Elysium revealed

She was finally going to see the inside of Elysium. Here she was, standing in front of the great wall, her heart pounding with an anticipation never felt before. This time she would witness the actual magic being done, the line being drawn at the source!

Sylvia was the one who the way and, with a few magical gestures persuaded the heavy door to slide open and reveal the dark interior.

"Follow me closely, Alycia. You don't want to get lost in here. There are old things, still humming with power and you don't know how to tame them yet."

Alycia approached her mother and followed in her footsteps and they both entered the great ship, each with only a torch to light the way. A large room surrounded them, with great and menacing statues lined up inside it, some with hard corners and sharp edges, some curved and smooth but looking no less deadly.

A terrifying sight in any other situation, but Alycia saw her mother walk right through them with no hesitation and so she chose to leave the fear for later, give in to the amazement and, for now, be just as brave.

Another door is in front of them, but this one opens on its own just as Sylvia and Alycia come near to it. Alycia was certain no magical gestures were made. Despite her pounding heart she paid very close attention to everything around her and especially to Sylvia's actions.

Maybe it was outfit, she wondered. Sylvia was wearing the ceremonial outfit, dark blue with a thin red strip and many, many little bits of colored fabrics and plastics glued next to her heart.

The outfit was ancient, as ancient as Elysium itself, part of her family's heritage since the time they all arrived here. Maybe even since before that, who really knows what happened before?

As they continue the journey inward they pass through clean corridors and large, emptied rooms. Sometimes a light emerges from the ceiling or the walls nearby, as if to show the pair that they are welcomed here. That they are on the right path.

It doesn't stay on for long though and quickly flickers out. The powers that rule this place seem reluctant to share more of their energy. Or, perhaps, as the many empty rooms the pass suggest, they shared all they could and have little left to give.

"We have arrived!" announced Sylvia as they entered what appears to be the final step of their journey, a darkened room with many dim, colored lights dancing on the walls. "Do you remember the gesture I taught you?"

"Yes, two on the top, then left and then the center one! I practiced it daily, mom. I won't let you down." Alycia felt her excitement grow, she was in the center of Elysium. She was going to witness another line being drawn on the great wall.

Maybe her mother was even going to let her draw it!

=================

Elysium was the first of many ships scheduled to colonize Vatha, hoping to turn it from a somewhat arid world into a place that could be called home.

The journey through the Gates wasn't an easy one for any ship and for Elysium it turned out worse than most. As it emerged from the Travel Gate it veered uncontrollably and somehow hit the gate itself.

In a fraction of a second Elysium turned from a space-worthy colony craft into a piece of metal that barely managed to hold together during the crash on Vatha.

The gate itself, a marvel of engineering, nanotechnology and self-replication, sent hundreds of years ago towards Vatha, was badly damaged.

A wave of despair came upon the crew and people of Elysium after hearing the scientist's estimates on how long it will take for the Gate to repair itself.

It would take centuries until communications and updates could come from home. Even more until ships could come through.

But these were people who chose to go into the unknown and colonize a strange, new world. They would manage on their own despite, as they would find, the unpredictability of the weather.

To celebrate their survival and to remember they are still part of the humanity which colonized the stars, the wise among them imagined a ceremony to ensure the people stayed together, despite any political disagreements they will undoubtedly have.

They would celebrate the crash landing on Vatha, the beginning of their adventure, and they would keep a tally of the passing time and of the hope of one day joining with their brothers and sisters among the stars.

================

The great wall suddenly lit up, as it always did, and there they were: the marks that show the passing of the time on Vatha.

The gathered crowd cheered and each started looking with great anticipation at the huge, well lit screens.

This year, even the Tenners tried to join in the fun at the celebration.

It was a sign of great luck in the next year if one could find the spot where the new line will be drawn and point it out to the others.

Sylvia, the mistress of Elysium knew this and, each time, she would slowly draw the line, making sure that only the most daft of observers could miss it.

The people of Vatha had a long history. There were so many marks on the wall that some people started to worry that soon there will be no more space for any new tallies.

