Authors' Note – this story is a spin-off, based upon my previous story, 'Intervention'. Please read that one before you read this...

Rescue

In a flash of light, the giant ship returned to sub-light space near the red and bloated star. It had jumped in near the first planet, and began a slow spiral outwards. Whenever it approached a large asteroid or the drifting remains of a spacecraft, it would emit a beam that would bathe the object in a bright orange glow. After a moment or two, the beam would shut off and the ship would move on.

"No signs of life detected so far," the computer aboard the ship stated to its' sole occupant, "however, radiation from the battle continues to make accurate long-range readings difficult."

"Expand the search parameters, then," was the reply, "scan for any active power sources or signal beacons. Intact ships might house survivors – we'll need to find them before their systems fail."

"Expanding scan to include power signatures – second planet registers an intact structure. Life signs still inconclusive, and the planet composition suggests only marginal habitability."

"It's the first sign that they may have survived, though, and we have to investigate. Prepare a shuttle for me – supplemental breathers and thermal gear as well."

"Confirmed. Shuttle standing by."

"Time to go and pick up the pieces..."

Captain Catty Nebulart, formerly one of the leaders of the Solnoid Intelligence Division, sat at the only desk in the room and pondered her fate.

She had chosen to remain behind when the others left – Lufy had gone off to fight, while Shildy and her android doppelganger Catty had returned to the Sardin to retrieve their friends and make a break for the edge of the system. Once they were on their way, she had transmitted a copy of everything that Elision – the vast computer that had maintained a vigil over this planet for centuries – had stored within its' memory. Her people might vanish into the depths of time, but their knowledge would be preserved.

Once that was accomplished, though, there was little else to do. She watched the images that Elision projected for her, as one by one the ships of both fleets were blasted apart. The Planet Destroyers showered the system with intense and deadly beams of energy – but none of the other planets were hit, as the commanders of each vessel focused on wiping out their opposite numbers. She saw how High Leader Journey rammed the Paranoid flagship with her own flagship Traverser in one final act of rage against her nemesis.

That was two days ago. She realized that she may be the last of her kind.

Try as she might, however, she simply could not bring herself to taking that final step of ending her life by her own hand. It would have been easy enough to do – while the planet-wide storms that had been caused by the gravitational shockwaves of the second planets' detonatiom had abated, there were plenty of high cliffs from which she could throw herself. She had even gone out once to look for a suitable location...

But something stopped her.

The same sense that had convinced her to spearhead efforts geared at ensuring that the Species Unification Plan was successful is what convinced her to stay alive – despite the understanding that the alternatives were starvation or hypothermia, because no help was coming...

"I'm detecting a vehicle approaching the planet," Elision abruptly announced. "Distance approximately one maar - it appears to be vectoring for orbit."

"Survivors?" Catty wondered aloud. "How is that possible? Can you identify the ship? Show it to me."

A window appeared on the projection in front of her, displaying a vessel that bore an odd resemblance to an ancient battle-axe with four angular 'blades' at the wide end. "The profile is not familiar," Elision answered, "Configuration does not match any Solnoid or Paranoid ship on record." Without warning, a second window appeared – information began flashing past at a much greater rate of speed than she could follow. "Alert! My memory is being accessed! All records are being read remotely!"

How is THAT possible? Catty kept her shock to herself. She had Elision shut down all transmitters once they had finished sending all of the data to the others for safekeeping, and they could not be reactivated from outside the room she was in.

As if on cue, a blast of cold air and a metallic grinding told her that the door was opening. She spun around and found herself looking at a very Solnoid-shaped being that was clad in a slick black garment that left no skin exposed, with the face covered by a visor that was tinted so heavily that she could not see through it at all. As it walked towards her, she found herself backing away from the creature until the desk stopped her. Her eyes grew wider as it stopped, just outside of her arms' reach, and tilted its' head down before returning to seeming to look directly into her eyes.

"Captain Nebulart, I presume?" it said in a muffled voice that was slightly deeper than that of Elision.

"Who wants to know?" she asked the intruder, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Who are you?" It loosened the straps on its' visor and pushed it up over its' head. Cattys' jaw dropped as the rough-skinned and hairy face became visible. "WHAT are you?" she gasped.

"Excuse me for startling you," it told her as it clipped the visor to its' belt. "I'm Marcus Newman, from the Exploratory Branch of the Solnarian Intergalactic Federation. I received word a few hours ago that this last battle had taken place, and I'm here to search for survivors."

"You... you've come to HELP us?" Catty asked. "Why?"

Marcus smiled at her. "I thought you would have figured that out by now... cousin."

