What Cannot Be Understood

r/HFY
Im_yor_boy

The flight down into Earth's atmosphere was trouble-free, but Sri'Akana's claws clicked anxiously against the metal shuttle seat. Down below, the once broken blue planet glowed with sprawling metropolises that glittered like star clusters.

“First time entering a gravity-bound atmosphere?” Wasif asked, across from her.

"I've invaded on more planets than I've visited for diplomacy," she replied, but the grip on the chair betrayed her frustration.

Wasif smiled. "Well, Earth isn't subtle. It either welcomes you with a sunrise or burns you up with a nova. Depends on what you're looking for, I suppose.".

She looked at him. "And what am I searching for?"

He shrugged. "Answers. You came for them, didn't you?"

Their shuttle landed in Cairo, which was now a harmoniously integrated mix of ancient stone and glinting skyglass. A gentle wind blew over the landing area as they stepped out.

"Welcome to Egypt," Wasif said. "First on the agenda: the Great Pyramid of Giza. The only one of the original Seven Wonders still standing."

They traveled on an airtram towards the building. En route, massive solar farms shone alongside date palms, and drones flew overhead like lazy birds.

"I must inquire," Sri'Akana continued. "Why here? It is but a triangular pile of rocks.".

"Not rocks," Wasif answered. "It was built over fifteen thousand years ago. By hand. No machinery. Pure will. Generations of workers sacrificed their lives building something they'd never live to see completed.".

"That's wasteful," she said. "They wasted their lives for a building something not of any strategic significance.".

He nodded. "Yes. But they believed in something greater than themselves. Legacy. Immortality through remembrance. Some say they constructed it for gods. Others for their kings. Either way… it remained.".