The Secret of Tanencha sy Tyrin

1 | Tanencha Sy Tyrin

Stella adjusted her goggles as she came closer to her target. She narrowed her eyes, trying to find the exact landing location. As she quickly identified it, she gripped the yoke and turned it.

The plane veered slightly to the right, towards an area of clear land. As she got closer and closer to it, the plane began to dip in the slightest, prepared for the landing.

Outside of the machine, wind blazed around the plot of grass below it. Stella exhaled as the plane's engine turned off, consuming the air around her with silence.

She slunk into her seat, threading her fingers through her hair, taming the mass of curls on top of her head. She was safe.

A satisfying moment of relief washed over her, giving her the gratification she had been searching for since she left for this mission.

Hopefully, this wouldn't be too long. In that case, she could pack light, ignore all but the essentials.

With a quick adjustment of weapons, a pistol readied at her side, and a small bag of supplies, she was ready to head off of the caves.

The caves. An area on this planet, unknown to man. The caves were unpredictable-- but no one knew why.

Her parents once told her an old saying: "That which is unknown is either feared or disregarded." It made sense in this context, and truly, in every context. The caves were unknown and feared. Few people that explored them ever came out.

At least, that's what she had heard. This was her first time visiting this planet, and because she had been given an assignment located on it, knowing every possible thing about the caves was something vital to her survival.

But Stella wasn't here to investigate the caves. She was here to collect and distribute the mass of ships within the tunnels.

She stepped out of the plane, feeling the soft breeze against her face, relishing the fresh air all around her. It felt like ages she'd been to a system where oxygen wasn't sparse.

She looked around, examining the flowers and trees all around her. The multitude of colors and textures comforted her. The flowers-- with intricate and beautiful petals surrounded her, tiny water droplets leaking off of them. She smelled dirt and a special, sweet fragrance-- one usually absent from her pallet.

She shook her head, reminding herself this was not the mission. Dilly dallying wouldn't retrieve the ships, she reminded herself and started towards the caves.

A large clearing, absent of the bright and booming nature, helped distinguish the entrance of the caves. Stella's eyes widened as she got closer to the tunnel. It was bigger than she had expected.

Pressing her palm against one of the large stone sides, she felt the usual, rough texture. It felt cold, unlike the atmosphere around her, which was happily settled in a warm environment. The rock was hard and solid, which seemed like the only normal thing about it.

She reached into her bag, grasping blindly for the miniature flashlight she had stored inside. Once found, she pulled it out and switched it on.

The further she ventured into the caves, the more cautious she felt. Shining the light onto the path in front of her, she made sure that the only part illuminated was the space she needed. She would get curious if anything more was shown to her eyes.

A sound-- a rumble came over her ears, and Stella looked around anxiously. The rumble sounded again, this time closer to her. She looked down at her stomach. It had been a while since she had eaten.

The carbonated food she had been surviving on the last couple of days always overwhelmed her with a wave of nausea, so she usually avoided eating until she had to.