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“Ignore them,” Nico said as he caught up with her.
Devika remained rooted in place, fists clenched, staring out at the ocean.
“They don’t matter,” he added. “They’re jealous that you solved the riddle. And on your first visit.”
“No one will care a week from now.” She pointed out people combing through the Etaem ruins. “Most of these people won’t be remembered for their efforts. Only the first person to complete trial will be remembered.”
“That doesn’t stop them from participating,” he argued. “They’re out here having a great time. And that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
That’s all Anand wanted. He always cared about making people laugh more than anything else. But now he was gone, and no one cared. She could count on one hand the number of people who had asked after him. It was as if he’d never attended the academy—or lived on Space City.
She halted, turning to face Nico. “I want to solve this. I want to be remembered.”
And remember.
His nose wrinkled. For several minutes they stood in silence before he said, “We won’t solve this trial standing here. If the icosahedron represents water, will we find the next clue in the ocean?”
She studied the water, sure they would find Etaem ruins down there. “Makes as much sense as any, but we won’t get a ship today.”
“So, we either search the beach or leave.”
Something about the connection bothered her. “The Icosahedron representing water doesn’t make sense. Nor the other platonic solids with the other basic elements.”
“It has to be,” he said. “The icosahedron was the missing constellation. Right between Zethlir the fisherman god and the fish constellation. Not to mention, solving the riddle opened the thorneway that deposited us beside water.”
It didn’t fit to her. “I think the thorneway depositing us by the water is a coincidence.”
He shrugged, his expression doubtful. “It seems to fit.”
“It does, but it shouldn’t,” she countered. “What are the odds that an alien civilization would make the same connection between the Platonic solids and humankind’s classical elements? It’s statistically improbable.”
“Anything that can happen, will happen.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s a lazy response.”
He bristled. “I didn’t make up the saying. Just acknowledging it’s a possibility, no matter how unlikely.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean you’re lazy.” She laid a hand on his shoulder. “I only mean that phrase is used to accept a possible answer, however unlikely, because the problem is too difficult to solve or it’s not important enough.”
“Okay.” He crossed his arms.
“My point is the icosahedron connection to water is speculation. Yes, it appears between the Zethlir and fish in the Etaem constellation. But it’s possible that the pictures the Etaem saw in the arrangement of stars in the sky were all unrelated.
“Second, there’s the icosahedron thorneway dropping us up on that ridge. Yes, it is beside the ocean, but it’s also beside that toxic wasteland our wrist-comps warned us about. To see these as proofs of the connection is confirmation bias.”
“So not only am I lazy, but I only look for evidence that proves me right?”
She covered her eyes with a hand, groaning. “I’m just trying to solve this trial. We can’t have false assumptions guiding our efforts.
“Think about it. First off, it’s extremely unlikely that the Etaem would’ve perceived earth, wind, fire, water, and aether as elements the way humans once did. And it’s even more unlikely they would’ve matched the Platonic solids to those classic elements the same way we did. However, even if we assumed they did, it would’ve been during their primitive history, before they advanced their understanding of the universe and how it works. Same with humanity. No one refers to those as elements anymore. That belief has been consigned to the past. Now we have the periodic table with proper elements that form the building blocks of our world and the known universe. Wouldn’t a more advanced civilization such as the Etaem have done the same?”
He grinned slyly. “I’m messing with you. But the Etaem couldn’t know who would find their trial. What if the connection between the platonic solids and the classic elements was intentional to make them easier to understand?”
“If they wanted to make this easier, they could’ve left us directions to find them.”
He pursed his lips and stared at the ground.
“Any society advanced enough for interstellar travel here would have abandoned those classical elements in their past as well. If they were ever there at all.”
“What if they didn’t leave it behind for species from another planet? What if they intended all this for others here on Havendesh?” Nico asked.
“More speculation. We need to stop looking for anything that could’ve happened and focus on what likely happened.”
He scrunched his nose. “Okay, then assuming that the icosahedron constellation wasn’t chosen at random to be the thorneway, what is its significance?”
She ran a general search of the shape on her wrist-comp. She skimmed through the results, past the overview of the shape and its historical context for humans and some alien races.
Then she found something that fit.
“Many viruses come in the shape of an icosahedron,” she read, voice rising.
He frowned. “How does that help?”
“Our wrist-comp warnings.” She hurried toward the ridge, motioning him to follow.
“That’s why we came to the beach,” he said. “To stay away from those toxins, whatever they are.”
“Yes, but it’s plausible that the Etaem viewed the icosahedron as a virus symbol. Most viruses come in that shape. It could be a broader metaphor for viruses, bacteria, or what about viral weapons?”
He halted. “So, you think the next part of the trial is in the wasteland?”
She smiled. “Exactly.”
He looked horrified. “But it’s too dangerous.”
She tapped her explorer suit. “If we raise our helmets, we’ll be safe. As long as we’re careful, we should be fine.”
“And what if they don’t protect us?”
She considered. “Okay, what if we don’t go in? Just take a few ground samples at the edge and test them. Then we’ll know if we need better safety equipment.”
“You promise that’s it?” He half turned back toward the beach.
“I don’t have a death wish. I just want some idea of what we’re facing. If that’s where we need to go to continue the trial.”