CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One: The Last Living Ship ∞ 1: A New Mission

30 ∞ An Appearance

Day 00006 Mission Nilex

Several moments passed before Ayla could bring herself back to the ground. She turned to her assistants. Nura was looking up, following the sweeping arc of the ceiling.

"This is huge!" she exclaimed. "How are we going to lay out a grid pattern for logging our specimens?"

Canaisis' voice carried through the air. "I can help with that. The picnic table is at the center of the Garden. You can set up from there."

Nura and Lina looked to Ayla, and she stepped forward onto the dirt, following the trail into the vegetation. They followed her with the cargo plate close behind. One of the tiny drone globes, a soft yellow one, led the way ahead of Ayla.

When they came through the last of the trees, the grassy area opened up before them. In the middle, the Scarlet Oak tree stood tall over the picnic table. Lina and Nura halted, staring at it. Ayla continued onward, and the women caught up with her as she reached the table.

Ayla pointed to a spot beside the table. "Sadiki. Here, please."

The cargo plate moved around the two assistants and settled at the spot Ayla had indicated. She started taking sample cases off and setting them on the table. Lina moved in to help while Nura opened one on the table and examined it.

"Canaisis?" said Ayla as she opened up a sample case herself. "You said you could help with setting up a grid pattern?"

"Yes, Ayla. Observe."

The three women turned to find drone globes arranging themselves above and in the plant growth. Above the trees, glowing blue globes formed equally spaced lines in the air, others at chest and ground level. Before too long, the small globes had positioned themselves so that different colored lines formed a luminous grid at three levels across the vegetation.

Ayla acted nonplussed as she handed Lina a specimen case and a pad. The last time she'd been here had been with Gareth, and it was coloring her thoughts. She strengthened her mental walls and focused on the here and now. "The blue line leads back to the door we entered. Work your way on the left and Nura will cover the right side of the room. I don't see us getting more than half of this room done today. I'll go record the sensors I set up last night and relocate them. Canaisis will answer any questions so don't be afraid to ask."

Lina looked puzzled at Ayla's serious behavior.

"Go," said Ayla. "Explore, take samples, and find something to bring back or Ahmid will be quite disappointed. Start at the tree line."

Lina smiled at Ayla's words, then met Nura's gaze. With cases in hand, the two women walked back the way they came, following the dotted blue line.

Glad to be alone, Ayla picked up a case and approached the Oak Tree. Its trunk was as wide as her arm span, she noted as she knelt before it and rested a hand on the bark. Calming her mind, she settled her thoughts, then closed her eyes. Opening all her senses, giving the Universe a chance to fill her, she waited to see what the Universe would show her.

Gradually, the feeling of pain came to her, tiredness, a desire to lie down and let it all end. She also perceived a sense of duty, a purpose that could not accept giving up, no matter the cost. Beneath that, a source of comfort, a source coming from outside, offering strength and companionship.

Now her feelings shifted. She felt gratitude towards the outside source of comfort, gratitude that it supplied strength to keep going. She sensed love, and that love kept the darkness at bay. A darkness created from betrayal, a sense of painful loss, and finally a righteous anger that bordered upon hate.