Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life (5 page)

He glanced at the screen within the craft and read,
‘Exhibit 350 - The mystery ship from the second moon of Golm.’

Inside a vast room was a massive matt-black spaceship at least three hundred metres long and wide, in the shape of a flint arrow head. Its flat elliptical rear had four large tapered holes in it, each at least thirty metres in diameter, where its engines were housed and towards the front of the ship were corresponding intakes. The hull did not appear to be solid; instead, it was more like a slowly moving liquid, similar to the surface of a calm pond, and was criss-crossed by faint blue lines, which had the appearance of veins. The ship was standing on three large landing legs and there was scaffold-like tubing partially covering the front of the ship.

Zoren heard more bangs, which sounded so loud that he expected the corridor would break in two, but instead it began to bend and twist. He glanced back in the direction where he had just come from to see a ripple of distortion rushing towards him. He grabbed the side of the craft just before the corridor shook in its wake. Thunder echoed from all around him.

Where do I go now?
Zoren thought, as he looked hesitantly both ways along the passage.
Wait, what’s that?

To his left, he noticed an open door off the main corridor, through which he could see a spiral staircase.

That’s not the sort of place visitors would go.
He peered through the door.
Voices! Where? They’re coming from up there.

‘Hello!’ he shouted.

Zoren rushed up the stairs and at the level above, a door had just closed.

He opened it.

‘Hello!’ he said repeatedly. On the other side of the door was another corridor. He entered it to find there was no one. He was at another ‘T’ junction.

I definitely heard someone. Where did they go?

‘Anyone there?’ he shouted loudly. ‘Is someone there?’

He frantically hurried a few metres down each corridor searching for any signs of movement.

They must be around here somewhere?

Zoren noticed some personal belongings scattered by a closed door.
Why would those be there, unless…
He moved with haste to the door. He could now hear the sound of a jet engine starting, which was quickly followed by four loud metallic thuds. The door shook momentarily and then the roar of the engine quietened.

Zoren franticly tried to open the door by pressing some buttons on the panel adjacent to it. Finally, it opened to reveal a large room with at least twenty identical smaller doors. Above all of them, except one, were flashing red lights. The remaining door had a flashing orange light, which as he observed it turned red.

‘No!’ Zoren said and then ran to that door. He could feel the heat radiating from the other side. He banged his fist against its surface.

Dejected and resigned to the fact that the only way to apparent safety had eluded him, Zoren ambled from the room back into the corridor. Opposite him, on the other side of the corridor was another short wide window of an exhibit. He despondently wandered over to it and gazed down into the exhibit, where there was a large blue forest of trees surrounding a yellow lake. Large flocks of blue birds circled in the sky.

It looked so beautiful that he had to smile, and thought,
It’s like another world in there. They look so calm, completely unaware of what’s happening around them.

Zoren wiped his sweat drenched forehead with his sleeve.
Why is it getting hotter in here?
The temperature was now almost unbearable and Zoren was starting to find it difficult to breath. He could now feel a warm breeze passing by him.

I don’t know what to do.

Another explosion scattered the birds inside the room. The corridor moved violently, causing the window in front of him to crack. Within the exhibit, in the distance, trees started to topple and then a large hole appeared in the ceiling.

‘Oh my...!’ Zoren said, as the ceiling exploded outwards.

He watched on in disbelief as the birds and their world disappeared before him. In ten seconds everything had been blown into space, leaving just the empty shell of the colossal exhibit room. He gulped. He felt an overwhelming need to run away and hide somewhere.

An intense light suddenly filled the void, and Zoren had to close his eyes and turn away from the brightness to stop him being blinded. The whole corridor was lit up as if the window had become one massive light-bulb, and as he opened his eyes, for a brief moment, it seemed he was no longer alone, but as his eyes adjusted it became apparent that it was his shadow on the far wall. He felt the heat building on his back and moved away from the window down the corridor.

That’s the light from a star,
Zoren thought, as he attempted to look back towards the window.
It’s very close. That’s why the temperature’s increasing so quickly. We must be heading into a star.

‘This is it then,’ he said out loud, as he drifted lethargically and aimlessly along the corridor. ‘This is where I die.’

He glanced each way along the corridor.

‘There’s nowhere to go, no way off this ship, this zoo!’

I can hear a voice!
Zoren glanced quickly around.
There it is again.

‘Hello, is there anyone there?’ he said.

‘Over here!’ the voice responded.

Zoren focused on the nearby craft.

The voice… It’s coming from there,
he thought puzzled.

He edged over to it, but there was no one inside.

‘Er… Hello!’

