Chapter 10
I looked down at the stasis tube that Occana had rested his hand on, and then back up at him. His face was as stoic as ever, though, and I heard myself sigh.
“Is this some kind of joke?” I asked.
“This is no time for jokes,” he replied. “Do I look like the joking type?”
“No,” I admitted as I took in his stern features. “How do you know that they want to speak to me?”
“The AI that cares for them passes on a message to us if the people in stasis wish to connect with the outside world,” he explained. “This time, they requested your presence.”
I looked down at the futuristic tube beside him. I ran my eyes over the wires that snaked toward it, the tubes ready to deliver the syrup into the occupant’s body, and the heavy lid open beside it on hinges. I felt a shiver crawl up my spine, but I told myself that this was a perfectly safe procedure, and after all, the Lilacrons wouldn’t have brought me all this way from Earth just to kill me in a stasis tube.
That wasn’t as reassuring as I would have liked, so I leaned in for a closer look. The inside of the stasis tube was smooth and pearly, almost like the inside of a clam. There were a few ridges on the bottom of it that were there to hold the person inside it in place, and there was also a thin layer of clear liquid at the bottom of it. Small circles formed neat rows along the interior, and I assumed those were for the wires and tubes, though nothing was protruding yet.
I knew that this thing wasn’t dangerous. The proof was all around me, with the hundreds of Lilacrons safely unconscious inside one of these things. But it still felt like taking that first step into an icy pool on a cold day, and I had never been a fan of the polar bear plunge. But a small part of me was curious to see the world where so many Lilacrons lived out their lives, and after all, the elders had asked to see me. I didn’t want to insult them by declining the invitation just because I was spooked by the equipment.
“Has another species ever used one of these things?” I asked, just to check. “I mean, something other than a Lilacron.”
“No,” he replied.
“Glad we cleared that up,” I sighed.
“It should be safe for human use,” Francine said.
“Should be?” I said under my breath. “That’s encouraging.”
“It is an honor that you have even been asked,” the AI said. “As General Occana just said, no outsider had ever used one of our stasis tubes.”
I nodded to Francine, and then I looked back up at Occana.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said and took a deep breath. “Let’s do it.”
Occana told me to take my suit off as the tube needed access to my bare skin. Normally, I’d have asked to go on at least a few dates before I stripped off in front of someone, but I supposed that this was an exception. I pressed the suit so it parted at the back, and then I pulled it off my body. My skin was immediately covered in goosebumps as the cold air washed over me, and the hairs on my skin stood at attention.
“Pretty cold down here,” I noted as I glanced down at my boxers.
“It’s necessary with this many units,” Occana said. “Or else the machines would quickly overheat. It actually uses very little energy, though. This far below ground, it tends to remain cold.”
“Huh,” I said.
It was obvious we were both stalling, but General Occana finally nodded and started to prepare the stasis tube. He pressed a few buttons and checked a small screen near one end of the tube, and soon the thing began to glow purple just like the rest of the tubes. He nodded again as the liquid at the bottom of the tube started to ripple slightly, like the surface of a drink placed on top of a speaker.
“Should I get in?” I asked.
“Yes,” Occana said and pointed to the end with a lot more wires around it. “Your head should be at this end, and your feet at the other.”
“Alright,” I said and eased myself into the tube.
The fluid at the bottom of the stasis tube was surprisingly lukewarm, though I wasn’t complaining after the freezing air in the cavern. It was more like a gel than a normal liquid, and as I lay down in it, I felt it start to soak into my skin. It was warm around my skull, almost like I had laid my head on a hot towel.
Once I was horizontal, Occana started to tap away at the screen again. I could hear a few noises from the tube, and at one point, I could have sworn the whole thing vibrated for a moment. It was hard to shake the feeling that I was on an operating table and I’d woken up in the middle of the procedure. I told myself it was all perfectly normal, though the strained look on the General’s face wasn’t very reassuring.
Occana tapped at the screen one last time, and then he moved closer to my head. He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. He must have pressed a button, because the tube started to hum, and then the first wires started to appear from the sides of the tube.
“Oh, um,” I muttered and glanced at the Lilacron.
“Be calm,” Occana said. “It will be easier for the needles to penetrate your skin if you’re relaxed.”
“Penetrate?” I asked. “They’re going in?”
“You will not need the feeding tube or the mechanisms that stop the muscles from atrophying because you will only be in there for a short time,” he said. “But you still need your airways supplied with air and, of course, the brain needs to be induced.”
