The Sealed Planet

The Red Planet

Domel Arcturus

I guess a little away time from everything seemed to work well for me and for Zarya. We got ourselves a down time and not be burdened by anything, including dad and even the burden of our adventures. I know it was temporary, but I really needed it.

Zarya took me to the healing facility on Arkari to help repair my damaged tendons, which at this point had healed, albeit not perfectly. She told me that, unless I wanted to be a limp the rest of my life, I needed to fix the tendons. The fact that my tendons could be healed without any of the associated pain intrigued me. I mean, it made sense, given that we lived in two different eras. I lived in a world where my planet was still a place called home, while she lived without ever knowing what it looked like.

Even so, the real reason for this was simply out a selfish need called love. It had been a month since I met her, so there was no reason why I shouldn't be smitten with her. It wasn't love at first sight, mind you. It was a gradual acknowledgement of love accelerated by the dangers we encountered, which helped us respect each other. I respected her for her tact as a healer despite of never being a field healer before, while she told me she respected me because I gave her something she wanted: adventure.

Then, the confession. Aurelis Three was the place where we finally found that we deserved each other. That dangerous trek through the forest that almost cost me my life seemed to give her something to think. She did not want me to die, while I owed her my life.

I know it sounded rather cliché, but you got to admit that romances started that way most of the time. At least it's not the 'crash into someone handsome/beautiful and fell in love' kind of thing. That kind of love's not going to last long. Maybe in some cases.

But it wasn't long before we were pulled into the whole story again. We knew our little private time was not going to be a long one. Even before we received the call, we were already sure that someone would call us wondering where we were. We planned for a proper date later, and we always assumed that we would survive until then. We were not that pessimistic.

We got a call to go back to Lekan from George, saying that dad found something and wanted my presence. It was early in the morning on Arkari and we were both fast asleep. Groggily, I gave assurance that we would come as soon as we're ready. After we properly woke up, we did not bother to clean ourselves. We walked straight to Vyrkaya, still half-asleep, and started the take-off checklist by autopilot as we properly wake up. Zarya was still not prepared for taking over the pilot's seat. Given that the space route from Arkari to Lekan was not as dangerous, we let the onboard computer take us to Lekan. The autopilot would prevent the ship from warning us of danger due to the heavy use of the onboard computer's processing unit. Vyrkaya was not the most sophisticated spaceship around and the defense system was not built into the ship. It was a simple Vyrnian cruiser.

The autopilot was never designed to be used throughout the journey due to the risk of pirates. While it was possible, it was not the good time. Zarya once said that some pirates, desperate for loot, would risk it. They hoped the pilots they were targeting were careless enough to leave autopilot on and expose their ships for an easy raid. It was not a very high chance.

Once Zarya had properly awake, the ship was already in warp. I sat beside her as she sat on the pilot's seat, looking at her as she returned navigational control to manual.

"Anywhere you fancy?" she said.

"Hmm?" I said.

"The date. For our little getaway."

"Oh, yeah...I don't really know anywhere beside Arkari."

She chuckled. "I can give some suggestions if you want. Pelekaios sounds great if you need a nation-sized national park. Maybe Alkayin if you want to watch a grav bike race?"

"I might consider it," I said with a smile. "With some pointers, of course."

"Well, what do you have in mind for a private getaway?"

"Nothing to fancy. A little place of peace and quiet is enough. Oh, and some fresh air, too. I haven't got those ever since I returned to space, so I need something that works."

"There's a lot of planets that offer that," said Zarya. "There's a handful of those that I could recommend."

"Like I said. I need some pointers."

Zarya smiled before she returned to the screen just as the computer told us that we arrived. I turned to see the colony on the bare gray surface of Lekan. It looked just like the condition it was when I saw it the first time I returned. However, it looked noticeably cleaner and the landing lights were on. We landed on an empty pad near the reception area and walked in. Now that the colony was occupied, there was a pressurized corridor that connected with our ship's door, much like a proper spaceport. I heard they installed it recently. Then I could see George. He stood near the reception area like a security guard waiting to scan us. Of course, that would be the case if it wasn't for the smile on his face. He looked happy seeing us, but I knew that happiness was for something else, judging from what I knew of a human's subtle expression.

