Chapter 08: The Truth Behind the Veil
The control room was unlike anything Roxie had imagined. It was vast and sleek, illuminated by soft, ambient lighting that gave the space an almost ethereal glow. Panels of intricate technology were embedded into the walls, each one humming with a soft, mechanical pulse. A wide, curved console in the center of the room beckoned them forward, its surface covered in blinking lights and holographic displays.
Dorian approached the console without hesitation, tapping commands into the air as the interface responded with a series of rapid projections. Roxie watched in awe as a 3D map of the galaxy appeared in mid-air, rotating slowly in front of them, showing countless stars, planets, and galaxies.
Her heart thudded in her chest. This was it. The place where she would finally find the answers she had been chasing since her teleportation accident.
“What are we looking for?” Roxie asked, her voice a little unsteady. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were standing on the edge of something far darker than either of them realized.
“We’re looking for records of the planet,” Dorian said, his eyes scanning the projections intently. “I have a hunch it’s not just some random world. It’s part of something much bigger—a secret project, possibly even the key to the palace’s hidden agenda.”
Roxie glanced at him, taking in the intensity in his eyes. “You think it’s connected to the royal family?”
Dorian nodded. “I think they’ve been keeping something from the public. The royal archives, the palace, this entire operation—it’s all built on a lie.”
Roxie’s stomach twisted. She had suspected as much. There was too much secrecy surrounding her situation—too much about the palace that didn’t add up. But to hear Dorian speak of it so openly, with such conviction, made her uneasy.
“Why would they hide something like that?” she asked, her voice quieter now.
“Power,” Dorian replied simply. “Absolute power. If they control the secrets of this galaxy, they control everything. The planet you found—if it’s what I think it is—it could shift the balance of the entire star system.”
Roxie swallowed hard. She couldn’t begin to fathom what kind of power they were talking about. It sounded like something straight out of a science fiction novel, yet she knew it was all too real.
“Can we find out what’s really going on?” she asked, determined to press forward. “I need to know how this is connected to my teleportation accident. To my being here, in this place.”
Dorian hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “We need access to their hidden records, the ones they’ve kept locked away for centuries. There’s a security override in the system—only a few people in the galaxy know how to access it. Luckily, I’m one of them.”
Roxie watched as he continued tapping commands, his fingers moving with practiced ease. The holographic map shifted and changed, zooming in on various planets and systems, until it stopped on a seemingly inconspicuous dot near the edge of the galaxy. It was a small, uninhabited planet, its coordinates previously unknown.
“This is it,” Dorian murmured. “The planet you found. It’s not just a lost world. It’s a black site, a place where they’ve been conducting forbidden experiments. And I think it’s connected to the malfunction that brought you here.”
Roxie’s heart sank. “What kind of experiments?”
Dorian didn’t look up from the console as he spoke. “That’s the question. But whatever they’re doing, it’s not good. And it’s not just about technology. They’re manipulating something else—something much darker.”
A chill crept up Roxie’s spine. She had suspected there was more to her accidental teleportation than a simple malfunction, but the idea that it could be tied to something this sinister was terrifying.
“I have to go there,” she said, her voice firm despite the uncertainty bubbling inside her. “I need to see it for myself.”
Dorian finally turned to face her, his expression conflicted. “You’re not ready to go there. The risks are too high. The planet is uncharted for a reason. If we’re going to get to the truth, we have to be careful. It’s not just a place, Roxie—it’s a doorway to something much worse.”
Roxie didn’t flinch at his words. She had made it this far, hadn’t she? The risks didn’t scare her. What frightened her more was the thought of turning back now, of never understanding why she had ended up here in the first place.
“I don’t care what it takes,” she said, her voice cold with determination. “I need to know why I’m here. I need to know how this all fits together.”
Dorian studied her for a moment, his gaze unreadable. Finally, he sighed. “I’ll help you,” he said, his voice quieter now. “But you have to promise me something.”
“What?” Roxie asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“You have to promise me you won’t let the planet change you,” Dorian warned. “Whatever they’ve been doing there—it’s twisted. People who’ve gone there have never come back the same. And I’m not just talking about the physical dangers. The planet messes with your mind. It plays with your deepest fears, your darkest thoughts. If we go there, we’re going to face things that could break us.”
Roxie’s pulse quickened at the gravity of his words, but she didn’t back down. “I’m not afraid of that. Whatever happens, I’m ready.”
Dorian hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. “Then we’ll need to move quickly. If we don’t, we might lose the chance to uncover the truth forever.”
He turned back to the console, his fingers flying over the holographic interface. “I’ll begin the preparations,” he said, his voice steady now. “Get some rest. We’ll leave in a few hours.”
As Roxie watched him work, a wave of unease washed over her. She knew that this was it—the point of no return. Whatever happened next, she was in it for the long haul.
And she couldn’t shake the feeling that everything she had learned so far was just the beginning of something much darker than she could ever imagine.
It was time to uncover the secrets of the galaxy. It was time to go to the planet. To face the truth. And whatever waited for them there—she had no idea whether they would survive it.
But she couldn’t turn back.
