8. Joe Maya: A New Life in Indraprastha
Joe Maya had never felt more out of place.
Raised under the strict traditions of Vashara, where discipline and military precision dictated every aspect of life, he found the capital planet of Indraprastha to be suffocating—too loud, too fast, too chaotic. This planet was an extreme version capitalism which existed in pre interstellar era.
The Eden Star System was unlike any region he had ever seen. Unlike the war-hardened fortresses of Vashara, Eden was built on industrial might, thriving under the illumination of its three stars.
One star was completely encased in a Dyson Sphere, generating nearly unlimited energy, fueling entire planetary networks. This star was invisible due to sphere covering its entire surface.
The second star was surrounded by shipbuilding industries, massive orbital factories crafting vessels for trade, colonization, and war. It appeared as brightly illuminated beehive with robotic swarms and tiny humans working tirelessly to expand the human reach.
The third star, smaller than the others, pulsed erratically—a reminder of Eden's experimental energy projects, many of which remained classified. It was rumored to house a secret base regarding antimatter and research on higher physical dimensions
At the center of it all was Indraprastha, the beating heart of the system, where corporate power and military dominance converged.
Joe's maternal grandfather, Silvester Trudeau, had once been a revered general in the Eden military. Now, he controlled Trodeau Industries, the single largest shipyard consortium in the system. It was expected that Joe would eventually inherit Vashara's mantle of leadership, but when Silvester saw Joe he immediately made other plans.
He saw potential in Joe—potential that had nothing to do with becoming a Void Priest which Archon James wished for.
Joe had spent his entire life under the rigid traditions of the Mayan Dynasty. His upbringing had revolved around military theory, tactical analysis, and spiritual training for the Void Priesthood.
On Vashara, emotion was suppressed. Thought was calculated. Every lesson had one purpose—preparing him for leadership. His only solace on Vashara was his daily discussions with Agatha in virtual reality. They would meet daily at specified time over galactic net, discuss their daily routine and behave like 10-year-old children they were.
Joe had created an isolated Space on galactic net which had only two quantum nodes connected. One was his own and another was with Agatha. This made this virtual space their exotic playground. Here, Joe had created a virtual world similar to old Earth now called Gaia. Here he had formed all the flora and fauna of Earth and preserved them in pristine condition. There was only one house on the entire planet located on shores on old continent called Antartica as the temperature here was favorable to Agatha. They would meet here on daily basis since last 5 years. But, since last 3 days they could not meet because of Joe's move to Eden. He wished he could home and meet with Agatha online and share his experiences.
Joe's arrival on Indraprastha was not merely a change in environment—it was a change in destiny. While Vashara had prepared him for spiritual leadership as a Void Priest, his grandfather, Silvester Trudeau, had other plans.
Silvester was not just an ex-general—he was the architect of Eden's military-industrial complex, the force behind Trodeau Industries, the single largest shipbuilding empire in the system. To him, Joe was not merely a grandson, but a potential successor, someone who could lead the future of Eden's military fleet.
From the moment Joe stepped into his estate, Silvester examined him like a commander inspecting a new recruit.
"You're a Maya by name," Silvester told him, his deep voice carrying the weight of decades of command. "But that means nothing here. Vashara wanted you to be a Priest. I want you to be a strategist."
Joe respected his grandfather. He admired his calculated mind, his presence, his ability to shape the very foundation of Eden. And yet, he knew he would always be tested. He always wanted to be a strategist or a researcher.
Every dinner was a conversation about tactics. Every lesson was about ship engineering, battlefield logistics, maneuverability in deep space conflicts. Every conversation was a challenge, a test of whether Joe could think like a strategist rather than a priest.
Silvester never belittled him, never made him feel incapable—but he never let him relax either.
Joe had always felt the weight of expectation on Vashara. Now, in Eden, he felt it again—just from a different source.
Silvester saw greatness in him, but he also saw him as someone who needed to be forged—like steel in the fires of war.
But amidst the pressure, amidst the cold calculations of military expectation, there was one source of warmth—his grandmother, Eleanor Trudeau.
If Silvester saw Joe as a soldier to be shaped, Eleanor saw him as a child who needed love.
From the moment she embraced him, Joe felt something he had never experienced in Vashara—true unconditional affection.
His mother had died when he was young, leaving him to be raised under the rigid expectations of the Mayan Dynasty. He had never been pampered, never had someone who simply wanted him to be happy without expectations.
Eleanor doted on him constantly—
She made sure he ate proper meals, not just the calculated military rations he was accustomed to.
She insisted he dress comfortably, rather than in the ceremonial robes expected of a Void Priest heir.
She hugged him without reason, simply because she wanted him to feel safe.
Most of all, she told stories—stories about his mother, about how she was more than just a political figure, how she had once been just a girl who laughed, who loved, who dreamed.
For the first time, Joe felt the emptiness in him begin to soften.
She reminded him that he was more than just an heir.
She reminded him that he was a person with his own personality, and he need not work hard to always fulfil demands of others on him.
Joe's life in Indraprastha was now divided between two forces—
Silvester, who saw him as a future military leader, a strategist who could reshape Eden's power.
Eleanor, who saw him as a grandson, someone who simply needed to be loved.
Joe felt conflicted.
He admired his grandfather, wanted to impress him, wanted to prove that he was more than just a displaced heir from Vashara.
But at the same time, he found himself drawn to his grandmother's warmth—the first true comfort he had known since his mother died.
Amidst this dilemma he wanted to desperately talk with Agatha, only she could provide him with impartial answers and with direction to move forward.
Joe had always sensed that Agatha was more than just his closest friend—she was something deeper, something woven into his very existence.
When he first arrived on Indraprastha, he tried to maintain contact with her. Despite the vast distance between Eden and Vetr, quantum communication should have allowed instantaneous synchronization between their minds, using the encrypted subspace channels set by himself. Nothing could block it unless entire quantum space around Vetr was blocked. But that was almost impossible task as this required declaration of planetwide emergency.
But something was wrong.
His attempts to connect through standard quantum signals failed. The link was silent, as if Vetr had become an impenetrable void.
No messages. No resonance feedback. Not even a hint of Agatha's presence.
It was as if she no longer existed.
Joe knew that was impossible.
And he was determined to find out why.