A voice of a woman spoke to him from the speaker onboard the craft. ‘I think it’s time to leave this place. Do you need a lift? I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to die today inside this Polnozoo.’

Zoren was taken completely by surprise.

‘What? I mean, yes! Do you know how to get me out of here, then?’

‘Yes, I have a way out of here. I suggest you get moving. Head for exhibit 350, but you only have five minutes before the Ukopi star consumes the Polnozoo ship.

Exhibit 350?

‘Which... Which way?’ Zoren said, panicking, as he saw a ball of flames moving along the corridor in the distance.

‘Go back the way you came. You passed me,’ the woman’s voice replied.

‘I passed you? But I saw no one.’

‘I’m on a ship. That ship you looked at in exhibit 350.’

‘That was your ship?’

‘Yes, now get moving.’

Zoren quickly returned to the spiral stairs and headed down towards the level below.

He heard a loud roar, which seemed very near. The whole stairwell moved, causing him to lose his footing. He slipped on the stairway and fell a number of steps, almost twisting his ankle, but managed to grabbed hold of the rail to prevent him falling further.

Damn! Come on, get up. Not far now.

As he entered into the main corridor a floor below, he was suddenly aware of movement behind him. He turned to see two small animals, which were no larger than his hand. He watched them for a moment as they waddled along the corridor towards him on their two short legs. Their chestnut-coloured furry body blended with their head, which had no visible ears or mouth, and their large disc-like eyes stared at him from within the fur.

Looks like some of the exhibits have broken out.

An intense warm air was now rushing by him, indicating that the corridor was now open to space. He could hardly breathe, so had to take long deep drawn out breaths.

Zoren arrived at exhibit 350. Through the window he saw the ship lifting away from the floor and he could hear the noise of large engines running. The ship’s landing legs disappeared inside the hull, while the scaffolding surrounding the front of the ship crashed to the floor.

‘How… How do… I get in?’ Zoren said, in between breaths. He desperately searched for a door.

‘Go to your left,’ the woman’s voice said from the craft in front of the window. ‘There’s a door. I’ll open it for you.’

There was a click and a door in the distance sprang open.

Zoren rushed towards it, but nearly tripped over one of the two animals he had seen.

Get out of my way!

They circled his feet, making it hard for him to move forward.

Zoren stopped and looked down at them. They both sat at his feet gazing up into his eyes.

They look so pitiful. They must know or sense I’m leaving this place.

He felt a deep guilt inside, knowing that he was about to leave and they would most certainly die.

I can’t leave them.

He bent down and picked up one of them, then the next, cupping both of them with his hand against his belly. They stayed motionless gripping his clothes.

Zoren entered the exhibit through the door.

A cylindrical column descended from the belly of the ship in the distance. He ran straight over to it and without even a second thought, he entered. He was now inside a lift carrying him into the ship.

Zoren’s hearts pounded as the Pojin lift stopped and its door slid open. He stood staring out into a small light-grey room. Directly in front of him, in the centre of the room, was a large metallic-looking block, which had rounded corners and was about the size of one of the crafts he had seen on the Polnozoo.

As he took a deep breath to charm his nerves, he felt a chilled air enter his lungs, which made him think that it had only just been placed into the room.

‘Hello?’ Zoren said in a quiet and anxious voice. ‘Anyone there?’

‘Please, come onto the bridge,’ a calm female voice replied.

He walked hesitantly into the room, glancing quickly around it searching for the woman.

The room was very bland, with the only hint of colour being from a blue band that ran around the centre of three of its walls at about waist height. On the far side of the room appeared to be two computer terminals, each with a seat in front of them. One of the monitors was on and was showing a view from the front of the ship. To the left of these was a flat black table.

Peering more inquisitively around, he asked,

‘Where are you? There doesn’t seem to be anyone here.’

‘That’s because I’m everywhere,’ the voice replied. ‘I’m the ship.’

‘What do you mean… you’re the ship?’

Zoren was now peering up at the ceiling expecting to find a camera or something to talk to.

‘Yes, my name’s Kalrea. I’m a Xint nuronic computer and this ship is called the
Aurora
.’

‘I don’t understand. So you’re a computer. But you sound real. I mean like me.’

‘That’s because I am.’

‘But if you’re the ship, then that means you’re not real, you’re some kind of artificial intelligence; a machine!’

‘And you’re an Agonian. So what!’ Kalrea replied, with a slight raised and agitated voice. ‘Why is it that you think I can’t be real? Why can’t I be treated like other people?’

It’s... No don’t think of it… I mean her… as it!
Zoren’s thoughts seemed confused.
She’s a bit sensitive over what she is.

