Whorl

Field Notes
Day 8. I was awoken by an abrupt collision of something hard against my suit. A volley of sensors screamed in my ears as a hairline fracture arced across my vision.

The hard shell of a monstrous Whorl nearly compromised my air lock. If I hadn't had a small tube of polymer sealant from the astrotrain I would not be recording this now.

These carapaced organisms propel themselves with some sort of gas-propulsion. Despite their similar appearance to the nautili of old, they do not use a bellows-like system for locomotion, but a steady streaming of gas through their curling shell. I wonder if this heavy armor prevents them form attaining higher altitudes, constrained to hover among the land creatures.