“You’re saying a lot of words I’m not sure about,” I said.
“It’s perfectly safe,” he replied.
“Right,” I sighed. “Okay, let’s do this.”
The wires were brushing against my skin by then, and it was hard not to watch in horror as the slender cords started to position themselves around me like snakes getting into position for an assault. There was another whirring sound, and then a thicker wire emerged from a spot near my arm. This one had a four-inch-long, razor-sharp needle attached to it, and it took every ounce of restraint I had not to bolt from the stasis tube.
The tip of the needle found the crook of my elbow, and I felt the cold metal touch the skin. There was a quick pinch, but that was it. The needle was in place, and I felt my muscles start to relax.
Then, the other wires began to dive down at me like snakes attacking their prey. The breathing tube secured itself well up into my nostrils first, and as I took a breath, the clean air rushed up my nose and into my lungs. I rolled my eyes up as high as I could to watch the five wires that surrounded my head. Two of them attached themselves to my temples, while the other two connected themselves to various sections of my skull. I noted with mild concern that the final one also had a needle at the end of it. This one was shorter than the other one, though, and the wire itself was thicker.
“Once this wire is inserted, you will be in stasis,” Occana says. “I will be here the whole time, ready to wake you up.”
“Any tips on meeting your friends?” I asked.
“Manners never hurt,” he replied.
I chuckled slightly, and then I watched as Occana reached down and took hold of the wire. I could see the tip of the needle as he held it up, but once he placed it below the surface of the gel, I couldn’t see what he was doing. I focused on his face instead, which was locked in concentration on whatever he was doing.
I was about to ask another question, but I didn’t get the chance.
Occana’s eyes suddenly widened, and a brief grin lit his face. He’d apparently found the correct spot, and with a nod of triumph, he started to insert the needle into the back of my neck. There wasn’t even a pinch with this one, just a slight pressure like someone had patted me on the back, and then it was over.
“Almost done,” Occana said as he stepped back.
The General disappeared from view for a moment, and then the lid started to close over the tube. There was a clunk as it settled into place, and then the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking shut filled my new bed.
I wasn’t sure what to expect next, so I kept my eyes locked on the ceiling through the glass window in the lid. But the image started to warp and blur, and one moment, I could have sworn the bare rock was just inches away from me, and then in the next moment, it was miles above me. The edges of my vision started to go black, like a piece of paper being burned from the corner.
There was a brief moment of panic as my vision faded, but then a sense of calm came over me. It felt like this was something that was meant to happen, and that I would be safe in whatever world I woke up in.
So I closed my eyes and let the thick liquid flow over me. It felt like I was slowly sinking through warm water, though I could still breathe cool, clean air. As my body started to float, my mind started to detach from its physical anchor.
I didn’t need to breathe or blink. I wasn’t in charge of the body anymore. In fact, it wasn’t there anymore. I was somewhere else.
I opened my eyes when I thought I heard something chirp nearby, and I found I was suspended in dark green water. Somehow, I could still breathe, and I could have sworn I could feel the calm measure of my heartbeat. My hair swayed around me as I looked around, and when I tilted my head up, I saw light above me. Its shafts cut through the darkness in pale green lines, and a part of me just knew that I was supposed to go toward it.
So, I swam upward. It was so easy that I could have been flying. I had to move my arms and kick my legs, but there was no real effort required. I could have swum around this mysterious water world for days without straining a muscle or cramping up. But the light drew me upward, and so I kept heading toward the beckoning beams.
My head broke the surface of the water, and I let it run off my face before I opened my eyes. I watched the ripples flow out away from me in circles as the water lapped against the water’s edge. When I looked beyond the plunge pool I had found myself in, I discovered that I was in possibly the most beautiful place I had ever seen in my life. I swam to the side and pulled myself up onto the mossy shore, and then I stood up and marveled at the taste of Heaven I had just been given.
I was in the middle of a forest, probably in late spring or early summer. The ground was covered in lush, green moss that felt as soft as any carpet beneath my feet. Ancient trees grew around me, and their thick, twisted tree trunks looked like the stuff of my childhood fantasies about the perfect climbing tree. There was just enough breeze to sway the leaves on the branches, and every so often, one leaf would fall gently to the ground.