Zoren then said. ‘I have to say you really have caught me by surprise. The only computers I’ve used are very basic. I’ve no idea what it would take to get one to talk, let alone reason for itself. Look, I hope I haven’t offended you. I never intended to. I… I want to thank you for helping me.’

‘I think it’s time to leave this place, the Ukopi star is about to consume the Polnozoo.’

Zoren approached the illuminated monitor, which showed the
Aurora
accelerating towards the wall of the room in which it was housed. He noticed that the creatures cradled in his arms also seemed to be interested in the image on the monitor. He felt a slight jolt and then heard the distant sound of tearing and scrapping metal, as the ship effortlessly broke out from the Polnozoo.

‘That’s incredible,’ Zoren said, gazing at the expanse of the Polnozoo now visible on the monitor. ‘How big is that place?’ he asked, pointing to the image.

Kalrea replied. ‘It’s three-point-two kilometres wide, four-point-three in length and two-point-eight at its highest.’

The massive structure, which stretched as far as the eye could see, was made up of many domed sections, each of which must have been the home of one of the exhibits. Great metallic frames covered them, criss-crossing similar to a spider’s web. Remnants of the exhibits littered the space around, giving a hazy appearance to large areas of the Polnozoo.

Zoren watched the monitor, in stunned silence, as massive explosions erupted from within sections of the Polnozoo.

Oh my God! Look at that!
he thought, seeing the Ukopi star looming large in the background.

The colossal ship was slowly being consumed by the star, like a hungry child eager to finish their ice-cream, its contents smearing the face hiding the mouth from view. There were brilliant flashes of light as the Polnozoo broke into pieces, the Ukopi star relentlessly eating through the great mass before it.

The
Aurora
banked rapidly away from the star.

I could have been dead by now,
Zoren thought solemnly.

He shook his head slowly and took a long drawn out breath, before saying,

‘How many people or should I say creatures died on that ship?’

‘Far too many, Zoren.’

‘Couldn’t you have saved more? After all, you saved me.’

‘Yes, I suppose you could see it that way. I could have saved more, but I couldn’t save everything. How would I have chosen who to save? Those with intelligence or those who were rare? Who would you have chosen?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well you chose to save those Glonvi you’re cradling in your hand. Why did you save them?’

‘Because… Well I suppose they just happened to be in the right place at the right time.’

‘And so were you, Zoren. You were all alone and in need of help, and I needed you.’

‘What do you mean, you needed me?’

‘Well, my belief is that I have a duty to protect the pilot of this ship and I’ve chosen you to be my pilot.’

‘What?’

‘Once I have found the right person to be my pilot, I will help him or her accomplish his/her objectives as if they were mine.’

‘Your belief! To me, it sounds like you do not have your own goals and you need a person to guide you. Is this what you have been programmed for?’ Zoren commented.

‘Programmed!’ Kalrea sounded agitated. ‘My belief has nothing to do with whoever programmed me. You have beliefs don’t you?’

‘Well, yes, but I choose what I want to believe in.’

‘So, do you believe in work? After all, you have to go to work in engineering every day. Did you choose to do engineering? No, you didn’t! You were trained or should I say programmed to do that role.’

‘That’s not a belief. I believe in Iop, our God. Work is a... well... a job!’

‘Well, call my belief a job then. I have a job I like doing and that is to help and protect my pilot.’

Zoren shook his head. ‘Still sounds stupid to me. I’m a complete stranger to you, yet you decided you wanted to help and protect me.’

‘Stupid it may be, but it saved your life. I believe in what I want, ok!’

‘All right… All right! Stop getting so jumpy. I’m a little surprised, that’s all. And thank you.’

‘For what?’

‘For... for saving my life.’

‘My pleasure, Zoren.’

She’s been calling me by my name,
Zoren thought, before saying,

‘Wait a minute! How did you know my name? I haven’t told you my name.’

‘I know everything about this Polnozoo, every creature that was on it.’

‘So, does that mean you’ve been watching me?’

‘Yes, Zoren. I had access to all the systems and monitors, so I could observe all the exhibits.’

‘You can hack into other computer systems then?’

‘Yes, but they have to be in close proximity. The systems in this galaxy are very primitive compared to where I come from, so they’re easy to break into. So what are you going to do with those Glonvi?’

‘Ah! I’ve no idea,’ Zoren said, glancing down at them. They were both still clinging to his clothes. ‘And they don’t seem to want to let go of me yet.’

‘They have some intelligence you know. They can’t talk, but they learn very quickly. Try sitting down. If you’re more relaxed, then they will understand and should let go of you.’

