Chapter 17 - Entrance

A week after I went to the giant elevator, I was traveling through the lower levels, carrying a huge back pack on my shoulders. This was a full fledged exploration that would take me several weeks of travel. All for the sake of mapping the areas where I have not been yet.

The reason for this was not just curiosity, but something that I recently discovered. 

When I first found the elevator I did not think of it, but after making that video reply for elder Shalsheed, an idea came to my mind. 

Whatever that elevator was used for musta have been huge. Meaning there should have been a wide path for it to pass. Even if it was just a cargo unloading, there should have been a path leading to a warehouse. But how come I did not see it before?

I opened the full map of all the areas that I have been to and noticed one interesting thing that basically confirmed my assumption.

There was indeed a wide path leading through the maze. Something like a main road. But the reason I did not see the connection before the path was broken and had no connections. Some places it stopped with a gap dropping into pitch darkness, in other places it went under an angle without any logic. Because of these inconsistencies in the path, and huge distances between connecting paths, I viewed each level separately.

However, when I theorised that this was an enclosed space, and the elevator was the main entrance, I decided to put it all into one giant three dimensional map. It had huge gaps of missing information but I still managed to see it. There was a path. 

The reason the path was so jagged and broken, was because there must have been multiple giant elevators that led from level to level skipping many floors that were in between. When this maze stopped working, they must have dropped down, which is why I have not found them before.

So I decided to go explore the area of the lower levels and see where the main path led to.

However, after five days of descent I reached a wide area that looked like a grotto with a single black bridge leading toward the wide cave-like structure on the other side of the gorge. 

I did not go over the bridge immediately, instead I went exploring around the floors. However, after one and a half days of walking from floor to floor, I understood that this gorge was not just dividing only that floor or level, but the entire sector. Wherever I went, there was always either a wall or path leading back to this bridge. 

If I was correct, then what I've found was exactly the center of the whole enclosed sector, and what was on the other side of the gorge was its most important part. In this case, going to the lower floors would most likely lead me to another impenetrable wall and a huge elevator leading outside. After all, the sector I currently lived in could be anywhere within the Star-sized maze. If the entire ruin consisted of multiple such enclosed sectors, there ought to be connections to several sectors. My best guess was that there might be six or even twelve giant elevators leading outside of this sector, if every side of it had at least one.

If it took me five days to travel here from my home and one day from there to the elevator, it means it took six days to travel from the outer wall to the center of the sector. Which, in its turn, means I was inside a structure that would take me at least twelve days to travel from one outer wall to the diagonally opposite one. If human pace is about 3,42 km per hour and I traveled at least for twelve hours each day then my new home was about 500 km wide, long and high. Yes, I wasn't always going in the straight path and sometimes had to walk in opposite directions, but…damn it. This was simply a humongous space for me to explore on foot.

Well, my hover bike was almost completed, but I still could not figure out how to charge it.

That was an issue for later. Right now I was curious only about the things I might find on the other side of the bridge.

I walked out onto the bridge that flashed in purple light under my feet as I walked and pointed my flash light from side to side, studying the walls. The cavern was so wide that the light coming off the bridge did not even reach the ceiling. 

After several hundred steps I stopped seeing something interesting. My maintenance unit showed me a separation in the block of the bridge, which meant that it was a foldable bridge. Something like a raisable ramp over the moat in ancient castles.

Lucky for me, "the ramp" was not raised, so I could freely pass over the bridge.

I finally reached the other end, throwing one final glance over the gorge and the grotto-like structure before walking toward the huge cave-like tunnel.

At that moment, Otty spooked me with his sudden message.

"Stop! Not go!" Was the thought he sent into my mind, surprising me.

"What?" I muttered aloud from surprise.

"Why worry?" I sent him my thoughts in reply.

"No go!" Said Otty once more. "Danger." He added, sending me a picture of the maintenance unit that I held.

I looked at Otty and the maintenance unit in turn, then gazed into the darkness at the end of the tunnel I was about to enter.

"I do not understand. Explain" I asked once more, taking a few steps back from the cave in caution.

"It's sprout can reach. Can sense waking. Leave joint. No take with you. Not attract it. Danger." Said Otty, sending me the picture of me putting a maintenance unit to the ground and entering the cave without it.

This was the first time something like that had happened. And although I did not understand most of what he meant, it was the first time Otty sent me such a vivid picture. Otty had never been this emotional, this… scared. I don't know how he does it, but by now I know better than to distrust his senses. He could find a warehouse full of bio cartridges from several kilometers away, doubting him now would be utterly stupid.

I removed my backpack, carefully putting it down. If going inside that cave with the maintenance unit was dangerous, I'd better leave the bulky thing too, in case I needed to make a quick escape.

Then I thought it over for a few more moments and took out the rope, before looking around. 

"I'd better play it safe." I muttered, walking to a sturdy-looking pole on one side of the bridge and tied one end of the rope to it. After that I walked back to the bridge and returned to the part where I saw the separation of the bridge, tying the other end of the rope to the other side of the bridge. This way if something happens and the bridge suddenly disconnects, I will not be trapped here with whatever it was that Otty warned me about.

Returning to my backpack, I took only a few things with me that I could easily discard if I needed to make a dash. Once my preparations were done, I took a deep breath and cautiously walked into the dark cave-like entrace.

*****

"Captain, we detected a ship exiting subspace. It makes its way directly toward us." Reported the vice-commanders voice throughout the team channel.

"Dispersion wave's collor?" Asked Captain Daneed.

"Golden." Replied vice-commander.

"Golden is Fourth Elders shine. Open up a short-distance communication channel." Said Captain.

"They are calling us, I am forwarding them to you."