There were plenty of wildflowers as well, in an array of colors and sizes. Some grew from vines that wound along the tree trunks, and others poked up from the mossy ground. The scent was heady and sweet but not overpowering, and the soft petals glowed in the sunlight, which seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Small particles danced in the air like someone had sprinkled glitter over the scene, and the color palette seemed just a shade brighter and happier than the real world. Even the pool I’d climbed from was a deep shade of teal that I hadn’t seen before.
The water was still rippling gently, thanks to the stream that cascaded over smooth rocks all the way down to the pool, where it tumbled off a flat stone as a mini waterfall. It reminded me of photos I’d seen of the Hawaiian Islands, and I was surprised that the creators behind this scene hadn’t added a rainbow as well.
“All I can say is wow,” I chuckled and then glanced down.
I realized that I wasn’t wet at all, and even when I touched my hair, each strand was dry as a bone. I was still only in my boxers, but I didn’t really care at that moment. I could feel the warmth of sunlight on my skin, which I hadn’t enjoyed in a very long time. I did a quick calculation and realized that the day I left Earth was the last time I’d been able to bask in the rays, so I closed my eyes and let the warmth spill over me while I drank in deep lungfuls of the performed air.
If I ever needed to go into stasis for some reason, this was definitely the place I would choose.
Once that feeling of awe started to fade, I started to wonder how it all worked and how the Lilacrons had even managed to create this place. The closest equivalent I knew was virtual reality, but this was a million times more complex than anything on Earth. Everything about this seemed so real, down to the smallest detail. There was even a horizon so I could judge distances, and there definitely wasn’t a time lag.
And this was a total immersion. All of my senses were involved in the scene, which probably had something to do with the wires that had attached themselves to me. But a part of me wondered if this was really a higher state of consciousness rather than a simulated world. Either way, I definitely didn’t want to leave.
I finally opened my eyes again and saw several small, winged beings nearby. They flitted around playfully just a short distance from me, and they didn’t even notice or care that I was there. They just danced around as they flew through the air, and then they disappeared into the trees.
“Geez, Will,” I said and shook my head. “You’re here for a meeting, not a sightseeing tour.”
Which was absolutely true, but the Lilacrons hadn’t bothered to give me any directions to the meeting. And honestly, who would have thought to ask for any?
I looked deep into the forest on one side, and then I turned and looked the other way. There wasn’t a clear path in either direction, and I was pretty sure I’d just end up getting lost if I started to wander around on my own.
In the end, I decided to follow the narrow river upstream and see where I ended up. That way, I would know exactly how to get back to the pool if I needed to.
So, I started to walk which was fun and pleasant, and just like my time in the pond, required very little effort. I just sort of glided along, like I was on the world’s smoothest pair of roller skates.
The scenery didn’t change much, but I did reach a shallow hill. The creek splashed down its side and sent a fine spray of water into the air that cooled my skin. The trees were further apart as well, and the pale yellow sky was easier to see. A few pink clouds moved slowly overhead, but there was still no sign of the actual sun.
I started up the hill, and near the top I discovered the source of the stream. It was a natural spring that spurted out from between two stones, and the water looked so refreshing that I had to stop and sample it. It was cold enough to give me the shivers when I cupped some in my hands, but it felt refreshing and tasted delicious as I slurped it down.
My curiosity slaked for the moment, I climbed the rest of the way up the hill and looked down at what lay beyond. To my surprise, I was actually quite high up, and far below me spread a vast, green valley. A wide, blue river snaked its way down the middle of the valley, though it was hard to see much more through the thick forest of trees.
Wonderment was slowly giving way to frustration, and I was tempted to wake up and ask Occana where the hell I was supposed to go. But reality shifted a little bit, and while the distance between me and the valley was still the same, I could somehow see more detail now. And what I’d thought were small hills and rocky slopes were actually buildings hidden by the greenery.
“It’s a city,” I said aloud. “Well, damn.”
I started to walk down the hill, but the thick moss beneath my feet was so springy that I started to bound down the hill. The moss acted like one giant trampoline and propelled me faster and faster until my legs could hardly keep up with the speed I was going. I whooped out of pure joy as I leaped and ran down the hill, and when I finally reached the bottom of the valley, I had to run into the side of a building just to stop myself. I slammed into the ivy-covered stone with a thud, but it didn’t hurt at all.
