Landing

Touched by Seraphina's concern, Kai replied in a calming tone, "I will." He pushed the throttle forward, engaging the engines at full power. With a loud boom and a burst of light, the transport ship disappeared from the Colossus' view, heading towards Glacialis' orbit.

After a few minutes, he reached the Glacialis' orbit. Kai reduced the engines' power and spoke into the comms, "Entering the atmosphere in ten seconds. Signals might be disrupted by the high static of dense clouds."

Without waiting for a response, he dove the ship into orbit, plunging into the thick clouds just a few meters below the orbital range.

As the ship descended in the clouds, it began to shake violently, the hull groaning and creaking under the strain. Kai gripped the handles tightly, his eyes fixed on the turbulent scene outside the cockpit window.

The clouds were a dark, menacing grey, streaked with bolts of lightning and raining down cryogenic liquids like liquid nitrogen and methane.

After a turbulent half-hour of navigating through the treacherous atmosphere, Kai emerged from the clouds. 

Unlike the little bright expanse above, the surface below was shrouded in darkness, punctuated only by the eerie, bluish-white bioluminescence of the cryoflora.

Putting the breathtaking scenery and his awe at the alien landscape aside, he powered up the engines and contacted Seraphina through the comms. "Sera, I'm through the clouds."

Her voice came through, calm and professional. 

[That's good. You should launch the drones Almond had attached to the ship. They'll help me guide you.]

"She's really thinking tactically now," Kai thought, impressed by Seraphina's quick planning after their earlier conversation.

He pressed a series of buttons, releasing the folded drones from compartments in the ship's walls.

The ejected drones swiftly unfolded and shot ahead of Kai, their lights flashing in the darkness as they scanned the icy surface before disappearing from sight.

Kai didn't waste any time. "Sera," he said, opening the holographic map on one of the ship's side screens, "guide me to a safe landing spot near the cryolumboid fluid reservoirs."

[I'm currently scanning the surrounding area,] Seraphina replied. 

[The fluid flows as a river beneath the glacier mountain on your left. There's a small opening near the base of the glacier where you can land for extraction.]

Seraphina marked the landing site on the map, and Kai adjusted his course accordingly.

As he approached the landing site, Kai asked Seraphina, "Have you detected any signs of other organisms besides those spiky plants yet?"

[Not yet,] Seraphina replied, sounding puzzled. 

[Even if there were larger organisms, their tracks would disappear within seconds in this environment.]

Kai glanced at the churning clouds, now clearly visible on the screen. "Yeah, I can see that," he muttered. Reaching the glacial region, he carefully steered the ship through a canyon of ice wider than the transport itself.

After a few minutes of cautious piloting, they reached the landing area. "Sera," Kai said, "I think it would be wise to keep an eye on the clouds. They look like they could erupt at any moment."

[Agreed. I've already sent a drone into the atmosphere to monitor the situation. I'll alert you if I detect any anomalies. In the meantime, please activate the autopilot. I can assist you with the landing in this terrain.]

Kai chuckled as he observed the scene outside. Even the regular winds were fierce enough to resemble small hurricanes on Earth, but the ship's interior remained protected within its sturdy hull. 

"I can see that," he said, chuckling. "I'm handing control over to you, Sera. Land us safely while I give a check to the collection tanks and pipes."

He transferred control of the ship to Seraphina and exited the cockpit, making his way to the cargo hold to inspect the tanks for any leaks.

Outside, Seraphina gently increased power to the four lower engines and deployed the sturdy landing legs. 

The legs extended downwards, their sharp points piercing inside the thick ice and anchoring the ship with a slight jolt that reverberated through the hull.

Feeling the jolt, Kai knew they had landed as Seraphina's voice crackled over the comms.

[The ship has landed safely. It would be wise to collect the fluid quickly. I'm detecting signs of an approaching storm, a very large one. Also, be careful; there's an active volcano about 30 kilometers away, spewing all types of cryogenic liquid into the air.]

"This is insane!" Kai exclaimed grinning in excitement, adrenaline like thrill running through his metallic body. He pressed the button to open the large central cargo hatch near his feet.

The doors slowly started parting, and a blast of frigid air rushed into the ship. Before the hatch fully opened, Kai grabbed two pipe nozzles, one in each hand, and leaped out of the ship.

Excitement and anticipation fueled his leap. He landed on the ice sheet below with a loud crack, his body shuddering slightly from the impact.

The fierce winds buffeted him, and shards of ice and frozen liquid pelted his metallic form. He squinted, protecting his optical sensors from the icy onslaught.

"Damn it!" Kai exclaimed, raising a hand to shield his optic sensors. The excitement he had felt moments ago turned to frustration. "How am I supposed to work if I can't even see?"

Seraphina's voice, barely audible over the howling winds, offered a solution: 

[You just need to activate combat mode. It'll deploy shielding over the sensitive areas.]

"Combat mode?" Kai yelled back, holding onto the pipes and trying to fly off in the wind "What combat mode?" Seraphina repeated her instructions, and Kai finally understood.

However, he wasn't sure how to activate combat mode. He imagined himself in a fight, then shouted, "Combat mode!"

His body hummed in response. The plates and circuits shifted, forming armor around his weaker and more vulnerable areas. 

The region from his chin to just below his optical sensors was covered by a protective layer of metal that slid into place from the sides.

A thin, transparent film materialized over Kai's optical sensors, and the deafening roar of the wind was muffled as his auditory sensors retracted beneath his armor.

Watching his transformation, the plates shifting and interlocking with a satisfying series of clicks, Kai exclaimed in surprise, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn't know I could do a Power Rangers transformation!"

Once his body had fully entered combat mode, he could feel the energy flowing more smoothly within him. His optical and auditory sensors were now shielded from the harsh elements, allowing him to see and hear clearly.

His black, ironclad figure stood tall on the sheets of ice, unfazed by the storm. "Sera!" he shouted excitedly with a wide smile, "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

[Uh, there wasn't a chance to mention it,] Seraphina replied, her voice a bit flustered. [But please focus, Kai. As I said, the weather here is unpredictable.]

"Haha, alright, alright, I'm going," Kai said with a smile, scratching the back of his head. He made his way to the small opening, the heavy pipes firmly in his grip.

With each step, the plates on his feet shifted, anchoring themselves into the ice and providing secure footing against the relentless wind. He slowly made his way up the small hill connected to the glacier wall.

After a strenuous climb, he reached the top of the hill. His eyes widened as he beheld a breathtaking sight: a small lake of liquid cryolumboid fluid shimmered in the frigid landscape, flowing out of a cave beneath the towering glacier wall.

The walls of the cave and the lakebed and shore were adorned with luminous cryoflora, resembling delicate, spiky ice crystals sprouting from the frozen surfaces. Their ethereal bluish-white glow emanated from roots to tips, illuminating the cavern.

Kai sighed, as frost began to form on his body, "Definitely feels legit," he muttered, the cold seeping into his metallic frame.