Elaina. In search of a planet.

Somewhere on the edge of the universe, part 22

The ship began to twitch again. Elaina took Helion aside so as not to stumble upon an all-consuming wormhole.
"It's dangerous to fly further," she said. "There's an increased singularity here. We'll land."
The shuttle landed on an elevated hill from where the expanses of the mysterious land were clearly visible. On the right side, about five kilometers from the landing site, a large stream of lava flowed from the rocky cave wall. It fell down like a bright yellow waterfall and disappeared underground in streams, flowing further and further down the endless giant labyrinths.
Volcanic flakes occasionally flew in front of the windshield, which, falling on the desert surface, disappeared like a melted snowflake. It was not clear where the light source is? Everything in the area is illuminated, creating almost no shadows, as at noon. In the distance, very far away, against the background of stone pillars and rocks that stood like mushrooms on a hilly plain, one could see something similar to a multi-colored barrier, very different from the gloomy walls of the cave. Ahead, it looked like a local sky in this inverted world, where cosmic bodies that flew into the cave were slowly heading, sometimes falling into hovering static holes.
Suddenly there was seismic activity. A slight earthquake did not last long. Jablonsky interrupted his enchanted gaze.
"I have the impression that we are inside some kind of wall, I swear by the Milky Galaxy."
"Elaina, what do you say? Where are we?" Amano asked
"It's not Almatea for sure. It doesn't look like a planet either. Some kind of space vacuum cleaner that absorbs the bodies of the Universe," the almatian answered.
"This mega shell is hiding something ahead. Maybe there is a clue," Johnson pointed forward with her finger.
The ship began to shake again due to seismic activity. It did not last long and Elaina said:
"The analysis shows the presence of oxygen. And to such an extent that you can breathe. Gravity is like in Almatea. Clouds consisting of hydrogen sulfide indicate frequent volcanic eruptions. There is no magnetic field. We will navigate using a holographic map. I suggest exploring the area on an all-terrain vehicle. See to the local sky, whatever it is, it's about ten kilometers away from us, and get out of here. Although there may be favorable conditions for life here. Do you mind, Max, taking a walk?"
"That's a great idea," the Terran commander replied, looking out at the mysterious world.
Something pulled almatian forward, towards this strange iridescent veil, which beckoned to itself with its mysterious nature. Elaina is similar to people, despite the unknown danger, she was ready to rush to explore everything mysterious and incomprehensible.
Everyone began to prepare for the outing. Salamana remained on Helion, in case the crew does not return after a certain time, she will have to fly to Almatea herself. Also, the Spider robot was taken to the all-terrain vehicle.
After a while, the all-terrain vehicle, whistling the engine, moved along the rocky-sandy desert. Due to the constant seismic vibrations, the sand compacted, preventing the wheels from loading.
The car drove around a rocky natural structure propping up a stone sky. Huge frozen streaks hung on it. How they were formed was seen further. Not far from the giant pillar, thick bright yellow magma flowed straight from the top, forming a new support for the upper tier. Some magma, falling on the twenty-meter top of an unfinished stalagmite column, scattered to the sides. Thus, the support was built up, gradually solidifying and turning from red to black.
On the way there were stone fiery tongues. These two-meter sculptures generated by nature were very similar to a frozen flame. The tops were slightly translucent, while the base was glossy black and set in sand.
Having passed a small rock, the crew of the all-terrain vehicle noticed something through the haze. Against the background of the eerie surroundings, in a gaseous gray fog, the outlines of a spaceship appeared, the scale of which is gigantic in size. It occupied almost half the height of the cave. Part of it loaded into the soil, winding a whole mountain of sand in front of it. Through the cracks and large holes, the skeleton of the ship was visible, through which the dim light also passed well.
Altmatea's all-terrain vehicle stopped, swaying on depreciation. The whistling engine stopped. The car was on a hill. Through the windshield, closed by a grille, the entire district was visible.
Not far from the crash site, in a deepened place, there was a small lake with bubbling molten lava. Here a dynamic phenomenon took place. Bulbs of various sizes periodically splashed out of the lake and rose to the top. Some of them reached the dimensions of an all-terrain vehicle.