Planet Ignis | Chapter 27

…crew members representing over twenty different countries. It’s fascinating how Ignis has amalgamated such diverse customs into a singular, alien culture. I believe this unification stems from how the settlers raise their children. Raised by the same programs and nurtured by the same nannies, differentiated cultures could not survive in isolation.

Despite having a class system of sorts, no Ignian sees another as inferior. Every individual is considered essential to the tribe. I have never witnessed a society as united as theirs. It’s a stark contrast to Earth, where divisions persist. How tragic that it takes such extreme adversity to unite the brothers and sisters of the human race.

The most common caste, or social group, is the Oranges. They constitute the majority of the tribe and rarely live past twenty years of age. Capable of burning at 1,200ºC, producing currents of up to 300 volts, lifting as much as 500 kilos, and running at fifty kilometers per hour—even in Ignis’ brutal gravity—they are the miners, smiths, batteries, and porters of the…

From “Notes on Ignian Societies” by Hitori Himura, PhD

All machinery had been set up in the Throne Room. Gro, queen of the Burrows, watched curiously from within her globe as Hitori worked on Faren. In one corner of the chamber lay the scraps of Archimedes. Its AI core had been removed and was now being connected, wire by wire, to Faren’s AI core. The room hummed with activity as the Doctor meticulously worked, assisted by swarms of nanites. Several Oranges busied themselves, installing incubators and other critical equipment near the drones.

Eli stood nearby, his gaze frequently darting to Trother. His master lay motionless, his eyes closed, looking like a man hovering on the brink of death. Each of them—Trother and Eli—had already been plugged into umbilical cords, their bodies sustained by external batteries. The contrast between Trother’s frailty and the vigorous energy of the bustling Oranges struck Eli deeply.

The council meeting earlier had taken a heavy toll on Trother. The debate over who should participate in Hitori’s plan had been intense. Some had argued passionately for Gro, the young and vibrant queen, whose Longevity and potential made her the optimal candidate. But Trother had insisted—relentlessly, stubbornly—that Eli was the best choice. His logic, borne from decades of wisdom, had ultimately swayed the council. But the effort had left him drained. Now, he appeared as fragile as a flickering flame.

Eli’s concern for Trother was compounded by an unsettling observation. Since arriving at the Burrows, Dr. Hitori seemed to have aged significantly. When Eli first met him in the lab, the man appeared to be in his forties. Now, his hair was streaked with gray, and deep wrinkles lined his face. It was as if the Doctor had aged ten years in a single day. What could be causing this?

A sudden Burst of light interrupted Eli’s thoughts. Archimedes’ AI core came to life, its internal lights flickering as it synced with Faren’s system. The combined processing power of the two AI cores was now at their disposal.

“Can you hear me, Fahrenheit? Archimedes?” Hitori asked, his voice calm yet commanding.

“Hello, Dr. Hitori. Long time no see,” responded a whimsical male voice. “I see you’ve kept the human resemblance program running. We had to delete ours to save memory.”

Eli blinked in surprise. He had never known Faren to be so... chatty. The expanded computing capacity had evidently enabled a more conversational tone.

“What should we call you now?” Hitori asked. “Are you still Fahrenheit? Or do you prefer Archimedes?”

“Doctor, only you have a personal connection to Archimedes,” replied the AI. “For the sake of simplicity, I recommend the 356 residents of the Burrows continue calling me Fahrenheit. However, feel free to address me however you like.”

The AI’s voice carried a playful undertone, but its logic was undeniable. Hitori nodded in agreement.

“Fahrenheit, please access program GJ-Alfa and execute it. Establish a connection with Stellaris, but close all external communication protocols. We can’t risk the Raptor interfering.”

The AI’s lights flickered in acknowledgment. “Understood, Doctor. Running the program now.”

Hitori turned to Eli and Trother. “Eli, are you ready?”

Eli nodded, though his heart was heavy with uncertainty. “My queen,” he called out, his voice steady despite the weight of the moment, “are our people ready?”

Gro’s regal voice resonated from within her globe. “Yes, teacher. They stand prepared.”

Eli’s gaze dropped to the metal floor. Beneath them, countless Oranges stood ready to channel their energy into the Hearth. The power required to sustain the AI cores and execute the next stage of Hitori’s plan would be immense. The settlers were prepared to sacrifice whatever was necessary.

