Earth

Earth. The probe has finally reached it’s destination.
It enters the thick layer of clouds that cover the planet. Ammonia crystals leave behind small scratches on the probe’s sturdy hull.
Hyperwinds immediately fling it away as it leaves the outermost cloud layer. More by luck than anything else, it reaches the second layer of clouds. Strong winds exacerbate it’s descent. Exiting the second layer of clouds, it passes the flattened peak of an enormous mountain that penetrates the innermost cloud layer. The probe detects an abundance of water in the clouds below that are constantly being illuminated by flashes of lightning. These electrical discharges pose a threat to the banged up probe since they are more powerful than any lightning known to mankind.
As the probe gets closer to the ground, the landing module malfunction and it crashes into the foot of the mountain. Not equipped for such an event, the probe calls out for help on every frequency. Getting no response from the launch site, it sends out four smaller drones to assess the situation. The first one malfunctions due to the ammonia that’s raining down and plummets to the dark soil. The second one’s hull is crushed by the dense atmosphere and the spurting liquids freeze immediately, creating a bizarre statue that rolls down the mountain. The third one manages to get away far enough from the impact site to be picked out of the air by an unseen object traveling at incredible speeds. Only the fourth one, nicknamed «Anila» by the researchers, manages to depart from the mountain…
(More soon)

© by me