Elsewhere


─•~:~•─


Ginny opened her eyes, and the world was white.

She had no idea what to think, and could only ask, "What- "

"Hi, Ginny," Star replied, appearing beside Ginny, and getting down on her knees in front of the Major.

"Star?!" Ginny asked, dumbstruck, "What the fuck? Where am I?"

"You are in my home, sort of. It's tough to explain in three dimensional terms, but your… spirit, as you would call it, is in my home right now. Everything is white, because this is how you remembered it, and I wanted to make you comfortable," Star replied.

Ginny suddenly felt cold terror through her spine, "Oh my god… the last thing I remember was Dean shooting me. Phaser on kill. Does that mean… Am I dead?!"

Star put her hand on Ginny's shoulder, and for the first time, it wasn't cold, "Almost, at least what you would understand as death in Three-Dimensional Space. Dean shot you, which isn't very nice."

"Your body was badly injured, and your internal repair systems cannot fix the damage. Selar is trying to help you, but she won't be able to reverse the damage. Ordinarily, when Three Dimensional things like you die, your energy begins the transition to the fourth dimension."

Star continued, "In a few minutes, you will join your parents, Scott the Commanding Officer's wife, and Yue's grandmother and pet snail from the Academy. But, I stopped your transition for a while. Because I wanted to talk to you first."

"What the fuck are you saying Star?! I'm dead?! How is this even possible?!" Ginny screamed in terror.

Star hugged Ginny and continued, "Please don't be scared, Ginny. I know death is a big deal for Three Dimensional things, but as I told you before, I can control things in your universe. You are okay, I promise. Do you still trust me?"

Ginny truly felt that she had, at last, gone insane.

But the only thing that made sense was her God-Like friend Star.

So, she pushed down her fear, and returned her hug, "Okay. Okay. I trust you. What… what do you want to talk about?"

Star let Ginny go, and stood up, "You are my friend, Ginny. You've been very nice, and you listen to me when I ask you not to shoot things, and you do very well with my challenges. And I have fun helping you and your friends learn things."

"I want to keep having fun with you, my only friend. So, if you want, I can stop you from dying. I can even fix the damage to your body, and make you just fine again."

Ginny dropped her jaw, "Well, what the fuck are you waiting for?! Stop me from dying, please!"

A single black tear rolled down Star's face, "It's not that simple. Other is out there, in your universe. I... I haven't been as careful as I should have been. In my home, my songs are hidden from everything else, unless things come close to it. But since I've been talking to you outside, using the piece of my home that I gave to you and that Dean stole, my songs are no longer hidden.

"And, if I'm saying this in a way that makes sense to you, Other can now hear my songs, and I can hear him getting closer."

She turned away from Ginny, and more black tears hit the white floor, "In order to stop you from dying, I'd have to compose a new song. This song would make you like me. You will still be Ginny, but you will no longer be like Yue. You will be like me, which means you will know the things I know."

"You will be able to sing your own songs, and your songs will have whatever effect you want them to have. But if I compose this new song and sing it, there will be no way to hide that from Other. I will have to give my home to you, and it will be your home now."

Star looked at Ginny again, all but sobbing, "I'm… I'm scared. Other will try to hurt me and make me go away, like he did with the others like me. I can try to fight him, but… I'm not very good at fighting, not like you are. And he can hurt things even easier than I can. If I can't beat him, I will go away. I don't want to go away and lose my friend too."

Ginny put her hand on Star's shoulder this time, "Star, I can't ask you to do that. If helping me means that you have to die, that's no choice at all for me. Let me go. Just promise you'll keep helping Tirpitz and my friends, and that's good enough for me."

"I don't know if I can, Ginny," Star replied, "If I don't compose this song, then it will take a very long time for Other to find me, but he may find Tirpitz first, and that means our friends will get hurt. But if I compose this song, I can focus on fighting Other, while you help Tirpitz. In any dimension, two things are always more than one."