Maybe the lit wall would fill up during their lifetimes and then what? What would that actually mean for the small colony on Vatha?

Would that be a sign of ending? The Tenners certainly believed so and a few years before actually started preparations to leave the colony.

They stayed only at Sylvia's insistence and, for now, would continue to share their farming knowledge and resources.

Young Alycia didn't really care for any of this. She didn't care much for the the luck of the tally. She was Sylvia's daughter and luck would always be with her family.

No, Alycia focused more on the other things shown on the great wall. The thin blue line on the bottom. The small symbols seen faintly above and below the tally marks.

Nobody seemed to ever wonder what they meant, not even her mother knew or cared for that matter. They were just there. Only the tally marks mattered, though nobody really knew why either...

But it was at this celebration that Alycia saw something new. With the corner of her eye she saw the symbols change. Just one, low and far to the right, in an area almost hidden by growing weeds.

She was certain they changed. And she was certain she would be the one to find out why. Next year, she will convince her mother to take her into Elysium.

================

"Go ahead, perform the ritual as I taught you." Sylvia said. Maybe there really was a change, maybe the symbols were trying to say something, a hint of what to do when there would be no more space for the tally marks. If so, Alycia should be the one to enter them.

And even if not, it would still make Alycia happy. That was good by itself.

Alycia approached what seemed to be a smaller version of the great wall. A small area, the size of a palm, was offset from the walls, slightly rising. That is where Sylvia was and she welcomed Alycia to join her.

There were symbols there, three columns and four rows! Symbols like the one she saw change the year before. On the bottom, two of the symbols were of a different color, one had four lines, criss-crossed. The other was a star.

The ancients traveled between the stars. This was a holy place indeed!

"Two on the top, then left and then the center one" she remembered, but it was almost unnecessary. The material around those symbols was well-worn, a sign of many generations performing the same ritual year after year.

She pressed the symbols, performed the ritual and the screen lit up.

But it was only for a split second and then the screens went dark. Then many symbols raced across the screens, some like the ones upon the keypad, but many were stranger still.

This isn't how it was supposed to be! Was it because she was there? Was it an affront to the gods to let two enter the sacred chamber of Elysium?

Alycia looked to her mother for guidance, but in the light of the torch she saw only fear and doubt. What have they done?

Sylvia kneeled in front of the great screen and begged for forgiveness. And then, with a whir, the screens cleared and then lit up.

Happiness came to Alycia, all was good, the gods have forgiven them. But Sylvia's face still read of fear and concern.

The screens were lit but there were no markings there. No tallies. All of their history wiped out.

Was it a good sign or a terrible omen? The gods were rarely obvious but then, the gods rarely acted this openly.

Were they saved?

Yes, Sylvia though, that's how she will interpret this event. The gods heard of their struggles and their doubts and chose to forgive their people.

The slate was wiped clean, all sins forgiven. The people of Vatha must let go of their hatreds and mistrusts and come together. For a new beginning. With the Tenners, and not apart from them, though that will take some doing.

"Yes, it is a good sign", Sylvia though to herself. And then, in sight of Alycia, she drew a large tally line on the screen. Larger than any other that she drew. Larger than even the first few lines drawn by the first survivors of Elysium.

"It is a new beginning for our people", Sylvia proclaimed with only Alycia and the ancient machines of Elysium as witnesses.

=================

All the ships in the Vatha flotilla had faulty navigation software. This was the conclusion of the Adams committee investigating the tragic loss of Elysium and the disabling of the Vatha gate.

An update was quickly developed and sent via the Gate network to all ships with similar computers. One after another, the ships received the update, installed it, rebooted and continued on their journeys.

Humanity has a destiny and no delays were ever allowed. More Seed Gates are sent out into the Universe, to grow and self-assemble into another endpoint in the Travel network. More ships are sent to colonize new worlds.

The expansion is slow, but must be continued steadily. Ultimately all habitable planets will be joined by the Gates. Even Vatha will have her second chance.