Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

Meteorite

Water lapped gently against the flat-bottomed skiff, adding a soft ambience to the early morning dawn. The two suns had not yet risen and the sky was awash with a deep purple hue. Distant stars could still be seen low against the opposite horizon, and the planetary ring was visible behind a layer of atmospheric blue haze, wide over the northern skyline at this latitude. The Solemn hour was upon them, and while the sky waited for the rising suns, only the holy light of the ring was cast down upon them.

It was the perfect time to offer prayers to Shanshara. The flat-bottomed skiff was low to the water and wide, easy to kneel on and prostrate oneself while preforming the early morning ritual of thanks and gratitude for another day. The fisherman raised her hands to the sky and then bowed low to the skiff fingers splayed towards the brightening horizon, light diffusing through the delicate webs between her three fingers.

She bowed again, the fins on her sides and back rippling in a warm humid breeze. Her long flat tail gently paddled against the water behind her as she offered her prayers to the deep one, while her little skiff floated above a shallow sea. Beneath her the water was clear, and cool shallow enough she could see the familiar ecosystem of colorful plants and animals alive under the surface, warm and safe within the shallow sea.

Lifting her head once again to the sky she contemplated the water stretching out from horizon to horizon.

The beauty and the solitude captivated her in a bubble of calm silence that lifted her floating into a state of near euphoria. What a beautiful time to simply be.

Beyond that the stars were just beginning to wink out. Her prayers over she pulled her tail from the water and gently leaned back against the spongy surface of her little boat, resting her hands behind her head as she stared up at the sky listening to the water lap and simply enjoying the moment: just her, the water, and the sky.

And a sudden flare of golden light.

She sat up suddenly causing her skiff to rock dangerously from side to side, watching wide eyed as the flare of golden light resolved itself into a streak that cut across the sky almost directly over her head. The meteorite, cut a blazing trail across the purple heavens so close she could hear the popping crackle of flame. The object grew larger, and larger and larger, until it shot over her head. She craned her neck to follow it, spinning in place and nearly tipping over into the water.

The meteorite flared brightly one last time before plowing into the ocean surface, so close she saw the spray of water displaced by the object as it fountained into the air. She saw the impact before she heard it, but when the sound hit her, it was almost like an the short rapport of a concussion blast . Still the object must not have been very big as her skiff easily rode the wave resulting from the object's impact.

She sat there for a long moment wondering if she had really seen what she thought she saw, but with steam rising from the water's distant surface she knew she hadn't just imagined it. Eyes still wide with shock and awe, she dipped her tail int other water, using it as a rudder to propel herself forward across the surface of the shallow sea. Below her animals fled from the sight of the impact in droves, and the closer she got the better she could see the landing sight. The ripples were gone now but a few dead animals had floated to the surface savaged by the impact of whatever it was. She peered down into the water but saw only a cloud of thick murky silt.

Perhaps it was a satellite or a downed diplomatic ship from one of the dry planets, but then again, the object seemed to small to be a ship. Either way curiosity got the better of her and she lifted her tail from the water, to stand before neatly diving into the murky surface. Water rushed over her gill flaps, forcing them open and running cool water through her system. The silt was filtered out, and she quickly blew out all the air left in her surface lungs reducing her buoyancy and causing her to sink deeper into the water.