Captain's Journal: Epilogue Chapter 1: The Danoga's crew & friends of the captain. Sophia Hill stone, Pilot's entry:

Oh my god! What should I say about Michael? They asked me to cord about 5 minutes only but I'm finding it difficult to do so. This seems as easy as piloting a fighter through an asteroid field. (sighs) I might as well tell you that our relationship began when we joined the academy years ago. God this is hard! Ok, umm, (Computer paused, then resumed) When I first saw him I didn't really know what to expect but after I got to know him I realized he was a cool person. I guess what got to me was that he was confident, but still was amazingly humble. He rarely gave credit to himself for the good things he did. I remember it got him into trouble one time at the academy, fortunately, nothing bad happened. I do remember there was a time at the NASA institute when his humility got him in serious trouble. He told me that he wanted to be a part of the staff in charge to study the alien messages we received. But in the "auditions" for it, he undermined himself by saying he might not be well studied enough. Ha-ha! That little thing almost cost him the job, but he wasn't worried. He said someone from his staff at the institute stepped forward and helped clear up the misunderstanding. He was always like that; I can't believe he's really gone. When I found out I wasn't eligible for the pilot job at the Danoga, I remember I felt like giving up. But then I received a call from my daughter Jennifer saying Michael was gonna be its Captain. I knew I had to tell him how sorry I was for leaving them. That I missed them terribly and that I was now ready to make amends. I moved heaven and earth but finally, I was accepted to take the helm of the Danoga. It took us a while, but we managed to get along again. Then we got to the alien home world, he seemed happy to be able to make contact with other species. So many things happened; some of the aliens we met were hospitable and trustworthy, while others were evil and dishonest. In the end, I never thought he would die in the line of duty, I mean, I know a captain is supposed to do so but… Oh well, now is too late to moan. Although I am saddened by him gone, I am also happy to have met him and made a beautiful daughter with him. Of Captain Michael I can only say this: He was a model for all generations to come and I hope there is another one like him again in the not too distant future. End recording.

Miles Ferguson, Chief engineer's entry:

I knew Captain Michael from way back to the academy days. We used to enjoy ourselves very little, since our studies didn't leave room for much else. That used to drive me insane but, not him. He seemed to enjoy studying more than he did hanging out with me and some girls. Anyway, I'm gonna try to do my best to pay tribute to him after all this. I'm considering putting my two cents into this new Republic they keep talking about. I know it's not much but at least I know I'll be doing my best. Rest in peace Captain, I hope we haven't lost our soul along with the modifications to our bodies, because I hope to see you again after I die. End recording.

Willow McCarthy, Science officer entry:

I can tell you a few things about the captain, I know I didn't really know him like the rest of them but, at least we had some good moments together. This is my umm, what should I call it? Yeah! My salute to him; from the moment I met him at the crew assignment to the moment that planet exploded, I knew he was one of those men who were just unique. I vow, for as long as I live, that the memory of the captain will never die. I will join the efforts to create a republic where things like this will not go overlooked. I think this whole event would have been prevented if only things would have been a little more organized. I never thought those people would go to such lengths to eliminate us humans. But now things ended up this way and we can't change them. I hope things turn out for the best after the Bandosian people join our efforts for the new republic. End recording.

Santiago Lion heart, first officer's entry:

I met the captain after being assigned to the Danoga. I didn't make much of the guy at first, I mean, who would have? But after you got to know him, you realized he was a really good guy. He was straight, brave and intelligent and he even had a good sense of humor. The man had everything to make a girl go nuts. I have to tell you right now, I hate gay men, I have no problems with lesbians but that's another story. Maybe everyone else will tell you he was a fun guy to be with and all but, I gotta say: He wasn't funny all the time like you might think. But he had a knack for knowing when to be funny and what to say. I remember the time I asked the Kaaaviar ambassador if the name for their people was Caviar. He-he, the ambassador was amazed at my perceptive nature but the captain, ha-ha, he got that I was making fun of them a little. I didn't mean to but it slipped. Thank goodness the ambassador didn't notice. It doesn't matter if anybody says something bad about the captain; I'll always remember him as one of my best friends. It's just a damn shame I didn't get to know him as much as his closest friends. End recording.

