Dream Planet. Book 1. Star Maze

Chapter 1. Tulona

Dream Planet

Book 1

Star Maze

By the Pikulina Sisters

(Svetlana Pikulina and Tamara Mahar)

Edited by Mike Ivanov

Cover page illustration: Tamara Mahar

Contents:

Chapter 1. Tulona                                                                     

Chapter 2. The Fateful Meeting    

Chapter 3. The Truth                                             

Chapter 4. Friend among strangers, stranger among friends     

Chapter 5. Onward   

Chapter 6. The Vision                                                                 

Chapter 7. Attack                                                                      

Chapter 8. The Olmeco Tunnel                                                

Chapter 9. The Comet                                                              

Chapter 10. Marcius' Story                                                        

Chapter 11. Atla's Story                                                             

Chapter 12. The Prime Tunnel                                                

Chapter 13. The Mysterious Planet                                          

Chapter 14. Looking for Marcius                                            

Chapter 15. The Friendly Tribe                                                

Chapter 16. The Mother’s Bosom                                            

Chapter 17. Yonk’s Story                                                          

Chapter 18. The Oracle's Union                                                

Chapter 19. Around the World                                                

Chapter 20. Two sides of a single medal                                   

Chapter 21. Het and the monsters                                              

Chapter 1. Tulona

Marcius guided his capsule towards Tulona; the young pilot was finishing his ninth supporting mission. He was exhausted, but he kept on without losing focus, knowing that he was doing something important for his world. Beside him, huge cubic crystals floated weightlessly, supported by thin silver cables. They contained argon – the Tulonians were transporting this valuable cargo from Pacifa.

Argon was needed to make the Tulonian atmosphere habitable. For now, the people hid in cities inside the planet, but they never stopped dreaming that soon they would be able to walk openly under the rays of Onyx.

From century to century, from mouth to mouth, the same mantra was passed on: "Have faith, this is but a temporary confinement. Soon, people will see the world and the stars, and will breathe without domes or walls."   

Having lowered the load, the pilots had attained their long-awaited freedom and quickly dispersed. Marcius alone remained, watching the capsules of his colleagues disappear into the distance. He concluded that he was the only one not eager to rush home, most likely all because unlike all the others, there was no one there waiting for him. Marcius took a few moments to tilt back his head and looked up at the sky.

Several bright points started to come through the settling dust, shining majestically up above. It was a special ritual for Marcius to look up at the stars that he'd sped past just recently. As if in a dream, he looked up at the glittering diamonds in the satin darkness, waiting, hoping that any minute now one of them will take off, pick him up and roll off into the immeasurable abyss, racing from one star to the next in the endless expanse of the universe, and will indefinitely bring him to the place he'd been searching for his whole entire life. To enter into the mystical beyond, to finally discover that new world that had existed for millennia before his time – that is what he wanted most of all.      

Marcius felt that somewhere, maybe even close by, maybe even in his galaxy, there exists a planet perfectly suited for humans, with plenty oxygen and water, not molten with lava and not frozen in ice, but just the way that everyone wants. And even though through thousands of years of search and exploration the citizens of the Seven Worlds had failed to discover such a planet, his faith was fed by visions he'd experienced since childhood. He'd seen a magical world with his own eyes, he raved about it, he'd been there and he knew all about it – the color of its clouds, the stars that stretched across the sky, its native plants and animals. Unfortunately, no one gave any credibility to his visions. Remembering this with a heavy sigh, he started towards the city.

Marcius lived in the capital, located in the planet's warmest region right by the equator, but even there the temperature remained in the negatives for two-thirds of the year.

He passed through the gateway and slowly started his descent into the city.

Despite being underground, the city was still brightly illuminated. The light entering the giant lens scattered in all directions and was transported to other cities with the help of mirrors. Onyx could at times be seen through the lens, and so the area beneath the Eye was never empty. At all times of the day it was filled with a crowd of spectators, taken with the dream of seeing the light-source. People believed that if they were lucky enough to stand directly under the rays of Onyx, they would be graced with happiness and imminent good fortune.

He lived in the military district, along with the numerous other military personnel of the capital. In this sense he was lucky - the best of everything was reserved specifically for the military dynasties. They even lived higher up, closer to the Eye and away from the irritating vapors of the lake down below. What's more, the houses here lasted longer and suffered less breakages due to the warmer climate.

