The Island on the Edge of Forever (The Epic of Aravinda Book 2) (19 page)

CHAPTER
31

A TORRENT OF DEATH

At first, she tried to remove it from the platform gracefully. When it wouldn’t move, she tried to wrestle it free with all her strength. Yet no matter what she did, she couldn’t pull it free. Not easily discouraged, she pulled out her plasma rifle and fired at the platform. After all, Mira’s life was fading by the moment.

The pink plasma bolt made a small hole in the platform’s surface, and she fired again and again, around where the Kiss of Life was embedded.

“Asha, are you sure that method is optimal? Why don’t you let me try? With my plasma beam, I can etch the object out of its platform with more precision than your weapon is capable of.”

“I’m not concerned about making this perfect, anymore, Liila. Mira is running out of time. I just wish I knew why it’s showing up now. What changed? I can’t see how the water would disrupt a cloaking field.”

“Extremely unlikely.”

Asha fired again, noticing how muffled and fluid the plasma sounded when it moved through the water, like a warbling note. Breathing underwater gave her a new appreciation of aquatic sound, and she was thankful that the suit gave her a mental link with Liila.

“Any theories?” Asha aimed her rifle and blasted another small hole into the platform. A semicircle of shots surrounded the small artifact now.

“Asha, we’ve got inbound. I’m detecting hundreds of life signatures heading this way.”

“What? This far down? Any idea what they could be?”

“Uncertain at this range. Analyzing.”

As Asha waited, she charged the plasma rifle for a high-yield shot and looked around at the openings in the burnt walls around her. Besides the main opening far above her, there were a couple more at the far end of the chamber and a smaller one in the nearby wall.

“Any idea which opening they might come through?”

“I estimate the nearest one. Oh, intriguing!”

“What? What could possibly be so intriguing?”

“They are of extremely low mass. Postulating life form matches.”

Asha reflected in silence, until it hit her.

“Jellies.”

As the word left her mouth, hundreds of small jellyfish spewed out of the nearest crack in the burnt stone wall, a ragged opening to her left. But these were different. Instead of the white, ghostly creatures she had seen before, these were a hideous ruby red.

Without a thought even bothering to cross her mind, Asha turned and opened fire.

Flowing like an unstoppable torrent, hundreds of the ruby jellyfish raced toward her, and she saw red sparks in their wake.

“They are a variant of what we saw earlier. I’ll draw their attention. I have stronger shields than your suit does.”

Liila zoomed ahead of Asha and opened fire on the jelly cloud to their left, raining pink plasma bolts down upon the ruby swarm. But even with Liila’s help, some of them dodged her shots and zoomed toward Asha as she stood on the small platform that held the Kiss of Life. It wasn’t too difficult for Asha to pick off the few Liila missed. At least, not at first.

But as the ruby cloud became thicker, more jellies were able to dodge Liila’s fire and attack her surface, draining her shields just as the first time when they had crashed into the planet’s ocean. Asha did everything she could to knock them out before they touched Liila’s surface, but she wasn’t always fast enough. And as she did this, some jellies would ignore Liila completely, heading directly for her. Asha’s fire was split, and as the room filled with more and more jellies, she feared the worst.

“Liila, how many do you detect beyond the chamber? How many could there be?”

“The passageways seem to be quite extensive, possibly leading all the way to the planetwide ocean.”

“So, you’re saying it’s possible that every jelly on the planet is heading straight for us?”

“Possible, yes. And my shield cohesion is at 33% and falling.”

Asha swallowed. She wished Mira were here.

“What should we do? I may be a good pilot, but being a captain is something entirely different. To be honest, I don’t think I ever deserved to have the privilege of being your captain, Liila. I’m sorry I put you in danger.”

Asha picked off a jelly just before it could make contact with Liila’s hull.

“Being a captain may not be your strength, Asha, but sometimes we are asked to serve beyond our comfort zone. In such times, we grow the most, and I know Mira wouldn’t have asked you to do this if she didn’t have complete faith in you. And after all, you strive to balance your intuition with your reasoning abilities, something every captain must do.”

The ruby cloud of jellies grew and mixed with the pink plasma like a bizarre fireworks show, and Asha watched in terror as the cloud grew nearer and nearer to the ship.

