Relief at the chance of escaping their pursuers gave Kara a boost of energy, but the sight that met her eyes as they ran out of the tunnel brought her to a standstill. The cave was immense, but sitting smack bang in the center, its hull as clean and pristine as if it had just been built, was an intergalactic starship.
Rishi lurched to a stop beside her. "The Artefact!” He repeated it several times. "The Artefact. The Artefact."
Kara’s eyes opened wide in wonder. The ship was enormous. Far bigger than any of the vids she'd seen of the Triumvirate's interstellar vehicles which passed through their quadrant on regular visits. Like the mother ship that had brought the colonists, and was still parked in orbit, those space transports never went planet-side. Built in space, they stayed and were dismantled there when they finished their working lives.
What was this amazing craft doing down here? Even with her little knowledge of starship technology, she could see how sleek and superior its design was compared to the ships her people had developed. Was this the origin of the Maruts’ myths regarding their arrival on this world? If it was, then their stories could well be rooted in truth. It didn't appear as if anyone had been here for who knew how long. The vessel itself showed no signs of damage or deterioration. She made to move toward the alien craft.
"No!" Rishi snapped out of his trance and yanked her to a halt. "This is the Artefact."
"Okay, it's the Artefact. I get that. But it's either this… this Artefact or the angry Maruts chasing us. What is the Artefact?"
He waved his hand at the ship. "This is what brought my race from certain death to life here on this planet. We give thanks to this creature which gave us life."
That sounded like a learned response to Kara. "You consider it alive? A creature? A living being?" Maybe whoever had built this marvel had programmed it to respond to the needs of the passengers? Generations later, this could easily have translated into a belief that the ship was a god—an all-powerful being who gave them life. Yes, that would ensure the Artefact remained hidden and untouched. To be the first colonist to prove the myths of a race had its origins in facts—that would be a brilliant achievement. The chance of discovering new technology was high. Kara blew out a breath of excitement, and glanced behind her. No sign of their pursuers yet. "Can we go inside and explore?"
"Go inside?" Rishi was horrified, and a look she was becoming familiar with appeared on his face; the ‘what I say goes and don't try to get around me’ expression he got when he'd made his mind up about something. "No! It is forbidden."
Yes, and there was the ‘don't argue with me ’cause you'll get nowhere’ tone that accompanied the look.
He maintained his grip on her arm.
"But who will find out?" She wasn't above wheedling. "No one's here but us."
A loud crack sounded above them, and they both jumped as a hail of small rocks struck them. A cloud of dust followed.
"We have disturbed the Artefact," Rishi murmured to himself, "we must leave." He turned back toward the entrance. A second crack, the ground shifted, and they staggered.
"What's happening?" Kara yelled as the air darkened and another crack appeared, slicing through the cave rock far above them. The black line fractured, ran and joined other fissures till a maze of ruptures decorated the roof in front of their disbelieving eyes. A bigger tremor struck, and they watched a wave roll toward them, the crest lifting the floor under their feet as it passed.
"The Ancients are angry. We have intruded." He pulled her close. His pupils dilated, and his breathing quickened as shock wave after shock wave passed through the mountain.
A number of smart responses jumped to mind, but she kept her mouth shut, and scanned the walls of the cavern. "Isn't there any other way out?"
Keeping hold of her arm, he moved toward the colossal spacecraft, where there was plenty of room under its curving surface to give protection.
"Maybe on the far side," he said, pulling her under the vast silvery hull.
"We should shelter in it." She told him struggling to keep up and keep her footing as he dragged her along.
"Forbidden!"
Was there no arguing with these people and their rules? Would they rather die than break any of their precious decrees? His answer didn't make any sense, but there wasn't time to argue her case.
The immensity of the vessel loomed over them as they ran underneath. Another jolt, another shudder and a low growl began deep within the earth. They froze.
"Look," Rishi pointed.
She turned and her eyes widened as two Marut tribesmen appeared at the tunnel entrance. They looked ferocious with their leather shields, and weapons bristling from their backs like spine beetles as they searched for the intruders.
Kara backed behind Rishi as the men espied them. They brandished their weapons, and ran yelling and screaming toward them.
"Are they the Maruts you mentioned?" Her voice wavered, small and thin. Which would kill them first, the mountain or the Maruts?
More convulsions as chunks of the cavern's roof collapsed with a reverberating boom, throwing up dust and fragments. For the first time their pursuers recognized the danger and turned to flee back to the safety of the tunnel.
Kara and Rishi, staying under the vast benign bulk of the ship, dashed around to the other side, out of sight from their stalkers.
"Look! Nothing’s hitting the Artefact," Kara yelled, grabbing onto Rishi as more seizures shook the cave.
"What?" he screamed as the deafening roar of falling rubble drowned her words.
Rishi looked up at the Artifact looming above them.
Kara suspected a force field that stretched underneath was in place as the ground remained clear of cracks and fissures for a short distance beyond the ship,
The earthquake was over as abruptly as it began. The mountain creaked and groaned, a battered old man brought to his knees.