Marcius walked along the alley of Generals. It carried this name because it was lined with holographic sculptures of every great leader since the beginning of time. All the generals were handsome, carrying the traits of true Tulonians: sturdy, blond, blue-eyed, with snow-white skin. Marcius looked like them, but was different in principle. He walked past them quickly, head bent low, trying not to look at a single one. The culprit was the shame he felt before each of them. Many of the sculptures were erected to honor his ancestors - he belonged to one of the three ruling dynasties. On top of that, he was the last direct descendant of the Lauons, and for the first time in the history of his name, he'd been deprived not only of the right to run for ruler, but also to be a member of the Council of Twelve. And yet, he had no choice - he had to walk down this alley once again since it was the only one leading up to his house. Marcius could almost feel the majestic white faces frown and turn away just from the sound of his footsteps.

The house, which he inherited from his father, stood at the very top. It was bright and spacious, in the shape of a perfect cube, with square gardens on the inside, tiers descending towards the foundation, elliptical windows and gentle violet illumination along the hems. Despite the limited amount of space inside the city and its significant shortage of resources, the house was rich and spacious. Holograms of wolves shimmered along its four corners - the mythical patron animal of the house Lauon. Each of the noble military dynasties had their own, and why the Lauons had this one in particular Marcius did not know.     

No one had ever seen such an animal - not in this world or any of the others, and Marcius regarded the symbol of his house with indifference. However, it appeared on one other important object - a ring he wore on his finger. He did this not to honor his ancestors, but because such was the religious tradition of Tulona.

He stopped by the house. Many generations of Lauons had lived within these walls - felt happiness, pride, won great victories, told legends about them. But Marcius put it to a different use. He didn't feel worthy of such luxury, even though it was his by right. Instead, he turned it into a shelter for children whose parents, just like his own, had died in battle. He kept only a couple of rooms for himself in the rear end of the house and always used the back door, crossing paths with neither staff nor inhabitants. He felt more at peace in the small, isolated space, separate from the rest of the world.          

He was eager to be alone, but he saw that it would have to wait. On the doorstep sat his friend Karii, dozing in the shadows.

Karii was his only friend in the whole wide world. For reasons unknown, he remained incredibly loyal, ignoring any rumors and gossip that surrounded Marius.

For several moments Marcius stood and looked at his friend in silence, in no rush to rouse him, trying to guess what he'd been up to during his absence. Karii was dressed in everyday clothes, disheveled and slightly paler than usual. On his cheek a healing gash was still visible, left over from their last mission. Marcius hid a smile - Karii had tons of friends and hobbies as well as a girlfriend, and yet here he was, sitting at his doorstep, waiting faithfully, while the rest of the city relished in the last night of the holiday.   

Marcius tapped his shoulder.

Karii came to, startled at first, but soon recognized the tall figure rising above him as Marius, greeting him with a wide and genuine smile. He stood up briskly, hugged him and then in turn rebuked:

"Marcius, you devil! Everyone's been back for such a long time now, and where have you been?"

Marcius shrugged, putting his face to the sensor on the door so that it could read his retina. But before he could finish the activation, he felt his friend pull him back.

"No no, today you're having dinner with us!" he said firmly.

Marcius cast him a tired look and feebly shook his head.

“Let’s go! Gayla is finishing up earlier, and they've brought in some fresh seaweed from the fields! Come on!"   

For Marcius, the idea of running into Gayla, Karii's girlfriend, was not at all appealing. She disliked him quite openly, but he couldn't disappoint his friend with a refusal.

"Okay, but only for a bit," he timidly replied.

"We'll just pick her up from work, and then head over to my place!"

Gayla worked as an overseer in the observatory, in the department of external cosmic influence. She'd felt useless for a long time now, since there were no changes at all from day to day. For a long time now everything had been excruciatingly stable, and even though technically this was the goal, Gayla felt oppressed by such hyper-structured well being. It goes without saying that if any of the neighboring worlds were to impinge unto the Tulonian channels of information, or say, tried to unlawfully enter the space surrounding the planet, Gayla would be the first to know. If a meteor were to approach their world, it would be her duty to immediately let everyone know. On top of that, she also had to report any changes in the activity of the main star of the Seven Worlds. But for three years now, from the moment she had taken up this post, nothing had happened. Many made fun of her and joked that this was due to her stern and watchful eye, but Gayla did not lose vigilance and continued to do her job accurately and responsibly - after all, these were the very traits that landed her the job in the first place.

When the two pilots passed through the protective shield of her laboratory, she didn't even turn, so as not to get distracted from the images on her screens.

"Wait by the entrance" she said sternly.

But neither Marcius nor Karii heeded her request. A screen display of potentially dangerous asteroids had already captured Marcius' attention. He'd encountered several of them in real life, and on some he'd even landed his ship. On the screen, however, they looked completely different.

