Chapter 9
Maya
The first thing I noticed when Rykar finally pulled his hands away from the heart crystal was the silence in my head.
Not complete silence—I could still feel the ancient Sola’s presence, but it was a warm background hum rather than the chaotic static I’d been enduring for days.
The overwhelming and painful surges of alien energy and fragmented memories had stopped.
“How do you feel?” Rykar asked, turning to face me.
His skin showed the lingering blue-white glow from his contact with the crystal, and there was something different about his posture.
More confident, maybe. Like he’d finally found his footing in a situation that had been spinning out of control since the moment we met.
“Better,” I said, and truly meant it. “The chaos is gone. I can still sense her, but it’s like…background music instead of a thunderstorm.”
Through our shared connection, I felt the Sola’s gentle approval.
She was content now, no longer desperately clawing for connection but settled into the partial bond she’d established with Rykar.
The ancient loneliness that had driven her to such extremes was fading, replaced by something approaching peace.
But there were other sensations filtering through the link.
Flashes of memory that weren’t mine—glimpses of star systems I’d never seen, moments of connection with Destrans who had died millennia ago, the slow passage of time during her long dormancy.
They came and went like distant lightning, brief illuminations of a consciousness far older and more complex than anything I could fully comprehend.
“We should try to get back to the surface,” Rykar said, though he didn’t sound particularly optimistic about our chances. “Let the others know what happened.”
I nodded, though part of me was reluctant to leave this place. The heart chamber felt safe in a way that the rest of the Sola’s interior hadn’t, and I could sense through our connection that the ancient consciousness was still fragile, still in need of careful tending.
We made our way back through the corridor we’d used to reach the heart chamber, but it was immediately obvious that something had changed.
The walls, which had been narrow and confining during our journey inward, were noticeably wider now.
The surface’s stickiness that had made every step a struggle had lessened at least, replaced by something that felt more like the smooth, yielding floors I’d experienced in the other Solas.
“She’s growing,” I said, running my gloved hand along the wall. The bioluminescence was brighter too, shifting from the sickly gray we’d first encountered to a warmer, healthier shade. She wasn’t the strong blue-white glow of a fully functioning Sola, but she was getting there.
“And healing,” Rykar added, his voice filled with wonder. “She’s healing.”
As we continued toward what should have been the entry chamber, the changes became even more dramatic.
Side passages that hadn’t existed before branched off from the main corridor, and I could see rooms forming in the walls—spaces that looked like they might eventually become living quarters or work areas.
The ancient Sola was literally building herself around us, creating the internal structure she needed to function as a proper living ship.
It was fascinating from a scientific perspective, but also slightly terrifying.
We were witnessing the birth of something immense and alien, and we were inside it.
When we reached the chamber where we’d first entered the Sola, my heart sank. The opening that had sealed behind us was gone, replaced by a smooth, unbroken wall that showed no sign of ever having been anything else. We were well and truly trapped.
“Well,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “I guess she really doesn’t want us to leave.”
Rykar activated his comm system, and to my surprise, it crackled to life with much clearer reception than we’d had before.
“Scaron, can you hear me?” he said into the transmitter.
“Rykar!” Scaron’s voice came through clearly, tinged with relief. “We’ve been trying to reach you for hours. What’s your status?”
“We’re alive and the bond is established,” Rykar replied. “But we have a problem. The Sola has sealed the exit. We can’t get out.”
There was a pause, followed by rapid conversation in the background that I couldn’t quite make out.
“This is not unexpected. We have had to evacuate the area,” Savair’s voice came through. “Your Sola is growing and beginning to emerge from the ground, making the sector unstable. When we have a little more stability to bring in equipment, we can attempt to create another opening.”
“No,” I said, activating my own comm. “Don’t. She’s healing, growing, stabilizing. If you damage her exterior now, it could undo everything we’ve accomplished.”
“Maya?” It was Wyn’s voice now, warm with concern. “How are you feeling? Are you still experiencing the psychic overload?”
“I’m much better. The bond has stabilized my condition, though I’m still connected to her consciousness.” I looked around at the changing walls. “The Sola is making some pretty dramatic renovations to her interior. I think we’re going to be here for a while.”
There was more conversation in the background, then Zurian’s scholarly voice. “The energy readings from the other Solas have stabilized as well. Whatever you accomplished down there has resolved the interference patterns.”
That was something, at least. We might be trapped, but we’d saved the connected city from the ancient Sola’s desperate attempts at connection.
