"It's been a good run, hasn't it? We've met some good people, nipped some bad ideas right in the bud, even fallen in love once or twice. We've definitely done more than most." The old man, hunched with age, was patting the twisting mass of dials and levers with true affection. He wandered around the circular console in his musing, stopping here and there to pat a screen, caress a lever, and even - painstakingly - bent over to right a fallen foot-pump.
"We've surely had more than most. Going on two... or was it three... thousand years now; thirteen lifetimes together. Can anybody else say that? Oh, I think not. But eventually, one grows tired. My bones are gnarled, my mind is slowing... My memories are fading - and what happens when they go? 'A man is the sum of his memories. A Time Lord even more so.' Who said that?" He leveraged his hunched body into one of the captain's chairs around the console - the most worn of the six. His cane stood of its own accord and his hand scratched the wrinkled skin underneath his forest of white facial hair.
"I think I did, actually. Getting hard to remember... Well, girl, I guess that means it's time. Where should we go? Billions of stars in the sky, uncountable planets, we could live out our last days quietly or go with a..." He trailed off as he noticed a light quietly blinking mauve on the console. As he sat, staring at the light for a moment, the central column gave off a groan and a flash of light.
"Yes, yes. No matter how weary, weak, or wretched, none shall ignore the mauve alert. So say we all." He rose again, instinctively grasping his cane and shuffling to the side of the console. His movements were limited and clearly painful, but still graceful as he pressed buttons, pulled levers, and even cranked what looked like an egg-beater. "Where is it, sweetie? Bring up the main monitor."
One of the monitors - no larger or more central than any of the others hanging around the console - suddenly twisted towards him, an image of a blue-green planet slowly rotating with spiraling characters floating across it. He stared at it for a while, still pressing buttons and now pumping the foot-pump with a slow rhythm.
"Earth, is it? It's been a while..."
Author's Note:
Hi all! It's been quite a while since my last update. This idea came to me a few nights ago, so I figured I would pop it up. Chapter two is started already, but I have no idea when the muse will visit, so it will most likely be slow going. This chapter's really short since it's just the basic introduction, but Ch.2 is already shaping up to be quite a bit longer (probably similar to Wedding Eve chapters). Speaking of that, If you're new to my works, please, check out my others! Thank you!