This is my tribute to the late Richard Biggs. I still remember the message coming through in my email, and not believing it.
Dedicated to Jason Carter.
Farewell to a Friend
By Hilary Weston
The sun was shining warm on his face, but Marcus did not feel it. He had felt nothing for two weeks; not since the message had arrived.
OoOoO
The day had started out well; there had been sunshine then too. He had joined the other Rangers for morning exercise on the outer courtyard.
Breakfast was a carefree affair, discussing the details of his upcoming trip. A new member of the Interstellar Alliance had granted access to their forests for an expedition to study possible herbal cures. Dried samples sent to Earth had given encouraging results and so Stephen Franklin immediately assembled the top scientists in the field and badgered them into joining him on the venture.
Marcus had been invited along for two reasons. He was to head a team of Rangers sent by the Alliance to protect the expedition from some rather nasty animals and even more nasty groups of poachers. He was also regarding it as a camping holiday. Stephen and he had barely seen each other since Marcus had 'returned', so the chance to spend some fun time together was welcome. He knew the good doctor would have his eye glued to a microscope for most of the daylight hours, but evenings round the campfire should be interesting. He grinned as he ran though his goriest horror stories in his mind.
Marcus had spent the morning packing and was debating how many pairs of socks he would need when the comm system bleeped an incoming signal from Earth. Expecting it to be Stephen, he had answered with a smart alec comment, only to splutter an apology at the stranger on the screen.
The next few sentences that he heard were seared into his memory with the cold fire that burnt to his soul. The news was too incredible to believe. Marcus reached for a chair and sat, a single phrase re-running itself over and over in his head. That is how they found him, still trying to accept the fact.
Stephen Franklin was dead.
OoOoO
The official report stated that Dr Franklin had been working in his lab when he had suddenly collapsed. They had been unable to revive him.
Marcus had journeyed to Earth with the others; had attended the funeral where important dignitaries spouted Stephen's great accomplishments, the millions of lives he had saved. People who, if they had actually met Stephen, only knew his work, not the man.
They had all gone now; back to their offices, and their photo opportunities. Marcus was finally alone at the graveside. The incense still smoked that had been planted by Marie, from some ritual that she performed as well as any Minbari. Susan had placed pebbles on the headstone before leaving him with his thoughts.
His thoughts were dark. Being in cryo for twenty-five years, Marcus had known that it was likely that he would outlive most people he knew. But he'd thought he would have had more time than this. Now Stephen was gone; dead in fifteen seconds. Marcus could take little comfort in the fact that he had probably felt no pain. He knew from long experience that it was the ones who were left who carried the pain.
He looked down at the gravestone.
Dr Stephen Franklin
Head of Xenobiological Research 2263-2288
Discoverer of 'The Cure'
That was all he would be remembered for in the history books. He had no family; none of the women in his life stayed long enough to become 'wife'. If there had been any children, he didn't know about them. Stephen had lived for his work, and had died doing what he had loved.
But it still hurt.
The rest of the world might have lost the saviour of the human race. He had lost much more.
He had lost a friend.