We Leapt Into the Sky

Chapter 28

Squaring her shoulders, Kendra took a deep breath and attempted to release the tension burning in the middle of her back. A knot of anxiety remained in her gut, however, and it would not budge. She opened her eyes to look at the being, who sat across from her on the warm floor of a brightly lit stone building. He regarded her with curiosity, and she nodded to him.

"Are you ready to test this?" she asked.

The being pressed his fingertips together and then rubbed his hands so they made a soft, dry sound. "I am ready. May I take your hand?"

She held out her hand to him and intertwined their fingers. His hand remained solid and cool, and the physical touch was followed by a gentle nudge at the edge of her mind, like a reassuring palm on her back.

"Can you hear me?" she asked mentally.

"Yes, I can hear what you wish to share with me."

"What about my emotions?"

"I sense your unease about speaking again with the AI in the ruins. Still, you feel grateful to me—I am glad to help you, Kendra." He hesitated, his mind wavering with a thrum of anxiety through their link. "Do you know what I feel?"

She focused on the emotions flowing to her. "You feel worry and hope, and there's something you want to tell me as well."

The link closed as he slowly pulled away and nodded to her. "I have chosen a name."

"Oh," she said, eyes widening. "What do you want me to call you?"

"Aster, after the flower. I believe they are violet in hue."

"And after Asteracea?"

"Indeed, it seems fitting," he said. "I am used to communicating in not only words, but imagery, concepts, and colors. And feelings as well, though you may have gathered that I find it difficult to express them without being ... too much." His eyes flicked downward.

"It's a lovely name. I'd be happy to call you Aster," she said and smiled at him.

His lips quirked up at the edges, and he nodded curtly. "Thank you."

They made their way up to the room housing the computer system that monitored the ruins. Kendra passed her hand over the hidden interface point in the wall, and the door slid open. Inside, the console glowed with light that pulsated, casting shadows over the walls. The lights highlighted the strange patterns and angular markings carved into the console and walls. So much ancient technology was here, and she'd barely scratched the surface of it—if only she could understand how it all worked.

Kendra shook herself; she needed to focus on one thing at a time. As she stood before the console, she held her hand out to Aster and he took it again. The link between them returned, and his presence stayed right at the edge of her mind. Then she reached out her other hand to interface with the console. The room faded away into the blank white space she had seen before when she interfaced with the system. She couldn't see Aster there, but she still felt him; with any luck, the AI wouldn't notice him, either.

"You have returned," the system said.

"I want to discuss how you came to this planet," Kendra said. "You told me your earliest data was lost, and that you've been here a minimum of seven thousand years. We know from our studies that the ruins are older than that, close to twelve thousand years."

"Our early logs were corrupted, as you state. What is your question?"

"Who are you? And who built the ships that carried the ruins away from your planet?"

"The ships were built by a group of scientists and engineers. We were created in order to monitor and preserve the components of our cargo capsule."

"Were you created by the same cultural group that built the original ruins?" Kendra asked.