War of Neytives

I.17 Pax Ra-Dimar

Pax didn't know what the Aurist was trying to accomplish. He's seen her linger around the Dining Pavilion, enjoying her meals with the Tripiant neytive. Her cheerful personality and colorful hair are things he can't handle at the moment.

He's still holding onto the bowl of berries in his bandaged hand.

While walking back to his room, Pax thinks about another neytive who is somewhat similar to Sagea. A neytive he met on Ra-Dimar before he was placed in isolation. He mistook the neytive's harsh and cold personality for compassion. He wishes he never revealed his vulnerability at the time. Their interaction sentenced him to live in a secluded pyramid.

Biggest mistake of his life.

It's midphase and no other neytive is around, not even the Psyke neytives.

Pax has heard around Auroris that the Psyke neytives were busy repairing the damages done to the Rejuvenation Tank. How it took them two dials to fix and start calling each candidate to be healed.

At first, he hoped that the tank would heal his mutism. That he would finally get to speak a full sentence. However, being a mute isn't something he chose to happen or a recent accident. His mutism is permanent. Something you were born with can't be healed.

Pax stops himself and stands in the middle of a three-way intersection. He wonders if the Chancellor made a mistake. Picking him as a candidate for the Knyghts Voyage felt like a mistake. She couldn't have chosen him for his architectural skill, he hasn't built anything in revolutions. She couldn't have him for his combat and training with his trigger, he can't hit a single target. Maybe she chose him just to get rid of him, like his Preeminent.

Once he pushes those thoughts down, he realizes the corridor on his right leads right into a room.

The sign etched on the wall reads, 'The Holo-atrium.'

Pax walks through the entrance to find a new room, located in the center of Auroris. There are four entrances on all sides with no doors. The room has four levels, one below him, two above with metal railings. Green fluorescent lights hang along the rails and ceiling. There's a rounded square layout to the atrium and four spiral metal staircases in each corner. On the first level is a cluster of tables, chairs, furniture and podiums.

The room has no windows looking out to space, but there are thousands of holocards on each level. The room glows with a cascade of colors. Every color on the spectrum can be seen in the atrium. Etched on every wall and shelves are symbols that he interprets. Four walls depicting north, south, east and west, four levels, twenty-six columns, and eight rows

The shelves of holocards aren't the only things he finds in the atrium.

Leaning over the railing on the Fourth Level is a female neytive with dark brown skin and three eyes. Half of her hair is black and combed down the left side of her head. The right half is shaved off revealing her smooth scalp. She's reading a holocard, not even realizing a neytive has entered the atrium.

Pax ignores her and goes down to the First Level. Since he lost hope for the Rejuvenation Tank earlier, maybe he can get better luck with this room. The deal he made with the Chancellor and his Preeminent is something he intends to fulfill.

He reaches the First Level, walks over to the podium and starts searching through a database.

All the holocards in the database; in the Holo-Atrium, contain information about Myalón. The inhabitants, languages, topographies, trybes, isles, abilities, records and history. Everything sits in the center of Auroris. When the Chancellor said she put every last resource into the Knyghts Voyage, she wasn't joking.