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  For decades, the Known Cosmos Earth Press has brought you Stories of Shurwinn. Teasers. Tastes of what was to come.

  Who were the mysterious Shurwinn? Why did they leave Earth? Did they have something to hide? And now, for the first time in history, the true story is ready to be revealed.

  So, hold onto your hats, Earthens. For we give you the first, the only, English translation of the Ayela Arcana—straight from Shurwinn’s Ayela Arcana Sanctuary in Andromeda Galaxy.

  Who is Sibsil Creed? What is the Known Cosmos Earth Press? What happened to Ryst Nova?

  While scholars debate if these events are fact or fantasy, we say: “Let the readers decide for themselves!”

  But be ye wary, all you who turn these pages. For those who cross the threshold of the mysteries and walk the hallways of the arcana shall not walk away unscathed.

  So guard your hearts. And watch your backs—there are Warrior Nuns about!

  And for gods' sakes, gird your loins! With chastity belts! And bug repellent!

  NOTE: Our audience is everyday readers, not academics, so numerical values (dates, units of measure, time) have been translated into common English to preserve the flow of the storytellers. To those who take issue with our decision to do so, you are entitled to your opinion. In other words, “Fuck off.” Yes, we mean you, Garren.

  - Known Cosmos Earth Press, Stories of Shurwinn, (2860)

  Whoa—hot, dry air assaulted me as I stepped out of the landing platform.

  The sun, high in the Shurwinn sky above me, already felt like it was burning my hair and skin. I needed to go shopping for clothing like the locals wore: light fabrics, loose-fitting shorts.

  The arrival building behind me was a lot like the Skylend platforms back home, but the porter I'd ordered to carry me to my casita was nothing like I expected.

  What hovered in front of me was a long rectangle that looked like two doors had been ripped off the wall and set in the air, and a see-through dome placed on top. There was a bench seat in the front, and a wide open space in the back for luggage. Perfect.

  I easily slid my floater loaded with a trunk, two suitcases, and a small cosmetics case into the back of the porter and climbed onto the bench seat, pulling the dome closed over me. It snicked into place as the glass nav panel in front of me lit up.

  Okay. ID code? Check.

  The autonav asked for my destination in Universal, and I stuttered out the address in Shurwinn. I could've replied in Universal, but I wanted to practice the local language. My speech must've been passable because the porter started forward on a course for my casita.

  Pulling my long dark hair into a twist off my neck, I studied my new surroundings, taking in the colors and textures of this strange world.

  The village was like nothing I'd ever seen. Instead of tall skyscrapers, the buildings were low to the ground. None more than three stories high.

  My home world had been snow-covered grass, but here I saw ground that was light brown sandstone, and the buildings looked like they'd been grown right out of it; smooth stone that had an almost pinkish tint to it.

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  Rectangular and flat-roofed, all the buildings were covered in plants. Greenery poured from the rooftops and spilled over the walls like pots boiling over.

  I smiled, taking in the sight of the oasis village. It looked as though the people had taken the water out of the ground beneath them and stretched it up over their heads with gardens of green, pink, yellow, and orange.

  It was all brown at the base, but color popped everywhere. Bright colors—red, purple, blue, and pink. Colorful fabrics adorned everything. The people, the windows, and the awnings blocking the sun.

  But all the tones were slightly faded, like the sun had taken everything sharp and softened it.

  I realized my fingertips were on the window like I was reaching forward to touch the village, like a painting on the wall. I was enchanted.

  The stream shows had gotten a lot right about Shurwinn. People were dressed much like you saw on the stream—light, loose-fitting shorts and bandeau tops with bare shoulders and midriffs. Or leggings and a long, sleeveless tank that was kind of shapeless and loose. Some had scarves blocking out the desert sun.

  But the stream shows were sharp and vivid, where Media Oasis looked sun washed and faded, as though everything was well worn. Casual. Comfortable.

  Lived-in.

  The people were as colorful as the fabrics, but there wasn't much pale skin. I didn’t see any light hair.

  Like me, everyone was shades of brown with dark hair, and I looked like winter to their summer. A life lived indoors had my olive skin lighter than the people around me, but two weeks in the desert sun would change that.

  From the air, Media Oasis had looked like a wheel. There was a round center in the village with spokes coming out of it, and buildings projected outwards in straight lines. Green gardens filled the spaces between the spokes.

  As I'd looked out at the edges of the village from above, the green of the oasis faded out into the desert, and I could see nothing but brown beyond.

  That was why Shurwinn was called "Land of Oases." It was a desert planet with just a few oases dotting the equator. Eighty percent of the sphere was land mass, and the remaining twenty percent oceans were said to be fierce and unnavigable by boat.

  There wasn’t much information about Shurwinn on the stream, but I'd gobbled up everything I could find. The story was that the Shurwinn were nomads from Earth in nearby Milky Way Galaxy.

  A few centuries ago, rural tribes from Earth had pooled resources and found a sphere to colonize. They'd chosen an undesirable, mostly uninhabitable sphere intentionally so they would be left alone because they wanted to live in peace and quiet.

  The whole sphere was vegetarian. No meat was sold on Shurwinn because animals were considered family, so I’d be getting a culinary education while I was here.

  Eggs and cheese were highly valued and weren't exported, and I really looked forward to tasting the local cuisine.

  Other goods? Yes, the Shurwinn knew what they were doing in the Known Cosmos with their wares. Shrewd business skills had propelled them to greatness amongst the Trade Guilds.

  They'd found desirable plants growing in the oases, bred them with familiar cultivars like cacao, coffee, and rice, and then created market demand for Shurwinn products—oasis grown. Their gardens were a mix of native plants and hybridized specialties that would only grow in their unique climate.

  The mysterious nature of their sphere, the isolationism, all the secrecy, the limits on travel, and their private ways added to the allure, and Andromeda Galaxy adored their products.

  Stream shows and graphics told all sorts of tales of the mysterious Shurwinn, and some people thought they themselves circulated material just to keep the rest of the Cosmos guessing about what they were really like.

  Hmm. I was starting to wonder if all the speculation was jealousy or something because I wasn’t looking at a society loaded with pretentiousness. It was casual, if anything.

  Rumors said the Shurwinn weren’t really vegetarians or unique. That it was all just a marketing strategy to create demand for their products.

  Whatever the truth was, it was working on me. I had only been here a few minutes, and I was under the spell.

  It all looked so different. So comfortable. And it felt different. It wasn’t crowded. The low buildings gave me a sense of space and openness.

  Like I could reach out to the desert and beyond instead of being sandwiched in between tall skyscrapers. And it felt calmer. Quiet. Like there was less bustle and no rushing.

  There were people, and shops, and an open-air market covered in colorful awnings, but no chaos like the huge city I was used to. I was excited to go shopping and see what I’d find in those awning-covered buildings. One-of-a-kind Shurwinn goods sounded excellent.

  I was keeping the curtain around my mind as tight as I could, and I felt the people, but not as acutely as I had on the starliner. Like there was something closed about these folks.

  Maybe their private ways made them less perceptible to me?

  I felt myself relaxing in a way I hadn’t since I’d seen that look of rage in Darwin’s eyes months ago, breathing a sigh of relief.

  Shurwinn was right for me. I was meant to be here.

  The calm. The quiet. The restfulness. It was exactly what I needed.

  I smiled, already feeling like things were about to change.