“Fall back, Liila! I think I can prevent them from reaching your surface. Move just a bit behind me.”

“Yes, captain.”

The ship fell back, and Asha glanced around and noticed Liila’s circular shape hovering above her.

Asha did everything she could to prevent the jellies from touching Liila’s surface, but she couldn’t stop them all. By now, piles of them were strewn across the black lava rock beside the gate, charred from the heat. But as more came, Asha felt the inevitable. The only way this many jellies could be pouring in was if this tunnel led all the way up to the ocean itself, and there was no way they could win against every jelly in the ocean. Without help, it was only a matter of time before they were overcome.

“Shield cohesion at ten percent. I suggest we change our strategy.”

Asha glanced up to see another jelly attach itself to Liila’s surface. “Liila, there’s got to be something you can do. Don’t you have a pulse weapon or something to scramble their brains?”

“That’s assuming they have a conventional neurological system, at all. No. I’m sorry, Asha. I’m doing everything I can. I remind you that I am configured for covert reconnaissance, not a direct assault by a swarm of epsilon-pulsing life forms. Upon further analysis, these jellies appear to be world-drifters, capable of surviving in the vacuum of space itself.”

Another jelly fell down gracefully as Asha finished it off. She fired again, but nothing happened. The rifle merely made a low buzzing sound, and a message appeared on the weapon’s sleek display:

FUEL CELL DEPLETED.

“Liila, my rifle is dead. There’s a backup cell in the void suit I’m wearing, right?”

“In each boot pocket. Shield cohesion at 5 percent. I’ll do my best to cover you while you reload, but there isn’t much time left.”

“Well, do you have any suggestions?” Asha popped out the old cell, an emerald capsule that ejected from the back of the rifle, and opened a pocket on the outside of her left boot.

“Asha!”

She looked up just in time to see a reddish blur heading straight for her head.

SMACK.

The jelly knocked her off of the platform and wrapped its thin, ruby tentacles around her neck as its bulbous body covered the right side of her cracked helmet.

“Liila!”

The ruby tentacles tightened, but no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn’t budge. As its grip grew tighter, Asha’s vision blurred, and she drifted to the ground.

As she descended, white-hot sparks of pain spread across her, and she twisted uncontrollably. “Liila! Help!”

“Distressing. I cannot guarantee a clean shot. The creature is right on top of you. If I miss, the plasma bolt will hit you, most definitely causing fatal burns.”

“Must. Be. Something.” Asha writhed in pain. “What. About. Sonic. Pulse?”

“Warning, shield cohesion is projected to fail in under a minute. Your suggestion is possible. Attempting broad-range beam.”

Asha briefly heard a high pitched whine, but the pain continued to flood her senses. Her vision darkened and her breath became shallow.

“Zahn… I’m sorry.” Asha choked. “I wish—”

As her vision faded, Asha thought she saw a flash of violet light. The pain somehow ceased, replaced by a tingling feeling. She felt for the jelly, and like a limp fish, it fell away.

Slowly, her vision returned as the tingling faded. When she looked back, she could scarcely believe her eyes. Looming above her, beside Liila, was a pyramid of polished ivory crystal.

She struggled to yell into the suit’s microphone, but due to the water, the sound lost most of its fidelity. She thought she heard a familiar voice over the comm, but it was distorted. Liila spoke to her through the mental link again.

“Asha, I suggest you come inside as soon as possible.”

Asha noticed another craft beside the pyramid: a huge, amber octahedron that was oddly familiar to her. As the pyramid showered the swarm with violet plasma bolts, the octahedron spun, scanning its surroundings.

The octahedron lit up, as if on fire; and as its amber surface grew brighter and brighter, Asha had trouble looking away.

By the time the octahedron reached a blinding brilliance, it appeared almost molten, and shot ahead, barreling forward like an unstoppable torrent of death, making a furious gurgling sound as it rushed into the swarm, effortlessly melting away hundreds of the ruby-colored jellies.

In awe, Asha watched as it zoomed into the only tunnel the jellies were still pouring in from. The octahedron fit cleanly into the tunnel, disappearing down the passageway with a fiery glow.

Only a few dozen jellies remained, and the pyramidal ship’s plasma bolts picked off the rest without much trouble.

