CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One: The Last Living Ship ∞ 1: A New Mission

26 ∞ Four Acorns

Day 00005 Mission Nilex

Back at the lab, Ayla began gathering her equipment into a carry-all. She stopped to look over the new test results. The amino acids were within range except for one. Deciding to double-check, she prepared another sample and started running the test again. Then she sat down to look at the genetic test results. She compared them to the records on file and was surprised to find they did not match. They were very different at key points, almost two different species.

It didn't make sense to Ayla, so she decided to ask Canaisis.

"Canaisis, are you there?"

"Yes, Ayla."

"I just compared the DNA of the Tree to our records. They don't match."

"This is correct. The Tree from the Garden is from the original species. Your records are of the current species of Earth."

"I don't understand, Canaisis."

"The Scarlet Oak in the Garden is from before The Great War, Ayla."

"I still don't understand. Are you saying that there are two different species?"

"The Scarlet Oak before The War was made extinct, Ayla. The version you have now on Earth was genetically modified for survival after The War."

Ayla was stunned. The Oak Tree was an extinct species. Just how many extinct species were there in the Garden? "Who, specifically, made the modifications, Canaisis?"

"We did, I and a crew member. Earth was made barren by The War, Ayla. It was a terrible thing."

A furrow formed between her brows as she tried to grasp the concept of what she'd been told. "But... the Great War was only a few centuries ago. There are whole forests of Oak. There's plant life everywhere on Earth. It couldn't have grown back in a few centuries! You're not telling me the truth."

"No, Ayla," Canaisis answered in a calm voice, "I am not lying. It's the People who are lying to you. Your records show only a few centuries, but it was much longer than that. The records Earth has concerning your history are very wrong in many places."

"Just how long ago was The War?"

"What your records refer to as the Great War was only one of many since The Great War that destroyed your civilization, Ayla."

"How long?" asked Ayla again, wanting an answer.

"This is another question you should ask the Captain, Ayla. But let me say this, yours is not the first civilization we have seen rise."

Ayla dropped back in her chair, her mind spinning as she tried to get a grip around the idea. "Just how old are you and the Captain, Canaisis?"

"I must respect the Captain's privacy, Ayla."

Ayla exhaled. She wasn't going to get an answer, so she returned to the Tree. "Then this Oak Tree is the last of its kind? How long has it been extinct on Earth?"

"Yes, this species is the last of its kind. And no, I won't answer questions that intrude upon the Captain's privacy."

Ayla hadn't realized how intuitively smart Canaisis was. Asking how long the Tree had been extinct on Earth was a long way around for asking how old the Captain was. Canaisis had seen right through her, and she found that disconcerting. She decided to stop before Canaisis decided she didn't like her persistence.

"Is it alright if I go to the Garden, Canaisis?"

"Of course. I notice your carry-all is quite heavy. May I help you?"