Chapter 44
Tiny crystals of moisture crawled across the inside of the freezing mask, blurring the image of the details hidden in the void as they sprawled over the eyes. All around, there floated a seemingly infinite amount of wreckage; shattered pieces of pirate tech mixed in with U.N.S.C. and Federation ship parts. It was difficult to tell who had won. Bodies littered the spatial wasteland; the casualties had been great. Motionlessly, Kelly hung to the shredded wing of a wrecked pirate fighter, clinging to Connor's unconscious body with his free hand. He glanced at everything that surrounded him, gazing upon the distant twinkling sun as it shone hundreds of millions of miles away. The scene he found himself in, he figured, was a perfect reflection of his inner self: So very dead…but so very peaceful. In a strange sort of way, it was all beautifully conclusive. The last known source of phazon had been eradicated for good…including its queen, and one of the largest pirate fleets ever observed laid in the filth of its own cosmic graveyard, waiting on its turn to be sucked down by the nearby planet's pull. As the captain processed everything that had happened, only one thought came to mind…
Over…it's finally over. The phazon war…it's over.
He looked down, whispering to Connor as he drifted gently amongst the debris, "What is going through your head, old friend? Thinking about your family? Home, perhaps? I'm sure your fiancé has crossed your mind more than once… Heed my words, should you ever hear them: Never take her for granted. You never know when life might decide to steal her from you…"
The young man held back tears as he reminisced of what had occurred over the week in passing. He forcefully shut out his thoughts, not wanting to feel. Why did things have to be this way? Could beautiful things not remain?
Something flashed in the captain's peripheral vision, slicing down the middle of his thought process. He looked up to his left, setting his gaze upon an enormous ship looming overhead, its search light shining right on them. The glare of the rays shielded most of the vessel from view, making defining it impossible. Kelly suddenly felt the tug of a tractor beam as he and Connor were pulled along with the wreckage up towards the spacecraft's silver-gilt hangar. As they neared, the name printed on the side of the ship became clear: Suros Void Angel.
The captain sighed, feeling his own consciousness beginning to leave,
…It seems as though we will live to see another day.
