Reptoid Planet

Chronicles of Xanctu

Synopsis

Previously in ‘Chronicles of Xanctu’

Pterryx, the Uxot homeworld, is located in the binary system of Taelos near a twist of stars aptly named the ‘Snake Nebula’. It is only a hundred and eighty light years from Kaerys 14, a nearby pulsar. Pterryx orbits, Taelos, the primary star, in a cold orbit at the outer limits of the habitable zone. Raelos, the accompanying Red Dwarf that orbits Taelos in an eccentric orbit, casts an ever-moving twilight, but its feeble warmth is barely felt on the surface. Raelos’s effects on Pterryx are more noticeable as swirling auroras of violet and green in the upper atmosphere.

The heavy cruiser Na’gal, pride-bearer of the Uxot Navy, dropped out of warp with an inaudible shriek of collapsing hyperspace, flux chillers glowing as accumulated heat from the field dispersed. Any witness to its arrival would have been impressed by its emergence from the lightning fog; a nightmare in Uxot green, bristling with weaponry.

The ‘All Clear’ sounded. On the bridge, Captain Shal Achru blinked to clear her vision. The ruby glow of Raelos was exactly where it should be. Loosening the crash web, she eased her stiff body from the deep embrace of the command couch. It had been a long jump. She nodded in the navigator’s direction. A ripple of applause resonated on the bridge. Everyone appreciated a good jump. Allowing them no time for congratulations, she ordered them towards Pterryx, a pale-blue dot in the viewport. Legend had it, she told them, that there was a time when Taelos and Raelos had been closer, a time when Pterryx basked in a warmer, more temperate climate. Nothing was reliably known about that era, an aeon before Twinne Yashtoor. Like all stories, some had heard it before. She didn’t vocalise her forebrain’s thoughts, but they concerned her more than any nest-mate new.

Though technologically advanced, our origins have been tragically lost in the fragmented record of what’s remained. Only one thing is for certain. This system will be here long after we’re spacedust.

With Snake Nebula as its backdrop, the planet below was a swirling mix of white and pale-blue. The dense upper atmosphere that gave Pterryx its hazy appearance was the shield that protected it from the Raelos, and also stray radiation from the nearby pulsar. A lightning storm illuminated an icy mountain range passing below. The shadows reflected crimson off the surrounding ice. It was good to be home.

“The ship is yours, Captain”, grunted Gosh’t, struggling out of his couch. His impatience was palpable.

“You will be honored after you depart, Ambassador. The shuttle bay is at your service”, she responded, her forebrain adding; “…and not a moment too soon…”

Sub-vocally, she ordered a shuttle to be readied. Checking orbital traffic, scancom advised her that a large asteroid was being moved by hundreds of drones into a geosynchronous orbit close to several others connected by a latticework of construction. She tried accessing more information but got a blunt refusal in response, along with a command to cancel the query or face interrogation. She cancelled the query and tried to remember the last time she’d been able to relaxed.

Below, the planet’s magnetic field was visible as a ghostly aurora, glowing green and violet over the Northern pole. She focussed on it.

“Ambassador Gosh’t has arrived dirtside, speedily, Captain”, coms eventually reported over bridge audio. There was an element of attitude to the voice. She pretended not to notice the nods and hisses on the bridge. “Begin refueling procedures, and rotate crew according to regulation”, she barked, but a hidden part of her nodded and hissed along with them.

On the surface of Pterryx, Gosh’t took a moment to watch the sun dip beneath the horizon. The Snake Nebula arced across the sky like a serpent of stars but the Red Dwarf dominated the sky above. The air was cooling rapidly, and carried a familiar tang. The only sound, a soft whisper of wind across the frost. A crystalline forest glittered near the spaceport. The semi-transparent, low-growth shimmered like frozen glass, scattering the primary’s white light into a spectrum of colors. Raising secondary ocular membranes to compensate for the glare, he crunched across the crisp, snowy ground to the waiting aircar.

The aircar flew low over the ice that separated the spaceport from the city of Icryx. Gosh’t could see glowing pulses from bioluminescent plants clustered around one of the thermal vents that powered the city. The aircar deposited him at Central and hissed away. Before he could enter the building, a flare from Raelos drew a deep crimson line across the sky - a good sign.

Entering the building, he shrugged off security with an aggressive grunt and strode down the emerald carpet to the Emerald Chambers where the council waited. It had been a long trip, but the discussions ahead would prove just as taxing. Blood had been spilt over lesser matters than playing games with an insane humanoid.

Continue reading 'Chronicles of Xanctu' here

#afrofuturism #afrofuturistic #ancient mysteries #future #fantasy #myth #science fiction #sci-fi #speculative fiction #SpaceOpera

© Return of The White Lady (1994) by Mike Kawitzky

© Xelexnia 2022 - Offworld Productions Pty Ltd

© Chronicles of Xanctu by Mike Kawitzky 2023