The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3)

by Andrew M. Crusoe

  She watched him in silence for a few moments, as his expression changed from moment to moment as he reviewed the information contained within. She wondered what he was learning. No doubt he was disappointed that she was late. The energy packet he was drinking hinted at his fatigue, and she knew how important it was to him for them to eat together. Why hadn’t she hurried Asha and Zahn along so she could get back in time?

  “I’m sorry if you were waiting for me,” she said.

  “Oh!” He glanced over for a moment before turning back to the open nugget. “I didn’t feel you come in.”

  “Must be a pretty good one then. What’s it about?”

  “New supply orders. The director and I are contacting all of the other districts. Hopefully, one of them will actually be able to do their job.”

  Jyana hesitated, unsure of what to say. “Are you hungry? I can prepare something.”

  Torin raised his hand slightly. “Maybe in a while. I’m already pretty charged up from this.” He looked over to the oblong packet and then met her gaze. “Don’t worry. I assumed those visitors would take a while to get situated. Didn’t you say you had a few things to catch up on? Why don’t you do that, and then we’ll eat?”

  The shadow sprite flashed into Jyana’s mind, and she looked below the cluster of nuggets floating around the work area, looking for little holes or weaknesses in the dome’s construction. It was seamless, so why was she concerned?

  “Okay,” she said. “I’ll do that then.”

  Jyana suddenly felt sad, and drifted over to another work station on the opposite side of the room. Over here, her own thought-nuggets were arranged neatly in even columns in front of the curved wall, glowing spheres that stretched up from the floor like a little city skyline.

  The sight of them usually made her smile, but not today. She sat in front of them and took out her T-relay to check the response to her findings so far. In addition to storing scientific information, it stored incoming thought-nuggets. Dropping down to the physical to meet the visitors meant that she’d lost a couple days, and she’d purposely put her relay on silent during her tour of Mirage City.

  Why did she care so much about the planet’s environment when everyone else only cared about the Mirage? So far, the work had yielded an unpredictable payoff. Jyana had thought about it many times, and at the end of the day, she decided that the wildlife of this planet was much more real to her than a thousand cities built of ideas. The plants and animals had vulnerabilities and could die. Compared to that, the Mirage looked like a playground, and was perhaps too utopian to still be compelling to her.

  Or perhaps that was only the story she told herself. Sometimes she wondered if the real reason she continued on this path was blindingly simple, that deep down, she felt it was the only kind of work she was suitable for.

  She pursed her lips and unfolded the relay.

  When it was fully open, five bubbly nuggets flowed out of it and into her head, and dozens of things became clear at once.

  First, there were only a few new responses since she’d last checked, and half of them questioned her methods, even though she was using a well established technique and cited the original research nugget. Jyana shook her head. She wrote back to them, trying her best to find a polite way to encourage them to actually read the citations before shooting her down.

  Second, one of the messages was not from an ordinary member of the community. To her shock, Advisor Kathini, who was on the Royal Committee for the Environment, was requesting to meet with her later. The message was short, calling her findings intriguing, but it wasn’t enough for Jyana to discern if Kathini would take it seriously or not.

  Still, this could be yet another strategy to try and recruit Jyana into a new assignment. Various agencies had tried to do it in the past. Torin said that they recognized her talent, but Jyana preferred to be an independent researcher, the purest form of scientific inquiry. No hidden motives or agenda. Pure.

  Then again, she had to admit to herself that she was losing faith. If she’d conducted solid research into the local environment, came to a solid conclusion that the seabed was suffering, and no one seemed to care, then what was the point?

  If she was being honest, Jyana had to admit that if things didn’t change soon, she was seriously considering giving up.

  But perhaps that was a selfish line of thought. After all, she might be the only one who was doing this research. Or not. In either case, the sea life didn’t have many voices in the Mirage, and that needed to change. If she was the only one who realized how endangered these species were, then she had the responsibility to do everything she could to defend them.

  Jyana made up her mind. When she met with Advisor Kathini, she would stand behind her research, wholeheartedly. Maybe Kathini wouldn’t take it seriously, but she had to try. If she didn’t give it one final shot, she would spend the rest of her life wondering what might have been, and that was far worse than failure.

  Behind her, she thought she could hear Torin chuckle.

  What was he up to now?

  CHAPTER 12

  A CRAZY IDEA

  In utter silence, Asha held Zahn as he rested, hoping that he’d be all right after exerting himself so much.

  After some time, she gradually sat up and glanced around the room which seemed just as bizarre as when they’d first arrived. A tall bulbous sculpture that she hadn’t noticed before stood in the corner, and she glided over to it.

  “Why don’t I remember this being here?”

  The tall sculpture was colorless, but inside she could see little oblong shapes floating around behind a thin wall.

  Asha looked for a handle of some kind, but couldn’t find anything. On an impulse, she thrust her hand through the thin membrane and found that it slipped in easily. The tall sculpture, which resembled a tower made up of three stacked spheres, was filled with a red fluid, and she grabbed one of the round red shapes inside and carefully pulled it out.

