***
Time to go.Stepping outside onto the walkway, the young spacer braced herself against the railing as an air current blasted the little hab-module. The whole thing lurched sideways, and the other habs beneath the walkway parted briefly, sending a shiver through the anchors that kept them from floating off into the sky. Through the temporary gap left in their wake, she saw old cables and loose struts waving slowly, as if wanting to caress the planet's thick, golden cloud layer.
She took a deep breath, and immediately wrinkled her nose. Filtered sulphur fumes, mixed in with sanitizer. A pang of unwelcome nostalgia.
"Blackrock," she sighed.
The walkway sunk slightly as her companion planted all six limbs on the railing, testing its resistance. His head was almost upside down, fixated on the clouds below.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "You need to get used to that real quick, or you're going to be completely unable to enjoy your stay here."
Rocking back and forth in concentration, the creature looked like a chameleon on a branch. His turreted head creaked as he took in his surroundings. Suddenly, he froze and stared over her shoulder, his milky eyes dimming and brightening.
Shielding her eyes, she spotted the object of his attention: the distant city, barely visible in the thick clouds. Thousands of threads extending upwards into space caught and scattered light like a spider's web, enmeshing the orbital anchor that kept the structure aloft. Above it, the ever-present sun, twisted out of shape by a swarm of orbital mirrors.
She found it as mundane as ever.
Pulling her jacket tight around her shoulders, she sighed. "Come on, Mr. Vellum. After we board the zep, you'll remember why we came here."
"I never forgot," he croaked. "After you."
The clank and clatter of her magnetic boots against the catwalk was enormous in such a small space, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out her thoughts.
***