Chapter 28 : Kimira Moonstone

It is the afternoon of the following day. The three Witches and three Faeries have gathered at the helm and standing behind Tecna all excited yet anxious about the message.

"This is a preliminary translation," states Tecna, "but it should be enough to get a clear idea of the message. Witches, I'm sorry that the translation will be in High Alfean. It is the only language my programs at hand are equipped to handle unless I link to the great database on Binos which is a bad idea to do from here if we wish to maintain any sort of security."

"We'll manage," says Icy. "Let's get this rolling."

"I also want to assure you that this will be the first time that Stormy and I have heard this message and we have not tampered with it in any way."

"Yeah, fine," growls Icy. "Would you, pleeeze, just get on with it."

Tecna waves her hand over the start sensor and the already familiar face of the redheaded woman appears on the screen.

"Damn!" starts the message and, despite themselves, both the Witches and Faeries give out a burst of laughter. "This is my final and the most important message of my life and I don't know where to begin."

A long pause while the redheaded woman seems to be composing herself.

"My name is Kimira Moonstone the Eighty-Sixth – that is, I am the eighty-sixth direct descendant of Capt. Kimira Moonstone who piloted this vessel, The New Hope, from Alfea to this planet we simply call New Alfea.

Another pause.

"We thought we had given them the slip when we arrived at this planet seven thousand years ago. Then, it was a rock in space with one vast sea orbiting around a yellow sun and with a dwarf blue sun running roughly from its north to south poles and three moons. Yet, it held within it all the key elements and building blocks required to establish new life and to colonize. There was a lot of work to be done before we could settle the planet. We had to create an atmosphere and then create an area of ground large enough to terraform and seed with various animals, plants and insects which took five-thousand years and several generations to finally reach a habitable state.

We occupied the Planet of New Alfea in peace and prosperity for one thousand years but then our enemies found us and demanded the whole of New Alfea for themselves. We were not about to give it up without a fight which sparked a thousand years of war. I was born in wartime, grew up in wartime and will now die in wartime. But I digress. I …

"Kim," says a blond haired man with grey and silver flecked eyes who enters into view. "Oh! Sorry. I didn't see you are recording something."

"Not to worry, Ro" replies Kimira. "It is the obligatory captain's final message. Perhaps you, as my beloved husband, would like to add something to it?"

"Nothing that you can't say better, Kimi-Kitten," replies Ro. "I just wanted to ask if you will be joining us in our stateroom soon."

"I shall be there directly once I have finished," replies Kimira.

"I shall see you then," says Ro, gently caressing her cheek then leaning over to kiss Kimira's forehead and departs.

"During the war," says Kimira, resuming her message, "we poisoned the rivers and oceans with toxins, filled the air so full of deadly germs that it can no longer be breathed, killed off most of the flora and fauna and created vast areas of radioactive wasteland. Under such a strain, the ecosystem has completely collapsed. The planet is no longer even barely habitable for our enemies or for us."

Kimira pauses and then with a sad expression continues, "We who remained thought that we could take refuge in our ship and wait things out in cryogenic sleep. We were wrong. It seems that our enemies were waiting on us to make such a move for, as soon as we locked the hatch, they used their last nuke to slag-bomb the mountain above us and bury us under kilotons of molten rock. We have survived the initial attack but we and our ship are dying. The cells that power our ship are running down quickly and cannot be recharged because the solar panels that do that are deep under hardening molten rock. Already, the air purifiers are struggling to keep the air breathable and we had only food for a few more days. Yesterday, we decided unanimously to have a communal feast, settle differences that needed to be settled, say our final prayers as mortals to the Goddess, bid our comrades good-bye and then retire to our chambers to take the path of easy sleep to the Goddess."

"Are you going to be much longer, Kimi?" asks a woman in a blue and yellow cat suit with raven hair down to her hips who has come into view. "I just saw Roland heading off to our stateroom."

"I won't be too much longer, She'a," replies Kimira.

Then with a serious look She'a asks, "Have you told him yet?" and Kimira suddenly puts a hand to her stomach.

"No," says Kimira sadly, "and I don't think I will. I don't want him going to the Goddess feeling guilty about it."

"Well, I would tell him," says She'a. "I feel he has a right to know."

"I still have a little time to decide," replies Kimira. "Do you have any parting words to record before going?"

"Good-bye, everyone," says She'a, looking directly into the screen. "Catch you all at the abode of the Goddess. See you in a bit, Kimi," she adds and then takes her leave.

"I don't think there is really that much time for me to go on," continues Kimira. "You will find plenty of resources on this ship that will tell you of our origins, history and achievements. You are welcome to everything else our ship has to offer. If New Alfea has revived, I hope it is beautiful, that you live in peace with no hardships or enemies and that you have found your own way to the teachings of the Goddess. Farewell now."

The last few seconds are of Kimira reaching for the activation-deactivation sensor.