Horizon

Chapter 3

“Nothing too bad,” replied Ialye as they finally got to the airlock leading inside the vessel. “The biggest threat we've had was that one worker trying to smuggle in some explosives.”

“Right. The Deremoth worshipper.” Nala remembered that well. It had been a moment of danger for the entire project. It was the reason why security around the facility was so tight and every workers background had been thoroughly researched. As they'd walked around the superstructure there had been guards peppered at steady intervals and there were bomb scanners and other security measures at important points of entry.

While most of the workers on the project were not elves, they had a lot invested in it. There were entire families working on it and some even had a second generation helping things along. That was what happened when construction took the better part of a decade.

Why the cult of Deremoth had tried such an attack was a bit of an mystery. The elves were going to leave so it would have made sense to think that to be welcomed by them, but then most people underestimated the dark side of them.

They did not want elves to leave. They wanted all of them to die.

It was also something they would have to worry about during the journey. A lot of the crew were from different races – many of them human – which left an opening for sabotage despite all the precautions that had been put in place.

The dark thoughts disappeared from Nala's mind as they passed through the airlock. The door was not closed due to the amount of traffic and the fact the superstructure was pressurized as well. They came into a large hall that looked like it would be something found in a modern office building. There were transport tubes lining the walls and to the far end of it there was the transport rail that went vertically through the entire vessel. Walking was not practical due to the scale of the vessel so it had its own transport network to make movement as effortless as it was on the space dock.

The lighting in the hall was bright and there were some plants in pots to bring some nature to the otherwise cold looking metal construct. There was even a small fountain at the centre of the hall that brought the sound of flowing water to soothe the passengers.

From the appearance of things it was very clear that elves had had a hand in designing the vessel and even more it was apparent it had been built with a degree of comfort in mind that was lacking on any military oriented craft.

“More than you expected?” asked Ialye as her two guests looked around with an expression of awe on their faces.

“The plans don't do it justice,” said Ghardo as he admired the fountain and the decorative elements embedded in the floor. The different coloured panels made the shape of an oak leaf.

“It is a befitting vessel for the hopes of our people,” said Nala quietly as she admired the work.

Ialye smiled and motioned for the two to follow her. Once more they waited a moment for a transport capsule to arrive and climbed on board. The transport whisked past several stations before stopping at one. Ialye led the two to an corridor that opened up to one of the domes.

It was like walking into an forest.

There was soft grass under their feet with real soil. Forest flowers and bushes could be seen strew across and the majestic Elf Trees towered over everything. Looking up high you could see the dome glisten in the small amount of sunlight that came through. Artificial light augmented that, providing the plants below with adequate lighting.

Nala forgot all of that as she walked through the forest that had been created there. The trees she passed by had windows and doors on them, telling that they had people living in them. She passed many of them without giving much attention; what she was searching for was the tree of her parents.