Like many others, this observatory was powered by Tulona's magnetic field, and for this reason many of its devices were made of magnetized liquid metals.  

Marcius' wandering gaze fixated upon the most important thing amidst the seven worlds - quite rightfully, this was Onyx. It shone bright and merciless, scorching like a flame. It was a regular red dwarf, the most common type of star in their galaxy, but labeled as "main object" on the screen, it seemed extraordinary, as if there were no others like it in the whole entire universe.

Gayla turned to face Marius and Karii, and immediately froze. The alarm signal went off. The monitors started to melt apart, the space of the room got distorted. Some of the wall barriers cracked and crashed to the floor with a clatter, wounding several people. The shiny smooth surface of the walls rippled and boiled over, and the liquid amalgam lining of the ceiling swirled around in a spiral and burst forth in thin needles. The sensors and devices surrounding Gayla went haywire. The liquid in the magnetic meters climbed up the columns. The one closest to her burst from the pressure, staining her shoes. Her frightened screams were mixed in with the metallic buzz of malfunction. Rushing over to the panel of direct contact, deafened by the sudden onset of otherworldly ringing, he discovered, much to her horror, that she was unable to reach headquarters

"It's coming from outside – it's an attack!" She said decisively, having analyzed the readings on the screen, and pushed Marcius towards the exit.  

Gayla realized that if she couldn't transmit the message herself, then Marcius was the only one present that could make a run to headquarters in person and relay what had happened. He still had direct access, even after being degraded. Marcius ran out onto the street. He was met with glitches all around. The lanes lined up along the lines of the magnetic field had collapsed. The citizens' flying capsules were swept up by the chaos. Some collided in midair and fell into the icy lake below, and the multilayer overpasses mixed among themselves. It was as if an enormous magnet hung over their city, massive enough to overthrow the structure of Tulona's magnetic field.     

It was useless to try and take the capsule, so Marcius ran on foot, jumping from bridge to bridge, heading towards the base of the tower of Council.   

The main headquarters were located in a white building shaped like a slanted cube, raised above the city by three giant spikes. It was the most elevated point of their world. Only the emergency elevators remained functional – they were powered by hydraulics, not magnetism. The others stood motionless with people trapped inside. Marcius traced his finger along the shiny smooth panel all the way to the top, indicating the direction of movement.

Having reached the last tier, he ran out into the hall. He kept going past the checkpoint without identifying himself, hearing a string of intergalactic swear words behind him as well as some gunshots. But he didn't stop, he only ran faster. Security had recognized him – otherwise he would have been dead. He stopped at the end of the hall.

He threw the door wide open and immediately came face to face with all eleven members of the council. The round table spiraled down in steps, going from member to member. Marcius' rightful place, the twelfth one, was still empty. General Indro, the gray-haired ruler of their world, stood behind the top step of the table. Across from him lay a communication device, now rendered completely useless. He looked worried, and his eyes betrayed a lack of understanding. Was the malfunction a result of internal glitches in the city's systems or was this an attack? This was the main question on everyone's mind.   

"The force is coming from outside!" Marcius yelled, not waiting for permission to speak. 

Indro dropped his head, sharply and with disdain. The thought of yet another war was too much for him to bear.

 "Raise all defenses to the maximum!" he barked.

Not wasting any time, he activated the table. It instantly transformed into a cascade of control panels.

The council members directed the whole army to the external border, closed off all exposed water and fields, hid zones with cities and provinces under invisible electric domes, setting them to the highest pressure. All the residential areas were transferred into night mode in an effort to save energy and lower the chances of being detected. Neither one of the two satellites could be reached. Kata and Aiax were silent.     

They spent several minutes in complete silence, watching. All of a sudden the impulsator on Indro's table came to life, which was the main mode of communication in the underground world. Like a chain reaction, signals started coming in all along the table, to the other impulsators. 

"The connection's back!" Marcius exclaimed.

"Yes", the general confirmed sternly, accepting the signal.

Gayla's face, illuminated by blue beams, appeared above the surface of the table. She expertly hid her worry, speaking calmly and clearly, as was her manner.

"We have been rushed by an immensely strong magnetic wind. The magnetic field of our planet was unable to withstand it and let it through. For a time, the magnetic poles and lines of power were disturbed."

"Have you identified the source of the turbulence?" Indro asked.

Gayla paused.

"Who??" yelled Indro. 

"We haven't identified the source of the turbulence. Nothing of this sort has ever happened in the history of our city, but we're working on it," she said, justifying herself.

