Tales of PulchraGea, Vol. 1

Chapter 5: Forging the Storm (Rough Draft)

I searched for the contact information of Galileo's Flying Transport in the town of Clifford. It was said that although there was a shipwright in every town, none was finer (or more expensive) than Galileo's. The digital brochure I found claimed him to be behind the most cutting-edge innovations in PulchraGean aircraft design for the past several decades. I decided that I would look there.

  It took surprisingly minimal cajoling to convince Robin to help me commission a tour of the facility. She set everything up, flew me there. As we were close to landing the UT Pod I reviewed what I knew about Clifford.

Clifford is the ancestral home of the red tribe, or Rasenkono. It sits atop the mighty Mesa Grande, which itself overshadows Boonie's desert. Although ostensibly a 'cliff town' in its origins, Clifford is one of the largest cities in PulchraGea. Clifford spans many miles across the top of the titanic mesa, which is itself over 100 miles long and nearly a mile high. It's most famous for its heavy industry and incredible urbanization, though most of the actual factories exist in the caverns below the town -and throughout the entire mesa as well.

  We landed in Galileo's own privately owned Launch, where all the newly purchased models could be flown by the owner to the public launch in Clifford proper. As the ramp of the UT Pod lowered itself, a woman in her early thirties stood there in a lab coat.

  She was very striking and beautiful with her feathered red hair the color of sunrise and her ice blue eyes that hid the indigo of a flame's heart within. She was fairly breasted and of average height, but her eyes were even larger than some other PulchraGean women. She was what was once known as thaliel'ai, or original PulchraGeans whose lines were untouched by the kings or their descendants; very rare in modern PulchraGeans.

"My name is Clair Vendum,"  the thaliel'ai said. "I'm head of R&D and Marketing here at Galileo's. Welcome."

  "Well met," I greeted her. "I'm here to learn about the models of aircraft made here."

  "We have many to choose from," she said. She waved me toward the entrance.

  We passed down a large colonnade full of aircraft so futuristic they could well be from some epic space opera or sci-fi themed anime.

  "As you can see, we cater to all tastes and budgets," Clair exhibited. "From our classic Stardust sport craft to the ultimate in speed and aerodynamics, the brand new Trion-powered Metamoth, we have it all."

  The Stardust seemed like the offspring of a flying saucer and a two-seat convertible. In contrast, the Metamoth looked just like its namesake and was colored a metallic cobalt blue. It seemed very fashionable, but not my style. I wanted the fighter I'd seen in Argentum.

  Suddenly there it was, looking like a fighter jet with a much shorter body. It was even more beautiful than I'd imagined. It was slightly less sporty-looking than the Metamoth, but I loved it.

  "What about that one?"

  I pointed it out to Clair, but she shook her head.

  "The P-16 was discontinued a generation ago," she said. "Strictly military, replaced by a competitor's model."

  "Is there any chance you have a simulator file?" I asked hopefully.

  Clair beckoned me to follow.

  "We have a dedicated flight simulator in our museum," she affirmed. "It still works, though it's so ancient I don't know how."

  I followed Ms. Vendum to the museum, where they kept elder simulators of ancient models. Some of them hovered above a hover pad, seemingly actual cockpits modified slightly for repurposing.  The one I wanted was a box that in no way resembled the actual aircraft. Part of the box slid back to reveal a realistic mockup of the cockpit as my guide used a holopad to unlock it. I eagerly climbed in and looked around.