A strange silence filled the chamber as the firing ceased, and Asha observed the two ships, shimmering as they hovered above her. She stretched her neck. It was sore, but nothing felt broken.

“Navika is requesting a mental link with you. Allow?”

Asha’s mouth hung open in surprise for a moment.

“Yes!”

A new voice filled her mind, as clear as Liila’s but masculine.

“Greetings, Asha. I am pleased at your presence. And Zahn seems to share my elation.”

“Zahn?! He’s there with you? How?”

“Oh, yes. But time runs short. Vayuna has informed me that she cannot hold off the swarm much longer. We need to leave this chamber as soon as possible.”

“Vayuna? That was her?” Asha shook her head. “There’s a lot I need to tell you and Zahn, but first we’ve got to free the Kiss of Life from the pedestal, before the swarm breaks through. Can you free the Kiss of Life with your plasma beams? I’m not sure how much you know, Navika, but a Confederation captain’s life is at stake.”

“Yes. I will remove the artifact. It is reminiscent of another.”

“Thanks, Navika. And hurry!”

“Zahn asks if you need any help reentering your ship.”

Asha stood up and signaled for Liila to come down to her. As the airlock opened, stray bubbles rose up.

“No, I’m okay.” She walked over to the open airlock, doing her best to hide the slight limp she still had. “Just tell him I have quite a story to tell.”

A short time later, she was sitting in the command chair, watching Navika use his violet precision beams to cut the Kiss of Life from the pedestal it was embedded in.

“Asha!” Zahn said over the comm. “Is that really you?”

“Yes! But how are you even here? Do you still have the Tulari? You shot the jelly suffocating me, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I do! And I did.”

“Thanks, but you could have killed me, Zahn!”

“You were suffocating, Asha. I was going to lose you anyway. It was worth a try, and in that moment, it felt right.”

Asha slowed her breathing. “I still can’t believe you’re here. Thanks for saving me.” She paused. “It’s so good to hear your voice, Zahn.”

“It’s good to hear you, too,” Zahn said. “For a second there, I thought I might lose you. Again.”

“I have so much to tell you,” she said. “But it’ll have to wait.”

“Yeah. Vayuna says another wave will be here any second.”

Asha watched as
Navika cut the small, shimmering sphere from its pedestal and lifted it out.

“Good,” Asha said, “but if you have the Tulari in your ship, then I should carry the Kiss of Life to the surface.”

“Why?”

“Haven’t you noticed how similar they are? They’re nearly the same size and appear to be the same material. The only difference is the color of the light they emit. Based on what the first one did, who
knows
what could happen if two of these artifacts come into contact with each other!”

“Hmm. Navika seems to think that their purposes are so different that they won’t react to each other. But I think you’re right. Best to be on the safe side.”

Navika interrupted them.

“Vayuna has just contacted me. She has done everything she can do, but the wave has passed her by. The jellies will once again flood this chamber in under a minute. Initiating the handoff now.”

Liila’s airlock opened to receive the Kiss of Life, and Navika placed it inside.

“Zahn,” Asha said, “Liila sustained some serious damage in the fighting. When we leave this world, we should probably use Navika. What is the status of his cloaking field?”

“Holding up fine.”

“Good. Meet me at the coordinates I’m sending you now. We have a life to save before we can leave.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you there.”

“Liila, confirm that the Kiss of Life is nestled safely in the buffer room.”

“Confirmed.”

“Good. Then get us out of here.”

“Yes, captain. Oh, and by the way, the fractal metaphor is more obvious than I thought. One of my subroutines had a small epiphany during the fighting.”

“Liila, we’ve got to focus on getting out of here. Come on!”

“Fine. Since you seem uninterested, I’m going to let you figure it out on your own. But I suspect you’ll wish that I’d told you.”

“We don’t have time for this! We’ve got to save Mira!”

“Understood.”

In a blink, Liila shot up through the hole in the ceiling, and Asha watched as the circular gate rapidly shrunk in the distance. As they headed up, she admired Navika’s three-sided pyramidal shape just below them, sparkling like a tiny jewel in the darkness.

CHAPTER
32

INTO MIRA’S HEART

With barely a sound, the two starships rose out of a pristine lake in the middle of the forest. From the light, Asha guessed that it was not long after nightfall, and they flew over to the edge of the Rift in utter silence.

