They moved through the sleeping settlent like shadows, Sarhita leading him along paths that avoided the night watch patrols. She didn’t want her father to know that they were going out.
The desert air was blessedly cool at this hour, a relief after the day’s oppressive heat. Stars blazed overhead in impossible profusion, the seven moons hung on the horizon far in the distance, and other worlds slowly hovered in the empty space.
"Where are we going?" Jorghan asked as they moved beyond the settlent’s boundaries, heading into the rocky terrain that bordered the Jaruna River.
"To a place where I spend most of my ti," Sarhita replied, her pace steady and sure despite the darkness.
"I was tracking a sand leopard that had been raiding our livestock. The hunt took farther from ho than I’d ever gone, into territory we’d always considered empty wasteland. And I found... well, you’ll see."
They walked for what Jorghan estimated was roughly five miles, the settlent’s lights fading behind them until they were surrounded by darkness broken only by starlight and the occasional luminescent plant that thrived in the desert’s magical saturation.
The valley revealed itself gradually, a depression in the landscape that wouldn’t be visible unless you were almost on top of it. Natural rock formations created a kind of amphitheater, hiding the valley floor from casual observation.
Sarhita led him down a narrow path that wound between massive boulders, her movents confident in ways that spoke of frequent visits.
"I co here when I need to think," she said quietly.
"When the clan’s expectations feel too heavy, when tradition suffocates . This place beca my sanctuary."
The valley floor was relatively flat, perhaps two hundred yards across, with scattered vegetation that had found purchase in protected pockets of soil.
And in the center, partially covered by a camouflage tarp that Sarhita had clearly positioned herself on, was sothing that made Jorghan’s breath catch.
A ship.
Not a boat for water travel, but an actual spacecraft—sleek, angular, built from materials that glead dully in the starlight. It was perhaps forty feet long, with a design that spoke of aerodynamics and atmospheric flight capabilities.
The hull showed signs of age and minor damage, but the overall structure appeared remarkably intact.
"What..." Jorghan moved closer, his hand reaching out to touch the hull’s surface.
It was cool beneath his fingers, so kind of composite material that wasn’t quite tal and wasn’t quite alloy.
And he could tell from the build that it wasn’t of this world.
"How is this here? How long has it been here?"
"I don’t know," Sarhita admitted, moving to help him pull away the tarp.
"But I’ve spent three years studying it, learning from it. Co on, I’ll show you."
She moved to what was clearly an entrance hatch, touching a panel that glowed softly in response. The hatch slid open with a pneumatic hiss, revealing an interior illuminated by subtle running lights.
Inside, the ship was cramped but functional.
Two seats in the cockpit, a small cargo area behind, and systems and displays that covered every available surface. Everything was labeled in a language Jorghan didn’t recognize at first glance—blocky, efficient characters that conveyed information with minimal ornantation.
English, he realized with a jolt.
What the fuck!
I can’t even recognize my own language.
Ha ha...
He shook his head in disbelief.
And he had forgotten what English looked like, realizing how he had totally beco part of his world.
"When I first found this, I couldn’t read any of it," Sarhita said, settling into one of the cockpit seats.
"But the ship has an artificial intelligence. That’s what it called itself. A kind of chanical mind built into its systems. It’s been teaching .
Watch."
She touched a control panel, and a voice emanated from speakers throughout the cabin—female, pleasant, speaking in accented but comprehensible Common.
"Good evening, Sarhita. I see you’ve brought a guest. Welco aboard the FA RJ008, stranger. Please state your na for registration purposes."
"Jorghan Sol’vur," he said automatically, still processing the impossibility of what he was experiencing.
"Registration complete. Welco, Jorghan Sol’vur. A biotric scan indicates mixed heritage—human and elven genetic markers. Fascinating. You’re the first male humanoid I’ve encountered in this dinsion."
"Humanoid?" He frowned. But didn’t question it.
Jorghan looked at Sarhita. "It’s been talking to you for three years?"
"Teaching ," she corrected.
"About Earth, about terrasper technology, about the principles of engineering and physics that govern their world. The AI—she calls herself ARIA—is designed for education and research. She’s patient, thorough, and absolutely brilliant."
