Exploring the Rift: A Trip to Proxima B.

The Rift stands at the limit of life, at the battle line between day and night on the planet Proxima B. This thin, habitable expanse divides the hot side of the red dwarf sun from the cold black. Young explorers embark on an adventurous adventure within this minimal circle of extreme environments.

In this immanent wilderness, cliffs, aerials, and ancient, glowing structures rise from the surface of the Earth, illuminating the world in strange ways. These red-orange-suited explorers, in their symbol of survival and brotherhood, set out to chart the Rift, learn its secrets, and, most importantly, survive.

The Team

Kai: The leader. He puts the weight on his young shoulders to keep the team alive in the rocky environment. The cliffs and extraterrestrial plants do not blind his slanting eyes.

Lina: The team’s tech genius. She can translate ancient alien code with a tiny computer or speak to the gigantic, hovering architectures that circle the sky. She’s quiet but fiercely determined.

Arlo: The dreamer and navigator. Some consider the floating islands and unorthodox machinery dangerous; Arlo sees beauty. His curiosity often leads them to places they have never explored, where they discover things others may miss.

The Journey

They reposition the terrain under their feet, climbing up the cliffs and onto floating platforms. Proxima Centauri’s reddish glare overflows the snowy Rift early in the morning, filling the Earth with a mystical fog. The explorers stop to admire the beauty, but beauty, lord knows, can be lethal.

The group plays carefully and is aware of the dangers. They find an ancient gateway vibrating with life on one of their stops. Lina’s hands snap, and her machine struggles to crack its password. Behind them, Kai and Arlo are alert and monitoring the floating cities—an unsettling reminder that Proxima B has more secrets than it can divulge.

The Rift’s Challenges

The Rift is no haven. Massive biomechanical creatures scurry around its perimeter. The travelers are taught to remain silent and peaceful when they pass, blending in with the environment. The creatures are used to humans and other pilgrims, but their size can be overwhelming when they try to initiate contact. The weather: Fierce gusts blow across the Rift, whipping up dust and rocks. In these moments, collaboration is their most excellent tool.

A Glimpse of the Past

The expedition finds remnants of an ancient civilization in one of the more profound valleys. Massive caves, like towers, reach deep into the planet, their black walls glowing and pulsing in bizarre, monochromatic vistas. Lina transcribes their inscriptions made of sounds and frequencies and can connect with the remaining ancient consciousness left long ago by those beings, discovering that these advanced creatures might have lived and thrived in the Rift before getting instinct; something—the planet’s instability—might have brought them down…

The finding gives the young travelers some hope. If the ancients made it here, they might be able to, too.

The Future Awaits

It’s a start, but the team knows they are part of something bigger. As they gaze toward the horizon, past the spires of buildings receding into clouds, they find the Rift not just a refuge but the door to the secrets of Proxima B. What lies beyond the Rift? What lies in store for this world?

When they get ready to leave, Kai looks at his crew in determination. ‘This is only the beginning,’ he says. And so it goes: of the explorers go, ready for whatever Proxima B decides to bring.

Every journey through the Rift is a new adventure!

TO BE CONTINUED…