and wishing good luck to the kirkuggers that left, waiting for the new arrivals to join the queue and watching the events happening in the structure and around.
Outside, in the system, both massive ships were almost empty with only a couple trips each left. Then the ships assigned there or to the shielding grid would recover and come help the planet.
Not that there was much to do. The structure was fine at the moment but there wasn’t enough space to fit all the ships willing to go inside, and many of the kirkuggers were either a bit tired or didn’t have enough resistance to wait outside the planet and then do the whole trip and back. There were at most about seventy capable of that and the trip inside the structure was getting more and more difficult with every spin of the sun.
“Oh! Great! The asshole is coming!” - whispered Friday when she saw the next kirkuggers who had started their trip towards the planet.
Jordi muted the still live channel with Khurikk and looked at the ceiling.
“Yeah but you’re not even going to see it. The moment he arrives we’ll be too busy inside the structure and once we leave we’ll just pass by its side” - he told her, and then un-muted the channel.
“Apologies, Friday and I were having a private moment” - he smiled.
“Oh! Don’t you worry, Kurly and I have lots of those. Stubborn little bastard” - they said clacking again.
Moments after, two kirkuggers arrived to get into the queue. From the four inside the structure two were about to leave it and the other two about to arrive at the silo.
Jordi and Khurikk invited the newly arrived to their live channel, introduced themselves and gave a copy of the shielding frequency as well as mentioning the tectonic plate theory they both had.
One was a grhjujiik and her spider head didn’t even blink, the other was a kladoefui - a ferret-like creature that Jordi hadn’t encountered before, about meter and a half tall - and his face was full of fear.
“You mean to say that maybe while we’re down there the whole thing can move and turn and twist and we need to adjust our speed and trajectory so we don’t become part of the walls?” - he said with a high-pitched voice
“Nah, you won’t become part of the walls, the kirkugger shields are good, you may bounce like a pinball ball in hell though” - Khurikk said with humor, but didn’t really help the poor thing who started trembling.
“Look, trust your AI, they’re all amazing, smart and intuitive. Leave the piloting to them” - Jordi interceded, but he was not expecting the disgust the kladoefui showed in his face. An on-screen note from Friday informed him that the species was quite adverse at using AIs, why one would become an explorer was a question for another moment.
“No matter what happens, we will do our job. A few thousand beings are trusting us which means this is not only our duty but our honor as explorers” - interceded the grhjujiik with a grave voice.
Jordi smiled while doing an affirmative gesture with his head. There were some grhjujiik castes that valued duty and honor above all and, in his experience, they were a pleasure to work with in dire situations such as this one.
A beep indicated that the kirkuggers had already left the structure and on their screens they all could now see their path to leave the planet, trying to keep the planet between them and the sun in order to avoid receiving much radiation.
The Espurna and the Xhona started their descent.
“Good luck!” - said the grhjujiik on their still active channel.
“Yeah, and may the goddess cover your tracks” - said the kladoefui, and closed the channel.
“That was a weird expression” - thought Jordi, as he hadn’t met many religious people on his travels. He knew and had read about them but never expected to meet one, less one in the explorer guild, what a curious creature that was.
Khurikk and the Xhona turned right towards a set of mountains. Friday took no time in closing the live channel and switched to a map of the planet, already showing the path she thought they were taking.
“Is not a bad one, but I prefer to take this other path” - she said while putting it on screen.
Jordi looked at it, and then looked again.
“Friday, this will take us straight towards the cyclone” - he said with a tired voice.
“Exactly! We can fly close to it and use their strong winds to help us push a bit more speed. It's slingshot time! Come on, you love to do it!” - she said, sounding like an excited kid.
“Ok, first, that’s different. The slingshot maneuver is basically using the planet's gravitational pull, that’s something completely different as to what you want to do right now.” - he countered.
“Nonsense, my math says that is similar enough that we can pull it off. I estimate we’ll gain a few minutes with this trajectory” - she affirmed.
Jordi was about to protest but the Espurna had already started on that path, any deviation would just make them lose way more time. He just went to grab Ryoshi and took her to the bridge, where he sat and put on the seat-belt.
They crossed the skies as fast as their in-planet engines allowed and started adjusting their angle flying towards that massive sea. At one point the Espurna released a small drone going in a straight line towards the cyclone, Friday had probably set it up to help her with the calculations.
They flew low enough to get the best amount of thrust and less amount of drag. The in-planet engines used a form of combustion so the theories of human planes worked here too.
As they were approaching the cyclone Jordi saw the massive and terrifying clouds in the horizon. There was one thing watching that from a safe distance in orbit, but now he knew they were willingly flying towards that blackness filled with lightning and high winds.
“Friday, are you really sure about this?” - he asked with a pinch of fear in his voice.
“Of course I am, come on! This will be fun! Even Jeeyze is smiling!” - she answered with glee.
Jordi kept looking at the map, their path, Khurikk’s path and the structure location.
Their route was shorter, no way around it, but it looked crazy. Is not that he thought it was a gamble, he trusted Friday completely but, there was that voice inside him telling him this was crazy and to turn back, as most humans would have. He was just caressing Ryoshi quite aggressively, which got him an angry meow in return.
The moment arrived. They were arriving at the edge of the cyclone and the Espurna quickly angled itself towards the cyclone’s curve, as if drifting.
Even though they were going fast, he felt the cyclone high winds pushing the ship forward and inside, but Friday kept the ship’s nose fixed. They finished the curve and the Espurna separated from the cyclone, getting pushed forward with increased speed.
A few minutes later they entered the structure, the Xhona had about twenty minutes before entering too.
“Told you it would work” - said Friday.
“I didn’t doubt it for a second, it was just the subconscious fear most humans have when facing something as terrifying as those black clouds” - he answered.
“And now, the hard part” - Friday said, reduced the ship’s speed and started moving throughout the structure.