…
With a gasp, Oonak once again found himself lying on his bunk within the royal stasis cube, a place he hadn’t seen in what felt like months. He propped himself up and looked around, appraising the purple support beams of the bunk matrix with new eyes.
He leaned back onto the bunk and pressed a small button. After a few seconds, a robotic arm appeared and pulled his bunk out above the sorting hall and gracefully lowered him down to the floor.
Gradually, Oonak sat up and stepped out of the bunk.
His legs felt weak, and he wondered if he’d perhaps been too diligent in his Mirage duties. It had been too long since he’d focused on his physical body.
His stomach gurgled so loudly that anyone nearby would have heard it. “Definitely too long.”
He walked past dozens of bunk rows to a container at the far end of the room. And for the first time in days, he ate. The ambrosia was powerful, but it could not replace food forever.
Feeling refreshed, he closed the container and set out into the hall. Behind him, he thought he heard the sound of the robotic arm spring to life again to retrieve someone else.
He didn’t have time to see who it was and made his way to the right, following a network of paths past rows of the long, cubic buildings. His walk became a run as he neared the far end of the chamber where the guests were kept.
Oonak stopped. Ahead, the door into the next cube was open. With hesitation he took a few steps and turned.
Inside, a narrow hall led straight ahead, and standing in the center of it was a young man with blond hair and a young woman wearing a familiar maroon uniform.
A wide smile filled Oonak’s face as he ran over to them.
They embraced him with open arms, hugging him tightly. Oonak had no words left, and none of them spoke for some time. Somehow, their impossible mission was over. They had struck a fatal blow to multiple Vakragha factions, and for a few moments they all basked in the relief that they had survived through it all.
BZZT. BZZT. BZZT.
Oonak glanced down to his wristcomm, reading a short message rendered in crisp white text.
“The Confederation congratulates us on completing our mission successfully.” A feeling of bewilderment mixed with surprise in Oonak’s heart. “I can’t believe it. The Confederation says our battle groups have detected Vakragha attack fleets all across the galaxy, but they’re in shambles. Their gravity bending ability seems to be severely weakened, almost as if separate factions feed off of each other…” He trailed off for a second. “Anyway, the Confederation battle groups are making headway, pushing them back into their dark dominion.” A wave of emotion threatened to overtake him, and he wiped a tear away from his face.
Oonak put his hands on their shoulders.
“How about I get you back to Avani, Zahn? And where should I drop you off, Asha?”
She smiled shyly, slipping her palm into Zahn’s. “Someone once told me to trust my gut, my head, and my heart. And in this case, all three of them agree. Ashraya sounds wonderful.”
Zahn blinked in elation. “You remembered.”
“Like you said, they all have something valuable to say, and I feel congruent about staying. That is, if we actually get a break from all these Confederation missions. I’d say we’ve earned it.”
Oonak smiled. “As would I.”
A tear trickled down Zahn’s face, and Asha’s eyes widened in concern. “Are you okay, Zahn?”
“Yes,” he said. “For the first time in years, I think I am.”
He spread his arms and embraced both of them, tears filling his eyes.
A short time later, they reprised their familiar stations within Navika. Even the jagrul flew up to Asha’s shoulder and nibbled on her ear, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
Zahn chuckled. “I wish I had my photodisc, because you guys are adorable.”
She squinted back to him. “You try holding back a laugh when this thing gets to you.”
“Are you two ready?” Oonak called down to them from the command chair. He was oddly comforted by his old station. Seeing all of Navika’s data once again overlaid on his vision was soothing, like he was putting on an old uniform that fit him perfectly. “Liftoff in 10. Stay sharp.”
Gradually, he lifted off, kicking up dust all around the ship, and soon they were cruising over the familiar ruddy mountain ranges of Tavisi. In a blink of his eyes, he made the floor transparent once more, and Asha’s gaze drifted down to the landscape below.
“Look!” Asha said, pointing to a grassy cliff that overlooked the sea. “There’s the lookout point where the sunset suite was. Or is, I mean.”
Zahn turned around. “Oonak, what do you think will happen now? Shouldn’t we have stayed and helped them reorganize or find a new Empress?”
“Zahn, after all we’ve been through, do I really need to explain Spacefarer code to you again?”
Asha turned around. “Well, that’s just it. Seems like a lot of what the Confederation does ends up violating the code in the end. Even your presence on Tavisi disturbed their society. And now their Empress is dead. After all that’s happened, I can’t help but feel that they’ve been thrown into chaos.”
Outside, the blue of the sky grew darker and darker until they were wrapped in a blanket of stars once more.
“Not quite dead, Asha,” he said, his eyes darting around as he spoke, no doubt processing the wealth of data Navika was showing him. “And don’t worry. I have word that a new empress has been selected, and unlike Amaraloka, I think she will find a balance, perhaps even restore the ecosystem after all.”