"So," he said. "How's your leg?"

"Healed up well," I said. "Thanks to her."

"Make sure you give her the thanks she deserves. It's the least you can do, you know."

"Hey!" I said, knowing that he was teasing me for being a freeloader. "You're in the same ship, too!"

He simply replied with a smile. I couldn't be sure whether I should be mad or amused. This smug bastard.

After exchanging pleasantries, we walked as we talked about what happened in the past week. He told me about Kilkaja and Sel, along with finding something important in the form of the Rinki Bird plan.

"Rinki Bird?" I asked.

"Turned out it's a plan to destroy Vyrn in case the Exodus failed, which it did," said George. "Your dad didn't like it, so he souped up a new plan."

Somehow, I was more intrigued with this new plan than the planet-destroying one.

"What's the plan?" I said.

"You can ask him yourself." He then opened the door leading to what looked like a meeting room. It had a circular table with chairs facing each other, except no one was sitting right now. Everyone was waiting for us by the big computer on the other side of the room, with dad looking at us come in.

"Dad," I called. He seemed to be in his usual good mood. For someone who just found out that the secret backup plan was the one where they needed to destroy Vyrn, he seemed to be rather jovial. It must have something to do with the plan he made while I was gone.

"Ah. You're just in time," he said. "There's something you need to see. Tim?"

Calath Timetis was one of the Vyrnians that went to cryosleep with dad. Before the Exodus, he was a librarian, or more specifically, a member of the restoration team responsible for restoring older files and present it with contemporary formats. That skill was helpful, especially when we needed some access to older files stored deep in the database.

As Timetis manipulated the holo-interface to show the galaxy map, he said, "Arcturus, your time travelling accident was not just an accident. It's already planned in advance."

Hearing the word 'plan' surprised me. Have they known about it and never tried to contact me? Were they studying me?

"What?" I said, bewildered. "Then why is no one...?"

"Because the facility was a top secret facility no one except the higher echelon in the military knew," said dad. "Even higher than a general. Your time travel accident is exactly what the Trikelians wanted."

"For what?" I said. "What do they really need from me? How did they know that I'm going to be exiled on Earth? What the hell is going on?"

"Slow down, Arcturus," said Timetis. "I know you have a lot of questions, as do all of us. However, we can't access the files, only ones that could be accessed by your father's credentials."

I was visibly disappointed by it. There was a mystery about why I was stranded on Earth for 3500 years that had something to do with a Trikelian plot and it was beyond our reach.

"However," said Timetis. "You might be able to find more information on Ijuri. It's the planet the Vyrnians chose to monitor the space-time c***k. Due to the top secret nature of this project, no one knew what happened there. It's practically a black site."

"Black site?" asked George.

"A top secret area the Empire does not acknowledge," said dad. "And the only place where any unapproved research can be done...with the laws looking the other way."

"And this planet...Ijuri, it's near Earth," said George.

"Right beside it, in fact," said dad. "Your people might've known what it is. It's a rust-colored planet. Or maybe red."

"The Red Planet" said George, surprised. "You got a black site near my planet and I never even know it existed? We got a telescope to check the celestial object and no one ever told anyone about a Vyrnian facility on it. I even looked through it once!"

"Then they hid it well," I said. "I mean, you can't risks being discovered by pre-space civilization, right? They must've known Earth was advanced enough to have telescopes."

"That...made sense," said George.

"And I guess we are going to check Ijuri and see what they are doing in there," I said. "Can we gain access? Is there something we can use?"

"Yes," said dad. "My credentials. I know the existence of black sites and I can access them. However, I need to be there. It's bio-locked."

Which mean only dad's biological imprint could let us in. It would be settled if it wasn't for the fact that dad was responsible for the new plan and if anything happened to him, that plan would never be completed and we would have nothing to fight against our still mysterious enemy.

"It's too risky," said Areil. She was the one who guided Zarya and Sel into safety when the base was still being used by the Nuoevans.