When I was sure I wasn’t injured, I stepped back to study the thick, yellow ochre stones that made up what looked like an ancient structure. It felt familiar, and a second later, I realized it reminded me of the stone used in the Egyptian pyramids. I ran my hand over it, and small flecks of sand rubbed off on my palms.
“Boy, the conspiracy people would love this,” I said as I started to walk around the building.
I made it around to the facade of the building, and I took in the columns, archways, balconies, and the overall beauty of the structure. I felt like I had just discovered some never-before-seen civilization, which I supposed was technically the case, in a way. I was the first and probably last human that would ever see this, which made me both giddy and sad at the same time.
Unfortunately, there didn’t appear to be anyone home in the building I’d crashed into, but at least now I could see a moss-covered road that seemed to lead toward the rest of the city. I felt a bit like Dorothy as I started to walk toward what I hoped was a meeting with the elders, although the buildings I passed were all made of large golden stones rather than the dark greens of Emerald City.
The architecture was clearly ancient, and plants covered most of the surface so that each home seemed to blend into the scenery no matter how big it was. The road was cool beneath the tree limbs that arched over it, and every so often, some of the little winged creatures would appear nearby.
But I still hadn’t run into any Lilacrons by the time I reached a town square. Flowers poked out from between the old cobblestones, and there was a fountain in the middle of the square that spurted the same green water that had been in the pool on the other side of the hills. I could see the river just beyond the square as well as a bridge that led to the other side, where there were even more buildings hidden among the forest.
For the first time since I had been in stasis, I frowned. Where was everyone? Occana had told me that they wanted to meet with me, and yet it appeared that I was the only one here in what should have been a city of thousands, if not millions.
Had the stasis tube worked differently for me because I was human? I was about to open my mouth and ask Francine what she thought about it, and that was when I noticed the absence of the AI’s presence in my mind. Normally, I could always feel when Francine was present. It wasn’t distracting or noticeable when I didn’t concentrate on it, but now that I wanted the AI’s help, I realized Frankie was gone. I really was on my own.
“Hello?” I said.
There was no response.
I drummed my fingers against my leg and looked around for any signs of movement. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that there was no one here, so I turned to look toward the bridge.
The urge to walk across the bridge rushed through me, and before I could stop to wonder about that, I was walking toward it like it was a magnet. The need to reach the bridge was nearly overwhelming, but I was aware enough to realize that the bridge had been grown, not built.
Two huge tree trunks had grown out of the ground and across the water, and two more from the other side had grown to meet in the middle. The ends of the trees were intertwined together, and the rest of the branches had been tightly wrapped together to create a lattice between the trunks.
I reached the base of the arched bridge and looked down at the rapids below. It was as though the river was made of silk as it reflected the light with a pearlescent hue. I squinted at the rest of the city beyond, and though I still didn’t see any locals, I had a feeling there were people on the other side.
So, I picked up my foot and placed it down on the bridge. Only, something strange happened. It was as though the air in front of me rippled the moment I moved my foot forward that inch, and when I placed it down, it continued to ripple like the water in the pond. I reached forward with one hand and pushed it through the rippling air, and then I took the plunge and walked through.
As if a curtain had been drawn back, I stepped through the invisible barrier and found myself faced with a few hundred Lilacrons. They were all pale and tall just like the rest of their species, and they were all looking right at me.
And yet, there was something different about them as well. A part of the reason was that they had next to no clothes on like me, so at least I wasn’t underdressed. But that wasn’t the main thing I had noticed. These were happy people, unplagued by the issues in the outside world and unaffected by the basic fight for survival.
They were also much older than most of the Lilacrons I had met, as Occana said they would be, and they looked so happy to see me that I glanced over my shoulder for a moment to make sure someone else wasn’t behind me.
“You must be Will Ryder,” one of them said, and his voice echoed around an invisible chamber.
“Yes, that’s me,” I replied, and then I remembered Occana’s comment about manners. “Um… sir? Anyway, I’m glad I found you. I was starting to worry that I’d ended up in the wrong place.”
“Wrong, right…” the wise elder said with a smirk. “There’s only different.”
“I think the rest of your people outside of this place might disagree,” I said before I could stop myself.
“Why is that?” the elder asked with an amused look on his face.
“Because I doubt any of them would say that what the Karaak did to your planet is right,” I said.
“You have a strong mind,” the leader said with a nod. “I like you.”
“I try,” I replied.
“I can see why my people have put their faith in you,” he said. “Why the AI we built chose you above anyone else. But it must be a heavy burden to bear.”
