The Irangel | Prequel Story |

Chapter 6 ~ Dangerous Flight

Tori had studied the note and flight path so many times she practically had it all memorized. She knew every single flight path each former German satellite and ship had taken and knew exactly at what point in space they encountered the massive floating trash.

The massive floating trash was a mysterious spiral object the size of a supernova explosion. It looked like a glittery makeup palette with vibrant colors and kaleidoscope patterns. It was responsible for the deaths of all the occupants of the ships the German government had sent out in order to reach planet Iredescent back in the late 90's.

It was the German government that discovered the existence of Iredescent. They were also the ones who personally spoke with the Iredescent woman herself, Tereza Rejkavik. They also spoke with a rare entity called the Phoenix, who was the attractive man in the photograph with Tereza. His name was revealed to be Raistin Fenice. He was an even greater mystery than Iredescent, one that baffled the world. Very little was written about him; any records written of him involved negotiations amongst Iredescents and the German government. Even though he wasn't Iredescent, Tori was still curious and wanted to know more about him and the Iredescent woman he was always with.

Tori read every note and file pertaining to the Iredescent and the Phoenix. She learned that Tereza and Raistin went back to Iredescent sometime after the German government stopped sending ships out to Iredescent. The negotiations were so intense that they involved the Ruler of Iredescent herself, Irina Acai.

It must've been so wonderful to see real Iredescents, including the Ruler of Iredescent, Tori thought. Maybe I might have the chance to meet them. It was a slim chance; thirty years had gone by with all Iredescent information being locked away in a secret file, but Tori hoped to meet the woman who inspired her to find Iredescent after so many years.

After the German government was forced to sign a treaty with the Ruler of Iredescent, the treaty ensuring that Earth would leave Iredescent alone, the German government locked it all away. Only a select few knew about Iredescent, about Tereza and Raistin, about the ships and the massive floating trash that swallowed spaceships whole like a raging standstill sort of death trap.

Some files were moved to other government facilities. The Iredescent file ended up at the Aerospace Station Nieznane per the new German chancellor's orders. Though the German government was proud of their secret discovery and encounter with the Iredescents, they wanted it to be forgotten and put aside since the planet didn't want anything to do with them. Irina's threats to bring Earth's nature down were taken seriously, especially since a majority of hedgehogs from Earth were taken with her to Iredescent so they would be safe from human influence.

Tori knew the exact coordinates for the massive floating trash and knew it would remain in the same place as it had all those years. She knew exactly how to avoid it and had taken precautious steps to make sure she had enough fuel before she thought to steal the ship. Though she would be steering the ship in a safe manner, she still wanted to catch a glimpse of the massive floating trash as she navigated past it.

It was one of the most amazing sights her human eyes had ever seen. After two days of a quiet peaceful flight spent in eager anticipation and wonder, the ship finally neared the legendary mysterious object in space that the Germans called 'massive floating trash'.

It was like a giant kaleidoscope of colors all bunched together into this supernova-looking thing that looked like a beautiful elliptical galaxy. Nobody, not even the Iredescents, knew what it was made of, but they did know what was in it.

Even from this distance, Tori could see bits and pieces of ships from the past, the thirteen ships that got caught in this massive floating trash. More like a galaxy-sized tornado, Tori thought, stunned and somewhat disturbed by the sight of wrecked ships. Glitter captivated her, appearing in her eyes as Tori stared in astonishment, distracted by the massive floating trash. She felt its gravitational pull on her ship, attempting to lure it closer to itself. Alarmed, Tori shifted the ship so that it steered away, bypassing the danger.

The portal is somewhere near the massive floating trash, Tori recalled, trying to locate the exact coordinates. She glanced down at the screen, but all her dynamics were screwed from being so close to the massive floating trash.

I might be in trouble, Tori thought, putting a hand to her face. Fear gripped her for a moment before she recovered, forcing herself to concentrate. She clutched the steering wheel and turned it as far as she could to the right, trying to break out of its gravitational pull. She could feel it start to pull her in, but she kept it steered to the right, using all her strength to keep it there as she fought to evade the massive floating trash that acted like a mini black hole.

As she pulled hard, she saw a button on the control panel that looked like a getaway sort of button. Frantic, Tori pushed hard on it, sure it was the correct button. Tori was instantly knocked off her standing position and slammed into her seat, making her groan slightly in a mix of pain and surprise.

Inertia pinned Tori to her seat as the ship took off, aggressively breaking free of the massive floating trash's gravitational pull while accelerating speed. Tori saw a bunch of different colors sparkle like a flashing disco ball, kaleidoscopic walls folding into themselves and making her feel like she was tripping. It was a fantastic masquerade of glitter, a dance of color, a splash of vibrancy, and a duet of forces that seemed to zero in on her. This must be the portal to Iredescent's dimension, Tori realized. The first human to make it alive past the massive floating trash and enter through the portal. A moment of awe filled her, making her solemnly reflect on those who hadn't made it.

Shortly after the blinding burst of color and light, the Supremacy found itself out of the portal and into a new galaxy. It was an elliptical galaxy that shimmered and sparkled everywhere. Tori only had a moment to admire it before she found her ship launching forward towards a sparkly purple planet with shimmery golden rings. She felt cold chills all over her body as she realized she was looking at planet Iredescent for the first time, the only human to ever do so. The first human to ever see a foreign planet with her own eyes. Tori felt awed, amazed, shocked, and a little fearful, all at the same time.

"Iredescent," Tori whispered, staring at the glittery light purple clouds surrounding her. She put the ship on standby, allowing it to cruise gently at the lowest speed possible, enjoying the astonishing sight from the window panels, the golden specks illuminating.

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Music:

"Asteroids" by
FreqGen/Celldweller

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