"No, it's not," he said. "The plan is mostly completed. All it needs now is the preparation and a couple other adjustments to make it work. Your job now is to find a way to implement it."

"But..."

"Find some other colonies that might be interested in helping our cause. Oh, and maybe ask the Saukaurs, too. They might be able to help."

"But..."

"Oh, come on. It's not like I'm going to die that easily, right? If you have problems, wait for me and I'll make the adjustments myself."

I knew that only dad's print could get us into the facility, but he seemed rather bored cooped up in the same space station and wanted to find something to change his routine. I was rather amused by this, even if it made him sound like he did not want to do it. Dad wasn't like that, of course, so I guess he wanted something new.

"One problem," asked George. "I know my planet well. How can we approach the planet without alerting them about our presence? I mean, I don't really care about it since I'd need to return home once in a while, but right now's not the right time for them, right?"

"If that's your concern, don't worry, George," said Timetis. "The Vyrnians who built the place predicted the advancement of Earth's technology and science, so they camouflaged it. It will not be apparent by even high-powered telescopes, but the illusion will be gone the moment anyone land or scan the planet. However, the presence of a gray-colored Vyrnian ship landing near the structure is going to be the problem."

"So, we are going to make your ship invisible," said Orionis. He was the ship's engineer in dad's group. "The technicians are currently fitting your ship with holo-projectors that will project the planet's surface all over the ship, rendering it invisible. Anyone with a scanner will expose it, of course, which is also the only way you can locate your ship once you leave it. A locator might work, too."

"We're not exactly equipping it for stealth, so be careful not to attract to many attentions," said dad. "I heard some pirates don't even care whether it's pre-space or not."

Which was the case for me. Even so, if it wasn't for them, I might not even be here and my father might still be in cryosleep, waiting for any Vyrnian to stumble upon him by accident as I did. It's a blessing in disguise.

Dad then told Orionis to explain the cloaking function to Zarya and the others, leaving dad and me alone. We looked at each other for a moment before he said, "Do you think I'm being too risky?"

"For personal or strategic reason? Both has the same answer, you know, and it's a yes. You're being risky. You could've just make something like that device you see in spy holo-movies."

"We could," he said. "The technology's in the database. The reason is that it takes time to find the necessary components. My other, more personal reason is you."

"Dad, I am fully capable of surviving myself," I said.

"Oh, I know," he said. "But you know how I missed you after I was forced to exile you to an unknown backwater pre-space planet as I periodically sleep and wake up for 150 years. I still have that sense of adventure, much like you."

I smirked. "You think you can keep up?" I said, teasing him.

"Hey, I'm not that old yet," he said while playfully punching me. "Being a strategist does not mean you gotta let go your youthful passion, right? And besides, I was only a general for ten years, and I'm barely the oldest."

We both chuckled. Guess dad's still the playful type like I remembered. He could be serious when working, but out of that, he's a loving father who supported his sons' decisions.

"How's your leg?" he asked as he noticed my leg."

"It's healing well, thanks to Zarya," I said. "She's the best healer I've ever met in this era."

"And you have a feeling for her," he said with a smile.

I knew that by this point our affection was kind of obvious (we did take some time away from Lekan for ourselves), so it was not that much of a surprise when dad figured it out. I mean, if a human could figure it out, why not someone who's a Vyrnian?

"Is it okay with you?" I asked.

"I might not approve if she happens to be a criminal," he said. "But I'd accept it if she's a reformed criminal like your Felinian friend."

Talking about Sel made me want to ask him about our friendship, and whether he had aversion about it or not. He just shook his head.

"She did change. Literally," he said, referring to Sel's resurrection. "She left her past both physically and figuratively."

"Physically?"

"Not sure. Can a Felinian change eye color? When I met her, she still had yellow eyes. Now, it's lime green."

I did not notice that. I guess her resurrection (or The Choice as she called it) did change something aside from taking a hundred years of her lifetime.

Either way, dad shrugged it off and tell me that he'd need to prepare himself. He still got his old gears in the basement storage where he stashed it, completely preserved by the vacuum condition and still looked barely used. He seemed to think that one day, he would be a part of an adventure or a journey, and that chance was now.

