The top of the world was in reach.

It had taken quite a lot for Alix and Figaro to get there, mind you. The difficulty of climbing uphill on the slippery, jagged floor of the tunnel had only been enhanced by the addition of an ambush by a giant insectoid. After that the tunnel continued to grow narrow as they and their Aexon companions neared the top. At one point the tunnel was so narrow that Alix had to make her ascent on her hand and knees, with one hand still gripping the silver sphere close to her body. Her shoulders brushed against the rocky walls. More than a few unidentifiable critters scuttled across her hand as she squeezed her way through. She’d had to duck her head to avoid scraping it against the ceiling, and the glowing blue that had illuminated their way began to gradually dwindle to nothing the higher up they went, enshrouding them all in darkness.

But it was all worth it when Alix saw the pinprick of light in the distance.

“You see that, Figaro?”

“Do I!” Figaro’s eye lenses shot out. “Sunlight! Glorious sunlight!”

The Aexons also began to chatter excitedly. They all quickened their pace, even the elders. A fresh burst of energy shot through Alix and she climbed faster, pushing herself to keep up with the scurrying Aexons. The pinprick of light grew larger as Alix ascended. Soon she saw not just light, but a sky of clouds. Alix continued to claw her way up. She blocked out any thoughts of aches or pains, and banished her body’s exhaustion. She let herself think of nothing but the sky ahead.

And then, like magic, she crawled out the tunnel opening into the open air.

“Freedom!” Figaro cheered. He leaped down from her shoulder and rolled onto the craggy ground below. He hopped about gleefully. “Fresh air! Trees! Sunshine!”

Figaro was right on all counts. The mountain peak they’d emerged on was sparse in foliage, giving them an expansive view of Kabir’s Crimson Forest below. The thick canopy seemed to stretch on endlessly, swaying in the wind like waves on a red ocean. The sun hung high above, marking the time as midday. Faint avian chirps echoed from down the mountain. In the far distance, Alix could just barely see a silver rectangle nestled amongst the trees.

“Oh my God!” Alix pointed it out to Figaro. “Is that the station?”

“The station?” Figaro turned himself to the direction she was pointing and extended his eyes, zooming in. “Holy Hannah, it is!”

“We’re farther from it than I guessed,” said Alix. “And we’ve been gone longer than I realized.”

“Yeah, we must have been knocked out a full day or something. They tranqed you good!”

Alix rubbed her neck. “Don’t remind me.”

The Aexons had dispersed somewhat. Some had gathered near the edge to gaze at the view. A few others were still by the mouth of the tunnel, unloading their weapons and stretching. Only Raygun and the two elders were by Alix’s side.

One of the elders pointed up at her and squeaked.

“He said something about the sphere . . .” Figaro began as he turned back to Alix, then did a little jump. “Oh, the sphere! Alix, the sphere!”

“What?” Alix looked down at the sphere in her hands and realized that the gridlines were glowing golden. She held it up, inspecting it. “It must be charging!”

“It must indeed.” Figaro leapt onto Alix’s arm and scurried back to her shoulder. “Soon we’ll know its true purpose.”

“Hopefully.” Alix nodded.

“Imagine if, after our whole big climb up here, it just exploded the second it charged up.”

“Can you not say things like that while it’s in my hands?”

“You can’t expect to be in our line of work without risking getting blown up now and again,” Figaro told her primly.

“Oh, aren’t you a riot.” Alix kept her eyes on the sphere. Its cool surface was growing warmer now, and the gridlines were glowing brighter as she continued to hold it in the sunlight. After a few minutes, the sphere grew too hot for her to hold, and she had to set it down on the ground.

Raygun called the other Aexons over, and soon all eyes were on the sphere, waiting. Raygun held his weapon at the ready, his eyes narrowed as though he expected the sphere to launch an attack any second. The others didn’t seem to share his wariness. They stared at the device with bated breath, holding onto each other and exchanging excited squeaks.

Finally, the gridlines flashed, then dimmed completely, and the sphere rose from the ground.

No one spoke a word as the sphere hovered, though Raygun kept his aim trained on it. The sphere didn’t do anything other than float there. Alix took a step toward it and tapped it lightly with her finger. The sphere then spun, and a white square appeared on its surface, facing Alix. A robotic voice then spoke from the sphere.

“Arr𝕂 𝜓T𝜉𝛱 𝜮𝝧𝞕II ⍶⍿ ԾTՖY ֏ÅÆė?”

Alix stared at the sphere blankly. “Uh, beg your pardon?”

The sphere spun once, then spoke again. “User language identified. HUMAN, Subclass EARTHEN, Subclass ENGLISH, Subclass AMERICAN.”

“Hey, it’s got a lingual analysis program too!” said Figaro. The Aexons said nothing, only watched the sphere in awe.

“How may this unit be of service to you, User?” asked the sphere.

“Wait, how’d you know all that about me?” Alix asked.

The sphere bobbed. “Categories of HUMAN, EARTHEN, and AMERICAN are filed in this unit.”

“How? Have you been to Earth?”

“The unit has been to all identified Human populated planets and regions, including the Human homeworld of Earth.”