Zoren sat down in one of the console seats. One of the Glonvi looked up into his eyes. Zoren forced a smile.

Is it going to work?
One of the Glonvi released its grip and then the other followed, allowing Zoren to move his arm away.
It is!
They stood up, brushed their heads against his chest and then jumped down onto the floor.

‘They just said, thank you,’ Kalrea commented.

‘Really!’ Zoren replied.

He watched them for a moment as they slowly waddled away to explore the room.

Zoren thought back to the space station and the explosion that had resulted in him being trapped.

Sabri! What happened to Sabri?

‘Kalrea, what happened on that ship, the Polnozoo…? I mean to my people. I think we were attacked and I remember seeing my wife being shot, but when I woke up there was no sign of her or anyone else’s body.’

Kalrea didn’t reply.

Is she still there?
Zoren thought, getting a little frustrated.

‘Kalrea, did you hear me?’

‘Yes Zoren.’ Kalrea sounded sad. ‘I’m sorry, but everything on the Polnozoo died because of your people.’

‘What? You can’t be serious.’

‘I’m deadly serious. Do you know how valuable you are?’

‘I don’t understand. What do you mean valuable?’

‘Your race is of great value to the Xangol people. Just the payment for one of your race would be enough to rebuild the whole of the Polnozoo.’

‘But that’s ridiculous,’ Zoren replied in disbelief.

‘Is it? But what if anyone of your people can be used to provide immortality to one of the Xangols?’

‘That’s impossible. No one can be immortal. We all die sometime.’

‘Yes we should, but the Xangol people discovered that if they take the life energy of an Agonian, then the recipient will become immortal, cheating death.’

The soul! They take our soul?
Zoren thought and then said,

‘What… What happens to us?’

‘You die in the process.’

Zoren was totally stunned by what he was hearing and didn’t know what to say.

Kalrea continued, ‘Why do you think you were in the Polnozoo? Because you were almost extinct, that’s why. The last six of your people, who you know of as the Founders, were saved and protected by the Polnozoo. However, from what I now know, it looks like the Polnozoo council was approached by a person calling herself Lady Sathodee about six weeks ago. She offered to buy one of your people from the Polnozoo. They rejected her offer, but it looks like she couldn’t take no for an answer and employed some mercenaries to take what she wanted.’

‘So the Polnozoo was attacked, just to get one of my people?’ Zoren felt anger towards this Lady Sathodee.

‘Yes, the mercenaries disabled the main control centre knocking out the Polnozoo navigation system. Unfortunately its path took it directly into the Ukopi star. She obviously took all your people, not just the one she originally wanted, and will become very wealthy by selling them to other Xangols or dealers.’

‘So they’re not dead, they’re all still alive?’ Zoren felt relieved, even though the news was not good.

‘At the moment, yes, but for how long will be up to whoever buys them.’

‘I have to do something. My wife… I love my wife so much. I have to try to get her back.’

‘How do you intend to do that? As soon as someone recognises you’re an Agonian, then they’ll try to make money by capturing you.’

Zoren felt concerned.
But that could also be true of you. I’m here on your ship. Maybe I’m your hostage,
he thought, before saying,

‘How do I know that you didn’t save me to do the same, so you can make money from me?’

That’s got to be why she saved me.

Zoren rose from his seat. ‘I’m your prisoner!’

‘I can assure you that you are not my prisoner, Zoren. Please, stop being paranoid!’ Kalrea sounded agitated.

‘You may be taking me somewhere to sell me. How do I know I can trust you?’

‘You don’t, but what other option do you have?’

Zoren sat down once more.

How do I know she’s telling the truth? I have nowhere to go, no one to ask for help. I really have no choice, do I? But I still have to find Sabri.

He shook his head slowly and then said,

‘So is there any way I can find my people?’

‘There’s always a way. You just need some help,’ Kalrea replied.

‘Where am I going to find help? I don’t even have anything to bargain with; I have no currency, nothing!’

‘Look, I have nothing better to do at the moment. You would give me a purpose. I haven’t had a purpose in over one thousand, three hundred and twenty-three years. I’ll help you!’

‘No offence, Kalrea, but you’re an artificial intelligence who is integral to this ship, the
Aurora
. How’s that going to help me?’

‘I do have a mobile body, a drone, which I can control. It’ll take me a few minutes to initialise it and then I’ll bring it to the bridge.’

A drone! More like a mechanical monster, I bet. This I’ve got to see.

While he waited, Zoren asked,

‘How will we be able to find my people? Those mercenaries must be long gone by now.’

‘They have an eight-point-two hour start on us.’

‘Exactly, so do you know where they went?’