Golden Crow, Descending to Titan
The Golden Crow's thrusters adjusted, gliding toward Titan's surface. As they neared, the planet's details sharpened: fractured mountains, dry riverbeds, collapsed structures, and streets buried in sand. The world seemed frozen in time, steeped in eternal silence.
Wanda gazed at the approaching surface, murmuring, "This was once a thriving civilization, wasn't it?"
"It was," James said softly. "But now, it's just ruins."
The ship landed smoothly on a barren plain, its hatch opening. James stepped out, boots touching dry soil, his bio-field preventing dust from rising. Wanda and Kara followed, standing on Titan's desolate ground, scanning the surroundings.
Desolation. The only word to describe it.
The sky was a dull red, devoid of clouds or birds, only silence. Distant ruins stood like skeletal remains on the horizon.
Kara frowned. "No signs of life."
"After Thanos left, this place died completely," James said, striding forward. "Let's see the last traces of this civilization."
Wanda took a deep breath, following. Their figures vanished into the ruins, like fleeting visitors in a forgotten cosmic tale.
In the city, Wanda's scarlet hair swayed in the faint breeze, her eyes reflecting the dead world. "This is Thanos's home?" she asked, awed.
Kara, beside her, scanned the ruins with super vision. "It's even bleaker than I imagined."
James led them through the wreckage. Collapsed skyscrapers were now rubble, massive domed structures reduced to debris. Sand-covered streets revealed weathered bones. The air carried dust and silence.
Wanda, trailing James, asked, "What happened here?"
"Civil war," James replied. "Thanos predicted resource depletion and collapse. His people refused to listen, and they destroyed themselves with war."
Kara hovered half a meter up, eyeing broken buildings. "So Thanos was right?"
"Half-right," James said, pausing before a tilted statue vaguely resembling Thanos, eroded by sand. "Resources do run out, but killing isn't the answer."
Wanda, quiet, said softly, "He could've found another way."
"He chose the extreme path," Kara shook her head. "Madmen do that."
James shifted topics, pointing to a circular structure. "That's likely Titan's central council hall. Let's check it."
They crossed the ruins to the half-collapsed building. Its rusted metal door crumbled under James's light push, raising dust. Inside, the dim space was vast, a broken holographic projector floating in the center, surrounded by toppled chairs frozen in mid-debate.
Wanda approached the projector, her chaos magic seeping in. Buzz! Residual energy activated, a blurry hologram flickering. It showed Titan's people arguing, a young Thanos at the center, speaking coldly. No sound, but his proposals were clearly rejected—angry table-slamming, mocking headshakes. Thanos left, his back resolute. The image cut off.
Wanda withdrew her hand. "This is where it began."
Kara, arms crossed, said, "Stubbornness led to their doom."
James walked deeper, eyeing a wall etched with Titan's ancient script, chronicling the civilization's final lament. "They had a chance to change," he said. "But arrogance and fear destroyed them."
Wanda joined him, sensing despair in the unreadable text. "After Thanos left, it collapsed?"
James nodded. "War erupted, resources burned out. Nothing remained."
Kara pointed to a corner. "There's something." A metal plate was wedged in a wall crack. James pulled it out—a record of the last council leader's words:
We were wrong.
But it's too late.
Two lines, heavy as mountains. Wanda sighed, "What would Thanos think seeing this?"
"He wouldn't care," James said. "To him, it just proves he was right."
Kara shook her head. "Madman."
James stored the plate and headed out. "Let's go. Nothing more here."
Back on the plain, the dark red sky was unchanging, silent. Wanda looked up. "The universe is vast, but why is destruction easier than creation?"
Kara glanced at her, serious for once. "Destruction needs only madness. Creation needs wisdom and patience."
James, silent, stared at the horizon. Titan's sun sank, its last rays mourning the lost civilization. "Time to go," he said.
They boarded the Golden Crow, settling into nanomaterial recliners. The ship lifted off, vanishing from Titan.
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