Alix exchanged a look with Figaro before turning back to the sphere. “Was this little visit public? Did we know you were floating around Earth, watching us?”

“Apologies, the answer to this inquiry cannot be found within this unit’s database.”

“I bet this creep’s some sorta spy!” Figaro declared. He jabbed a limb toward the sphere. “Is that it, punk? You just zip around the galaxy, spying on people?”

“Apologies, the answer to this inquiry cannot be found within this unit’s database,” the sphere repeated mechanically. “How may this unit be of service to you, User? Would you like this unit to provide Options of Inquiry?”

“Sure, why not,” said Alix.

“Options of Inquiry: Select Planet From: Random Planets, Populated Planets, Unpopulated Planets, Planet of User Origin, Planet of Current Location—”

“Current location?” Alix interrupted. “You mean Deimos X?”

“There is no Entry for DEIMOS X. There are two separate Entries for DEIMOS and X. Entry for Planet of Current Location is filed as Planet Y֏ÅÆ-1248564830. Please select Entry of interest.”

“Okay . . . Planet of Current Location.”

“Entry selected. Select Subentries of Habitat, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus . . .”

“Oh my God.” Alix’s mouth curved into a smile as the truth hit her. “Figaro, I know exactly what this is. It’s a Compendium.”

“What?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“A Compendium, like the one I’ve been writing, though obviously far more advanced.” Alix tapped the sphere with a newfound sense of affection and camaraderie. “It goes from planet to planet collecting and storing information on the species it finds. It’s a robotic exobiologist and digital encyclopedia wrapped up in one. That’s why the Aexons’ ancestors found it flying around their forests. It was out on a research mission. They probably captured it when it came to study them.”

“Hm.” Figaro idly drummed his front limbs on Alix’s shoulder, as if in thought. “Yo, Unit! Read me the entry for ‘Human’.”

“Entry selected. HUMAN: A sentient, bipedal primate species originating from Planet 𝕂𝜉𝛱𝜮-9485463, also designated as EARTH by the native Human populace. Humans rank as Type 3 on the Civilization Scale and score an average of 200 on the Species Intelligence Index. Would you like to hear more?”

“Ay, 200 doesn’t sound too shabby, Boss!” Figaro chimed.

“No thank you, Unit,” Alix told the sphere. She glanced at the Aexons, who were still watching the scene unfold, a blend of awe and befuddlement on their faces. “Figaro, why don’t you fill them in on things while I chat with the sphere a little longer?”

“Woof, you want me to do that when I still don’t know their word for ‘encyclopedia’ or ‘dictionary’? Tall order, but I’ll give it a go.” Figaro jumped back down from her shoulder and scurried to Raygun and the elders, launching into a series of squeaks and trills.

Alix turned her attention back to the sphere. It obviously wasn’t human tech, nor did she recognize it from any other species’ tech that she had come across. “Unit, what’s your planet of origin?”

“Apologies, this unit is unable to comply with this inquiry.”

“Why?”

“The Entry relevant to this inquiry is filed under RESTRICTED ACCESS, and cannot be shared by this unit without the necessary passcodes.”

“Okay, Unit. Can you tell me who created you?”

“Apologies, this unit is unable to comply with this inquiry.”

“Hm . . . I got it. You can’t tell me your planet of origin, but you can tell me the planet you first launched from, right?”

“Apologies, this unit is unable to comply with this inquiry.”

“When were you created, then? Or if you can’t tell me who created you, tell me who programmed you, or who sent you out on your mission!”

“Apologies, this unit is unable to comply with this inquiry.”

Alix folded her arms and glared at the stubborn sphere. “Well then, Unit, can you tell me what your purpose is?”

“This unit’s purpose is to do exactly what this unit is doing with you, at this very moment.”

Alix couldn’t help but laugh at that.

Around her, the Aexons were still speaking with Figaro. They were glancing between him and the sphere with wide eyes, and Alix had to wonder just how much they were understanding, and how this new knowledge was going to change them.

A blue light began to blink on the sphere’s top. “This unit is being called back to its designated retrieval zone and will depart shortly. Are there any further inquiries you would like to make before this unit’s departure?”

“Actually, yes.” Alix pointed at one of the Aexons. It couldn’t hurt to learn a little more about her neighbors on this planet. “Tell me about this species.”

“Entry selected. SQUIKRII: A sentient, facultatively bipedal rodent-like species originating from Planet Y֏ÅÆ-1248564830, also designated as SQIRR KEE, or, THE RED LAND, by the native Squikrii populace. The Squikrii rank as Type 0.3 on the Civilization Scale, and score an average of 1000 on the Species Intelligence Index.”

“What?” Alix burst out. “1000?”

“The Squikrii has been marked as a Species of Interest following extensive study. Would you like to hear more?”

“Yes, of course I want to hear more!” Alix said, shooting a stunned glance back toward the Aexons, or Squikrii, as they were apparently called.

“Apologies. This unit is being called back to its designated retrieval zone and must depart immediately. Thank you and have a pleasant day.”

Alix, Figaro, and the Aexons all watched in shock as the sphere suddenly shot up into the sky, then blinked out of sight.

