If one believed in destiny, they would believe that this had to happen for a reason. If one believed in God, he was calling his faithful home, or condemning the sinners to Hell. If one believed in the sanctity of the Earth... well... they were pretty well screwed, because the Earth itself was gone now. They could have returned they supposed, but there didn't seem to be any point in it. The Earth's resources were almost depleted, the ozone destroyed, pollution and nuclear radiation were slowly rendering it uninhabitable. A lesson learned far too late.
Clover stood in front of the small stone slab that stuck up from the ground. The villagers had been here on Argath for barely two months, but the size of their graveyard was considerable. Clover couldn't contain her tears as she read the inscription on the newest addition to an area that already seemed far too big.
September 12th 1988-June 7th 2013
Your courage, love, and loyalty made the universe seem small
May your love continue to shine on us all from where you've gone
Because one day we will be there beside you once again
We love you Alex
Clover turned her tear-filled gaze to the side as a young-looking girl with dark skin came up the hill toward the graveyard. She wore the skins that seem to have become customary in this village, and she had a haunted look on her face. Clover didn't speak as the girl approached, stopping at the very top of the hill, several feet away from the mound of recently upturned dirt.
"I... I had to come see if it was really her." The girl choked out with a sad smile. "She... she never even really said goodbye... she just left me her journal..." She gulped and shook her head. "I thought she would be back when she was done with whatever it was she had to do..."
"She had to do what she always did." Clover forced herself to speak. "Worry about everyone else around her at the expense of her own life..." The girl nodded and walked slowly up to the grave, kneeling down in front of it and putting her hand on the soft Earth.
"They say... they say she helped save us..." The girl said. Clover paused for a moment. That wasn't quite the truth... if Alex had remained here in the village, everyone on Earth would've been wiped out... but the people here on Argath would have remained safe. In the long run, it seemed like Alex had caused more trouble than anything else for Argath... yet it was because of her that the Zardexians had been vanquished.
"She was a great woman." Clover said finally. "She didn't save us... she saved billions upon billions of planets everywhere in the universe." She said sincerely. The girl smiled back at her despite the tears that were running down her cheeks. Clover smiled back and got down on her knees in front of the grave beside the girl.
They remained silent, sisters in their grief for the woman who had touched their hearts. Clover knew that Alex would have done absolutely anything for them... she knew her friend would have given up her own heart to see someone else be happy. And that was exactly what she had done, really. For all the mistakes she made, her heart had never gone astray like so many others. She was the purest woman Clover could have ever hoped to meet... and her memory would always be treasured.
The stars were silent... inevitably, oppressively silent. Mandy knew she had better get used to it... but she couldn't. For all she had suffered in her life at the hands of the Imperium, she would have gladly gone back to escape this oppressive loneliness. With Alex gone, and everyone else settled down on Argath, she was once again left here with nobody else. No other alien species, no other Starlight Specters, nothing.
She turned in space when she heard a soft cry. It was pretty far away, but she called back to it, and she could feel it moving toward her. Mandy turned to drift toward the sound. Her heart would have been beating in excitement if she'd still had a heart. Finally in front of her she could see another violet stream of energy moving toward her. A companion... a sister... after months of oppressive loneliness, she would finally have someone to join her.
The second Specter moved up to her, radiating confusion and disorientation, but Mandy silently began to roll around her. She moved forward, and the second Specter moved after her much to her delight. She would teach her new... or old... friend what had happened, and they would be together. No longer alone, she might finally be happy.
Ashes to Ashes. Dust to Dust. Fade to Black. It is Finished.
Clarifications: This is where I explain things that people might not have picked up on.
What is a Starlight Specter?
One of the Argathins explained to Alex that Starlight Specters are mental impressions of energy... basically, they are what their names suggest. They're ghosts who float in space. But it was also pointed out that Mandy's Specter was unique in both its size and definition. It wasn't typical.
What makes Mandy different?
She's stronger, bigger, brighter, and smarter. This is because she was detonated by the Faustium, and the Faustium worked to ensure that she had a specter, and that it would be extremely powerful.
Mandy here... Mandy there... what's the deal?
Okay, in Memories of the Future Mandy sacrificed herself to kill the man who'd been oppressing the entire planet. Obviously, her name would have become the stuff of legend after that. The Zardexians discovered this and tried to have one of their own soldiers, Zeninia, become Mandy and try to spread confusion among the humans, rendering them even more helpless. But the real Mandy got wind of this and destroyed their ship before they could reach Dämon-Mörder, and interrupting the memory alteration that would have made Zeninia convincing as Mandy. So Zeninia took Mandy's body and mind, essentially becoming a second Mandy until her old memories began to resurface.
Who was the second Starlight Specter in the end?
Sam.
Thank you all for reading through this monstrous tribute to the author who (quite unintentionally) challenged me to expand upon my own writing into areas I once reached for, but had since lost somewhere along the line. I hope to write far more after this, either fanfiction or original. We'll see what happens.