Indro threw the impulsator off to the side and collapsed in his chair, exasperated. Of course the primary suspects were the Krameans, their main enemy. Silence ensued at the table. No one wanted war.  

"The magnetic shields at the orbits are up and running again," reported one of the generals. "What will you have us do, sir?"

"Keep all defenses up on maximum until we can get to the bottom of this," General Indro commanded.

"That will come at a great cost," another general warned him, referring to the consumption of energy.

"The lives of my citizens are more important," Indro said reproachfully. "Everyone's free to go!"

The room quickly emptied. Marcius turned his back to Indro and took a couple of steps towards the exit when the general called after him:

"Everyone except for you."

Marcius turned and looked at him apologetically. For many months now he'd carefully avoided the ruler, but this time he wasn't getting out of it. 

 Come closer," he said, softer this time.

Marcius came up to the table, coming to a stop across from him. He could barely look him in the eyes. Just as before, he was petrified by an overwhelming sense of shame.

"How are you doing?" Indro asked.

Marcius gave a deep sigh. 

The general was still kind to him, even though he didn't deserve it. Several years ago, Marcius committed a serious transgression, and ever since then has not been able to justify himself. He'd stolen a spacecraft and wanted to fly off in search of his cherished world, the one he'd seen in his visions, but he was stopped, punished, and afterwards degraded to the rank of a common pilot. Since the death of Marcius' parents, Indro's family had brought him up as one of their own, up until he reached adulthood. Only his connection to general Indro had saved him from being exiled into satellite prison on Aiax.       

"Are you still haunted by your visions?" the general quietly asked.

"No," Marius replied dryly, lowering his eyes to the floor.

The ruler smiled deviously.

"You always lower your eyes when you lie. So they're still with you," he concluded.  

"I know the lengths you went to in order to try and help me," muttered Marius, quietly and stiffly. "But it was all in vain, I'm sorry. The visions come to me daily. They've only gotten stronger – more bright and colourful."   

"I'd like to admit," declared the general with unexpected straightforwardness, "I'd really want for your visions to be an actual world and not a figment of your imagination. For if they are to be trusted, this world of yours is perfectly suited for humans."

"Perfectly," Marcius repeated after him.  

"But there's nothing to suggest that it's real," said the general with a shrug.

"Yes, I have no proof, but I feel it," said Marcius, "It's hard for me to explain, but I just know!"

"It would be very useful for us if it were true. The cities are getting older, the systems are crumbling, the development of the planet is coming along too slowly, and your world would be just the thing. But I can't just let you blindly wander off into the unknown," said the general.

Marcius' whole demeanor wilted. "If only there was proof," he thought.  

"It's probably very far away, seeing as we've already explored all the nearby systems, and none of them are suitable for us," Marcius suggested. "If only you'd send me off to search," he pleaded.

"I can't send you on a search, but I'll have to send you off elsewhere" said the general. There's fantasy, and then there are problems of vital importance. What happened today is clearly the work of our enemies.    

"Where are you sending me?" asked Marcius. 

"If we can't determine the cause of the malfunction ourselves, then our agents will help us. I'll send people to the stations and to other worlds. You'll be dealing with one of our most difficult contacts. It's your chance to redeem yourself. If you manage, then I'll reestablish you in the Council."

Marcius was paying close attention. He did want to receive a second chance and return to the Council. Indro continued:

"There is a person that can tell us who attacked us today. He is an old man named Iza. He is a spy, a runaway criminal from Iona. He's been with us for a long time. Have you heard of him?"

Marcius was taken aback by the question. Old man Iza was famous – all the military on Tulona knew who he was. He was wanted on all seven planets.

"I've heard of him," Marcius replied.

"Then you probably know how hard he is to find."  

Marcius nodded. The general continued.

"Ionian forces have located him on Girius, and asked for our help to catch him. Your job is not only to find him, but to turn him in. The old man betrayed Tulona! We found out that he was selling sensitive information to the Krameans."

Marcius was filled with anger towards the old man. Anyone that collaborated with the Krameans was a personal enemy of his.

The general noticed the blood rushing to his face and smiled.

"Don't forget to find out the identity of the attacker, and then eliminate the criminal yourself or give him up to the Ionians. If they find him first, then ask for a chance to speak with him. For that we've already been granted permission."

Marcius made sure to remember everything. On Iona, the old man had been sentenced to death. One way or another, death awaited him.

"I won't let you down," he replied.

"You and your partner are flying out tomorrow at dawn. Headquarters will provide you with any additional information," Indro commanded, and waved his hand towards the door.

