* * *
The Tenth Transverse Crevasse first appeared as a line of darkness on the foreward horizon. As they approached, it swallowed the horizon itself, resolving into a perfectly linear chasm. The unyielding geometry of the Crevasse reinforced Merinel’s impression that it represented the end of the world – an impression that would be complete but for the presence of an equally linear cliff face on the other side, and the resumption of the hull stretching past the limits of her vision.
The lifter slowed to a halt as a fist-sized patrol bot arrived to scan the vehicle and its inhabitants, and remained still as the bot flittered off towards a collection of structures at the near end of a bridge which spanned the Crevasse, seeming impossibly thin against the enormity of the gulf.
“I’ve never crossed a Crevasse before,” admitted Merinel.
“I have only done so once,” replied Adimar, “during the migration of the Iron Goats from under-hull to Tenbor. We crossed the Eleventh via an enclosed tunnel. The windows were made opaque for us.”
“Were you frightened?”
“Certainly – but no more so of the Crevasse than of any other aspect of the journey. In truth, we had little to fear. The Tenbor Entity’s primary logic core was physically present at all times, embodied in the most intimidating bot I have ever seen.”
Merinel smiled. “I take it this predated the dove motif.”
Tenbor’s voice chimed from Merinel’s bangle. “In fact, I believe my use of dove avatars predates planetfall. However, the bot I inhabited for the migration was designed to deter would-be troublemakers. Its defensive capabilities, while impressive, had nothing to do with its size or appearance.”
“As a deterrent, it was a success,” said Adimar. “We did not suffer so much as a catcall throughout our entire journey. But it was the future that I feared most. Are you, yourself, frightened?”
“Yes,” sighed Merinel, “but not of the Crevasse.”
The lifter resumed its progress, and soon the travelers reached the cluster of buildings that surrounded the bridgehead. A young Dzidiam woman in a Crew uniform emerged to meet them. “Greetings,” she rattled. “You are Merinel, Adimar and … You are Merinel and Adimar?”
“That’s us,” replied Merinel.
“You are cleared for immediate passage. Would you prefer to cross in an enclosed vehicle?
“That won’t be necessary.”
“In that case, fortune favor your journey.”
“Let’s hope,” murmured Merinel as the lifter proceeded.
The bridge itself was quite broad, and traffic in either direction was light enough that the lifter typically defaulted to traveling along the exact center of the structure. However, after they had crossed more than halfway they encountered an aft-bound caravan of several dozen vehicles drawn by stocky blue-scaled beasts, and the lifter drifted towards the right-hand edge of the bridge. The edge itself was girded by a high wall, but transparent panels were set into it at regular intervals, and Merinel uttered a chant against vertigo as she caught a glimpse of the Crevasse itself stretching past the limits of her vision. The walls of the Crevasse were occasionally studded and traced with light at those depths where daylight could not be relied to penetrate, but if there were any such illuminations on its floor, they were too dim or too distant for Merinel to make out.
“I very rarely pause to consider the sheer expanse of the below decks environment,” Merinel observed. “Was it hard for you to adjust to the surface, as a child?”
“No,” replied Adimar. “The Verch allowed us to remain acclimated to open spaces. If anything, we felt safer on the surface. For peace of mind, a clear line of sight is sometimes better than a sturdy wall.”
On the far side of the bridge, they were waved through another Crew checkpoint, and the lifter veered to port as it resumed a direct course for Lhaës. Clouds gathered as the sun set, hastening the darkness of the approaching evening, and the first drops of rain were falling as the travelers caught sight of the great airy dome that encompassed the Lhaës settlement.