  When she squeezed it, some of the fluid squirted out of a narrow opening at the corner, shooting up to the ceiling.

  “Whoops!” Asha called out.

  Zahn pushed himself up, looking around. “What happened?”

  “Hey,” she said, looking over to him, “how are you doing?”

  He rubbed his neck. “I sort of blinked out for a second there. But it wasn’t really sleep though, more like nonexistence. Did Jyana come back?”

  “No, but I think I found the energy packets she was talking about.” Asha showed him her oval packet, half-full of the fluid.

  He zoomed over to her. “Have you tried it yet?”

  She put her mouth to the open corner and tried some. The taste washed over her like a waterfall, starting out smooth, blending into sweet, and leaving a tangy aftertaste. In short, it was delicious.

  “Zahn, you have to try this!”

  She handed it over to him, and his eyes widened as he drank, as if he were tasting fresh avega fruit for the first time.

  “Delicious,” he said. “I guess Jyana wasn’t kidding. We should take some of these for later. And how did you get one? Just take one out?” Zahn regarded the bubbling, liquid-filled sculpture with suspicion.

  “Yep,” Asha said. “It’s not so bad once you try it.”

  She reached her hand in and took out another.

  Strangely, the packets weren’t wet when she removed them. Of course, that made perfect sense. Because all of these objects were etheric, it meant they only consisted of energy. Asha had to continually remind herself that, although this level of reality might seem like the physical from time to time, the rules were nonetheless entirely different.

  Zahn followed her lead, sticking his hand inside and pulling out two of the oval packets. He looked down to his pants, and studied them for a moment.

  “What’s wrong?” Asha asked.

  “Nothing. I just thought of how strange it is to be wearing clothes here.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Were you hoping for a nud
ist colony?”

  He looked her up and down, admiring her elegant curves. “If you were there, it wouldn’t be so bad.” He paused. “Anyway, what’s the use of it? We can’t get cold here or hurt ourselves, at least not in the conventional sense. I just think it’s interesting how we’re wearing a reflection of what our physical bodies are wearing. Isn’t that strange?”

  Zahn pocketed a few of the energy packets.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Asha said, “and it would be interesting to learn the mechanism behind that. But I’m not complaining. Last time I checked, some semblance of modesty wasn’t a bad thing.”

  Zahn grinned. “If you say so. I’m heading outside. I’d like to take advantage of the extra time we have.”

  She reached out for him. “Wait! Jyana told us to stay here.”

  But he kept going, flying directly through where the symbol marked the exit.

  Asha raced after him, through the exit to the ridge beyond. Out here, the moon had scarcely moved on the horizon, and she noticed the stunning grassy cliffs a few meters ahead as they dropped off into the ocean. Yet unlike in the physical world, the grass was haloed in a subtle glow.

  She looked around and saw Zahn over where the ridge sloped downward. Farther down, the slope grew steeper until it dropped off into the valley.

  At first glance, she thought he was talking to someone, but realized that it was actually a round object, like a sculpture, perched on the edge of the cliff. Either she hadn’t noticed it when they flew up here or it had recently arrived.

  Asha zoomed over to it to get a better look, realizing that it was a clear sphere set atop a narrow pillar. Inside the sphere, a hundred shades of purple and gold swirled and danced.

  “What is this?” she said.

  Zahn studied it from top to bottom. “I’m not sure, but I have a feeling—” He placed his hand on the sphere and gasped.

  “What?” she asked.

  His expression widened in surprise. “Asha, I think this thing is alive!”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Touch it.”

  Asha placed her hand on the sphere and was flooded by a sense of knowing. She saw the egg monument grow from a tiny shape into the massive structure she’d seen earlier, while the city systematically grew around it. Asha saw it play out so fast, but it wasn’t a mere vision. There were emotions connected to the information, and she felt the pride and hope that went into Mirage City, as if the feelings had been her own.

  But what about the sunset suite? Who made that?

  An image of two women and one man, each clothed in golden robes, filled her mind. She saw the cliff as it had been in the beginning, a bare grassy overlook. She watched as the three flew around in tight circles until a dome shape appeared on the edge of the cliff. One of the women worked on the details, like the engraving of the symbol, while the others flew inside and prepared the interior. Soon, the domed suite radiated a ghostly blue, and the three zoomed away.

  Asha opened her eyes and noticed the sphere ahead waver in golden hues.

  “Umm, what did you do?”

  “I don’t know. But I think it shared a thought-form with me.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Zahn, I think I just experienced someone else’s memory.”

  “Whoa.”

  She took Zahn’s hand and held it tightly. “Zahn, there was so much more. This device, whatever it is, answered my question!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, this is strange but—” Asha bit her lip. “It was showing me the city being built, and then I thought ‘what about the sunset suite?’ and right after I thought that, it just, showed me.”

  “Hmm. I wonder.” Zahn brushed back some of his golden blond hair and touched the sphere again.

  A moment later, his face was filled with a wide grin.

  “Asha, this thing is definitely an information repository. There’s so much here! It wouldn’t tell me anything on where the Empress is, but apparently Mirage City is the capital.” He laughed to himself. “It’s funny. I felt like I was reading a history book. Could it be an introduction for visitors?”

