The Astronites II: Avast Voyage

Chapter Six: Heroes of Elem

Yona sent her arms out over the roundtable. "Wait a minute," she interrupted. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We haven't even explained what the three parts of the message mean."

President Brigantine held up his hands in concession. "Of course," he submitted. "We'll start with how we received the message in the first place. High Auctor?"

Oraclian set aside his emerald softstone. "Stars are forms of energy. On their own, they're too weak to generate as much starpower as the point of singularity or the piscelux. However, they are strong enough to detect any Principles being used in their vicinity — sort of like needles attracted to a magnet. Move the magnet, and you move the needles. Whoever used Imagnium to send this message must've known that. By causing radioactive spikes on the Avast Sun, they caused Elem to mimic the spikes."

"It was their way of getting the UEF's attention," Brigantine rephrased.

"So, somebody used Imagnium to . . . to send a message?" Natalie asked. "From the Avast Sun to Elem?"

"Yes. And in that call, they asked for you to come to Avast," Brigantine answered. "That's what the first and second parts of the message indicate."

"Might indicate," Yona clarified. "We don't even know if the messenger is in Avast, or if there's anything there for us to save."

"Which brings us to the third and most important part of the message," said Brigantine. "'Save Sodom's Treasure.'"

He pressed a button and replaced the levitating message with the image of a planet. It had a strikingly similar resemblance to Earth, only in lieu of seven continents and five oceans, it had one green supercontinent, one blue super-ocean, and massive bands of rain clouds populating its otherwise pristine atmosphere. Ador growled at it, which Natalie didn't take as a good sign.

"This is Sodom," Brigantine revealed. "It's the only habitable planet in Avast, and according to legend, the home of Sodom's Treasure."

Natalie uncomfortably shifted in her seat. "Where Jake and I come from, the name Sodom has a serious meaning. Does it mean the same thing in the Astronic universe?"

Jake turned to her. "It does," he answered in a hopeless voice.

"We have a Bible of our own, Golden Giant," Oraclian added.

A billion questions concerning religion in the Astronic universe popped into Natalie's head, but she set them aside for now to focus on the mystery at hand.

"The planet Sodom is indeed named after the biblical city that God destroyed," Brigantine explained. "As the story goes, God smote the city Sodom because its people were wicked and full of sin. Our planet, Sodom, is far worse. It's a notorious pirate haven. The amount of cloud cover in its sky warps all satellite and data readout, and the Djim Jungle remains mostly uncharted, making the planet the perfect place for any fugitive to hide in. The only civilized part of Sodom used to be Port Apottee before it was ransacked and destroyed by the pirates. On Sodom, won't find a single act of charity of kindheartedness, Golden Giant. It's a home for men and women who choose to live in a constant state of savagery, violence, and cruelty. Not even the unborn children there can be trusted."

Natalie reclined in her seat and gazed at the planet's image over the roundtable. It seemed far too innocent to have such an evil description attached to it.

"And there's a treasure hidden on it?" she asked.

"So legend goes," Oraclian interceded. "It comes from an ancient Prophecium poem lost to time thousands of years ago. All that's left of it is a treasure hunter's fantasy — whosoever finds Sodom's Treasure will either find eternal paradise . . . or eternal damnation."