“Already?” Zahn said.
“Have you so quickly forgotten the time dilation? Within the Mirage, days have passed since we defeated the Empress, and I have it on good authority that the Royal Committee for the Environment is taking Jyana’s findings seriously. News of her research is spreading, and her memories are being shared like wildfire. The game is changing, Zahn.”
“And to think I was surprised that the Empress preferred to stay out of the public eye.” Asha shook her head. “Now it makes perfect sense. Less exposure, less chance a secret will get out.”
“Perhaps,” Oonak continued, “but we know all too well how difficult it is to keep secrets in the Mirage for long.”
“What about the Kiss of Life?” Asha said. “If Durazha had it on the ship, isn’t it still on Agnira? Shouldn’t we go back to retrieve it?”
Oonak furrowed his eyebrows. “No. I’ve received no new objectives from the Confederation, so I would surmise that they’re sending a reconnaissance ship first to ascertain the status of the planet. And with the size of that tower, the stone is probably buried under hundreds of meters of rubble.”
“Yeah,” Zahn nodded. “And like you said, Asha, we’ve certainly earned some time off by now.”
Concern passed over Asha’s face. “And even if one of the Vakragha on Agnira somehow survived all that, they would be powerless now, right Oon?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “They would be without a ship or a way to communicate. Even if Durazha somehow survived, she would be trapped on that world. And to her, that might be a fate worse than death.”
“And to think that if we’d never gone to the Island of Forever, none of this would have happened.” Asha blinked, lost in thought. “We never would have found the Kiss of Life—never would have learned the power of bringing all three together.”
“Difficult to say,” Oonak replied. “Sometimes the connections are only clear in retrospect.”
“Well, it’s clear to me that they should honor Torin,” Zahn said. “Without his sacrifice, I don’t know what would have happened. After all the trouble he caused, he redeemed himself.”
“Do you think he’ll ever find his way home?” Asha said.
“One way or another, I expect he will.” Oonak said. “After all, he’s not alone out there.”
“There’s only one thing that bothers me,” Asha continued. “Shouldn’t we return the j
agrul? After all, the Council of Amithya did say they wanted it back.”
A wide smile spread across Oonak’s face once more. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you, they want us to keep it. Seems the jagrul enjoys our adventures, and it gives the council a valuable window into our status.”
Asha turned around, a bewildered look across her face. “You mean they can see through its eyes?”
“Yes,” Oonak nodded.
“I just hope the Tavisians can find harmony with their environment.” Zahn noticed a familiar swirling vortex ahead and turned to Asha. “It’s your original home, after all, and it would be a shame to see it suffer.”
“Yet that is not our choice, Zahn,” Oonak said. “After all, it is their world, so the choice is theirs. They will either find a balance, or they will live in a desolate world. I only hope they choose wisely.”
As they zoomed toward the swirling vortex ahead, Oonak remembered the profound sense of peace he had felt when he was in timespace. He considered telling Zahn and Asha about it, but decided to wait and enjoy the silence.
There would be time on Avani. At last, there would be time.
Still, something nagged at him in the back of his mind.
Is it possible that Durazha could recover the Kiss of Life in the debris? Is that what the Breath of Life meant by saying that my work was not complete? But after all, she can’t use it to heal without a heart. And even if she does find it, what could she possibly do with it if she’s trapped on that burning world?
Oonak inhaled slowly, finally letting the last tendrils of tension leave his body. For now, he decided not to let it bother him. He had faith in the Confederation. He had faith in his friends. They were a team. With their combined energies, no one in the galaxy could stop them now.
He looked down to Zahn and Asha who were sitting side by side, completely engrossed in the bright vortex ahead. And in that moment, Oonak realized how much he loved them.
After all, theirs was an epic adventure from deception into truth, fear into love, and weakness into power.
Together, they were unstoppable.
And as they flew into the vortex, Oonak closed his eyes.
EPILOGUE
Remarkable. After all this time, the powers of the three Chintamani stones finally came together. And could they be summoned again?
The stones returned to their previous states, going dormant until they were needed again. Indeed, that was not the first time they were activated, nor was it the last.
Thank you for not revealing the surprise about Oonak too soon. We understand why you had to be careful in the telling of this story. But what about Durazha? If she still lives, can she regain her power?
Once again, you are filled with questions, and that makes me glad. Indeed, asking questions and testing the answers will make you wise.
So, will you share the fate of Durazha? And will Jyana ever find Torin? Is her search in vain? Surely, the story goes on, doesn’t it?
