The Vanity of Hope by G W Langdon

Author:G W Langdon [Langdon, G W]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780473497958
Published: 2019-10-20T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Tom spun the lightMatrix and watched Tilas slow to its natural rotation speed above the lightPad. The forests of Tilas spanned the equator and the largest continent shared a likeness to Africa’s topography and climate. The Fall of Tilas haunted him, as raw and visceral after thirty nine days as if he’d just witnessed the carnage and injustice yesterday. Yet how much worse must the true horror have been that led to the extinction of the global civilization and subsequent dismemberment of Nature. If it could happen to Tilas, it could—would happen to Earth. Of the million planets in the known galaxy able to sustain life, only three had produced advanced civilizations and precariously only two of these had survived to maturity and reached the stars. Colaris and Tilas were under the heel of Decay, and Earth lay in a future to be decided on Heyre.

He spun Tilas again. “Does Vera tell you what I search for?”

Queen Lillia stopped browsing through the book and relented. “Only if you venture outside your Color range.”

“Are Vera and Amie cousins, or something?”

“She’s Federation, and not our concern.” She closed the book. “They’re not related, but in familial terms Amie would be the wise old matriarch of the Dynasty and Vera would be a bright child.”

“Ba’illi talks about Amie as though she’s real.”

“More like a god. He’s a regular visitor to her realm, but I don’t see the attraction.”

“He says, ‘Amie’s Gi LaMon is a VR marvel beyond imagination.’”

“That much,” she said, smiling. “There’s nothing real about Gi LaMon. Just bright lights inside your head.”

He glanced up from the lightPad. “I might meet Sarra in there. Anything’s possible, right?”

“You’re a long way from being ready for Gi LaMon, and the sneaky ways of General Reuzk. Sarra could be inside, but there would be hooks.”

“When will I be ready? I’m training with Ba’illi every day.”

“When I say you are.”

He tapped the lightPad and a rainbow arched over Tilas. “I had a dream the other night of bright lights… moving in waves as if in water.”

The book fell from her hands. “Lights—what sort of lights?” she asked, picking up the book and placing it on the shelf.

“What does it matter? They’re only bright lights inside my head.”

A harsh firmness set upon her fair face as she advanced across the room in long strides that caused the long flaps on her coat to ride up her trousers.

“Tell me exactly what you saw,” she said, pushing the lightPad aside and sitting down. “Describe the feeling when you saw the lights?”

“Pleasant, comfortable… I guess.” He fumbled for a length of rope. What had come over her?

Her hair darkened a shade and the sparkle left her kind eyes.

“Stop staring at me that way… let me think.” Tom dragged the lightPad back and swiped through his ‘Nature’ gallery. “Something like this,” he said, showing her the bioluminescent starfish.

“Anything else?”

“Patterns—hieroglyphs pulsing over the surface.”

She clutched her chest as if stabbed and put a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. “Did any thoughts or questions come to you?” she asked, fumbling inside her shoulder bag.

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