Marcius bowed and left. By partner Indro was referring to Karii, but he didn't bother to remember the name. Karii wasn't a member of the ruling dynasties and so was of no interest to the general. Nonetheless, ever since childhood, it was Karii that was Marius was always paired up with, and together they had already completed more than one hundred missions. Karii's parents were also in the military, although not part of the elite. It made no difference, really – the main thing was that they were alive and loved him.   

As soon as Marcius left the general, he headed in the direction of the observatory, knowing that his friend would not have left Gayla all by herself in such a difficult time. All around him he could see traces of the recent malfunction. In pitch darkness, the citizens were collecting fragments of capsules from the streets and fishing them out of the lake. The capsules were structured in a very particular way. A round core on the inside could fit either two or four people, and on the outside it was coated with a thick layer of ferromagnetic liquid, held flush to the core by magnetic forces. When the capsules were still they looked like a glittering silver orb, and when moving – like a drop of liquid. Broken ones looked like a pile of scrap metal in a puddle of mercury, as was the case for most on this particular evening. People collected the ferromagnetic liquid into containers, lighting their way with rays of white light. The city remained in a state of emergency - a wise decision, since no one knew if the strange force was to return.  

Karii stood solemnly by the door. Seeing Marius, he cheered up, but nonetheless started off with a complaint:

"She kicked me out!"

"Don't bother her now, her career is hanging by a thread," said Marcius.

"Did Indro say anything about her?" his friend asked anxiously.

"No – but you know what happens to those that disappoint him," Marcius replied, and then added," Come on, we need to get a good night's sleep. We leave tomorrow at dawn!"

"We got assigned a mission?" Karii asked cautiously.

"Yes, and not just any mission! But all that tomorrow. Now – sleep!"

Not wasting any more energy or words, they both went home. Ari was all stirred up and excited that night, and few could sleep, but Marcius was no stranger to such conditions. He was used to stress and could make himself fall asleep in any situation. The magnetic attack did not seem any worse than any previous one – on the contrary, it was even elegant in its own way. The enemy's weapons continued to evolve, forcing everyone to tread the difficult and inhumane path of progress.     

The planet Krama. Several hours later.

Krama at this time of year was overwhelmingly hot. Only a little more and it would seem like the hollow pyramid, that was the main dome of the city, was to c***k from the dryness and crumble down onto the millions of townspeople below, but no – the rock was used to such high temperatures and could withstand for many seasons more.

An old Kramean woman sat in the middle of a temple, her eyes never leaving the reflective orb in front of her. With a blue hood over her head, hunched over and perfectly still, she looked exceptionally focused. The bright red sky was refracted by the pyramid, and its light was cast onto the woman. She squinted, but continued to look. Even the black lizards crawling at the top, their paws tapping along the glass, were unable to break her concentration. Marcius was already close to the solution, and this caused her to rejoice. She watched him with great pleasure.          

She ran a withered old hand down the smooth surface, fishing out any news regarding the talented Tulonian. The description of his latest visions entranced her. The faraway world presented itself to him even more beautifully, so fully and clearly that she trembled with emotion.   

"Tatida!" She heard her pupil calling her.

"Quiet," she whispered, still glued to the scene in front of her. "Just look at him! What do you think?"

She beckoned Atla to come over, giving her a clear view of their hero's face, his eyes and his smile.  

Her headpiece swaying side to side, the girl looked into the crystal and froze. Marcius had indeed grown up. He had the same white locks and snowy skin, but the cheekbones, the brows, the lines of his face had transformed and strengthened. He reminded of a sculpture, seemed hard like ice, was tall, but well-proportioned. The long fingers, strong wrists, raised veins protruding through the skin, shoulders and musculature – everything was now perfect.   

Tatida watched with enjoyment as her pupil grew more and more captivated by the Tulonian warrior. She nodded her head approvingly, quietly thinking something over. She read the delighted thoughts of the girl, and with a smile caught every glance she cast in his direction.   

"How is it possible to possess such strength and beauty and to be so unhappy and unsure of yourself?" Atla would say with exasperation, coming closer to the image of his eyes. There wasn't anyone quite as beautiful in their city, or quite as talented. Had he been born in their city with such extraordinary abilities, he would have lived like a king.

Marcius' blue eyes did indeed radiate a sort of sadness. He was lost and unhappy, which made the Kramean priestess all the more eager to help him open up and rise above himself.   

"He'll be with us very soon, the time has come!" the old woman said with confidence, hugging her pupil by the shoulders.