“Yeah, it’s no pressure at all,” I chuckled. “But I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
The elder nodded, and he looked pleased with his initial assessment of me. The elder took my arm, and together, we walked slowly over to the other side of the river while the rest of the Lilacrons went back to their day.
As I looked around, I realized the man I was with was a lot older than the rest, and I wondered if he was the mentor that Occana had told me about. We walked slowly, mainly because he couldn’t go any faster, but it wasn’t like I was in a rush.
“My name is Marleth,” he said.
“Are you the leader here?” I asked.
“We have no leaders here,” he said. “We have no strife, no pain. Just peace and happiness.”
“It’s the most incredible place I’ve ever seen,” I replied.
“When it was created, we compiled everything that made us happy and inserted it into this place,” he said as we reached the center of the bridge. “It is a place void of corruption and greed. All that is here is pure joy.”
“You created your own Eden,” I said. “Boy, what I would give to stay here forever.”
“Many have said the same,” he replied with a throaty laugh. “But in the end, we must go where we are called.”
“Speaking of,” I said as we neared the other end of the bridge and the city beyond. “Why did you ask to speak with me?”
The elder turned and watched as his people talked and laughed in their virtual paradise. He had a sad smile on his face as he took in the view, and I waited patiently for him to respond.
“We are much older than you might think,” a voice suddenly said behind us.
I spun around to see another wizened Lilacron standing behind us. This one was practically floating above the surface of the bridge. Its hands were clasped in front of its long body, and it held my gaze with its strong eye contact.
“We know a lot more than those outside of this place do,” another voice said, and I whipped around to see another elder appear.
“After all, we have had many lifetimes to think in this world,” another side, this time to my left.
I had no idea where they had materialized from, but I felt like I had just been shoved into the middle of a circle surrounded by every ancient Greek philosopher I could name. These elders were wise and knowledgeable, more so than I would ever be.
“Will Ryder,” Marleth said. “Our people out there have tasked you with saving what is left of our species.”
“And we commend you for vowing to them that you would do everything in your power to save them,” another elder said.
“I wouldn’t have done anything else,” I told them.
“And that is why you are a good man,” another voice echoed.
“But we were here when the attack on Lilacron happened,” Marleth said. “We watched as people vanished from this place as though they were never here. We knew something was terribly wrong. We knew something terrible had happened to Lilacron, though we couldn’t be sure if it was a natural disaster or something more evil.”
“It was protocol for any survivors to move to the Frumentum Colony,” another said. “So we knew they would come. And they did.”
“But they are fooling themselves,” another said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
All of them adopted the same forlorn expression, and the sadness in their eyes didn’t fit in a wondrous place of beauty like this.
“They believe you will save them all,” Marleth said.
“And I intend to,” I said.
“But you also know in your gut that there will be casualties,” he said.
I opened my mouth to argue, but then I closed it again. He was right, I’d just been telling myself that wasn’t true.
“The time of Lilacron is dwindling,” he said.
“Our world is gone,” another said. “And our people will follow.”
“I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen,” I said determinedly. “I won’t let your people go extinct--”
“And when our people do pass,” Marleth continued. “It will not be your fault.”
“I know,” I said. “But--”
“Then you do not know that,” he said. “So let me repeat myself. It will not be your fault.”
I nodded and then took a deep breath. Marleth’s eyes pierced me in my heart, and though I would fight to save every Lilacron, I knew, deep down, there was a chance I’d fail. I’d try to ignore that voice, but now that the elders had raised it, I could face and accept the truth of it.
“There is one other piece of information we wished to pass along,” Marleth added. “It’s not much, but in our dream state, sometimes we are… aware of others.”
“Oh, um, okay,” I said and wondered if one of the ancient Lilacrons had taken a peek at my dreams.
“We’ve encountered the Karaak, though at the time, we did not know who they were,” one of the others added.
“It was some time ago, when the Karaak first came to this galaxy,” Marleth added. “And we did not understand how much damage they would do.”
“We did not make the connection until the AI shared the news of the attack,” another Lilacron said. “Even then, we weren’t certain until we had more details.”
“First…” I said. “Wait, they’re not from this galaxy?”
“They are not,” Marleth replied. “And we believe that’s why it has been so hard for others to fight them. It’s not just the technology they use. There is something different enough about them that many of our weapons are ineffective.”
“That actually makes sense,” I said. “Though it also makes it harder to find ways to kill them.”
