Beyond The Impossible

68,000 light-years from Earth

Max Black a.k.a. Quantum is bored out of his mind. One would think that the excitement of being on a spaceship would be greater than the boredom of having nothing to do, but even that novelty faded surprisingly fast.

<How long is this gonna take?>

<We’re almost there> Noriko Null reassures him.

Max is sitting at the only workstation that is not occupied by a Yonkai robot, while she’s sitting on the captain’s chair. With nothing to do, Max’s already limited amount of patience is running out.

<We could’ve used the Negative Drive. We would’ve been here in like five minutes.>

<Eighty-nine, going at maximum speed. Do I have to remind you again that we can’t stay cloaked while using the Negative Drive? We don’t want to attract attention this deep into hostile territory.>

<I know, I know. It kinda sucks having the best engine in the universe if you can never use it.>

<I’m working on it. I did improve the cloaking device to shield us even going at 2 million times the speed of light, didn’t I? It only took us 12 days to get here, nearly at the other side of the Galaxy.>

<Awesome, almost two days stuck in my cabin with nothing to do> Max continues to whine.

<What are you, twelve? Just find something to do! You’re the only one who keeps complaining.>

<Well, duh! Vesta just can’t understand the concept of two weeks being a long time, each Kari duplicate is practicing a different martial art, and you’re… uh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get out of your cabin. What have you been doing all this time, Nori?>

<Minding my own business> she replies rather harshly, fidgeting with the metallic coin she’s keeping in her hands. Max quickly notices it and gets closer to her.

<Is that the alien thingy that you got from… uhm… that thing Vesta didn’t tell me about?> he asks.

<It’s none of your business, Max. Can’t you just read a book like a normal person?>

<I’ve already read every comic book I have on my tablet. Are you sure it’s safe to touch that thing?> he asks, suddenly changing the subject; while she doesn’t give much weight to his question, she still looks back at the black coin.

<Just because it’s alien doesn’t mean it’s dangerous. I’ve analyzed its chemical composition and its atomic structure: it’s absolutely inert.>

<Are you sure? ‘Cause there’s a lot of weird particles around it.>

<That’s not possible. Nothing showed up on my scanners, and they can even pick up neutrinos.>

<Can they see tachyons?>

<No> she begrudgingly admits.

<Well I can. And let me tell you, that thing is definitely creating tachyons. And a bunch of other stuff I don’t recognize.>

<Seriously? Why didn’t you tell me earlier!?> she complains.

<I see weird energies all the time. Why, is it important?>

<I have no idea. Do you know how rare it is for me to have no clue about how something works? Let’s go straight to the lab to run some tests!> she exclaims excitedly, when a beep coming from the small console integrated into her chair’s armrest calls her attention.

<Uh-oh. Beeps on a spaceship are usually a bad sign> Max comments.

<You watch too much TV: it just means we’re almost at our destination. Call Kari and Vesta on the bridge… I wouldn’t want them to miss this> Noriko says.

 

Lampyria, 80 million miles from its parent star

Most planets in the Olympian Galaxy look roughly the same. While the distribution of land against ocean varies widely, it’s always a combination of blue oceans, white clouds, and some combination of green and brown for the landmasses.

And then there’s Lampyria. With its green clouds covering vast blue oceans, brushing against two red continents and a white polar ice sheet, it can’t be mistaken for any other planet.

<Oh my Gods, this has to be the best looking world in the universe!> Kari exclaims.

<It’s definitely unique> Vesta adds, without much conviction: in the eyes of a goddess it’s a relatively pedestrian sight, but she doesn’t want to ruin her friend’s excitement.

<I’m gonna go check it out> Max jumps in, eager to explore a brand new alien world; he takes a last peek from orbit before transforming into light to land, which gives Null enough time to stop him.

<Wait! You can’t go down there!> she shouts.

<Why not?>

<Because it’s going to kill you> she answers, pressing a button to project a holographic chart of the planet’s physical characteristics. He takes a long look, his eyes glazing over several details.

<Okay, the only thing I understand is “surface gravity 0.4 g”, which sounds awesome. That means we’re all going to be super-strong, right?>

<Not with a surface pressure of only 75 kilopascal. Survivable, but I wouldn’t recommend it. And worse, there’s nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere.>

<Is it a bad thing?> Kari asks.

<It’s toxic. We’ll have to wear environmental suits to survive.>

<Just our luck. Even the best looking planet in the universe is trying to kill us> Max sighs.

<Sorry Max, this won’t be the vacation you were waiting for. Now let’s just look for a place to land the ship and… uh. That’s odd. I’m not picking up signs of civilization> Noriko reveals.

<What do you mean? Look at all the cities> Kari answers, pointing at the viewscreen: now they’re orbiting the nigh side, where large nets of small lights look remarkably similar to Earth metropolitan areas when seen from space.

<I’m not picking up any radio signals. Or any kind of power source> Noriko continues.

<Well, we are in the Zeus sector> Vesta comments.

Everyone turn their heads towards her, and it’s like they all have a question mark on their face.

<I… I did mention that most planets in the Zeus sector haven’t discovered electricity yet, right?>

<No. You did not> Noriko answers, and judging by how her silver eyes suddenly shine she’s not exactly happy about Vesta’s forgetfulness.

<In my defense, Earth was just as primitive when I was exiled there> Vesta shrugs.