"Cousin, you said? What do you...?" She paused as she recalled her conversation from days ago. "You're one of our CREATORS?" she exclaimed with a gasp.

"Not directly," Marcus admitted, "Your people were a long-forgotten offshoot of mine. But can we save that explanation for later? I need to find my friends, if they're still alive." He dropped the pack he was carrying and opened it, pulling out a black cloak and a visor similar to the one he was wearing. "Put these on," he offered, "it's not a long walk to my shuttle, but you'll still need protection from the cold."

As she wrapped herself in the thin yet surprisingly warm fabric, she found herself asking "What about Elision? It shouldn't be abandoned again."

"Do not concern yourself with my fate," Elision informed the pair, "I am tied to this planet, and will share its' end."

"Nonsense," Marcus objected, "You don't need to face oblivion when there are alternatives." He searched though his pack again and pulled out a fist-sized crystal cube that was set into a metallic platform. "I can transfer your personality matrix to this, and take you with us. We can install you into another system at any time. You'll be needed for a long time, if you choose to come along."

"Thank you. I choose to accompany you. Shutting down for transfer." Elision said before extinguishing the holographic screen and the desk went dark.

Marcus placed the crystal device on the desk and pressed his finger against one corner – moments later, the crystal gave off a blue glow and made a quick beeping sound. "Transfer complete," he said for no particular reason. He stuffed the crystal into his pack and turned to Catty. "Time to go," he said.

As the shuttle rose from the surface of the now-empty planet, Catty decided to break the silence.

"You said that you were looking for some friends. Does that mean you've contacted us before?"

Marcus turned from his displays to glance at her. "Two years ago, one of your ships found me as I was making repairs to my own. I was going to be treated like an enemy spy, but one of your synthetic counterparts and her friends freed me. I tried to offer a means to end your war peacefully, but lost the opportunity when the ships I contacted destroyed themselves."

"Yes, I remember seeing a report on that," Catty muttered. "That was YOU? But... the report said that your ship was destroyed at the same time – you're supposed to be dead!"

Marcus chuckled at her shock. "A face-saving subterfuge," he said, "So that they wouldn't be reprimanded for aiding in my escape, and let them work towards persuading your people that settling things without fighting was the better approach. I've been waiting, in a region you never reached, for your two peoples to come to their senses and reach out for our help... unfortunately, you didn't."

"No, we didn't," Catty muttered dejectedly, "We tried, and failed. Our time has passed, but we started the next cycle of history. I just wish that those we left on Terra didn't have share our fate."

"They may not have to," Marcus told her.

"I... I don't understand," Catty stammered, "What are you saying?"

"Your supposition about history running in cycles," Marcus explained, "is only a small part of what my people have come to call the River of Time. The cycles you think of are like eddies in the river – they appear, they shift, they disappear. They don't always appear in the same place, and a pebble dropped in the right place can either cause one to occur or prevent one from occurring. I was unable to stop your eddy, but you have an opportunity to prevent another one."

"ME?" Catty blurted, the surprise apparent on her face. "What could I possibly do to stop the... eddy?"

"You have first-hand knowledge about the consequences of unlimited warfare – something that my people have forgotten over the centuries. You can teach our mediators how to drive home the folly of that approach. When we go to Terra, we can try to guide them in the right direction, using your examples to emphasize the danger. It may not work – not every race chooses reason over emotion – but we can show that the choices are there. We won't go there openly, of course – that would be too damaging to them. But if we quietly influence the way outsiders and conflicts are portrayed by their story-tellers, we can show them that the devastation you survived can be avoided."

Catty found that she had been holding her breath while Marcus explained his idea to her – and realized that he was offering her something far more valuable than her own survival. He was offering her the same thing that had driven her entire career, from the very moment she had heard about the Species Unification Plan.

He was offering her hope for the future. Hope that her people WOULD live on, in the hearts and minds of the explorers and peaceful lives of those who followed in the footsteps she could show them.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, wiping a tear from her eye, "I would be happy to help show people how to live in peace. Thank you so very much."

Marcus smiled back at her as the shuttle smoothly settled onto the deck of the landing bay. "Wonderful. I'll get you set up as soon as I finish my search here."

"I can help with that, too," she told him. "I remember the course-vector they were on before I lost contact with them. If you focus in that area, there's a good chance you'll find them."

"That would be a great help – thank you," Marcus said to her as he loosened his straps and swivelled his seat around so he could stand up to leave. "Come with me to the control deck, and we can get started."

Catty did the same, rising from her seat with an eagerness that she had not felt in years. After everything that had happened, her efforts were FINALLY going to make a difference.

"Right behind you..."

-FIN-