Jorghan was surprised to think she learned their language and about the ship. She truly was a magnificent woman.
"I appreciate the complint, Sarhita," ARIA responded with what almost sounded like warmth. "You’ve been an excellent student. Your capacity for learning is exceptional."
Jorghan moved to the second seat, his mind racing.
This ship represented terrasper technology, actual Earth engineering sitting in the middle of a desert valley on another world. The implications were staggering.
An idea began to form, audacious and possibly insane.
"ARIA," he said slowly, "can this ship still fly? Is it functional?"
"All primary systems are operational," ARIA confird.
"The crash that brought to this valley damaged so secondary systems, but propulsion, navigation, life support, and defensive capabilities remain at ninety-two percent functionality."
"And can you navigate back to Earth?"
There was a pause—brief, but noticeable.
ARIA replied, "I can navigate back to Earth with a high degree of accuracy."
Jorghan felt his pulse quicken, felt sothing like excitent building in his chest. "If I gave you specific coordinates—longitude and latitude—could you take us to that location?"
"Within a margin of error of approximately one mile, yes," ARIA said.
Jorghan looked at Sarhita and saw his own excitent reflected in her liquid gold eyes. "I need to go there. There’s sothing—soone—I need to see. Business I need to conclude.
And if this ship can take ..."
Sarhita wanted to ask who it was, but Jorghan was already typing, turning back to the screen.
He looked at the earth on the image and zood in on a certain point.
He rattled off coordinates from that picture. The system in his mind pulsed, and he knew these were correct, knew they would lead him exactly where he needed to go.
"Those coordinates place you in Grayhaven City," ARIA said, her voice carrying notes of curiosity. "An urban center on the eastern seaboard of North Arica. I can navigate to within visual range and attempt precision landing at those exact coordinates. Estimated travel ti: An hour. Do you wish to proceed?"
Jorghan looked at Sarhita.
"I know this is insane. But I need to do this. I will tell you soon; just trust for now."
Sarhita was quiet for a mont, her expression cycling through concern, curiosity, and finally determination. "Then we go. Both of us. Together."
"You don’t have to—"
"I said together," she interrupted firmly.
"You’ve shown a world beyond the clan’s boundaries. Now let see their world. Besides," she added with a slight smile, "you’re going to need soone to watch your back."
Jorghan felt a surge of affection so powerful it almost hurt. He leaned forward and kissed her, quick and fierce.
"Thank you."
"Romantic displays acknowledged," ARIA said dryly.
"Shall we proceed with flight preparations? I should note that both of you will need to secure yourselves in the acceleration couches.
The first flight can be disorienting."
Jorghan looked at the screen, furrowing his brows; this AI felt more like a human. Whoever made it really put a lot of their sarcasm into it.
They strapped into the seats, and Jorghan felt the harness automatically adjust to his fra, distributing pressure evenly. The cockpit’s displays ca alive with information he could barely parse—readouts, trajectories, energy consumption rates, and system status indicators.
"Manual flight controls are available," ARIA said.
"Jorghan, based on your biotric readings, you demonstrate exceptionally fast neural processing and hand-eye coordination. Would you like to pilot?"
Damn, how did...
"I’ve never flown anything like this," Jorghan protested.
"Then this will be an excellent learning opportunity. I’ll provide real-ti guidance and maintain override authority if you make any catastrophically poor decisions. Take the control yoke—the steering chanism in front of you."
Jorghan gripped the yoke and felt it respond to his touch with subtle vibrations.
"Now what?"
"Now we launch. Vertical takeoff sequence initiating. Try not to crash us into the valley walls."
The ship humd, then lifted smoothly off the ground.
Jorghan felt the acceleration press him into his seat and felt the artificial gravity systems compensating to keep the pressure manageable. Through the cockpit’s transparent canopy, he watched the valley walls fall away and watched the desert spread out beneath them in an endless expanse of shadow and starlight.
"You’re doing well," ARIA comnted.
"Your instincts are excellent. Now, let’s build so speed. Push the throttle forward—the lever to your right."
Jorghan complied, and the ship surged forward.
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