Hello Everyone,

This story is for me two things, first a tribute to a series I greatly enjoyed when I was younger, and second an extended writing exercise to practice regularly working on a single piece. I hope to achieve in this story what I felt the series could have achieved before it ended. A lot of things will be the same, and a lot will be different. For example, I won't go through every individual arc/episode from the original material. I felt the original got a little too caught up in the "monster of the week" genre.

That said, I hope you enjoy the story for what it is. Any feedback is appreciated.

Edit: Thanks Starforcegeo for pointing out the formatting/conversion issues

August 31, 2234

High Earth Orbit

Red lights flashed soundlessly through the empty corridors, reflecting harshly off the floating debris. Peace. The space station had been named "Peace". A spark of optimism for a world on edge and a gesture of goodwill toward their galactic neighbors. But what was the point of it all now? What did they have to show for it? As tired eyes scanned the wreckage of the quickly destabilizing station, they looked to their companions for some answer. In a pair of green eyes they saw hope. A fool's hope, maybe, but hope none the less. Hope that they would survive this. That there would be a way out of this awful situation. In a pair of blue eyes they saw grief, whether sorrow for themselves or for those left behind no one could say. Then there was a pair of brown eyes. Those brown eyes that once seemed so sure, so confident, so unassailable in conviction now burned with fire as their owner argued with the empty air. Dr. Kelvin Stelar was a man that once commanded the respect of people the world over. His steady voice and sure smile capable of disarming any opponent. His large frame, while potentially intimidating, served more to reassure friend and foe that he was as balanced as any man could be. Now, as the tired eyes watched his decent into madness, their owner couldn't help but wonder how they'd all been so easily fooled.

The chamber shook violently then as Kelvin flipped a large lever and their anchoring to the station was released, the air in the adjoining chamber ejected to push the module back towards earth. The eyes darted about, watching from one side as the place they'd called their home for two years slowly drifted away and the place of their birth drew closer. Through it all, the red lights never stopped flashing. The eyes darted to the screens. The readings were holding steady. As long as they maintained their current course, they would splash down somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, transponders intact. If everything went well, he would be home with his wife in only a couple of weeks. Despite himself, he dared to hope. Then he saw the lights.

They appeared as a rainbow of shooting stars as they converged on the now receding station, spinning swiftly around it before converging on the center. The eyes were shut quickly as a blinding light signaled the station's destruction. The ears silently thanked their maker that sound did not travel in the vacuum of space. As the eyes carefully opened again, they saw spots swimming before them. Or, that was what they first appeared. Another moment and it became apparent that the lights were not content to destroy the station. They were pursuing the module. The eyes widened in silent horror as inevitability approached them. The others' voices began to scream or weep as the lights approached, but Kelvin was silent, his gaze as hard and unreadable as stone. When the lights were almost upon them, he spoke.

"Now!"

The eyes could not wonder at what he meant. They had no time. A rainbow of light blossomed around them, filling the chamber and shutting away the universe outside. It was warm in the light. Peaceful. Then the universe was shut out completely and their vision went white.

Below, on the surface of the planet, if one looked up at the right moment, they might have seen a brief flash followed by a shooting star swiftly vanishing into the darkness.

5 years later...

Brown eyes stared listlessly at the night sky, drawing shapes in the constellations above. Those shapes only just beginning to noticeably drift away from what they had been in ancient times were still more familiar to them than the eyes of the owner's mother. The owner himself lay motionless atop a broad hill just outside of town. He had opted to leave his telescope at home tonight, preferring instead to search the endless skies as the ancients had done. Leo chased the fleeing Cancer for perhaps the millionth time since they had formed. In only a couple of months, the lyrid shower would begin in the constellation Lyra, something he was careful to see each year that weather permitted.

He might have lain there all night had the device on his wrist not let out a sharp chime. He blinked once and sat up, brushing the grass from his unruly brown hair as his hazel eyes braced to receive the transer's light. As he opened the lid and winced through the sudden brightness he read a simple message from his mother, Hope.

"Will you be home soon?"

He glanced at the time and winced again as he saw how late it was. Almost eleven at night.

"Yeah, sorry. Lost track of time. Be home soon." he typed quickly. He pressed send and stood quickly, brushing the grass off of his clothes and starting off on the familiar path home.

He tried to be home when his mother got off work. These days they had so little time to spend together. He was often away, learning under Aaron Boreal at his lab, AMAKEN, to earn some early college credits, tinkering in his room, or stargazing. His mother, on the other hand, spent at least ten hours each day working at the local hospital in order to pay their bills. He knew Aaron had offered to step in and help on more than one occasion, but for one reason or another his offers were declined. He wondered if the long hours working were his mother's way of coping with their loss.

Five years had done little to dull the pain of losing his father. Some small part of him still hoped they would find some sign of him, something more than a letter from NAZA and a pension check. To his dismay, some small part of him still hoped they would find him alive. All the pain and sadness would just be a mistake or a misunderstanding. But most of him just agreed with Aaron.

