5.3 LIGHT

Juna narrates how she and Ste Etienne adapt a Shrouded, scaled-up replica of their aerial drone. They decipher the copied rudders and rig crude control lines, then wind elastic-band propellers via an organic ratchet. The two, drug-addled but functional, joke through fear as they prepare to ride the poleward winds.

As the winds carry them, Ste Etienne manages unstable balance due to the pod’s mass on an airframe designed for dispersed Shrouded crew. Juna filters the electromagnetic cacophony and senses Shrouded escorts shadowing them. To gauge speed and course, Ste lowers the ball drone as a radar buoy, overriding medical safeties to stay awake.

When the polar winds dissipate, they engage the wound propellers, settling into a cycle of tensioning and thrust. Beyond mapped territory, they enter a barren, lightless icefield, like an oceanic abyss. Hydrogen leakage from the multi-bladder canopy lowers their altitude; their Shrouded escorts climb higher as if anticipating danger.

Radar abruptly reveals a jagged mountain range. Lacking climb capacity, they aim for a gap, but the peaks host barnacle-like predators that fling hooked nets, snaring the airship. Juna releases all stored thrust; the envelope tears, bladders escape, and the mangled frame scrapes over the crest before staggering down the far side.

The wreck finally settles with survivable impact. Red indicators multiply but the pod endures; the ball drone is lost. Shrouded on the ground converge, freeing the pod from debris. With communication still rudimentary and visibility minimal, Juna estimates the pole’s direction, and she and Ste decide to continue toward the anchor despite uncertain navigation.