Susana Tianguis, Captain of the destroyer Caligula:

I can hardly believe he's not with us anymore. I met Michael since way back in college but we didn't interact much at first. It was only after we entered the academy that we really got to know each other. It is true that we got close in the last months of college but to me, I began to love him after we began the first year at the academy. He showed me how we shouldn't neglect our studies, though I already knew that. Still, he never made me miss classes or anything related like other boyfriends who only cared about sex or stuff like that. Gosh, I'm not sure if I should be saying all this. Anyway, we always knew where we would end up in life. We both wanted to be captains of the first starships and we made it. I still don't understand why he had to die this way. I've been asked by Sophia and some others to join the efforts to form a new republic where we may just be able to prevent things like that. I think it is a fine idea and I will do everything I can to make sure things like these never happen again. End recording.

Fernand Aivaras, Captain of the battleship Agamemnon:

I did hear god things about Captain Michael before we met on the battlefield at the Xanderian home world. I didn't know him as much as Susana or his own crew but, in the short time I had to talk to him I realized he was a good man. He was very smart and he coordinated the attack plan very well. I was amazed at how easy he overcame the obstacles before we arrived to supposedly save his ship. I thought we might loose the Danoga before we arrived. I had no idea the type of technology the Xanderians had and I feared the worst. Thank god its Captain was smart enough to devise a strategy that would enable him to stand up to the punishment and still be able to defend against the enemy ships. I have to say, that man was a real example for all of us. I doubt we'll ever meet another one like him in a long, long time. End recording.

Johnny McAllister, 1st engineer's entry:

I met the captain before the mission, but I thought he might be one of those Captains you hear about. You know the kind, bossy and such. But after I met him a few days after we launched, I knew I misjudged him. The Captain was very respectful to all of us in the engine room. It was our job to keep the ship together while out of stasis. Although the ship could maintain itself to a point, it was our duty to keep an eye on everything else. The captain used to let us know how much he appreciated our efforts even though we did only half the work of a regular crew. I spent a lot of years on the battle station Chimera and while I was there, I did a lot of work. Well, not only myself but, some of the other engineers as well. On this mission however, we didn't have to do as much work because everything was automatic. The captain always checked in on us and made us feel comfortable whenever we weren't. I want to remember a special moment in battle when the captain motivated me to do my best. It was back when we heard the red alert and we didn't have any clue as to what was happening. I thought I signed on for a first contact mission! That was what some of us were saying as the ship shook for the first time. We noticed a virus in the ship's system and we were preparing to take care of it. Miles who, by the way, is the captain's close friend, got in touch with the bridge and along with the science officer coordinated a way to get rid of the virus. None of us noticed some small robots outside the ship trying to sabotage our engines. However, I did notice something wrong outside and I decided to go check it out. Since we all have communicators with us and can quickly go outside the ship without having to put on suits, I got out there with a defensive weapon and got rid of the pests. But not before I sort of panicked because I had never been in outer space before. Well, at least not without a suit anyway. Somehow the captain took notice and he talked me out of my panic. Thanks to him I managed to get the job done and now that he's gone I'm gonna do my best so that he won't be forgotten. End recording.

Duke "Flip" Anderson, Doctor's entry:

I barely knew the captain so I can't say a lot of things about the man. However, in the short time we shared, I found that there was more to him than met the eye. He was a deep thought individual, he cared about people in a way that few people do. I did see the captain having a hard time in deciding to forgive his ex-wife for abandoning him and his daughter. We later found out she did leave a note but that's another story. What stroke me as odd, was the fact that he was a modest person. He would have never admitted that he had knowledge of medicine. He always liked to give credit to others rather than himself. That was a quality I rarely saw in any human being. I did see that quality in the alien being we encountered trapped in that asteroid but again, that is another story. I have been asked to join the efforts to initiate a protocol for a new republic concerning the matter of how to handle evacuation plans. I still believe the explosion on the Xander planet could have been avoided. Let's hope more people act like him in the future. End recording.

Daniel Stevenson, Crewman's entry:

Out of all the crewmen on the Danoga, I am the one in debt with the captain. I was the one accompanying him on the last evacuation procedure on the Xander capital. The Danoga itself had to be brought down to the surface of the planet. Thanks to the modifications made by collaboration with the Bandosian people, the Danoga was able to have an antigravity device. We do have things like that on earth but nothing that can support the weight of the Danoga. After all, that's how we can be inside the ship without any gravity or even oxygen for that matter. Anyway, out of the whole crew of the bridge, just Sophia came down the ship with the captain. I got to be there because the captain needed a crewman with knowledge for evacuation plans. I volunteered and we were on our way towards the capital. I helped out whenever I was needed; I even coordinated most of the refugees and assisted the captain with any special cases. And by this I mean children crying for this or that reason. By the end we learned that there was a threat to the Danoga by a faction of the Xanderian government. We checked it out and it turned out to be a bomb, it was supposed to be used to destroy planet Earth with it but instead, they were going to use it to kill us and their own people. The captain had to stop them any way he could so he took me and Sophia with him to the building where the bomb was being activated. The rest of our crew was scrambling to get the refugees out of the Danoga and into transports. We feared the Danoga would be useful for disposing of the bomb. There were no transports left, only a few fighters. There were enough for all three of us so, the captain was confident we could actually stop it. Although we were careful not to play in their hands, I was the one who accidentally triggered the bomb's detonating device. I offered to stay and try to defuse it but the captain wouldn't let me. I shouldn't say anything else, except maybe the captain was unlike anyone I have met. I will always have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. I'll make sure he won't be forgotten. End recording