  “Could be. Hold on, let me try something.” Asha grabbed the sphere with both hands. This time it showed her nothing, so she carefully formed her question.

  Is there someone named Manu in the city?

  In response, Asha felt as if the sphere had shrugged, although she saw nothing.

  Can you tell me anything about Manu? It’s really important.

  It showed her a void, like an infinite space without stars.

  Is Manu even on this planet?

  It showed her a void again.

  Asha removed her hand and sighed. “Either this thing can’t or won’t tell me anything about Manu.”

  “Well, are we sure he’s even still here?”

  She shot Zahn a dark glance. “He has to be. The Confederation wouldn’t send us halfway across the galaxy if he wasn’t. We just have to keep looking.”

  A light came on behind Zahn’s eyes, and a wide grin formed on his face. He only got that look when he got a crazy idea.

  “Wait a second,” he said. “If this is a historic repository for the city, we can use it to find the Visionaries. They’ve got to know where Manu is. After all, Vayuna alone was hyper-intelligent. Just imagine what a whole group of them could do!”

  A tense feeling formed in Asha’s stomach. “I don’t know, Zahn. Jyana told us not to leave the suite. I’m not sure we should go any farther without her. What if she comes back and finds that we’ve gone?”

  Zahn frowned. “And what if she’s known where Manu is the entire time and isn’t allowed to tell us? I don’t want to lose her trust either, but without Manu we’ll never find the Breath of Life. And if we don’t get that, we’ll never be able to destroy the Vakragha’s command structure, and they’ll consume both of our worlds.” His gaze drifted down to the grassy valley far below, still lit afire by the setting sun. “Hmm, the sunset is still happening. I guess with the time dilation, the sunset will last for days here.” His voice drifted off, and he turned back to face her. “Listen, this is your call. The Confederation made you in charge of this mission. I just don’t want to regret not acting later.”

  Asha sighed. “Fine, but we need to get back here fast. I’ll keep watch while you use the device.”

  “Okay.” Zahn flashed a smile at her before zipping back over to the repository. He placed his hand on the clear sphere at the top and closed his eyes.

  As he did this, Asha looked out over the city, noticing dozens upon dozens of small lights flickering. She couldn’t tell if they were all moving or if some were part of the etheric buildings that made up the city. Still, it was beautiful to behold.

  She felt Zahn’s hand on her shoulder. “I think I found it, but it seems abandoned. I’m going to try skipping there. I thought about how Jyana skipped, and I think I can do it. Want to lock onto my ident and skip there with me?”

  Asha nodded. “Okay. Let’s go learn what we can.”

  She focused on Zahn’s presence and held on tightly as she felt him stretch out, far across the valley.

  CHAPTER 13

  LIFELESS RELICS

  Once Asha felt Zahn’s ident settle in one place, she found herself standing before a square stone structure with deep carvings, worn down to illegibility by millennia of erosion.

  Ahead, a yawning entrance led inside. There was no door, and unlike the architecture they had seen thus far, this building was embedded into the ground. This building was physical.

  Asha took a deep breath and steadied herself.

  “Are you okay?” Zahn asked.

  “Yeah.” She pointed to the building ahead. “Are you sure this is the place? Looks physical, not etheric.”

  “I know, but this must be it.” He zipped ahead, waving her toward the wide entrance. “Come on, let’s see if they know anything, and then we can skip back.”

  “Right behind you.”

  Unlike any of the str
uctures they’d seen so far, light filtered down from long angled shafts in the ceiling, creating strange angular patterns on the sandy floor.

  Soon, they reached an inner room with a large skylight. In the center of the room was a wide, square pool made of stone, filled with a golden liquid. Asha wanted to zoom over and examine it, but it was surrounded by a thin bubble that appeared to be etheric. She guessed that it was a shield of some kind.

  “I wonder what that pool is for,” Asha said.

  “Hey, look at that!” Zahn pointed to some shapes lurking in the shadows ahead.

  Even though it was quite dark, Asha realized she could make out a row of six huge cubes sitting beyond the pool, and beside them was a wide, flat disc at least three meters in diameter, leaning up against a crumbling wall.

  “What happened here?”

  “The repository didn’t have much information on this place,” Zahn said. “But if I had to guess, I’d say it’s the oldest building we’ve seen yet.”

  She drew closer and examined the row of large stone cubes, covered in layers of dust. When she placed her hand on one of them, she felt a faint stirring of energy, but when she spoke to it, there was no response.

  “Asha, check this out.” Zahn waved her over to the flattened disc, also covered with a thick layer of dust. “Clearly this place hasn’t been maintained in the slightest.”

  He pointed to where a thick cable emerged from the back of the disk. A few meters down the line, a boulder had severed part of the cable. Asha looked up and noticed that a part of the nearby wall was missing.

  “Hmm.”

  Asha flew around behind the boulder. It took her a few moments, but she finally found the other end of the thick cable. Just as she suspected, it led into the back of one of the cubes.