Liya awoke to the bright light that pierced her eyes; she slowly opened them to find two suns in the sky, something felt amiss. She sat up and looked around, the world seemed strange and unfamiliar. Instead of her usual room and comfortable bed, she saw tall trees with unusual colors and shades of leaves. The suns were bright but had a reddish hue, and the air was filled with scents she had never encountered before. Liya touched her neck, feeling discomfort, and discovered something unusual—a metallic implant that she didn’t remember getting.
The implant was small, about the size of a coin, and as soon as Liya touched it, the device activated, displaying an image of a girl with bright blue eyes and a smile, but she wasn’t real—it was a projection directly into Liya’s mind via her optic nerve.
As the shock subsided, the new acquaintance began to speak: “Hello, Liya! I’m Lucy. You are on the planet of Strixis. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
Liya tried to gather her thoughts, which was difficult with so many questions racing through her mind. “Who is Lucy? How did I get to this planet? And what is that implant in my neck?” she wondered, feeling her heartbeat quicken as she struggled to maintain composure.
“Lucy,” Lyra murmured, hoping the girl could hear her. “What’s happening? How did I get here?”
Lucy smiled wider. “Don’t worry, Liya. You were chosen for a special mission. The planet of Strixis is in a distant galaxy, and your task is to help us understand what happened here. We don’t know what became of our civilization, and now we need your help. I am an automated rescue system designed to help determine the path to save our civilization in case of catastrophe. Our best scientists worked on me so that in a critical moment, I could find the way to save us. They must have known something and were prepared for this.”
Liya tried to remember what Lucy had said, but it was hard to focus with so much information at once. She decided to concentrate on her surroundings to better understand where she was. The trees around her were tall and slender, their leaves shimmering in the orange sunlight. Here on Strixis, there were plants that resembled flowers but had more vivid and intricate forms. Large birds with long tails flew through the air, emitting melodic sounds.
“This is indeed a beautiful place,” Liya said, hoping her voice didn’t waver. “But why can’t I remember how I got here?”
Lucy shook her head. “We used a new teleportation technology that allows instant travel over great distances. Your memory was temporarily blocked for safety, but now you know everything.”
“I understand,” Liya replied, trying to calm herself. “What do I need to do next?”
Lucy leaned in, her eyes becoming serious. “You will embark on a journey and explore the abandoned cities of the Astrarhis. Try to find answers to these questions: Why did they all disappear? Where and who could have done this? I will help you get everything you need for this.”
Lucy showed a map indicating the route to the nearest scientific station, where there might be some answers as well as supplies. “Follow this path,” Lucy said. “You will find everything you need.”
Liya nodded, feeling the tension ease. She decided to move forward, relying on the map and her own instincts. Ahead of her lay new discoveries and adventures.