Kara and Rishi remained protected from the catastrophe; the same couldn't be said for the cavern. The tunnel had led them deep under the mountain, and a large section of the cave roof had fallen in, depositing enough boulder-ridden earth to bury them if they'd been standing anywhere else. The cavern was half filled with debris with a defined space bare of rubble around the spaceship.
"Do you think they’re dead?" she asked.
Rishi shrugged. "They may have made it to the tunnel, but that might have collapsed as well.”
"Now what?" Kara sagged to the floor, unable to stand up any longer. How were they going to get out now? Surely any other exit would be buried?
Rishi sat beside her. "Gradhaig, you are in shock. The Artefact will show us. We are the innocents here." Scratches covered his face, and blood trickled down his forehead where falling rubble had struck before they made it to safety. His eyes were dark gold in his grime-covered face.
Any other time he'd have had her sympathy, but these days, she saved her pity for herself. She'd been torn away from everything she knew, seduced, forced into an arranged partnership, kidnapped, chased and terrorized. He could shift for himself. Nonetheless, a pang went through her as she watched him, his face full of wonder as he gazed up at the ship. She couldn't imagine what it was like to come face to face with a god you worshipped. Her people had no gods. They were ruled by rational logic. Gods had never intervened and saved them from any of the awful crises that had plagued humanity since it had dragged itself kicking and screaming out of the mud. She cleared her throat before asking softly, "How will the spaceship, sorry, I mean the Artefact show us if we are outside?"
He looked awry at her. "Spaceship? You think the Artefact travels between stars?"
"Yes, I do." She stood and walked underneath the vessel until she could reach up and tap the hull. "Listen," she rapped a few more times, "And if you think about it, it fits with the history of your people."
"This is not a god?"
Oh, no! What had she done? A basic tenet of colonization was you never ever destroyed the beliefs of the indigenous natives until they w
ere ready to believe in something else—science, technology, evolution whatever. She sat still for a moment struck by the fact that she no longer thought of Rishi as a primitive Marut. He was Rishi, a clever, strong-willed, rebellious young man—and her husband according to his traditions, even if they'd not had any formal ceremony yet. "I'm sorry, yes, of course this is a god, but think about it. If we could speak with it, him, her, we can ask it to show us how to get out of here."
Chapter Fifteen: The Artefact
Marut Proverb:
Finding that which was lost takes perseverance.
“Where's the entrance?” Kara walked underneath the spaceship looking for the outline of a panel or anything to indicate an opening.
Rishi watched her, his expression halfway between awe and dismay as if he’d found her chomping on a piece of raw kallin meat.
Kara found nothing but smooth matte silver gray metal from one end to the other. Rishi followed her as she examined every bit of the underside. Of the Marut warriors who'd pursued them, there was no sign. “There must be a way of getting in,” Kara insisted, re-examining the underside. “Open,” she shouted hopefully, first in Marut, and then, just on the off chance, in Universal. No response.
“F'talah!” Rishi, emboldened by her example, spoke with authority and grinned at her. “It’s from an ancient prayer. They use the same words, but older versions of the ones we use today.” They waited. Nothing.
Whatever method used to gain entry in the past, appeared lost. If they managed to somehow or other break out from under the mountain of earth that had just buried them, if she could mark the location of this particular mountain, if she got back to her people, and if she could return with a team and equipment to investigate, someone would figure how to gain entrance. At the least they'd have the equipment to force an entry. But it was a dauntingly long list of ifs.
A hissing noise started, stopped, and restarted. It sounded like a piece of equipment that hadn't been used for a long time and ended with a loud click.
She glanced up, her eyes wide with astonishment, and pointed. “Rishi—look! It heard you.”
Rishi's jaw dropped as a section of the hull slid aside, and a set of stairs descended toward the ground. He dropped to his knees, put his hands together in supplication, and started mumbling to himself.
“Get up,” she yanked at his sleeve. “Your god calls. He’s answered you. Please, let's get inside before he changes his mind.” A tinge of guilt bruised her conscience. She was taking advantage of his beliefs. She wasn’t sure whether it was better to mock them or knock them down. The one thing she did know was that this was too good an opportunity to pass up, and they’d have a better chance inside than outside. If the way to open the ship still worked, maybe the communication system would too, and she'd be able to contact the base. “Rishi, come on!”
Rishi allowed her to drag him toward the gleaming smooth metal steps. Whatever the composition of this metal, like that of the tunnel walls and the wells, it appeared unaffected by time. The colony's scientists would have a field day if they could take this spacecraft apart.
Kara climbed first, but she kept Rishi close, pulling him with her. She didn't want to risk the door closing after she went inside.
No sooner had the two of them entered when the panel closed with an almost silent hiss. They stood in total and utter blackness, but within the space of a breath, diffused lighting came to life along the ceiling and they stared at each other in alarm as they saw two long corridors, one to the left, and the other to the right, leading off into the distance.
She gripped Rishi's hand. This was new territory for her too. She was descended from spacefarers, but had been born planet-side, and never yet traveled in interstellar space herself. The air, like the silence, had a stale quality to it. How long had it been since anybody walked these passageways?