No one of consequence could see this though, at least, no one with average vision, because both ships were quite cloaked. Yet if there had been, and if that person had possessed excellent vision, they might have noticed a single wavering shape rise out of the water and glide over the sheer cliffs that bordered the Rift, only to land unceremoniously on a dry, angular stone just on the edge of the forest.

Such a person might be concerned why a wavering shape would do such a thing in the middle of the night, but what would really shock them was when a figure holding a large, glowing sphere appeared out of nowhere a moment later, only to disappear into a strange, bright tunnel hovering in the air.

Thankfully though, no one of consequence was there to witness this.

Not long after, Asha stood under Navika’s nucleus once again. She looked up and admired the shimmering sphere as orange and green flecks of light spun within. Ahead, the triangular door slid back in three pieces, and Zahn walked over.

For a moment, Asha was unsure of what to say. But Zahn smiled and held out his arms, and she set the Kiss of Life down and embraced him tightly.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again,” she whispered.

Zahn placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her warm, brown eyes. “You’ve been through a lot. I can feel it, and I want to hear everything.”

She smiled back at him. “And I want to tell you all of it, but not yet. Unless we act now, Mira, the Confederation pilot who recruited me to come here, is going to die.” Asha squeezed his hand and checked her wristcomm again. “She hasn’t responded to my calls. I don’t even know if she’s still conscious.”

“You’re right.” Zahn gazed into the Kiss of Life and picked it up off of the floor. “And the last thing I need is the fate of another Confederation captain on my conscience…”

Asha walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. “Stop beating yourself up about what happened to Oonak. He made that choice, and we lived because of it. Now let’s go.”

Zahn pressed his hand to the pad beside the door, and they hurried into the command bay, Asha finding her old spot on the long, curving bench at the far end. In here, the transparent walls made her feel like she was still outside. Now it was easier to see the cool light the Kiss of Life radiated, and Asha studied it for a while, until the view ahead consumed her attention.

By now, the moon had left the sky, leaving only abundant starlight to bathe the landscape. The stars lent the scene a feeling of heightened mystery; and as they glided over the forest, Asha watched her journey to the Rift in reverse.

As they moved in perfect silence, thousands of stars were splashed onto the dark sky, so clear that Asha almost felt like she could reach out and touch one of them.

After a while, a quiet space formed between her and Zahn, and even though she had many questions of her own, she wanted him to speak first.

“So do you think Mira is from Sumanas, just like Oonak?” Zahn called down from the command chair.

Asha turned around to face him. “Probably.” Her expression darkened. “You just missed her, actually. She came to Avani right after you stormed off.”

“Stormed off? I went to put your fears to rest!” Zahn stopped himself and took a breath. “Asha, the Outpost is safe now.”

Asha blinked. “It
was
you, wasn’t it? I hoped it was true, but when we didn’t find a trace of the marauder wormhole, part of me wondered if Mira’s ship was missing something.”

“You were there? With Mira? So why didn’t you believe it?”

Asha watched as they passed over the patch of swamp she had navigated the day before.

She looked up, her brown eyes meeting his. “I couldn’t let myself believe it until I heard it from you.”

Zahn froze for a moment. “Oh.”

“You didn’t have to risk yourself and go up against the marauders alone like that. Thank you.” She smiled with a hint of pain still behind her eyes. “I just wish you would have talked to me before you left. I might have come with you, you know.”

Zahn sighed. “I’m sorry, Asha. I acted rashly. I admit that. But remember, we
did
talk. And all you had to say was that I’d become blind, after everything we’d been through. And then you told me the observatory terminated me! So please stop judging me, Asha.”

Asha could feel frustration bubbling up within her. “Zahn! You risked yourself and—” She caught herself and took a few deep breaths, remembering the storm of feeling that Lakshmi had told her about.

Below, Asha thought she could make out the pale pillar of rock that marked the mountain path, and when she recalled the meditation that Lakshmi had taught her on their journey, a wave of relaxation passed over her.

“I’m sorry for what I said, Zahn,” she finally said. “I’m sorry for calling you blind and for judging you. I guess I acted rashly, too. I hope you can forgive me. Just please never dash away like that again. It doesn’t pay to be impulsive.”