His father's best friend had found him a few months after the incident. He had been wandering the town for hours, visiting all of his father's favorite stops in hope that he would be there. Aaron's words when he had found him stung, and for a while, he refused to talk to the scientist. But as the months dragged on and turned to years, he had to admit that the man was right.

"Now, Geo," Aaron had said, a melancholy look adorning the broad face as he rested a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, "you and I both know your father isn't going to be at any of these places. I know it's hard to accept, but he's not coming back. But your mother is still here, and she needs you. So be strong and look after her for him."

It was a tall order to give an eleven year old, but Geo hoped he had grown into the role somewhat since then, even if in no other way than being careful not to give his mother more cause to worry.

Even as he was lost in reverie, his feet were careful not to take him on a path that would pass within sight of the local high school. He had gone back to school once since the incident. In middle school at the time, he found himself unable to bear the sympathetic and pitying glances of those around him. He knew they meant well, but it was still too much for him. Even as time passed, he refused to return. The attention he expected to receive held little appeal to him when he was younger, less still now that he understood how his father's reputation had changed. To the public at large, he was no longer the pioneer in EM technology and visionary of humanity's future. Now, he was simply the mad man that had led his colleagues on a suicide mission. While he had never been treated poorly for it, he also was careful not to reveal the relation unless he had to. He knew well enough how children's prejudices were informed by their parents'. Besides, he was technically ahead of the standard curriculum due to his tendency to complete at least three independent study curriculums in a year. One of the perks of not having a social life, he supposed.

A solitary house light was lit when he finally turned on to his street. A fifteen minute walk wasn't so bad. He had found himself later than this at times. The house itself was rather humble next to the decadently modern structures surrounding it, a rather simple, wooden, two story house with a covered front porch. His father had insisted on the design himself.

"Always remember where you came from," he would say. While Geo was fairly certain his father had never lived in a house like this before, he imagined it was some larger metaphor relating to humanity as a whole.

He stepped through the door without knocking, quietly closing and locking it behind him. He kicked off his shoes in the entryway and made his way to the kitchen. He found his mother there, reading the news on a holographic projection from her transer and sipping a cup of tea. She glanced up and smiled warmly at him as she passed him a cup.

"How was your day?" she asked as he blew the steam away from the surface of the beverage.

"It was okay," he answered. "I spent most of it sifting through the latest deep space images for Mr. Boreal to review. I headed over to vista point after that"

"That sounds fun," she smiled. "Find anything interesting?"

"Not really," he admitted. "A couple of the images were pretty distorted. I think the telescope will need to be serviced soon."

"That doesn't sound fun," she admitted.

"It's not. Fortunately, we have some bots that can handle it. Should just take a couple of days."

She nodded sagely as she sipped here tea, her eyes closed as she savored the scent. "So, since it sounds like you might have a couple of days off, do you want to come with me downtown tomorrow?"

He perked up slightly at that. "You mean they gave you a day off?"

"Yep!" came the cheery reply. "Really, I've been earning time off for a while, but we had a couple of people hire on so I don't have to worry so much about leaving them understaffed."

"That's good. Maybe you can take of more often too."

"Maybe. Anyway, I'll make us a nice breakfast before we leave, so get to bed. I want to leave by ten if we can."

Geo downed the last of his tea and climbed the stairs to his room. The space was carefully decorated with minimalism in mind. That's what he would say if anyone were to prod him about it, but really, he just didn't have a lot of interest in decoration. His bed sat in one corner, a long desk with a computer and assorted mechanical parts in another, while the corner opposite the door held a telescope angled up through a skylight. The city's light pollution made it pretty much useless, but he still liked the idea that he could see into space from his room.

He spared only a moment to ensure that his processes were still running on his computer before turning in. Sleep found him swiftly, though rest lingered in the distance as his dreams were disturbed. He dreamed of eyes; a pair of red eyes following him relentlessly through the night.

There were many words that could describe Luna Platz. Determined, ambitious, unflappable, relentless, these were just a few of them. If she were to choose just one to describe her current state it would be stressed. Not that she would admit it out loud. To the rest of the world she was always on top, always a step ahead. She had been at the top of her class every year without fail; her poetry was scheduled to see its first release in a local publication in only a couple of months; she had an internship lined up with Falon Corp., an international financial organization headquartered in a nearby city for the summer; the list could go on. So to the world at large, she was a girl that had everything under control at all times. Which is why she could not, under any circumstances, let anyone else know the stress she was under.

Even her two closest friends, affectionately referred to as her goons, were oblivious. One was a larger boy named Bud. Bud served as a linebacker for the school's football team. At 6' 6" and 260lbs, there were few in the district that could move him unless he wanted to be moved. The other was Zack, a somewhat obnoxious little computer nerd that had almost the entire encyclopedia memorized, and the rest downloaded to his transer for quick access. They were currently helping her plan her campaign for student body president. She had already been elected class president in a rather one sided contest at the start of the semester. Now, as the semester was drawing to a close, she had her sights set higher. The election would take place during the fall semester, giving her time to plan and maneuver around her opponent, Amanda Thorp. Thorp had been elected for the past two years, and now, entering upper class-man status, she commanded both recognition and popularity. Luna's status as a lowly sophomore worked against her. That status formed a gap she was determined to bridge.

