Chapter 9:
Lost Paradise
“'The stage is set, curtains are up.
It’s time
For the final dance with death to begin.”
“Yes, we know!” Connor punched his datapad, as his grey eyes twitched with annoyance. “I am trying to figure out the right coordinates here.”
Aarav Asklander-seventeen, fit-built, black hair and blue eyes-sipped his smoothie, his fingers playing around with the joysticks on either side of the cockpit seat. Switching on the transceiver, he replied:
“Isn’t the moon beautiful?”
“Cut the crap Aarav,” Connor swore, “I am already swamped with all these errors. I don’t have time for your poetic rant.”
“I see,” he closed his eyes, humming a melodious tune as he let himself get lost within the passage of time. The tune he hummed was from a song she sang for him long ago-what was her name?-He couldn’t remember.
Why?-he wondered.
It’s a mystery how something so enigmatic fills me with so much warmth even in the coldest place.
Stretching his arms, Aarav held the safety handle on the ceiling of his spherical cockpit, pulling it down activating the panoramic screen of his Nexus. As the screen came to life he could see the blue light painted throughout the fabricated space in front of him. The walls of the fabricated space were cylindrical and rotating, discharging bolts of blue lightning.
“The passage of time,” Aarav murmured. “How much longer Connor?”
“I am trying!” Connor said, his fingers neatly holding the disconnected wires as he used his right hand to fix the Intergalactic navigation unit. To be stranded in fabricated space was bad, but to be stranded without a proper navigation system was a one-way death trip.
Traveling between two galaxies was already hard in itself, and now this. Shaking his head he quickly diverted the power from his emergency pod to the navigation system, bringing the device to life.
“Please work this time,” Connor prayed, as he tilted his head upwards gazing at the panoramic screen of his Nexus with intent.
On the panoramic screen of an image lit up, it looked like a spiral, slashing through the middle of the screen connecting one point to the other. At the bottom of the screen was a spiral cluster with the words ‘Andromeda’ written over it and on the top was another spiral cluster with the name ‘Milky Way’ written over it.
“It’s back!”
Without wasting time, Connor kicked himself up towards his cockpit monitor, the numbers on his screen were now stable as the Nexus’s autopilot system began to reroute its course towards the exit of the passage of time.
“Next stop Milky way eh?” Aarav asked, his lips curved into a smile.
“Hopefully,” Connor laughed. “To be honest, if the system goes offline once again then we are stranded for good.”
“Let's make sure it doesn’t,”
“That’s the plan.” Connor strapped himself, his fingers sliding inside the cylindrical pockets of his sensory joystick. Switching off the autopilot, he reverted all controls back to him. At this stage he was not going to let a machine decide his fate, if he was to be lost within this passage forever then he would at the very least like to enjoy flying through this chasm where space and time stand still.
Aarav on the other hand, has his eyes fixed upon the secondary monitor of his Nexus. On the screen was an image of a blue planet, and a gray spherical satellite that was a few meters away from it. On the bottom of the screen were numbers 12:99:98:00 displayed.
“Lost Paradise,” He murmured.
“Strap yourself in Aarav, I will be the one navigating through this passage now,” Connor warned, as he prepared for the final jump.
“Don’t die on me,” He laughed. “I don’t want Caprice to murder me for not looking after her boyfriend.”
“Wait what? She said that?”
“Between me and you. Who do you think is the most responsible one?”
“Me”
“You know it’s really annoying that you didn’t even think for a second before answering.”
“I am merely stating facts, why do I even need to think?”
“Ah, just shut up.” Aarav pouted, “Let’s just move. I bet a thousand Drams that Caprice and the entire Orion crew are already at the edge of the Milky Way.”
“Say less,” Connor smirked, as he activated the Nexus drive, his eyes changing colors from grey to red, as a pair of grey pointy ears emerged from his head. Licking his moist lips he smiled-a a crazy smile. “Let's go.Type-03 Fenrir”
With his adrenaline pumping, he pressed hard on the pedal, maneuvering the twenty-meter tall Nexus along with Aarav’s attached to its back. Using his sensory joystick Connor smoothly scaled the edge of the passage diving downwards breaking out of the upper passage and entering the lower passage.
The ‘Passage of time’ was often referred to as an unnavigable maze that filled the void between galaxies. In order for one to travel between Galaxies, they had to take help of this passage, a place where all time and space stood still.
A/N Letsss GOOO
ALSO GREAT NEWS MY CANNULA IS FINALLY OFF and now I am back woop! Have fun meeting Intergalactic travelers Aarav and Connor.
Please log in to leave a comment.