Epilogue
Larry Mann
Back to X-Com Page
"X-COM: UFO Defense" and "X-COM: Terror From The Deep"
Copyright (c) 1994 MicroProse and Mythos Software
"X-Com Saga" Copyright (c) 1994 Russ Brown
"X-Com Saga II: Tales From The Deep" Copyright (c) 1996-97 Larry Mann
EPILOGUE
A.D. 2099
UNITED NATIONS BUILDING, NEW YORK MEGACITY
"And that was the last time I saw her," Stefanie
finished. "I visited her friends many times, but I never saw
her myself after that time."
"What happened to her?" one of the Human children
gathered around her asked.
"Did she die?" a Gillman girl asked.
"No," Stefanie smiled. "She just went back to sleep,
as did several of her friends. They knew, someday, that the
Starspawn might come back again. And if they did, not only
would X-Com be needed once again, but X-Com would need capable
warriors to staff its ranks. The Elemental feels a strong
duty to the people of her world. Human, Gillman, and Dreamer
alike. This is why she went to sleep, so that she could
awaken again, when she was needed."
The children were all duly impressed. "Do you think
the Starspawn might come back again?" one worried Human girl
asked.
"I don't know, my child," Stefanie replied. "Perhaps,
perhaps not. But if they do, the Elemental will be there to
protect us. You can count on that."
A knocking was heard at the doorframe, and Stefanie
looked up to see a young Human male standing in the doorway.
"Your Excellency? The Council will be convening shortly."
"Thank you," Stefanie nodded, and turned back to the
children. "Now if you'll excuse me, little ones, there are
some things I must do before the day is out. Run along and
play now." The children dutifully darted away to engage in
children's mischief, and Stefanie gathered her robes about her
and got to her feet, adjusting the thick collar about her neck
which kept her gills supplied with oxygen-rich water while she
was above the oceans fulfilling her duties as the leader and
ambassador for the Dreamer race.
"You're a good storyteller," said a voice from the
doorway. Stefanie looked up to see the elderly visage of
Himiko Nagano.
"Thank you," Stefanie chuckled. "I've had a lot of
opportunities to develop that skill. Amazing how many
children had never had a story told to them in the early
days."
"What do you really think?" Nagano asked as she joined
Stefanie in her journey toward the Assembly chamber. Steffie
slowed her pace a bit so that the elderly woman could keep up
more easily. She herself had aged very little in the past
sixty years, something she supposed was due to her alien
physiology.
"About?"
"About the Starspawn," Nagano answered quietly. "Do
you think they're coming back again?"
Steffie was silent for a moment. "I'm not certain,"
she said at length. "They might, they might not." She
turned to her companion. "Do you regret your decision to not
go into stasis with the others?"
"No, no," Himiko shook her head slowly. "It was time
for me to live my life, and that's what I did. I don't regret
my decision at all." She paused. "I'm just... concerned
about the future, about what our children might have to deal
with... if they do come back again."
Stefanie nodded solemnly. "Our children have enough to
worry about as it is, what with our planetary environment in
such disrepair now. But I can promise you one thing, my
friend." She laid a hand on the elderly woman's shoulder,
and the faintest of golden glows flickered across her black
eyes. "If the Starspawn do threaten us again... this time we
will be ready for them."
Himiko found much comfort in Steffie's words, and smiled
faintly. The two women walked the remaining distance to the
General Assembly in silence, where once again the future of
the planetary environment would become a heated topic of
discussion.
Hopefully, the future the children could look forward to
would turn out to be a good one.
FIN
END