All the Aexons turned to Figaro.

“Beats me!” he told them with a shrug. He looked up at Alix. “What about you? Figure anything out?”

“Yes and no.” Alix shielded her eyes as she stared up at the spot in the sky where the sphere had disappeared. “Species of Interest”, it had told her. But to who? That and a thousand other questions whirled in her brain. “This is going to drive me crazy.”

“Well, at least you didn’t just have your religion implode,” said Figaro, jabbing a limb toward the Aexons. “These little fellas have got a lot to process.”

One of the elder Aexons quietly walked over to Alix. He looked up at her, then squeaked something to Figaro.

“Lord help us, he wants me to translate to and for you,” said Figaro.

Alix laughed and got down on her knees so that she wasn’t towering over the elder. He began speaking, pausing occasionally to allow Figaro time to translate.

“‘First of all, many thanks to you and your poorly-spoken friend . . .’ Hey! I’m doing my best, dammit!”

Alix shot the robot a look. “Figaro . . .”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. ‘It tells me that you have spoken to the sacred sphere, and that the sphere is merely as a book, sent from many stars away by a people you do not know.’”

Alix nodded. “That’s true, I’m afraid.”

“‘You are from many stars away, too. We saw your people come down. We thought it had to be yours. We thought, perhaps, you were all-mighty. We thought you knew all things’.”

Alix smiled sadly.

“‘We see now, you do not. What a relief. You are just like us’.”

The elder Aexon held out his paw. Alix took it gently between her fingertips and shook it, struck by an odd sense of elation. While she hadn’t fully solved the mystery of the silver sphere, she had a feeling that this moment was one that would shape the future of Deimos X.

“‘We will leave you now, and return to our people. You may return to yours and tell them of us. Then, in days to come, we will forge the new path together’.”

The elder gave her a small bow, then turned back to the tunnel entrance. The other Aexons followed suit, squeaking out farewells before returning to the labyrinth of their underground home. Raygun was the last to go, sauntering over to Alix and holding the raygun out for her to take.

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” she said as she took her raygun back from him. Raygun nodded at Figaro, squeaked something at Alix, then trotted off after the others.

“What’d he say?” she asked Figaro.

“He said, ‘Careful with that thing’.”

Alix’s eyes widened at the familiar words. Could he have already . . . no, there was no way. It was only coincidence. She put the idea out of her head entirely and looked out at the horizon. “Well, what do you say we make the journey home?”

“How? We’re so far from the station I can’t even get a signal to or from, so forget about hitching a ride or pulling up a map,” said Figaro. “Once we’re down from the mountain, how we’ll we even know which way the station is?”

“Well, we technically still have a map,” said Alix. She unzipped her pocket and pulled the map out. “Maybe we can make our way back through the cavern tunnels? At least then we could trace our way back to our original position.”

“Cavern tunnels? Like the one they just sealed the entrance to?”

Alix turned to look at the mouth of the tunnel. Where there had once been an entrance, there was now a mass of rocks blocking the way.

“No skin off my nose,” said Figaro. “When I said I wouldn’t go back for a trillion credits, I meant it. Crawlin’ with bugs, damp, too echoey . . .”

Alix tuned him out as he went on, looking down at the map. More precisely, looking down at the upper right corner of the map, and the way it was partially peeling like a wrapper. Alix gingerly grabbed the peeling corner and pulled it all the way back. In one slick motion, the map split into two. One with the layout of the caverns inked onto it, the other a slightly less intricate map of the mountain and the surrounding forest.

Figaro stopped short in his rant and skittered onto Alix’s arm to look at her discovery. “Whoa, jackpot. We just have to figure out where the station is on the map and mark it.”

“Right you are. Let’s see, this cliff here is where they marked the tunnel entrance, so that’s where we are.” Alix looked out again toward the station as she traced her fingers along the map. “There’s a small clearing near the station, which they’ve got marked down here, which would put the station approximately here.”

Alix kept her finger down on the corresponding spot. Figaro walked onto her hand, reached out where she’d placed her finger, and punctured the spot straight through.

“And marked. Onward, mon ami?”

“Onward,” Alix confirmed. She turned away from the cliffside and started down the mountain.

Within an hour, she and Figaro were once more enveloped in the great red forest, enormous twisting trees and flora growing thick around them. The canopy was so thick that it nearly blocked out the golden sky. From every corner, Alix could hear the rustlings of animals just out of sight, creatures known and unknown. The Aexons may have mapped this territory out, but the newly arrived humans of Asteria Inc. sure hadn’t. Anything could be out there, and Alix and Figaro had no way of knowing what. Alix had to remind herself that she and Figaro were, quite literally, not out of the woods yet.

“You know what’s hilarious?” Figaro asked as they made their way through the forest, halfway down the mountain.

“What?”

“That, after all this, you still won’t have the credits to buy Lyle that fancy wristwatch.”

“I . . . shut up.”

Figaro erupted into a laughing fit so strong he nearly tumbled off of Alix’s shoulder. His laughter rang in her ears so loudly that Alix almost, almost, didn’t hear the howls that sounded right behind them, echoing through the endless red.