Page 61 of The Sovereign: Part One
“The perimeter Sentinels.You don’t know about them?”he asked, surprised.“They’re similar to the Regs, but bigger, stronger, faster.They can better navigate the terrain.They patrol the boundary areas, ensuring no breaches occur and safeguarding the perimeter from any potential threats.”
“Hiven or exponents?”I asked.
“Bipedal exponents.They’re enormous.They stand upright at approximately eight feet, two inches tall.”
My mouth parted, and I shook my head.“I didn’t know anything like that existed.I’m not sure anyone outside The Citadel or the Tribitheon does.What kind of threats would something like thatanda five-hundred-meter-high wall need to protect us from?There is no wildlife surviving outside the cities or The Vale.Icarus’ Commonwealth is twelve hundred kilometers away.They need all that for The Drave?”
“There’s a lot out there you don’t know about, Isara.If you had nightmares about the Skaarth, I don’t think it’s a good idea to—”
“Maxim,” I interjected.“Please.”
He sighed, already regretting his decision.“The Verdant Maw, for one.”
“Verdant Maw,” I echoed.No part of that name helped me decipher what it might be.
He continued, “It wasn’t supposed to be a threat.It was an early terraforming initiative, a last-ditch effort to restore fertility to dead land, but the vegetation adapted too aggressively.The undergrowth is so dense it’s nearly impassable, and the air is thick with toxins that release spores and airborne irritants.Prolonged exposure causes respiratory failure, neurological disruption… some reports mention hallucinations.”He adjusted in his seat.“Sentinels keep it contained with controlled incineration, burning back the growth before it can spread, and deep-ground pulse emitters disrupt the root network to keep it from creeping toward civilization.No Sovereign, Auren, Supplicant, or Hiven who’s gone in has ever come out.”
“So, cannibals and aggressive, toxic, bio-engineered vegetation.Maybe we shouldn’t go to Smith Rock?How do the Auren make it to Hyperion Proper?All the Vanguard boys routinely go out exploring.Lourdes’s brother, Roan, goes weekly.For Chiron’s sake, so does my papa!”
“The Strenn Corridor that runs between The Vale and Hyperion Proper’s gate is relatively safe.But it’s not recommended to venture too far away from it.”
“Papa talks about the Corridor a lot.That’s a relief.Anything else out there?”
“Maybe that’s enough for the day.”
I made a face.
He laughed.“You’re insufferable.This is classified information, you understand.”
“I understand.”
“Well, there’s the Ashen Flats and The Null, three hundred and approximately five hundred kilometers outside the walls, respectively.The Flats are what’s left of another failed geoengineering project, basically one big area of unstable ground and toxic gas pockets.The terrain collapses without warning, swallowing anything unlucky enough to be caught in the wrong place.Drones run constant scans, but… it could destabilize Hyperion Proper if there’s a big enough disturbance.”He exhaled slowly before continuing.“The Null is worse.It was a military research zone before Hyperion’s rise, sealed off after the Collapse.Officially, it’s abandoned, but Sentinels still patrol its perimeter because every so often, drones detect movement inside.No one knows if it’s just old defense systems still running—or something else.”
“I can see why they keep all this to themselves,” I said, shuddering.
“Without a doubt.No reason to alarm the populus.”
“I know you say The Null is worse, but what scares me more than anything is the unstable land.Is it far enough away, or could it swallow Hyperion, too?”
“It’s far enough away that only an explosion of catastrophic scale could significantly handicap Hyperion Proper.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or not.”
Maxim scooted even closer to me.“I’ll always keep you safe, Isara.If I had to carry you all the way to The Commonwealth, I would.”
I put my hand on his, appreciative of the thought.“Do the archives say anything about it?I know it’s our sister city, but Icarus is also Hyperion’s direct competitor.Would we even be welcome there?”
After a beat, Maxim shook his head.“There’s not much on their culture, but several intel reports suggest their freedoms are heavily restricted.From what I’ve read, they don’t experience true autonomy.”
I shuddered.“If the Ashen Flats detonated with enough force to cripple Hyperion beyond survivable limits, The Vale would be obliterated, too.Surely The Citadel has disaster plans?Evacuation protocols?”
Maxim hesitated for a moment before speaking.“A fifty to eighty-day journey on foot through infertile wastelands, toxic water sources, and unstable terrain isn’t just improbable—it’s impossible for an unassisted Sovereign.Even with a Supplicant, extreme preparation, carefully placed supply caches, and advanced gear, survival odds would still be minimal.”
“Did you mean it when you said you’d carry me there?”
“Obviously.”
“But you just said the survival odds would be minimal.”