This is a formal entry from someone who is not a member of the Danoga's crew. Jonathan Coleman, President of Planet Earth's entry:

I first met Michael at the NASA institute back when I first heard of the alien message. I know there is more than one message but there was one that caught our attention. These aliens sent us some kind of greeting message and we were excited about it. I remember having a meeting with all members of the government just to agree how to handle the news. Most of us agreed to see the message at NASA and see what they had on it. The head of the team was this man called Michael. When I first saw him you could tell there was more to him than a good haircut and a nice suit. I spent quite some time with him and his team watching the message after they translated the language. I was impressed with the man's knowledge; he really knew a lot of things for a man his age. After that, I had to give him my vote so he could be in charge of the mission destined to meet these aliens. He's the first man to ever get the rank of Captain so quickly. After he got back from what we called the Kosanova system, I urged him to get a modification necessary for telepathy. He tried to argue with me just like before the mission started but I got tough with him that time. I figured he would have to have the ability to know what the Xanderians were up to. But in the end, not even that made a difference. How could he die that way? I'm still shocked by the fact he didn't make it out the planet before it exploded. I remember there was a saying, it went something like this: A captain must go down with his ship. And that's precisely what happened. I only wish I got to know him better. End recording.

Records of the Danoga's crew, by an unknown historian:

Most of the people whose entries you see here lived long lives. They had to make sure the new republic was made possible. They didn't know it at the time but, almost half the people on Earth didn't like the new rules and regulations they had to live by once the republic was active. Factions of people started to break away from planet Earth and settled along with most Xanderian refugees on an unknown place. More on this on a separate chapter detailing the events and facts after the death of Captain Michael.

Chapter 2: The Crystal Wars and minor conflicts thereafter

After the fall of the Xanderian Empire and the destruction of their planet, the Crystal Wars immediately ended. The Republic of United Planets was made official and there were a few incidents as a result. At first, people from Earth didn't want any part of a republic which wouldn't let them go on with their ordinary lives. For example, many people enjoyed going hunting. The new republic's laws determined that all life would be sacred and no human being had the right or privilege to kill anything. Therefore, anyone who still wanted to let's say: eat duck for dinner, still was able to do so without having to kill a duck or get a dead one. New gadgets became available for everyone called "materializers". These devices could make food appear by selecting the kind of food you needed. However, not before you entered something into the device first and foremost. For example, let's say you want a roasted pig, you would have to give the machine any kind of materials you had at your disposal. The more materials you give, the larger the quantity of food you can get. These were the first kinds of materializers. But that was just one of the reasons for the people leaving Earth. Anyway, after the first group of pirates was established, there seemed to have been quarrels among them. The pirate group broke up into two factions. So now the republic had to deal with two pirate groups. The most barbaric kind, called the Conglomerate Pirates and the most pacific kind called the Confederate Pirates. There were always conflicts with the Conglomerate Pirates but they rarely won. Even Confederate Pirates joined the republic on occasion against them. All in all, we managed to come out good after the fall of the Xanderian Empire. The Bandosian are our major allies and the people from the Kaaav system have joined us as well. Not all of us embraced the republic as some are scattered between the two pirate factions. It is now the year 2100 and we haven't had any major wars since.

Chapter 3: The whereabouts of the two officers in the story: About the Commander (he's the one who provides the lieutenant AKA "you" with every chapter of the journal):

The Commander has been a part of the high command ever since he was accepted by both the government and the high command. He is now in charge of operations concerning diplomatic meetings and other near like businesses.

About the lieutenant:

He/she (whoever read this journal) is a direct descendant from the captain and wanted to research anything about the first contact between humans and aliens. Although the only evidence of the captain's mission that remains is his journal, it hasn't been in the possession of your family since the captain's death.