"Third Elder. It has been a while." Said the man who's image appeared in Elder Shalsheed's view's corner.

"Fourth Elder, you took your time." Said Elder Shalsheed. "Something happened?"

"You could say so. We have a problem. The Great Cross Sect is coming this way." Said Fourth Elder.

"What? You brought them here?" Said Elder Shalsheed creasing his eyebrows.

"Not exactly. We were in Silver Braid of Godric Beard's Galaxy when Sect Leader contacted us. We detected Great Cross Sect's dragoneed when we were at BGL-5678 and tried to do some detours to put them on the wrong track. However, they never followed us but went straight here as if they knew where they were going." Said Fourth Elser looking at Elder Shalsheed with a raised eyebrow.

"How come you are here before them then?" Asked Elder Shalsheed.

They went from the third Cross Star directly here in the shortest path. Passing BGL-5678 without paying attention to us, they dove straight into K-Tadg space, which lay in between you and them. They must have had a few skirmishes as they lost enough time for me to overtake them, although I made a detour around K-Tadg space. I left a probe at KFP-01 to inform us if they are still coming. It sent me a message that these bastards passed KFP-01. They are just a few hours behind us."

"Damn it!" Swore Elder Shalsheed. "K-Tadg would never let them go this easily. They poked a damn hive and now lead their tail here!"

"Yeah. That's most likely their intention. Once they realized they lost enough time for me to take them over, they decided to escape and train wreck angry K-Tadg with us here instead of fighting them alone. This will be a massacre. Have you opened the Citadel?"

"It'll take me… about half an hour more. I can already scan through the hadron layer. We almost broke through. But if we are going to fight, I better rest."

"No. If the Great Cross has found out, others may know too. Even if we fend off K-Tadg, this place will soon be packed with scavengers. There is no point in it if we are not the ones picking up the plum. It will be our greatest loss if we are this Citadel's discoverers yet get no more benefits than others. We will be the laughingstock of the entire galaxy." Said the Fourth Elder.

"What do you suggest?" Elder Shalsheed asked.

"I heard you are on vacation together with your wife and youngest granddaughter?" Said Fourth Elder.

"Yes. Why?"

"In this case, we have enough fighting power for my plan. Can you get her on the line?" Said Fourth Elder, and a second later, Elder Shalsheed's wife joined their chat.

"Fourth Elder, it has been a while, so what is your plan?" Said the woman.

"Lady Katar, I heard you are as strong as any Elder, if not stronger, so if you don't mind, I wish to ask for your help with this plan. The Great Cross bastard wants to make us fight with K-Tadg, but I think we should crush their plans and let them take care of their own mess. We will send away our ships. When K-Tadg comes here, there will be only the Great Cross here to meet them." Said Fourth Elder.

"You want to abandon this place?" Asked the Third Elder.

"No. On the contrary. I suggest we carry on with our exploration. You, Third Elder, should open the path as soon as possible and go in with a team. I think that with you, your granddaughter and my nephew who I took with me on this voyage, your team would have enough firepower to quickly advance."

"Your Madam is as strong as any Elder, so we can leave our ships in her care. At least for the time being. She will slip away and hold at a distance until Great Cross and K-Tadg solve their problems on their own. And when they are exhausted. That's when we bring back our ships."

"What about you?" Asked Elder Shalsheed 

"Someone has to hold the door. I'll guard the entrance and explain to anyone wishing to enter it that they would have to either join our sect or open their own path somewhere on the other side of the planet, where I can't see them." Said the Fourth Elder with a cheeky smile.

"You will face two forces on your own, Fourth Elder. You're sure you can handle it?" Madam Katar asked.

"Nah. That would not be so dramatic. K-Tadg are not surface fighters, they are called space hyenas exactly because they only care about space battles. And Great Cross will be too busy with them to fight me for real here on land. At least I am sure I can stand my ground until Madam Katar gets to their back and unleashes the slaughter on them when they don't expect it. After that, they will have no choice but to back off. Just don't let me wait too long please." Said Fourth Elder, spreading his hands with a smile.

"You are crazy." Said Madam Katar. "Just don't blame us if you die because of your overconfidence." She added.

"Alright then... If you will guard our backs, I'll go all out and open up this treasure box in one go." Said Elder Shalsheed.

"Everyone brace for an impact!" Sounded Elder Shalsheed's voice through the team channel and a few seconds later a bright blue light tore through the ground of the planet that their ships orbited.

The light was so strong it shone like a mini star, brightening the whole planet.

Then the boom of an explosion sent a wave that crossed the planet in an instant, circling it several times. The tectonic plates cracked, shifting the continents and bringing total ruin to the planet's surface. Volcanoes all over the planet blew up like nukes, sending lava, smoke, and debris into the atmosphere. Oceans boiled so hard they evaporated almost instantly, but no clouds formed over the ruins as the sky there was absolutely void of anything. As if an invisible barrier held everything away from it, a wide circle devoid of cloud and smoke formed over the place where ruins were before. 

From space it looked as if a giant hole was torn through the planet and its atmosphere, as if an apocalypse degree meteorite hit it. A continent-sized crater, with edges glowing from heat, formed an inverted cone with a hole at its center opening to view a black shell that lay deep under the ground. At the center of that crater a deep black hole the size of a human was now opened.

"Grandpa! What did you do?! The ruins! You ruined them!" Shouted shocked Aininad in the team channel.

"Sorry honey, but we have no choice. It will be ruined when we battle with others anyways, so there is no sense in being delicate anymore." Said Elder Shalsheed.

"Others? What others?" Asked Aininad.

"Explain later. Get ready. The path is open. We are going in." Said Elder Shalsheed floating over a deep cylindrical tunnel that pierced through the black shell.