His face tightened. “What you said hurt a lot. But I know we wouldn’t be having this conversation if you didn’t care.” He paused, his expression softening. “I forgive you, Asha. And I apologize for bolting on you like that. I guess I can be pretty reckless sometimes.”

“We both have things we’re working on.” She gazed at him for a few seconds, before turning back around.

Zahn sat in silence for some time, contemplating her words, and soon saw the steep incline of large, white boulders. A minute later, he saw an open field and a narrow path that led to a round, stone structure.

To her surprise, Zahn laughed with no obvious cause, and she turned around once more.

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about forgiveness. I realized that I didn’t feel complete with the situation, and do you know why?”

Asha tilted her head. “Why?”

“It’s so funny. We can forgive other people, but the pain is still there if we don’t forgive ourselves. I realized I hadn’t forgiven myself for hurting you. And then I tried to extend your forgiveness back to myself. If
you
could forgive me, then it was time for me to do the same. Otherwise, I would just be holding onto the past.” Zahn shook his head. “Not an easy thing. What about you, Asha? Do you ever think about self-forgiveness?”

Asha reflected on his words for a few moments. “Sometimes. You’re right; it’s not an easy thing to do.”

She turned around again, and noticed that they were just above the Temple. With as much silence as Navika could muster, his tetrahedral shape slipped under the thick forest canopy, flattening a small section of ferns behind the structure.

Asha picked up the Kiss of Life and struggled to hide her limp from Zahn as she walked to the door.

“Wait a minute,” Zahn said. “I meant to ask before, but I forgot. What happened to your foot? You’re limping. Have you tried to use the Kiss of Life to heal it?”

The obviousness of the idea struck her, and Asha shook her head. “I guess I was so focused on Mira, I forgot about myself.”

“See? You have the attitude of a born healer, putting others before yourself. Why not try it on yourself right now?”

“No,” Asha said, putting her maroon jacket back on. “She’s fading by the moment. I’ll tend to myself later.”

Outside, they moved noiselessly through a small patch of tall grass until they found the front entrance to the Temple. The reed door was closed tight, and when Asha went to open it, she found it locked.

“That’s strange. I didn’t even know this door
could
lock.” Asha knocked. “Hello? This is Asha. We’ve come to help Mira.”

They waited a few moments, but there was no response.

“Well, my wristcomm detects over a dozen life signatures inside.” Zahn’s eyes narrowed. “Melt through the door?”

Asha nodded. “Melt through the door.”

Zahn took out his resonator and focused it onto the handle, which was reinforced with bamboo and twine. The twine rapidly withered, and Zahn tried to bash the door in, but to no avail.

“You know I hate to break things, but sometimes, when there’s a good reason, I just can’t help myself.”

Zahn aimed the resonator at the door and blew a hole clear through where the door handle was, making a loud cracking sound. He pushed the door open with a single finger, and it opened easily, revealing a large group of people huddled around a bed on the other side of the room. The group didn’t even acknowledge them, entranced by their chants that moved around the room in a strange way.

Asha and Zahn walked up to the group, and only when they drew near did the group notice them. Asha approached first, holding the Kiss of Life with both hands. Its soft, blue glow bathed her face, and they moved back to allow her through.

Mira was lying unconscious on a narrow bed. A blanket was pulled up to reveal most of her right leg, and the sight of it made Asha gasp. The black gashes had faded somewhat, but the red marks now covered every part of her leg in a spiderweb of death.

“I am a witness,” Asha whispered to herself, remembering, “to the healing that is already within this body and those around me.” She cleared her throat. “I’m ready.”

In a moment of pure knowing, Asha put her right hand on Mira’s heart and held the Kiss of Life in her other hand. She desired only to be a communication tool for the Presence of the Infinite, to open her heart fully and allow the healing to happen.

She saw pure light fill her head and chest, and a warmth filled her left hand and travelled up her arm. The warmth moved through her heart, and when it mixed with the light that was already there, it became charged with a newfound energy. In an explosion of speed, the energy shot down her right arm, out of her right hand, and into Mira’s heart.

A ringing sound filled both of Asha’s ears as the room melted around her, and once again consciousness left her behind.