 

Lake Ilorulel, one hour later

The spaceship passes through the green clouds, finding a lake surrounded by billions of tiny light sources. The clouds are green thanks to the amount of bacteria floating on them, and the organic matter now sticking to the hull is a tasty meal for the lights: they’re insects, more or less comparable to Earth fireflies, but they’re so many of them that the swarms are visible from space.

The Naraka hovers above the water, opening a hatch to release a goddess. Vesta flies outside, covered by the fireflies for a few seconds.

<Bugs. I hate bugs> she complains, surrounding her body with fire.

The nearest fireflies are incinerated, and the rest of the swarm flees. There’s only one person watching the landing, a Lampyrian using her wings to shield herself from the fire’s heat.

<Careful! You don’t want to start a wildfire!> she shouts, getting Vesta’s attention.

The goddess looks at the Lampyrian. She’s nearly indistinguishable from any other member of her species: an attractive woman with blue skin, no nose, and large bat wings coming out of her back.

She’s wearing very simple clothing: just calf-length pants and a band of wool wrapped across the breasts, tied between the shoulder blades.

Vesta orders the fire to disappear and floats towards the Lampyrian.

<Hello, my name is Vesta. Don’t be frightened, we’re…>

<Vesta, it’s me, Lily> the Lampyrian interrupts her.

<Oh! I’m sorry, you look like… I mean, I didn’t recognize you wearing that.>

<It’s alright, I’m not offended, I know all Lampyrians look alike to aliens.>

While the two women talk, the Naraka goes under the water: the lake is deep enough to completely submerge the spaceship, making it nearly impossible to find.

That’s when three people are teleported on the shore.  They’re wearing brand new environmental suits: they’re not as bulky as the previous models created by Null, to the point that they mostly look like futuristic ski suits with motorcycle helmets.

<Whoa. Check out this place> Kari Zel says, looking around to admire the alien landscape; she’s the one wearing the pink suit, while Noriko Null in her green suit is more interested in reading the data provided by the sensors in her N-Phone.

<The air is particularly toxic here. There’s something in the water connected to the production of nitrogen dioxide. Utterly fascinating.>

<Lily! You look great. It’s been a long time!> Max exclaims, approaching Lily in his red suit and hugging her. She doesn’t seem as excited to see him, and instead of hugging him back she just uses one of her wings to pat him on the back.

<Yes, yes it has. Are you guys okay? It must’ve been a long journey> Lily says.

<It took a while to reach Lampyria, yes. Is there a place where we could talk? Any place other than a glorified swamp?> Noriko asks, trying to swat away the numerous fireflies buzzing around her.

<Show a little tact, this is someone’s home> Vesta reprimands her.

<No, she’s right, Ilorulel is a dump. We should head to Eralal; it’s a short fly from here, and at least you’ll be able to get some fresh air there.>

<Just give me the coordinates and I’ll teleport us there> Noriko proposes.

<Hold on a minute, Nori, we go all the way to Lampyria and don’t even get the chance of a little sightseeing!?> Kari protests.

<We’re on a mission, Kari, this isn’t a vacation> Noriko answers, when a gust of wind hits the team. It’s coming from a twelve-legged dragonfly, the size of a school bus, approaching their location and hovering above them like a helicopter.

Null immediately draws her Genius Gun and is ready to blast the animal to pieces, but Lily stops her by flying between them.

<Calm down! It’s just a ralas, it’s not going to hurt you!>

<It’s a giant insect!> Noriko says, feeling disgusted just looking at the creature.

<No, it’s a ralas. Don’t worry, they only eat the lolul> Lily explains, pointing at the swarm of fireflies. Noriko, Kari and Max remain skeptical, while Vesta floats towards the head of the giant dragonfly and pats its head asking Lily:

<I think he’s kind of cute. Is he some kind of pet?>

<She’s a female, and she’s our ride> Lily answers.

<What do you mean “our ride”?> Kari asks, seriously reconsidering the teleporter.

<We’re going to Eralal, that’s fifty miles away from here.>

<Lily, you can fly. Why do you need a ride?> Noriko objects.

<Humans can walk, but you still used horses in the past, didn’t you? Come on, it’s safer than an airplane> Lily insists, taking Noriko’s hand and dragging her towards one of the legs of the ralas.

On closer inspection, the alien creature is even weirder: each leg has been fitted with a chairlift just big enough for one person, meaning one ralas can transport twelve people at once. The chair has a very strange design: there’s no safety bar, and there’s a hole in the back. A Lampyrian would just slide her wings inside the hole and use them as some sort of anchor. Lily has thought about this: the seats of this particular ralas have seatbelts.

Once everyone has taken his or her place, the ralas rises in the air, then puts her feet closer together: all passengers are now arranged neatly in two rows, and the animal begins her journey.

<Weirdest. Ride. Ever> Kari comments.

<Still better than the subway> Max shrugs.

The view from above is truly spectacular: Lampyria is a truly alien world, making even Hell look predictable by comparison. And yet, watching the jungle of yellow snakes beneath her, Noriko can’t shake off the feeling of having seen this before.

<Is something wrong? You’re strangely quiet> Lily notices.

<Just a déjà vu. Nothing to worry about> Noriko lies. She can’t shake off the feeling of having been here before, and in her experience having someone else’s memories is never a good sign.