The Secret Beneath the Ice (The Epic of Aravinda) (2 page)

PART 4

THE DISCOVERY

By the following day, Oonak had repaired Navika’s diagnostic systems. This accelerated their recovery dramatically since, once he knew what exactly had failed, it allowed Navika to activate some of his self-healing properties.

Meanwhile, Oonak finally lifted the veil on the command bay walls to see the freezing landscape that surrounded them. Not unsurprisingly, they were partially embedded within a sheet of ice, and snowcapped peaks towered all around them. Thankfully though, the sky was mostly clear, revealing an immaculate starscape above him.

“Oonak, as I’ve been running a complete self-diagnostic on my systems, I’ve been studying the flight logs, and I stumbled across something that I think you’ll find warrants further investigation.”

“What did you find?”

“When we impacted onto this icy shelf, it created a shockwave which echoed deep beneath the ice. According to my logs, the shockwave echoed within a massive hollow chamber below our current location.”

“Is it a natural formation?”

“Uncertain. However, from the data I gathered during our descent, it appears that this area is completely uninhabited.”

“Can we burn our way out?”

“I can only guarantee one blast right now. However, I calculate that the impulse drive alone has a high probability of freeing us from this ice sheet.”

With great care, Oonak moved the ship forward, creating a squeaking noise and hairline fractures in the ice which soon turned into large cracks. He moved back again, and the sound of shattering ice flooded his ears.

As he moved the ship upward, the shattering sound continued to fill his ears as huge chunks of ice twisted and fractured all around him. By the time Navika was a few meters in the air, all of the ice had broken off, and large crevices had formed in the sheet below him.

“Navika, I have an idea. You said that the hollow chamber was directly below our current location, correct?”

“Affirmative.”

“I want you to prolong this single blast by reducing its power, enough power to melt the ice but no more. Do you understand?

“Yes.”

Once again, a red grid appeared around him, and he focused on the widest crevice in the ice. A fraction of a second later, a bright beam of violet plasma illuminated the crevice, and Oonak kept his gaze on the spot until the crack began to widen slowly. Gradually, he moved the beam further down the crevice until other cracks branched off from it like dozens of spiderwebs forming at once. And then, unceremoniously, a large chunk of ice broke off and disappeared into a hollow space below.

Oonak smiled for the first time that day and guided the ship through the opening, soon finding himself in a massive underground cavern. The moment Navika realized the darkness of the space, he illuminated their path, revealing a series of passages which led deeper into the planet.

“I am detecting a faint energy signature farther down one of the caverns. However—”

“Place a waypoint on the source of the energy. If someone is hiding down here, I want to know who it is. Perhaps they know something about who attacked us.”

“Oonak, in our crippled state, I recommend that we wait until weapon systems are fully online before we continue.”

“We have impulse power. We can improvise. Place the waypoint.”

A red triangle appeared far off in the distance, about one klick from their current position, and soon they were gliding silently through tunnels of rock and ice that knew neither time nor the light of day. While they navigated the tunnels, Oonak’s mind drifted back to their attacker. How could anyone stay completely hidden in the midst of such firepower?

“Full self-diagnostic is complete. But I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.”

“I am never afraid of the truth, Navika. Tell me.”

“The good news is: we won’t die. Life support systems will recover completely. However, the timespace drive and timespace comm are completely offline. Even worse, they are damaged beyond repair. Oonak, I regret to say that we have no way of continuing our mission or signaling for help. Unless we find that this planet’s technology is far more advanced than it appears, we will be stuck here, with no possibility of escape.”

Ahead, Navika illuminated the source of the faint energy that they had detected. It was a large ring-shaped structure between two columns set atop a rocky pedestal, and all of it was coated in a layer of ice, perfectly preserved.

It looked ancient.

“Perhaps you are right, Navika. Perhaps we shall never leave Avani.” Oonak stood up and observed the strange relic carefully. “Or perhaps we have been guided here, after all. Set us down near the structure. I’m going out.”

Afterword

Thank you for reading this prequel to “The Truth Beyond the Sky,” the first book in the Epic of Aravinda series. If you have enjoyed this prequel, I would be extremely grateful if you would take a few minutes to
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As an independent author, I depend on you (Yes, you!) to continue the Epic of Aravinda series for the delight and benefit of all. Remember, only with your support will this unique series continue to reach the people it is meant to reach.

To continue the journey, simply search for “The Truth Beyond the Sky” or
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with a galaxy of gratitude,

Andrew Crusoe