The Saarikans

Purushottam finally fished out some clues on the Saarikans.

The Saarikans was a race from another planet system altogether. But it was said that both humans and the Saarikans had the same origin. No one knew how these two planets so far apart could have such link. The planet Atlantis was approximately 1.7 billion light years away from Svarga Nagari. The planetary system there also had a binary star as a core. But the star was much bigger than that in Souryalaya.

Due to some exposure to cosmic activities, during the evolution process the humanoid Saarikans had wings like birds. Only their wings were retractable just like Marshalla's ancestral race, the Chimeras. Although Saarikans were mammals, their wings defied the characteristics of any mammals found at Svarga Nagari. There was also a speculation among the informants in the Planetdex that Saarikans might have been bio engineered race of Atlantis.

They also had the ability to absorb energy from cosmic rays. But the cosmic rays currently at Svarga Nagari was more than a single Saarikan could filter and absorb. That is also the reason why Sia was to some extent contaminated by the cosmic energy.

The information about the current state of Atlantis was unknown. It was as if, some one had forcefully removed any information about the planet. There was some speculation that Atlantis was under attack by the forces of some greater race and was destroyed without a trace. But that was just some rumor. No one till date knows what happened to the planet or it's dwellers.

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But the most important thing is, there seems to be information of infiltration of Saarikans on Svarga Nagari just before the devastating war took place. No one knew the reason why the Saarikans started living like humans in Svarga Nagari. It seemed that they even had mingled among the human beings and had offsprings with them. This news shocked Purushottam. This piece of information led Purushottam to have his own ideas about why the radar could not detect Sia as a Saarikan. But that was just his speculation. The truth would be revealed if Sia would confirm them.

Next morning when everyone woke up, they found that the tent allocated to Sia was empty! Everyone was shocked to a certain extent. It is hard to know the intent of the one they saved. Since they do not even know the origin of the person and the reasons for which she is here, an apprehensive feeling rose within the hearts of the young men.

"Did she escape?", asked Rick, being a little too disappointed. Purushottam did not say anything and looked at a distance with slightly furrowed brows. Before anyone could see anything, there was noise of flapping of wings. Felt like a large bird was moving in their direction. Though the near morbid vegetation, one could see a human like silhouette, with angel like wings. Gusts of wind could be felt pulsating through the forest. Purushottam signaled the boys to relax.

Once the full creature came into view, they recognized it to be none other than Sia, dragging a huge net behind her. Inside the net were a few deformed animals. Which must have been the surviving fauna of the planet post the war. When she landed on the ground, one could find her panting and short of breath. Since the weather was neither hot nor cold, at least she didn't start to sweat.

The boys looked at her questioningly. Purushottam finally asked, "Which station are you from Sia? What are your missions at Svarga Nagari?". Sia looked up with a remorseful gaze. She tried to say something but words would not form on her mouth. Even if her lips moved no one could hear anything. Suddenly, Rick could not take the suspense any longer. He pointed a shaking finger at Sia and said, "A..a..are you not human?".

Sia looked at him even more painfully and finally started to weep. Len smacked Rick's head and said, "Now you made her cry! You buffoon! When would you learn to keep your big mouth shut? Sia, please don't mind him. Calm down first."

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All the boys were well versed in Devnagari, even though the most prevalent language of Suvarnarekha was Sikong. It was not before half an hour that Sia could calm down enough to talk. She said to Purushottam that she had lost her parents while on their way from Anstarry outpost near the outer edges of Souryalaya. This piece of information turned everyone a bit gloomy.

Purushottam said to Sia, "You seem to have traits of both humans and Saarikans, can you tell us why?".

"My mother was a pure bred Saarikan, while my father was human. There are a few like us at Anstarry outpost. But I have not seen any other survivors of Atlantis, other than my mom. Whenever I used to question her she used to say that I would know the truth when time comes. But till date I only have very vague information about my own origin and their relationship with this planet.", informed Sia. She looked at the animals in the net and then looked at Purushottam with pleading eyes. "Can you please help these creatures. They are helpless. I am unable to remove the cosmic contamination from their bodies. But since you helped me last night, I think you are the only ones who can help them."

Purushottam looked conflicted at this sudden request. Although he was not heartless enough to leave the animals be. But he was on a mission for a greater cause. He could not jeopardize the search for his lost comrades and the legacy of these kids. He then looked at the children and found them gazing pitifully at the animals within the net. After much deliberation, Purushottam finally replied, "Are you trying to save these animals as part of your mission?"

Sia blinked at him with a blank look, then she seemed to be weighing her options. She then opened her mouth, "My mission, as my mother mentioned, is to atone for the past, reverse the mistakes of ancestors. Yes that does include the purification of creatures too. But I did not understand before coming to this planet, to what extent the sins of Saarikans affected this innocent planet."

"The sins of Saarikans?", asked Aryaan, pretty much bewildered. He could not make head or tails of anything, just like his cousins. Sia nodded after hearing this. But before she could say anything, Purushottam butted in and said, "I do not think it is appropriate to discuss this here. We have company."