4.2 LIGHT

Ste Etienne insists they follow the air drone’s plotted course over the mountains despite Juna’s misgivings. Climbing through dense briar-like growth slows the pod and stresses its joints. Powerful tailwinds buffet them along exposed ledges above a vast drop, where kite-like filter feeders loom but prove harmless.

At the targeted pass, they discover a dense, basketwork jungle of wind-feeding organisms, making the route impassable and dangerous. While they hesitate, the Shrouded escort repeatedly signals and leads them to a large cave mouth with constant inward airflow, suggesting a throughway.

Reluctant to commit blind, Ste Etienne refurbishes a small ball drone with sonar and maze-solving routines. It scouts the caves, maps an extensive tunnel network, and returns with a viable route to open ground beyond. They rest while the Shrouded forage, noting the aliens’ sleepless rhythms.

Entering the caves, the Shrouded move more cautiously, and radio noise from Shroud’s biosphere fades to near silence except for the escort’s muted chatter. The walls bear knuckly, lichen-like growths and small, spindly creatures; Juna theorizes the tunnels are biologically eroded rather than water-carved.

The underworld atmosphere feels eerily oppressive despite the humans’ lack of relevant senses. Ahead, their lamps pick out a faceted, silvery, spine-fringed dome clamped to the tunnel wall, dazzling like a mineral treasure. As Juna and Ste consider its value, the object suddenly moves, revealing itself as a living organism.