“We’ll monitor the situation from up here,” Scaron said. “Keep your comms open and let us know if anything changes.”
After we signed off, Rykar and I stood in the transformed chamber, looking around at walls that were slowly, but clearly expanding and reshaping themselves as we watched.
“I guess we’re roommates now,” I said.
“Temporarily,” Rykar replied, though something in his tone suggested he wasn’t entirely displeased by the prospect.
We made our way back toward the heart chamber, following the corridor that was now wide enough for us to walk side by side comfortably.
The area around the Sola’s consciousness core was developing fastest, I noticed.
The ceiling was higher here, the walls smoother, the air actually breathable according to the readings on my suit.
“We can take our helmets off,” I said, checking the atmospheric display on my forearm. “She’s managed to create a proper life support system in this section.”
Rykar hesitated for a moment, then reached up to release the seals on his helmet. I did the same, and was surprised by how good it felt to breathe unfiltered air again, even if it carried a faintly metallic scent, possibly because of the growth of the Sola.
“Much better,” Rykar said, running his hands through his hair to adjust the helmet-flattened strands.
We shrugged out of our bulky space suits and the supply packs we’d been carrying, leaving us in the lighter base layers we’d worn underneath.
It should have felt more comfortable, but instead I found myself hyperaware of Rykar’s physical presence in a way I hadn’t been when we were both encased in protective gear, but in a way I had been when we were sharing that room on Ledos’ Sola.
The difference was, now I felt better and knew I wasn’t likely to be flooded with lethal doses of Sola energy. Now, I could really look.
He was tall and well-built, and that was showcased by the snug black shirt and pants he wore.
The base layer clothing clung to his frame, outlining the broad shoulders and defined chest I’d glimpsed during our previous bedtime conversations.
But now his narrow hips and gorgeous ass were on display, as well.
It took real effort to train my gaze on his face, where it belonged.
His skin there showed the relaxed blue-green patterns of a Destran who was finally feeling at peace with his situation.
“You look different,” I said, determined to keep my thoughts family-friendly. “More…settled.”
“I feel different,” he admitted. “Relieved. I was worried that even if I bonded with this Sola, I’d still lose you. I suppose I finally figured out what she wanted from me.”
It was true. The uncertain, guilt-ridden transport pilot I’d first met was still there, but he was overlaid now with something that looked kind of like purpose.
This was what Rykar looked like when he accepted his role as a leader, when he stopped running from responsibility and embraced it instead.
I found it incredibly attractive.
“We should explore a bit,” he said, gesturing toward the corridors that were branching off from the heart chamber. “See what she’s building for us.”
As we moved through the developing interior, I noticed how Rykar positioned himself slightly ahead of me when we entered new spaces, how he tested the stability of the floor before letting me follow, how his eyes constantly scanned for potential dangers.
It was protective behavior, instinctive and automatic.
Part of me appreciated it. The care and attention made me feel valued, cared for in a way that I’d never experienced before. Thomas had never been protective of me, had never seen me as someone who might need or want that kind of consideration.
But another part of me bristled at the implication that I couldn’t take care of myself.
I had spent years conducting surveys on every type of world that was out there.
I knew how to assess risks and handle dangerous situations.
I didn’t need a protector, even one as appealing as Rykar was turning out to be.
“I can watch where I’m going,” I said, when he stopped me from entering a corridor that looked slightly less stable than the others.
He looked surprised. “I know you can. I just…”
“You just what?”
He furrowed his brow. “I’ve already lost people I cared about. I don’t want to lose you too.”
The simple honesty of it deflated my irritation. He wasn’t being protective because he thought I was helpless. He was being protective because he was terrified of experiencing another loss.
“You’re not going to lose me,” I said gently. “But you also don’t have to shield me from every potential risk. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”
“I know,” he said. “I’ll try to remember that.”
We continued our exploration, finding corridors that led to what would eventually be living quarters, work spaces, and common areas.
The Sola was building herself into a proper ship, creating the infrastructure needed to house and sustain a community.
It was fascinating to watch the process in real time, walls flowing like liquid before solidifying into their final forms.
When we returned to the heart chamber, which was now larger and more fully developed than when we’d first entered it, we discovered that the Sola had been busy on our behalf.
“Is that…” I started, staring at a chamber that had appeared near the heart crystal.
“A bedroom,” Rykar finished. His skin shifted to fuchsia as he winced. “With one bed.”