Crossing the open plains of Venus was perilous. The storms here were not simple weather patterns—they were vast, living tempests with winds faster than sound and acid rain that could dissolve metal in minutes.But Jaxon wasn’t alone.
One day, as he sought shelter from a roiling storm, he encountered towering machines lumbering through the sulphuric clouds. They walked on jointed legs, braced against the storm’s force. Their outer shells were ancient and worn, but they moved with purpose.
Stormwalkers.
At first, Jaxon hid, unsure if they were friend or foe. But as one of the machines passed close, he realised they were unmanned. Autonomously navigating the brutal winds, perhaps following commands issued eons ago.
Seeing an opportunity, Jaxon waited for a gap in the storm and climbed aboard the slowest of the walkers. Inside, the air was thick but breathable, protected by a long-dormant atmosphere processor.
The walker had controls, ancient but intuitive, responding to his touch. With its protection, he could now travel deeper into Venus’s treacherous landscapes, following the map the whispers had shown him.
He wasn’t just surviving anymore. He was moving toward something—toward understanding.
Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model
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