I waited near the ship as he prepared himself when I saw Astha approaching me. I quickly recognized him due to his rather barbarian-looking appearance compared to his twin's more proper outfit. Maybe Astha did not wear much so no one would mistake him for his brother, but I guess it was just his preference.

"I hear you're traveling again," said the Saukaur as he sat beside me.

"Yeah," I said. "Pretty much."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Join us?" I said. "How about your brother?"

"He's planning to move to Arkari," said Astha. "There's something about pressurized colonies that make him restless. His anxiety doesn't help, either."

"He looks rather calm back on Aurelis Three," I said. I didn't know Sethis had an anxiety problem.

"Natural habitat and desperation. You know what I mean," he said. "He prefers a planet than a space station. The other Saukaurs have the same idea, too."

"But not you?" I said.

"Nah, I'm just the adventurer type. Sethis knows he still has a responsibility for the others. I am more a free agent and to be honest, I don't like being stuck on a planet for too long. I'm a nomad who happens to have no ship."

"What if he needs you?"

"We can contact each other with personal comms. It's not like I'm doing this without saying anything. Seth's fine with this, but he expects me to come back and check from time to time."

"That's easy enough," I said. "Arkari's Zarya's home planet. She'll have to return from time to time."

"So...I'm in?"

"Just don't intentionally cause us trouble and you'll be fine," I said. "But just so you know, since everyone's on board, the ship's gonna be full. Dad's joining this travel, too."

"I can sleep on the floor if I have to. I'm a hunter, remember?"

"You could, but please don't do that."

Well, given Astha's personality, I'd say he's yet another interesting addition to the team. We already got a pre-space human, pre-Exodus Vyrnian, post-Exodus Vyrnian, a Felinian with eight more lives to spare, a Nuoevan empath, and dad. Now, we got one half of a Saukaur twin.

Of course, I do not mean it sarcastically. Compared to many other explorers, we were quite small. However, the variation of our backgrounds made things more interesting, including our way of thinking along with the skill set we used to complement each other.

It turned out to be something that my dad wanted, after all.

Ijuri was quite a distance away from Lekan and Vyrn. Even at full warp speed, it took at least 12 hours for us to reach the planet. There were several reasons why it took so long. First, Vyrkaya's warp drive did not permit long continuous use and needed to cool down every now and then. Second, the charge of the drive was not much, requiring us to wait as it cooled down and recharge. Third, once we got to the frontier area proper and towards the destination star system, we found out that most of the area outside of the star system were uncharted, forcing us to fly manual through several asteroid belts. Using warp through the belts were risky and dangerous, especially in an uncharted frontier space.

Nevertheless, we arrived on Ijuri safely, all thanks to Zarya's piloting skill (and, to an extent, the onboard computer's navigation). The first thing we did was to scan the planet to determine if the planet was safe and to find the structure itself as my dad and Timetis claimed. While the planet itself was small compared to Vyrn, Vyrkaya was a small cruiser ship with limited planetary scanner if compared to bigger ships intended for the military. This situation happened in Aurelis Three, too. In fact, due to the limited scanning capability, we were unsure whether the planet was uninhabited or not. We could not even determine anything peculiar on Aurelis Three before we landed.

As the ship scanned the planet, I checked the planet from the window. The planet had a rusty brown or red color for the most part, though the polar caps had snowy ice color. This planet looked a lot like Vyrn, except it had no visible surface water and it's red instead of golden. It was as if a structure made of pure iron covered the entire planet, which rusted with age, like a less technologically advanced 'sealed planet'.

As I contemplated the planet's appearance, the computer had finished the scan. It took only 15 minutes to assess the planet's atmospheric content, it's density, surface temperature, geological content, and weather pattern. The planet's surface was covered with iron oxide, which explained its rusty color. Surface temperature varied greatly. The polar ice caps were very cold, akin to an ice planet, while the equatorial area was relatively warm. Atmosphere was not very dense with only traces of oxygen, enough to form rust from the iron oxide. The computer predicted that the planet would be covered in a worldwide dust storm when its orbit brought it close to the star in the system.

