Chapter 29: Revolution Protocol — Part 6
Placid had seemed calm from space, and had been named because of its physical appearance from just such a vantage point. Stripes of green spread across its surface from massive central valleys, giving it the appearance of a world webbed with forests. Once one actually got within the grip of its turbulent atmosphere, however, the illusion of tranquility was shattered, its vicious nature causing damage to ships, injuries to any not strapped down, and on the rare occassion, complete loss of ship and all life on it.
Once the Excelsior settled into the turbulent lower atmosphere, its thrusters began to strain, and control surfaces to warp under the tension of a viscous atmosphere ripping at it during high-speed flight. Kris started to sweat, nervous about his ship. A trained combat pilot, he was great with combat, where the human factor was involved. He had virtually no experience in what to do when an entire planet’s atmosphere seemed opposed to his presence. His first instinct was to fight it and fly into the wind, but flying into the wind proved a strain on his energy reserves. Baron Thomson motioned to the radar screen, showing him how best to read the weather, and what to avoid. The streams of air were so loaded with particulate sand that the worst of them looked like solid walls.
“Go with the flow, and stay to the center of the stream.” Baron Thomson insisted. “The winds outside can exceed the speed of sound in certain streams, and a tunnel of air will sometimes flow opposite the stream around it. If you get clipped by one of those tunnels of air, the ship will pay for it.”
Kris focused on his sensor readings, disabling all but the guidance thrusters, and let the stream carry him along. He maneuvered the ship towards the ground, avoiding any oddities that Thomson pointed out to him. Within a few minutes, the air settled, and Kris found himself flying in clear, almost stagnant air. Setting down under a calm patch of air near a glass temple, Kris could only guess at what geological forces caused such obscene atmospheric behavior. The planet orbited quite rapidly, and though that certainly played a part, there were other factors Kris knew he was missing.
Upon landing, Kris opened the crew dispatch hatch and followed Jerem into the sun. They stepped onto powdery white sand that felt cold as ice despite the sun blaring down onto it. Kris wondered how long the morning would last, how long it would be before the sun heated the sand and made walking on it unbearable. Jerem’s thoughts were on the glass building, and the people living within it. People, as far as Kris was concerned, living so close to the edge of the eternal storm that their eventual oblivion seemed guaranteed. Baron Thomson led them up its steps and seated the three gentlemen at a massive glass table. Shortly after, others were ushered into the room, a younger, quick moving man in full Baron’s uniform, and an older, sure paced man who carried about him a sense of reserved control, as if he were used to getting his way, but only by his ability to convince others of his importance.
“We’ve come to seal a pact of peace. Show us what your people have that merits saving.” Jerem said.
Baron Johnson inhaled deeply, staring Jerem down. “I can tell that you are a man of focus, much like myself. Satrap Winson’s been sent to take you anywhere within the Union you want to go. Her own world is Cinder, a small planet at the edge of the tightly clustered system. Her system is the first line of defense against Grison.”
The Baron snapped his fingers, and a thin, almost elfish woman made her appearance known. Winson had been chosen as ambassador and consort, most probably because of her physical characteristics. Among all the Satraps they could have chosen, she resembled naturally the less eccentric traits of the Coalition members. Her long, thin nose, sharp features and doe eyes seemed to pierce both the world around her, and the minds of those who chose to look upon her. Her voice was controlled, restrained even, when finally she chose to speak.
