Chapter 1: Rescued
The air stank of burning metal and ozone, a potent cocktail punctuated by shrill klaxons wailing through the corridors, announcing the end of everything. I could taste the fear, thick and acrid, as I slammed the hatch shut on my escape pod and plunged into the void above the smoldering wreckage of the ship. There was nothing left, no home, no family. Just me, drifting through space, waiting for whatever fate awaited me.
Darkness overcame me as the suspended animation systems came online, intending to preserve my sleeping form until I was found my some rescue ship. As my consciousness drifted away, my last thoughts were wondering how long that would be. Would I be adrift for years, perhaps even centuries.? Would anyone ever find me?
I awoke feeling groggy and confused. As awareness slowly returned to my body I realised I was laying on my back on a soft platform of some kind.
Above me, softly pulsating panels of light danced across the ceiling, creating intricate patterns which seemed to shift and evolve before my eyes. The sounds were gone, replaced by a gentle hum that resonated within my bones.
I blinked in confusion, trying to get my bearings. Where was I? Why did my body ache?
My muscles felt weak - not from fatigue but from disuse. I tried to sit up, it took a couple of attempts and a lot of effort but I managed to prop myself up on my elbows.
My eyes scanned the room, taking in my surroundings.
I didn't appear to be in a hospital room like I had expected. Instead, it looked more like a science lab area. The room was nearly entirely bare aside from the soft spongy white platform that I was resting on.
The walls seemed to undulate gently, shifting between shades of white and purple at regular intervals. Light panels embedded within them flickered with soft, soothing hues, bathing the room in calming luminescence.
I spotted what appeared to be a doorframe, positioned slightly off center from where I lay. I attempted to swing my legs over the side of the platform, but found myself unable to muster the strength to lift myself fully.
My body screamed out in protest, stiff and aching from the rigor of the cryosleep. After several moments of intense struggle, I managed to hoist myself up onto the edge of the platform.
As I pushed myself upright, a sudden pain shot through my chest, causing me to double over and gasp for breath. My vision blurred momentarily as I clutched the spot where the pain originated. It felt like I had been stabbed by a hot poker, searing and relentless.
"Calmness, other is safe now," said a soothing voice, echoing through the room. "Being has been healed. No injury or ailment remaining." The voice's intonation was strange and while I could understand what it was saying, it syntax sounded odd and alien.
I looked around the room trying to find who was speaking to me. I noticed a football sized wisp of blue light floating around the room. Was that the source of the voice?
I squinted at the light, trying to make out any features hidden within the swirling pattern of light that it formed.
"Who am I speaking to?" I asked tentatively, hoping to coax further information from the unknown entity.
There was a pause before the soft melodic voice once again spoke. "Self is Xarra. Rescuer and healer of other. Other is?" Its question was clumsy and I wasn't certain if it was asking my name or what type of creature I was.
I hesitated for a brief moment before responding. "I am Tariq. Who are you?"
A short silence followed before the blue orb responded. "Xarra." It repeated, confirming its earlier statement.
"Thank you for saving me, and for healing me," I added sincerely.
"Gratitude appreciated but not necessary. Healing not taxing." Xarra, the blue orb, replied. "Xarra enjoyment to learn about other and others. New knowledge and experience is life purpose." Xarra explained, continuing our conversation. "Exploration bring understanding. Understanding lead to connection. Connection desired."
It seemed Xarra was far different than anything I had encountered before. Curiosity and wonder permeated every word it spoke. Despite being a ball of light, it had an almost childlike quality to it. This mysterious entity wanted to know me, understand me just as much as I wanted to know it. We both stood at the precipice of discovery, peering down into the abyss of the unknown.