We had not found the structure yet, given that we only assessed a small area of the planet. As we waited for the scan to finish, I looked towards Earth. It looked a lot like Aurelis Three, but it had a healthy mix of color (I used a magnifier on one of the windows to look at the planet more clearly) instead of simply blue and green. Its land mass looked even more varied than Aurelis Three, with parts of it covered in cloud.

I wasn't the only one who checked on Earth. George, when he saw the planet on the magnified window, commented, "So, that's how Earth looks like from out here, huh? It's...kinda small, to be honest. It...also feels like it's beckoning me."

"Got that home planet connection feeling?" said Astha. "Not surprising. Some creatures have homing senses so they always find their way home. The fact your planet's just a hop away, that sense is much more apparent."

"Yeah. I guess," said George.

"Want to visit your planet while we're at it?" asked dad. "It's close."

"Maybe later," he said. "Earth can wait. Now that we know where it is, it's much easier to visit it, right?"

George words may not affected the others, but it had a rather profound effect towards me and my father. We came from a world that's sealed for the protection of the Vyrnian race and to an extent, the galaxy. We could only see it from orbit, but never land on it. George did not seem to notice how his comment struck us. No one seemed to notice except Kilkaja, who approached and said, "He doesn't mean it."

"We know," I said with a sigh. "He can be rather clueless sometimes."

"You're not the only one who feel that way," said Kilkaja as he looked away. "I have a home planet, too, but it's...not a good place for a slave to live in."

Remembering that Nuoevans enslaved their own people, I sympathized with him. It was harder for someone who knew their home planet was still there, but they could never go back without sacrificing their freedom. We only lost our planet, while Kilkaja would lose himself if he returned home.

As we contemplated on Earth, the computer had found the structure. It notified us with a pinging sound. It was on the dark side of the planet, so we promptly flew there. Given the planet's uninhabited status, the dark side was very dark. We needed landing lights to even properly find a good spot to land due to the rocky surface. Even Zarya admitted that this was the first time she had ever attempted a dark side landing without a landing pad, though knowing her, it wasn't that hard. She was a licensed pilot, after all.

We landed softly with a slight thud. As advised by one of the Vyrnians in Lekan, we decided to take enviro-suits in addition to the personal shield generator we already had. Despite the technological setback ever since the Exodus, the enviro-suits given to us was rather advanced in one aspect: it was not bulky and conform well with Vyrnian anatomy. The rest of us were also given jumpsuits bought from Arkari. Given how George's body was closer to that of an Orian, it wasn't hard to find one for him. Sel bought her own suit while Kilkaja salvaged a Nuoevan stealth suit from Lekan, which also functioned as an environmental suit complete with a helmet. As for Astha, he fitted himself with an armored hunter outfit that covered his whole body, leaving none of his greenish scale visible. It felt weird seeing him wearing something that's not tribal looking, but of course that's common sense. Even with thick, plated scales, a Saukaur would die due to exposure.

After everyone was ready, dad walked to the door and said, "Okay, everyone. We have no idea what's inside, so stay vigilant. Timetis has given us a keycode to this place, provided it still functions after so many years. So...any concerns?"

"This feels far too convenient," said George. "Did he warn you of any traps?"

"Or maybe the Trikelians?" said Sel. "The structure looks more like a prison than a storage."

"I know what you think," he said. "Personally, I feel it's too easy. The Trikelians might've known this place and the Vyrnians back then sealed this place. So, whatever's inside, we gotta be ready. Stay close with each other and don't wander off. Make a call if you find something interesting."

Everyone nodded, but I could see that they were unsure if it was a good idea to just walk into a sealed place. We had seen that a Trikelian was able to stay alive in a sealed place for a very long time, so there was no guarantee that this place would not be unoccupied.

I must confess that everyone was not ready for this, including me. We did not know the full extent of what the Trikelians were capable of. All we knew was that they were the cause of my exile, my father's continuous fight against them, and ultimately, the loss of our home planet. But of course, like everything in life, there's more to it than what was apparent.

And the horrors on Ijuri would scar and traumatize us, as we realized how small we were.