Page 42 of Her Alien Cyborgs
Unlike the planet it orbited, the moon had water, plants, and a breathable atmosphere. The gravity was lighter than standard, but the colonists had adapted by adding gravity plates to most of the building interiors.
She placed them on a course that would take them to the colony but would also allow her passengers a chance to get a good look at a view she always enjoyed.
“I think you’ll want to see this,” she said as a range of mountains filled the viewscreens.
The peaks were impossibly high, rising to jagged points marked by lines of perfectly white snow. In some places, the wind had blasted the snow away, revealing ridges of blue and gray stone.
“That is beautiful,” Fyr’enth said, his eyes locked on the screen in front of him.
“Imagine flying over that,” Kalan said. His voice held a note of longing she’d never heard before.
Clouds dotted the sky, some of them clinging to the peaks as the planes flew overhead. Where they blocked the sun, they left shadows that dappled the snow.
After a few minutes, a river appeared. It snaked through the valley below the mountains. In some places it was a brilliant turquoise while in others the sun’s reflection made it shine like silver.
Over time, the blue peaks softened, becoming rolling hills covered with trees, and then finally flattening out into grassland. Eventually, the green and gold grass gave way to farmland with crops of various types turning the land below into a patchwork of color.
They all watched the viewscreens, though she stole glances at the males from time to time. They never looked away, and the expressions on their faces told her everything she needed to know.
For them, this was their first real look at what freedom meant. She was so glad to share the moment with them.
She didn’t speak until the colony showed up as a gray smudge on the horizon. “Welcome to Taza’s lunar colony.”
The buildings took shape as she pointed to the main viewscreen. “In about ten minutes, we’ll be breathing unfiltered air, and you can take your first steps in real gravity. It’s lighter than you’re used to, so take that into account when lifting anything or pushing off the ground to fly.”
The two males grinned at her and then at each other.
Whatever the future held, today they’d finally get to fly. Today would be a good day.
She hoped it wouldn’t be their last.
CHAPTER 17
Fyr’enth had dreamedabout this moment for as long as he’d lived. They’d experienced plenty of planets in sims, but this was different. This was real.
They walked down the gangway, every footfall clanging on the metal ramp. When his boots hit solid ground, the sound changed to a dull thud.
“We are now dirtside,” Hezza said. “How does it feel?”
Fyr’enth planted his feet on the ground and raised his head to look up at the sky. A pale blue expanse filled his vision. Apart from a few scattered clouds, it was as open and inviting as he’d imagined. A cool breeze flowed around them. This wasn’t an artificial air current created by a fan but a natural phenomenon.
He opened his wings slightly, letting the air push against his metallic feathers.
“It feels good. Better than that, but I don’t have the words,” he said.
Kalan hummed in agreement. “The sun is warm on my face. I didn’t expect that.”
“Sims are wonderful things, but they can’t replicate everything,” Hezza said.
“They didn’t get the smells right, either. They tried, but the program could only create one at a time.” Fyr’enth inhaled through his nose. “There are so many scents here.”
He knew some of them, but others were a mystery. The biting tang of rocket fuel was familiar, as were the faint traces of someone cooking food. A warm, musty scent might be from the livestock pens they’d seen as they’d flown into the port.
While they took in their new surroundings, a slender female with dark skin and long black hair approached.
He stiffened, but Hezza calmed him with a touch to his arm. “It’s fine. She’s part of the ground crew.”
“Welcome to Taza Four’s unar colony. I can’t locate any documents listing cargo for offload or pickup. Is that correct?” The female spoke Galactic Standard, but he couldn’t place her accent. Despite addressing Hezza, the female kept looking at him and Kalan.