To that end, she leaned against the railing atop the school roof, her signature twin blonde spirals occasionally jumping at a sudden gust of wind, as she eyed her co-conspirators.

"C'mon you two," she chided, "You must have some ideas for how to fix this."

"Well," Zack began, adjusting his glasses in a gesture probably intended to indicate to his listeners that he was in possession of a superior intellect. Instead, he accented the fact that his frames were two sizes too large for his head. "The usual methods of holding bake sales and other fund raisers for some cause or other should help, but the opposition could match or outdo our efforts, leaving us at square one."

"Of course, we'll still plan to spearhead those," Luna interjected. "Being at the front of such things helps, even if they come behind and do the same."

"Right, but we need something that makes a statement."

While the brain trust stalled to consider what efforts might be taken to bolster Luna's popularity, Bud was thinking about football. See, Bud wasn't very bright. He wasn't stupid, he just didn't really have the patience to work through intricate problems, preferring instead to face them head on. That's why, when he finally did offer a suggestion, the other two were slack jawed in surprise.

"What if you can make the team win more," he shrugged, referring to the abysmal 2-9 season his team had the last season.

"How would she do that," Zack asked, readjusting his glasses. "She's not a coach. Then again, maybe if she became a cheerlea-" A fiery glare from Luna cut off his suggestion before it was finished.

"I dunno," Bud shrugged, "but the coach is always complaining about how our best players are always suspended for playing hooky."

Luna stared at the linebacker, eyes wide and mouth agape. For a moment, Bud was worried he was about to be scolded for his stupid suggestion. Then her lips spread in a wide smile.

"That's it!" she exclaimed. "Bud, you're a genius!"

"Wait," Zack protested. "How is he a genius?"

"Simple," she said, raising an index finger. "What is one thing that not even Amanda Thorp has been able to accomplish as student body president?"

"Improving the school lunches?" Bud suggested.

"Expanding the computer labs?" Zack offered.

"No!" she answered, slapping a palm to her forehead. "Perfect attendance. Everyone should know how important attendance is. The football team loses players for lack of attendance. Clubs have to disband due to a lack of members. Members they might have had if everyone attended. So if I can get all of our skippers to come to school, everyone benefits and they'll undoubtedly see that I would make a better student body president!" She finished with an excited flourish of her hand.

"So...how do we do that?" Zack asked.

"Simple," she said, a terrible gleam in her eyes. "We don't take no for an answer."

Her goons seemed less than enthused, but they all knew they would support her anyway. Once Luna had set her mind to something, you either helped her or stayed out of the way.

"Come on, you two. We need to get a list of our targets, er classmates," she commanded, leading them back into the school.

Geo felt a shiver work its way down his spine as he carried the bags for his mother. I feel like someone just signed away my fate, he thought. The sun was beginning to sink deeper into the sky as the pair made their way home. Overall, the trip had been rather fruitless for Geo. He had netted a new book by a famous astrophysicist and a pamphlet for an exhibit opening in a few weeks exploring some ancient civilization. His mother's score comprised the remaining ten bags. Still, seeing her enjoy herself for a day was worth it.

They made their way home in comfortable silence. After stashing their haul and eating a small dinner, Geo excused himself to pay a visit to Vista Point. Donning a red hoodie to ward off the cold, he set off down the familiar path. The streets were already emptying as people retired to their homes, granting him a measure of privacy. The park itself was long empty.

He settled himself into a comfortable position on the ground and gazed up at the clear night sky. There was no astronomical events to mark the night; the moon was a waxing crescent, providing some shelter for those stars too shy to be viewed. As he stared, he slipped a pair of green glasses over his eyes, a last memento of his father. The glasses were the first prototype of EM wave visualization technology. A visualizer for short. To his knowledge, research into the field had stalled. He didn't really mind though; it just meant that he had a view no one else did. As the lenses covered his eyes, those wavelengths normally invisible to the human eye were reinterpreted as visible light. The pale pinpricks of light were bathed in gentle reds and vibrant blues, swirling about each other in an ethereal dance. The sight never ceased to amaze him.

As he gazed at the various spectrums above him, he felt a slight warmth growing in his chest. Or, not in his chest. On his chest. The brass shooting star pendant that his father had given him before going to space was beginning to glow brightly. As he reached for it another light caught his attention, flashing in the sky above. As he watched, two beams of light were twisting and clashing impossibly in the sky above, one green, one red. As he watched in bewilderment, the green light struck the red, creating another brilliant flash. As the light receded, so did the red light. It arced a trail off to the west and swiftly disappeared beneath the horizon. The green, however, remained, now a stationary point hovering in the sky. No, not hovering. Growing? Approaching, Geo realized to late.

He stood, and tried to run, but he was too slow. The light caught him, enveloped him. He felt electricity racing through his body as his vision faded. As consciousness faded away, all that remained in his vision were two red eyes staring back at him. Then everything went black.