“Now what?” Rishi whispered as they looked from one corridor to the other.
“Tell it we need something to eat and drink,” Kara muttered.
Rishi giggled.
“Pull yourself together,” she whispered, exasperated by his reaction.
“I can't ask it that!” He burst into fits of laughter. After a few minutes, he controlled himself, and wiped his eyes. “We have many prayers handed down from the Ancients. Ikeya has recently begun teaching me. But I'm positive none of them include asking for food and water, although he said every single one starts with the same phrase.”
“How do I know what your prayers signify?” Kia snorted. “We have none.”
They were no longer whispering. Rishi's giggles had broken the spell entering the ancient vessel had laid on them.
He gaped at her. “You don't pray?” He was incredulous, as if this was the greatest foolishness he'd ever heard.
“No, and let's not discuss my lack of faith. Just try it and see what happens.” She understood how prayer offered comfort in a simplistic world view, and she would never admit it to anyone, certainly not to Rishi, but a little comforting in the recent past would have been welcome. Her people's view of the universe explained life as a biological imperative to expand and progress—an urge that began at the cellular level. Everything else was secondary. “Is there more of that ancient prayer?”
Rishi thought for a few seconds, his brow furrowing as he sought to remember. “Ah, I've got it.” He raised his hands and gazed up at the ceiling, breathed in and intoned in a deep sonorous tone, “F'talah ya'alamein kharishnah.” He repeated the phrase several times.
They didn't have to wait long. The lights in the left passage dimmed, and the ones on their right pulsed in long slow bursts. The vessel appeared programmed to respond to spoken commands, but in an ancient language where Rishi had learned a single phrase.
“Can you translate the prayer?” Kara asked padding behind him.
“Open the way to our deliverance. At least that's what Ikeya told me. He knows many prayers in the ancient language—every adult male does.”
Kara digested this in silence. If the ship ran on verbal commands, incorporating those commands into prayers was an ingenious method to make sure your descendants didn't forget the words. She wasn't too happy about the fact he said adult men. Why not the women too? “Do you know what any of the other prayers mean?”
“No. We're not taught the prayers until twenty-three cycles have passed.”
Note to self, thought Kara. Twenty-three is when a Marut male is considered sufficiently mature to learn to pray, but he can have sex, marry and procreate before he's an adult. Hah! Our rules make more sense. Mentally she began ticking off a list. For starters, having sex isn't a crime for which you can be sentenced to death if you didn't wish to be stuck with the same person for life because of an isolated incident. For life! Her anger at the situation she felt she’d been engineered into continued to be a raw spot.
Two. Eighteen, as among her people, was a far more suitable age to be recognized as an adult. You had finished your basic training, and your abilities indicated what branch of work you'd choose as your specialty. You entered a relationship contract if that's what you wanted, although most waited till their early twenties, and you could have children—according to the limitations of the planet you inhabited. Some encouraged procreation; others limited it according to the wealth and resources available. The comparisons were endless. And, in her opinion, each and every one came down in the Triumvirate’s favor. The Maruts were primitive barbarians who lived in a rigid backward society. Why then does it feel more real than your own life? the bothersome voice in her head asked. She ignored the question, and packed it away with her exasperation with Rishi and the Maruts over this marriage thing, next to the fear she'd felt while wondering if she would die in the well, and her grief over her mother's death. She squished them all into a small place at the back of her mind. Maybe when this was over, she'd think about submitting a request for a psych session and deal with the lot in one go.
The corridor curved, and Kara realized they were following the sha
pe of the hull. They rounded a bend and the corridor opened into a large space filled with shining, clean, dust-free metal tables and benches.
“This looks like a communal hall. Your ancestors would have sat here to eat.”
Rishi's expression had resumed the blankness he'd shown when they first saw the interstellar craft.
She dug her elbow in his ribs. “How many people do you think could fit in here?”
“Our whole tribe would fill half this space and we number less than two hundred. My entire life I've heard myths and legends, but they’re not stories, they’re real. This is where my people were born. My people as they are today, not as they once were. From here we set out and made Hamarkhis ours. Then forgot where we came from.” His shoulders heaved with emotion.
She watched him wrestle with this new understanding of his world, and thought he was doing well, considering what he was coming to terms with. But what did he mean by being born here? Genetic engineering to ensure survival? “It must have been a long time ago. Once your people left the shelter of the ship, they would have started a new life. Over a long period of time, of retelling the story, they forgot its origins. Maybe it was too painful to remember and forgetting everything was easier than remembering how you once possessed knowledge that enabled you to cross interstellar space...”
“The stories claim forgetting was a deliberate decision.”
“Why? Why would you forget such incredible knowledge and return to scratching a survival from the planet?”
Another vague half-formed thought edged toward crystallization. One of the original team to discover the planet had called it the pretty planet because of the symmetry of the ecosystems. As if the planet had been terraformed. Kara thought of the wells providing water for the annual journey to the Meet. The Maruts didn’t possess that kind of technology, but the race that had flown this interstellar craft certainly would have.
Veiled Planet (Hidden World Trilogy Book 1) Page 13
