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It was a crash landing; this tiny ship wasn’t built to land on a planet. It was built to orbit one. But I should be happy it’s sturdy enough to have protected my journey to the surface. Now, I have to face a whole different set of issues.
I can’t move.
It’s not like anything is broken or I’m hurt, at least not badly. No, the force of gravity is dragging me down so much that I just. Can’t. Move.
”Help”, I wheeze.
”Assistance protocols are offline. The main computer has been damaged. Please contact your designated technician.”
That’s the voice of the ship’s computer. I must have triggered the voice activation. Not very helpful.
Using my muscles to the fullest, I slowly crawl out of the iron ball I spent almost two weeks in. My wings are pushed to the ground and dragged through the dirt. Tiny stones, sharp as a razor, dig into them. Why doesn’t this damn spacesuit have wing protection?
Breathing is difficult, even though the suit and helmet prevent me from taking in the dangerous oxygen that surrounds me. Or maybe breathing isn’t difficult, maybe my body is just reacting to the fact that my heart suddenly has to beat a lot stronger to move all my blood …
Outside of my ship, I fall flat on the ground. My muscles, my bones, I’m not adapted to this kind of strong gravity. My body feels heavier than it has ever been.
I had been aware that the gravity on this planet is higher than on my home planet but … that high? No wonder the intelligent natives didn’t develop flight first! It would require so much energy to fight against this gravity and rise into the sky.
It’s only my imagination but I can almost feel my metabolism accelerate as my muscles react to the strain put on them. Depending on how much time I spend on this planet, I might die a lot sooner than I would have at home. Hypergravity over longer periods of time is not healthy. It changes your whole body, down to a cellular level.
My thoughts are racing. I need to move. I need to find shelter. I need to protect myself from the humans.
I need to find a place where I can breathe.
I stretch out my arm as fast as I can and dig my fingers into the soft ground to then drag me forward. Only a few centimeters, but I moved. I stretch out my other arm and repeat it. Bit by bit, I’m able to put some distance between my ship and me.
Two giant black boots suddenly appear in front of my face. I let out a startled squeak and look up.
A human. Male.
”What the actual fuck are you supposed to be”, he says and the translation device in my suit converts it into my own language as he speaks. I’m too much in shock to respond. He squats down next to me.
”I’ve seen your vehicle enter our atmosphere”, he says. ”Been watching you for quite a while. New, fast-moving star in the sky, looked at you the whole week with my telescope. Was surprised nobody else noticed you.”
A telescope? Humans still use such primitive technology? That’s really bad news. Our cloaking mechanisms don’t shield us from that.
The human doesn’t move, he just looks me up and down with his two weird eyes.
”So, are there more of you coming?” He wants to know.
”No”, I manage to reply. ”I’m alone.”
Hearing my voice through the filter of the translator makes his face brighten up.
”You can talk!”, he calls out. ”Well isn’t that nice. I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to communicate at all. You’re alone you say? You’re lost? You need help?”
Can I trust this human? I doubt it. Do I have another choice? No.
”Yes, I do need help”, I say. ”I can’t breathe your air and your gravity is too strong for me.”
”What do you breathe then?” He asks. I tell him which makes him grin. ”That won’t be a problem. We just need to put you in an airtight place. Give me your hand, I’ll pick you up and take you home.”
Home …
I lift up my hand and he grabs it, pulling me to my feet. The sudden movement combined with the unusually strong pull of gravity is too much for my body. My blood rushes from my head to my feed and I faint.
The Hormetic Effects of Hypergravity on Longevity and Aging
The Impact of Microgravity and Hypergravity on Endothelial Cells
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