“We did not want to speak with you to dishearten you,” Marleth said. “We wanted to speak to you to assure you that no matter what happens, we know you did everything you could for our people, and for that, we will be eternally grateful.”
“And I’m grateful to your people, too,” I said. “Without you and your AI, I wouldn’t have this amazing life.”
He smiled.
“It is possible that our time may be over,” another elder said. “We in here have already made peace with that, and those that are awake soon will.”
“But though our time might have run out, there is still a chance to save your people,” another said. “You have given everything you can to help us, and we know you will continue to do so. But you must do the same for your own species, no matter the cost. Do not let them suffer the same fate as we have.”
“I’ll try my best,” I said.
“And that is all we and they can ask for,” Marleth said as he placed his ancient hand on my bare shoulder. “We have faith in you, Will. But we also know what the Karaak have done and continue to do. We just hope you are able to save your planet.”
“Thank you,” I said. “All of you. What you’ve told me means more than you know.”
“We have hope,” Marleth said. “Hope that our species may survive. Hope that yours will live on. And the only reason we have that is because of you.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I replied. “I’m just trying to do what’s right… Or, I guess, ‘different’, as you put it.”
Luckily, the joke landed, and they laughed.
“Well, that was quite the welcome party,” I said with an awkward laugh.
“It was rather dour,” Marleth said with a twinkle in his eye. “But I’m happy to say that the serious discussion is over. Just remember what we said.”
“I think I’d have a hard time forgetting it,” I replied.
“Good,” he said. “Now, would you like to see more of the city?”
“I’d love nothing more,” I replied as I took his arm again and looked at the glittering, plant-covered buildings beyond. “This place is bliss personified.”
“I can imagine it is very different from the chaos you have been living in,” Marleth said as we started to walk.
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “I think I much prefer it here. Don’t tell the others.”
“Perhaps you might bring them one day,” he replied. “All lilacrons endeavor to retire to this place.”
“If I’m invited, I’d love to,” I said. “In fact--”
Suddenly, everything went black.
I was aware that it was dark, that I couldn’t breathe, and that I was being held in place. I sensed something being removed above me that allowed more light in, and I let my eyes fly open. I pulled the thing that was blocking my airways out and sucked in a few deep, ragged breaths.
I blinked and looked around. For a second, I had no idea where I was. All I could focus on was breathing.
Eventually, my vision focused, and I blinked a few times when I saw the three faces looking down at me. I saw Rayne first as her green eyes stared at me with a mixture of concern and relief. Then I saw Hemphy beside her, and finally, General Occana, who stood next to my head with the needle he’d inserted in my neck now in his hand.
None of them said anything while I recovered, but my head felt like it was filled with cotton wool. However, I was still aware enough to know that they must have had a reason to wake me up, and the looks on their faces just confirmed that.
“What’s wrong?” I panted as I tried to sit up. “Are you alright? Is the colony under attack?”
“No, no,” Rayne assured me. “Everything is fine. It’s just that Hemphy thinks he has something to say that you will definitely want to hear.”
“Okay…” I said, though I was still quite disorientated and overwhelmed after being abruptly ripped out of stasis.
“Will, my team and I have decrypted the last few names on the current list of planets the Karaak were planning on attacking,” Hemphy said.
“Oh, okay,” I said. “Anything interesting?”
“You could say that,” Rayne replied with a wide-eyed look of glee on her face.
“There is a planet at the bottom of the list named Kytr,” Hemphy explained. “We noticed a strange mark next to the name that didn’t match any others we had seen before, but we managed to decrypt what it meant, which revealed the rest of the entry.”
“Okay,” I said. “What did you find? What did it say?”
“The Karaak had noted that they had already been there but needed to go back,” Occana said.
“Go back?” I asked with a frown. “The Karaak aren’t the type to leave a job unfinished.”
“We are the perfect example of that,” Occana said. “They’re still coming for us, even though almost all of our species perished in the attack on our planet.”
“Those were my thoughts exactly,” Hemphy said effervescently, and he was almost incapable of containing his excitement. “I had a look through one of the Karaak computers we found on the ship and searched for the name Kytr on the database.”
“And?” I asked.
“The Karaak went to invade Kytr just days before they attacked Lilacron,” Hemphy said.
“What happened?” I asked. “What’s the significance?”
“The people of Kytr fought back,” the scientist replied. “And they won.”