"Is there anything I can do to help you though? You don't have to fight Other on your own. As far as I'm concerned, you are Private Star, a Federation Marine. And you never leave a Marine behind."

Star offered a smile, "That is a very beneficial use of hierarchical organization structures and delegation. But that's something I must do on my own. I promise I'll do my best. So, have you decided what you want? Should I compose my new song?"

There wasn't any choice to make.

Ginny nodded and seized Star in another tight hug.

"Thank you for the hug, Ginny, but I can't sing if you're hugging me. Please lie down so I can sing," Star protested.

Ginny released her friend and lay flat on her back, staring up at the endless world of white around her.

Star walked over and held a hand over her face, "It'll probably be easier if you close your eyes. It won't hurt, but it will feel very weird."

When the white faded to darkness, Star began to sing.

Normally, her songs were low, droning, and terrifying noises, something that made Ginny's blood run cold in her veins.

But this time, the song was calming, peaceful, and beautiful.

Ginny dared to open her eyes, and the white world had turned to the calming blue of the starfield that Star had shown her just a few hours ago.

The strength returned to her body, and more. Every sense was sharper and clearer. She could see… everything.

Hear everything.

Feel everything.

"Is this what it's like to be you, Star?" Ginny asked.

Her human form, a bald little girl wearing a white dress, had faded away.

In it's place was a brilliant blue orb of light, the sight of which was the most beautiful thing Ginny had ever seen.

And when Star replied to the question, it was with inside talking.

But it no longer made Ginny afraid.

Yes. It is. It may take a while for you to get used to, but this is me, my true form, as you would call it. You can take this form if you want, or keep the one you have. It's up to you. And my home, which is now yours, will give you everything you need to do anything you want Ginny.

Ginny cried, but they were tears of happiness.

And when she spoke again, she too did it inside.

It's so beautiful. I don't know what to say. Thank you, Star. This is so amazing.

Star's light began to drift away, and suddenly Ginny felt sad.

She knew her friend Star was about to leave.

You're welcome. But I have to leave now. Other will be coming soon. I have to try to fight him before he gets here. You can stay in your home as long as you like. Linear time means nothing here. When you want to leave, just follow the blue arrow. You will return to Three-Dimensional Space at exactly the moment you died.

Bye Ginny. I hope we get to have fun again soon.


"Computer, record time of death at 2130 Zulu, this Stardate," Selar said, as she respectfully reached over to turn off the cortical stimulators.

Before the Vulcan Doctor's hand could touch the switch, Ginny's eyes opened, and she shot out of bed to sit straight up.

Kala jumped in fear backwards, while Scott shouted words on everyone's mind, "What in the fuck?!"

To Ginny's right, Ryhr immediately ran a medical tricorder over her Major and added in a scream, "You're supposed to be dead! This isn't possible!"

Ginny smiled, and placed her hand on Ryhr's. The touching sensation exploded in her mind.

Ginny knew every thought, every feeling, and every moment of Ryhr's life with a single touch, but she was still calm.

"It's alright LT. I was dead. But now I'm not. It's okay, no need to freak out."

Kala in turn started screaming, "What happened to her eyes?!"

"There's nothing wrong with my eyes Sarge. I can see more things, but my eyes are the same," Ginny answered flatly.

Kala held up the nearest reflective surface at hand – a medical tray – and held it to Ginny's face.

Her green eyes were now gone, and instead were as deep and black as Star's.

"Oh," she said, echoing her friend, "I see. I didn't think that would happen. Interesting."

"Sure, let's go with that word for now," Scott added, trying to control this situation, "We'll have a full debrief about this later. Right now, the CNC of the Republican Navy is waiting for me."

He turned to Selar, "Doc, run every test you can on her while I'm gone. And Major, don't take this the wrong way, but you don't leave sickbay. Do I have to make that an order?"

Ginny shook her head, "No worries, Skipper. I'll stay put."

Scott quickly left the sickbay, and could only manage one word back, "Good."