"This looks so familiar." The little doll lay sprawled across my lap, staring at the image projected by the Data Terminal. The probe located in deep space had already approached its target as ordered. It was now moving at the same speed behind the dazzling blaze ahead, while violent energy interference occasionally caused the transmitted image to shake. The probe AI was getting as close to the heart of the blaze as safety allowed, trying to send back the clearest possible footage.
The image had now reached its theoretical maximum clarity. I saw that radiant fireball glowing a blinding blue-white. At its core was a cluster of crystal-like material, like crystalline dust spinning at high speed. The crystals were connected by some kind of translucent phantom structure: it was a core that was half matter and half energy. That familiar structure, along with the intense energy interference...
This was an activated EOP-03 orbiting the planet. It was not an artificial sun made by the local natives!
"Come on, let's find Sandora!" I scooped up the little doll and set her on my shoulder, then strode toward the door. Just as I passed through it, a tremendous bang came from above my shoulder, followed immediately by the little doll falling backward with a cry.
I turned around and noticed something: the battleship lounge hatch was two meters high. I was 1.85 meters tall, and with the little doll sitting on my shoulder, our combined height was definitely over two meters. The doll girl seemed rather angry now, her little fang on one side gleaming coldly.
It seemed this was not the first time I had made that mistake. Nearly every doorframe at home had been damaged because of it... But the battleship hatch was clearly much sturdier than our doorframes. Correspondingly,