The galactic story rolls ever on. But as I said before, stories take time and resources to tell. Therefore, tell all you can about these stories and make them spread far and wide. If these words resonate with you, then share them with all whom you love. And then, when enough people knock at my door with open hearts, I shall share the next part of this timeless epic of Aravinda.
AFTERWORD
Congratulations for completing The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion, the third book in the Epic of Aravinda series.
Did you enjoy this story? Let your voice be heard! These days, readers, not publishers, are the gatekeepers. By leaving a review, you harness your power to decide which authors thrive, and I would be forever grateful if you would take a minute to write an honest review on:
• Amazon
• Goodreads
• Your blog (I link back to most reviews)
• Or wherever you bought this book!
As an independent author, I depend on the support of readers like you. The story you’ve just enjoyed is truly the tip of the iceberg in the growing Epic of Aravinda series. (And if you haven’t yet read the first book in this series, that’s a good place to go next.)
Otherwise, I recommend that you continue with “The Loveliest Abyss in the Universe”, a stand-alone novelette that takes place on Avani. (I’ve included the first chapter of that book after this note.) Or, if you’ve already read that, I recommend you check out the Law of One books, the philosophical foundation that inspired the Epic of Aravinda series. You can get a paperback or read the entire book series online for free at LawOfOne.info. And to explore even deeper, check out my Further Reading page.
In closing, thank you for continuing to help spread these stories over the years. Because of readers like you, these stories continue to positively affect more and more people, and it means so much to me.
Keep sharing.
with a galaxy of gratitude,
Andrew M. Crusoe
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FREE PREVIEW
THE LOVELIEST ABYSS IN THE UNIVERSE
PRELUDE
A low hum oozed through the unlit passages, flowing throughout a dizzying labyrinth of underground tunnels that the world above could never have imagined.
The source of the hum was located far below any level that the Nirangi Order had permitted for mere members. Only the most holy, the most clever, and the most cunning had attained the clearance to reach the lowest levels of the complex. Only these select few knew of the machine’s existence.
The product of decades of unrelenting work, the machine rested at the lowest level of the complex, in a hexagonal room with unlit corners that seemed to creep of their own accord and a ceiling so high that not even the lead scientists had bothered to bring in enough illumination to light it. It was deemed unnecessary.
Instead, the resources had been focused on defense, with holy guards placed liberally along the path to the machine room, which could only be accessed by a hidden door.
The Order of Nirangi had gone to great lengths to keep the machine secret. And as it sat in the center of its hexagonal home, the machine rumbled, stewing with a dark energy and an even darker purpose.
Anyone standing beside it might have remarked at how bizarrely sharp the edge of the machine looked, haloed in a series of thin, metallic rings that grew thicker toward the center, forming a horrendous bowl that stood just over a meter high. Upon closer examination, it was easy to see how nearly every element in its design had been focused toward the center, toward a large hollow space that was filled with a bubbling, oozing darkness that had not been there just a moment before. The darkness grew until it touched a tiny probe on the edge of the bowl.
At long last, the machine had found Maraka.
Everyone on the council had concluded that Maraka’s bones would be perfect to pinpoint the coordinates of the Abyss. Building upon previous experiments that showed how one’s energetic body imprinted on the physical body before death, the machine had taken the concept a step further. Once it had compiled the complete energetic signature of Maraka’s bones, they set it to work on finding Maraka’s soul. After all, who better to locate the Abyss than the most notorious murderer to have ever lived? His soul would surely have had no other fate than the Abyss itself.
The only difficulty was time. While the machine’s mechanism was well understood, its speed was not, and no one could say with certainty how long the machine would take to work. Dozens of theories had been put forth, but they were all thrown out as unsubstantiated. And many of the scientists had resigned themselves to visiting the machine whenever they had the chance, vainly hoping that perhaps, just perhaps, they might be there when the machine at last opened the viewing portal.
Holy guards had been placed outside the room to keep watch, until one scientist, the youngest, got the bright idea to design a probe to set off a silent alarm when the viewing portal finally opened. Many of the other scientists smacked their
forehead when they heard this, wondering why they hadn’t thought of that. Many of them grew increasingly wary of the project, and once the machine had been completed, most of them had enjoyed a well-deserved holiday to the nearby archipelago.
All the while, the youngest scientist stayed within Zaamani’s borders. In fact, he scarcely left the basilica complex. Although the machine would surely show them something quite horrendous, he was nonetheless electrified with excitement at the thought of it finally working. Indeed, unbeknownst to everyone else, he’d programmed the probe to message his comm first.
And so the probe, a tiny silver orb connected by a thin wire to a charge-sensitive alarm, waited to trigger. With each passing morning, Sujan’s anticipation grew, because he knew, deep down, that when the probe fired, it wouldn’t merely make him and his team famous, it would make their names immortal.
This concludes the free chapter.
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The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3) Page 27