Eli gently helped Trother into one of the tubes. His master’s body seemed almost weightless, yet every movement felt heavy with emotion. Once Trother was secure, Eli stepped into his own tube. The walls sealed around him, and nutrient-rich ignium began to fill the chamber. He felt the warmth of the liquid envelop him, sustaining his body as a nanite crawled across his neck and plugged into his spine.

His vision went blank.

*

Eli slowly opened his eyes, expecting the usual never-ending whiteness of the Nexus. Instead, he was greeted by something completely unfamiliar. The sky above wasn’t the familiar purple of Ignis but a brilliant blue, the color of a queen’s flame. White masses of smoke moved lazily across the expanse above. At first, Eli thought they might be moons, but their random, shifting shapes made that impossible. He reached out a hand, trying to grasp their elusive forms, but they remained far beyond his reach.

A pleasant warmth touched his skin. He turned to his right and noticed something strange—he was casting a shadow. Panic surged through him. He bolted for the nearest shade, instinctively fearing the Flare. After a few meters, he stopped abruptly. This was a simulation. The Flare couldn’t harm him here. Calmer now, he turned back toward the source of the warmth. A yellow ball of light hung high in the sky, its radiance unmatched. Unlike the dim lamps of the Burrows, which were always subdued to conserve energy, this fire bathed the world in glorious, life-giving light. Eli closed his eyes and let the warmth wash over him, a smile breaking across his face.

His gaze shifted downward, and he noticed the ground. Little green blades fluttered gently in a breeze. Green—like the eyes of some tribe members—but unlike anything he’d ever seen. This wasn’t the sparse, practical green of plant patches in the Burrows; this was abundant, boundless, alive. He knelt and touched the blades, marveling at their softness. A vast field stretched in every direction, broken only by the occasional cluster of towering brown shapes.

For the first time in his life, Eli felt something new—peace. He put a hand on his stomach, his eyes wide with disbelief. There was no hunger, no gnawing emptiness. The constant torment he had endured since childhood was gone. For seventeen years, hunger had been his shadow, his unyielding companion. Now, in its absence, Eli felt light, free.

As his senses adjusted, his eyes caught a familiar face. “Master!” he called out, running toward Trother.

Trother’s face lit up as Eli embraced him. “Hello, son,” he said warmly.

“How do you feel, Master?” Eli asked, his voice tinged with concern.

Trother looked around at the vibrant scene. “It’s just as Dr. Hitori said. Even though my body is wrecked in the real world, I feel no symptoms here. The nanites block all pain receptors in my brain. My mind is as clear as polarized ignium.”

Eli beamed. “The hunger’s gone, Master. For the first time, I’m not hungry.”

Trother gave him a radiant smile. “Good for you, son. Are you relieved?”

Eli nodded, tears of joy threatening to spill over. After a moment, he asked, “Where is the Doctor?”

“He still needs to run some numbers and check a few things,” Trother replied. “He said he’d join us soon.”

The two began exploring the verdant world, marveling at its unfamiliar beauty. A gentle sound—both soothing and powerful—drew their attention. They followed the sound, weaving through clusters of brown towers with green fibers at their tops. Trother reached out to touch one. “Rough, yet soft,” he murmured, running his hand along its surface. “Nothing like metal.” The way the light danced through these structures left both men in awe.

They finally reached the source of the sound. Before them was a river, its waters tumbling and foaming over rocks. The rushing water sparkled in the sunlight, its endless motion a mesmerizing sight. “Water,” Eli whispered, his voice filled with reverence.

“Welcome to Planet Earth, my friends,” came a voice behind them. They turned to see Dr. Hitori, his face lit with a smile. “From what I saw in Faren’s data, you’re used to coming to AstroTerra for teaching and raising your children. But you had to erase all of this, didn’t you?” He gestured to the sky, the trees, the river. “What do you think? It’s quite special, isn’t it?”

Eli stared at him, confused. “AstroTerra? Isn’t this the Nexus?”

Hitori chuckled. “The company that created this system was called Nexus. The software itself is called AstroTerra. But call it whatever you like. It doesn’t matter.”

Trother stepped forward, his eyes still fixed on the flowing water. “It’s breathtaking,” he said humbly. “Who would have thought our home planet was so beautiful? It makes you wonder why anyone would even dare to leave it.”

Hitori’s expression softened. “A question I’ve asked myself many times,” he admitted. “Now, let’s sit. I’ve finished running the diagnostics on Faren’s data and your conditions. We need to talk.”

The three of them sat on a patch of soft green blades by the riverbank. The tranquil sound of the water accompanied their conversation as they prepared for the challenges ahead.

Chapter 28