Epic of Aravinda 1: The Truth Beyond the Sky by Andrew M. Crusoe Page A

to get sleepy. After all, his sleep during the previous night had been sporadic at best, and the quiet hum of the ship was soothing to his ears. Zahn yawned.
    “What do you mean by the ‘Ocean of Space’? Is that just another name for space or is it something else?”
    “That is a good question, and one that I am pleased to say I can answer. Referring to space as the Ocean of Space is a perspective on space travel that many spacefarers share. You see, when I call it the Ocean of Space it reminds me that, within this galaxy, it is truly difficult to find a place where life is not drifting and growing in some way, whether it be on planets or elsewhere. I have even heard reports of life forms for which the vacuum of space itself is their home.”
    “But where did life in our galaxy come from if it also lives in the vacuum of space? What planet did it originate from?”
    “Now, that is quite a question, and I do not think that even the wisest of the Confederation knows the entire answer to that. All I can say is what we have observed, and we have observed life manifesting wherever the raw materials and energy are present. There are even some who hypothesize that an intelligent energy radiating from the core of the galaxy itself causes this matter and energy to develop into living creatures.”
    “So it didn’t start on just one planet? It happened on different places at once?”
    “We do not know for certain. However, there is an ancient story of a world called Jyotis, said to be the birthplace of all life. Although, there are not many left who still adhere to that belief.”
    Zahn’s eyes slowly closed as sleep overtook him.
    “Whatever the truth may be, all of it is a miracle, Zahn. Sometimes when I look out into the Ocean of Space, my mind revels in how much is still unknown, even to the Confederation. Imagine, Zahn, creatures that spend millennia drifting from world to world. What would such a creature look like? How would it communicate? Indeed, it is humbling to consider what might be out there, still undiscovered. What possibilities may have been overlooked…”
    Oonak looked back, sensing that Zahn may have fallen asleep. He had, and for a moment Oonak looked down to the ocean and smiled as a thought crossed his mind.
    “…and what potentials may have never been considered.”

CHAPTER10
     
    A CAVERN UNDER THE SOUTH POLE
     
     
    When Zahn opened his eyes again, he saw a jagged landmass buried in ice and snow. Waves crashed onto grey rock, and he could see no sign of life anywhere. Even the ocean itself seemed uninviting, appearing as a seething dark mass below the ship.
    As they passed over a snowy cliff, Zahn felt better that they were once again over land, even if it was freezing.
    Oonak waved him up to the command chair.
    “You may find this vantage point more enjoyable for this part of the journey. We are about to enter an ancient cave system. When we crashed, the impact resonated within a cavern below which allowed Navika to sense the hollow space beneath. Discovering it was divine fortune, and I have instructed Navika to place a waypoint marker on the cavern entrance.”
    After a few moments Zahn noticed faint coordinate markers had appeared on the ground below them.
    “Oon, how did you do that? Is the computer doing that?”
    “Yes, Navika is compositing a coordinate system over the light that is filtering through the hull.”
    Soon, a red triangle appeared on the horizon, and as they grew nearer, Zahn realized it was the waypoint marker that Oonak had mentioned earlier.
    “You know, I was thinking about what you said before, about how plentiful life is in our galaxy, and something bothers me. If life truly is everywhere, how significant does that make Avani?”
    “Zahn, is a diamond worth any less if it is surrounded by other diamonds?”
    “I guess not.”
    After a few minutes, they were just above the waypoint which was beside a small crater in the snow. Yet, Zahn saw no cave or crevice