floating relatively close to us–floating toward us. It’s nearly as big as Sankt Petersburg, but instead of buildings, there are thick trees. The canopy reaches up to the air tanks, which are even larger than those of Sankt Petersburg. The trees suck carbon dioxide from Venus’s atmosphere, and then convert it to oxygen, which goes up into the air tanks–which keeps the jungle floating. There’s so much extra oxygen that the tanks have valves which slowly leak oxygen out into the atmosphere. With thousands of jungles doing this, Venus’s atmosphere is slowly losing carbon dioxide and gaining oxygen. In a few hundred years, we may be able to live in super-tall buildings many kilometers high in the sky. In a thousand, we may be able to walk on the surface.
“Tomas!” I shout.
I look back, and Aegus rams the door with his shoulder.
“He’s gone,” Aegus says. “There’s...a note.”
“Does the note explain how to pilot the ship?”
“No,” Aegus says. “It says he used the escape pod to hitch a ride with his friend. He didn’t want to get executed if he were caught. I think he knew you were the Tsarevna…”
“I am the Tsar now, Aegus,” I say. “The Tsarina.”
“Allow me to drive,” Aegus says, nearly shoving me out of the seat.
“No,” I snap back, trying to shove his massive, muscular body away. He doesn’t budge, of course, but he gives up on removing me from the seat.
“I think I figured these controls out...mostly,” I say.
“We’re going to hit the forest,” Aegus says.
His body is tense, he really wants to take over the controls and doesn’t seem to trust me. I guess men are the same across the galaxy.
I pull the lever in the opposite direction, slowly at first.
The engines whirr, and I feel a light jerk signaling that we are beginning to move backward.
“This one must be altitude,” I say, pointing to another lever. I move it down just a few notches.
The ship begins to ascend.
“Wrong direction!” Aegus says. “Of course it’s inverted!”
“Of course?” I say, moving the lever in the opposite direction. “You’re just saying that to sound like you were right all along.”
Aegus crosses his arms, and the ship begins to descend.
I adjust both levers, and soon we are slowly descending toward the jungle. We’re not moving fast enough for there to be any risk of a dangerous impact. If it looks like we’re close to hitting the dome, I can simply pull back the lever and stop within seconds.
“Luckily this ship’s controls are quite simple,” Aegus says.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say, smiling.
He narrows his eyes at me, and his ears pull back.
“Do you know what a backhanded compliment is?” I ask.
“I will search the ship for any rations, and look for ways to store water,” he says, ignoring my question.
As he walks away, I shout back to him, “You’re really good at giving backhanded compliments, asshole!”
As I near the dome walls, I can clearly see the massive trees through the transparent dome. The top of the dome is nearly opaque, covered in condensation. When it reaches full saturation, it supposedly rains within the jungle. I’ve never felt rain in my life–the idea of water just falling out of the sky unnerves me.
“I found rations,” Aegus says, coming back to my side. He throws down a pile of vacuum-sealed food.
“No real food?” I ask.
“I already ate everything in the refrigeration unit,” he says, burping.
“ Everything ?” I ask. “So you eat the good stuff, and I eat the vacuum-packed garbage?”
“Not everything,” Aegus says. “There was very little left in there. Some eggs, some milk, and some chocolate.”
“ Chocolate ?” I say, taking my hands off the controls. “You bastard, you–”
He holds up a bar of chocolate, unopened.
“Saved it for you,” he says, plopping it down on the dashboard.
He walks away before I can thank him.
“Wait,” I say. “I didn’t hear you cooking. How
“Tomas!” I shout.
I look back, and Aegus rams the door with his shoulder.
“He’s gone,” Aegus says. “There’s...a note.”
“Does the note explain how to pilot the ship?”
“No,” Aegus says. “It says he used the escape pod to hitch a ride with his friend. He didn’t want to get executed if he were caught. I think he knew you were the Tsarevna…”
“I am the Tsar now, Aegus,” I say. “The Tsarina.”
“Allow me to drive,” Aegus says, nearly shoving me out of the seat.
“No,” I snap back, trying to shove his massive, muscular body away. He doesn’t budge, of course, but he gives up on removing me from the seat.
“I think I figured these controls out...mostly,” I say.
“We’re going to hit the forest,” Aegus says.
His body is tense, he really wants to take over the controls and doesn’t seem to trust me. I guess men are the same across the galaxy.
I pull the lever in the opposite direction, slowly at first.
The engines whirr, and I feel a light jerk signaling that we are beginning to move backward.
“This one must be altitude,” I say, pointing to another lever. I move it down just a few notches.
The ship begins to ascend.
“Wrong direction!” Aegus says. “Of course it’s inverted!”
“Of course?” I say, moving the lever in the opposite direction. “You’re just saying that to sound like you were right all along.”
Aegus crosses his arms, and the ship begins to descend.
I adjust both levers, and soon we are slowly descending toward the jungle. We’re not moving fast enough for there to be any risk of a dangerous impact. If it looks like we’re close to hitting the dome, I can simply pull back the lever and stop within seconds.
“Luckily this ship’s controls are quite simple,” Aegus says.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say, smiling.
He narrows his eyes at me, and his ears pull back.
“Do you know what a backhanded compliment is?” I ask.
“I will search the ship for any rations, and look for ways to store water,” he says, ignoring my question.
As he walks away, I shout back to him, “You’re really good at giving backhanded compliments, asshole!”
As I near the dome walls, I can clearly see the massive trees through the transparent dome. The top of the dome is nearly opaque, covered in condensation. When it reaches full saturation, it supposedly rains within the jungle. I’ve never felt rain in my life–the idea of water just falling out of the sky unnerves me.
“I found rations,” Aegus says, coming back to my side. He throws down a pile of vacuum-sealed food.
“No real food?” I ask.
“I already ate everything in the refrigeration unit,” he says, burping.
“ Everything ?” I ask. “So you eat the good stuff, and I eat the vacuum-packed garbage?”
“Not everything,” Aegus says. “There was very little left in there. Some eggs, some milk, and some chocolate.”
“ Chocolate ?” I say, taking my hands off the controls. “You bastard, you–”
He holds up a bar of chocolate, unopened.
“Saved it for you,” he says, plopping it down on the dashboard.
He walks away before I can thank him.
“Wait,” I say. “I didn’t hear you cooking. How
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