the maroon sand floated around the sixteen graphite obelisks
that lined the entrance to eclesahra: a tall jade pyramid.
naima approached the tower, which had been concealed well by
the desert's clifs. they walked along the sand-ridden steps,
thinking about everything they had read about this ancient
architecture...
eclesahra was built hundreds of years ago, after a
third of this planet had suffered a cleansing fire.
through it, those that had survived or came to
explore would be able to ask for a resource, which the
machine inside would attempt to provide.
the civilization had since collapsed entirely. there is
no proof that eclesahra did what it was made to do.
naima stepped inside and took their hood off. to the left,
tables and stools. to the right, stems of flowers. directly
ahead there was a small slot in the wall with an inscription
engraved above it:
et nobis aedificare domum nostram iterum
naima took a class-9 audio diskette out of their pocket.
they only wanted to see if eclesahra could function, so the
diskette contained a simple recipe for fukst cookies, which
called for simple ingredients, all obtainable within the
sector.
they put the diskette inside the slot. the tower started
shaking, and a loud rumble could be heard from deep below
the ground.
they heard what sounded like a chain snapping, then a gear
being jammed, and everything went quiet again.
naima started heading back to the crawler. this was a larger
project than they had expected. they'll come back another
day, more prepared.
