Return
Two years later, and the War was finally over.
Tragically, and as predicted, it ended with the total eradication of both sides. Between the loss of both homeworlds, and the single-minded determination of both fleet commanders – the only possible outcome had been extinction. For the next hundred million years, the Sigma Narse system – a place that should have marked the first Solnoid attempt at planetary engineering – would be seen by anyone visiting as monument to the folly that brought two races to oblivion...
Shildy closed her eyes and silently mourned the loss of her people as she and her three companions slowly drifted through the field of debris left by this, the Final Battle of the War. Slowly, they picked their way through the wreckage – going from ship to ship, hoping to find survivors. Their hopes were dashed at every turn, as they found nothing but clouds of broken bodies – from both sides – drifting ever-further from their destroyed ships, propelled by whatever explosions had thrown them into the void.
Still – she looked at her three companions and realized that their mission had, at least partially, been a success. They had found and awakened Elision – the ancient computer-mind that had maintained a millenia-long vigil over the entire recorded history of the Solnoid people. It had taught them about the cyclic nature of history, and their role in the unfolding of the next cycle. It had taught them much about their past, and how this was not truly and ending for them. It had transmitted all of Solnoid history – from their earliest written records, to the events that had led up to the nightmare they were embroiled in now – to their little ship... where it would be stored on a memory-wafer that would be loaded into the capsule that they were ready to launch. Though it would take many thousands of years to arrive, it would eventually reach Chaos - moon of Terra, the Living World, in the Ninth Star System. The hybrid life they had left there might, one day, rise to a level of technology where they would find it, and read all of the data it contained. When that day came, perhaps they will also have learned to not make the same mistakes that the Solnoid people had.
She placed her hand on the lever that would send the capsule on its way. She paused in thought of what this little time-capsule represented – a chance for her people to live on – and hoped that she was doing the right thing. In her hesitation, her three companions silently placed their hands over hers. This simple act of trust and comradeship quelled all of her doubts – and they sent their little time-capsule on its journey the same way they started their little endeavour... as a team.
A team, Shildy thought as she watched the capsule recede into the distance, until its drive flame was no longer visible – MY team. How far we've come in such a short time. She allowed her thoughts to drift back to the events that brought them here, and all the people the four of them had encountered along the way that had helped them on their journey...
She thought of Captain Nebulart – the Intelligence Division officer and model for their android companion Catty. She had given them a certain degree of hope that the War would not end in futility... that there would be a future for her people, in some far-distant future. She had chosen to stay on the planet Embryo – sacrificing her life in order to ensure that Elision was able to transmit all of its data to them, and ensure that their legacy would survive intact...
She thought of Lufy – the Attacker pilot, who they had revived from her decade-long hibernation so very recently to become part of their little cabal. Like Shildy had before, she truly believed that the War could be won... but had eventually come to realize that it would only bring them nothing but devastation. At the end, though, she rejoined the fight – unable to alter her destiny, she had thrown herself into the thickest part of the battle, going out in a blaze of glory that would give the rest of them the valuable time they needed to complete their own mission...
Finally, she thought of Marcus – the not-quite-alien who, by his mere presence, had shown them that there were other... BETTER... paths to take. When she first met him, Shildy had been a dedicated soldier – as convinced of the rightness of the Solnoid cause as Lufy had been when they first met. In the three days they were together, though, he had shown her the wrongness of it. This had upset her severely in the beginning, but that upset had given way to a renewed sense of hope – hope that they could, at least, bring about a brighter future for the ones who would come after them.
Absently, her hand reached over to stroke the crystal embedded in the bracelet he had given her at the memory of their bittersweet parting. She still warmed to the thought of his lips pressed against hers, their arms wrapped around each other. She remembered how desperately she had wanted to accept his offer, staying with him to explore the universe side-by-side... but she had turned him down, choosing instead to remain with her people. She could not abandon them, in such a bleak time, and leave them to their fate – so she returned to help preserve what she could.
Wherever you are, she thought sadly, I hope you've found a way to be happy...
Amy's voice broke the silence, snapping her back to reality. "So... what's going to happen to us now?"
That's the same question you always ask, Shildy thought as she groaned inwardly. Can't you at least think of a different way to word it? "I really don't know, Amy," she admitted. "This shuttle isn't capable of Lightspeed travel, so we're stuck in this system. We have food, air, fuel, nd water for a few days – more, if we can manage to salvage some from the wreckage out there. But it will eventually run out, and then..." she didn't feel the need to put words to the grim conclusion that they all knew they would come to.
Amy collapsed to the deck, her energy spent. Tears dampened her glasses and ran down her cheeks to stain the deck, as she began to sob softly. Spea kelt down to embrace the distraught youngster, comforting her as best she could. She looked up at Shildy. "What about that thing Marcus gave you?" she asked...
Oh my gosh! I had forgotten about that! - Shildy realized. She looked at the bracelet again, trying to remember what he had told her as she slid it off her wrist...
"Place it on any communications console," he had said, "and press the crystal." She slipped it off her wrist, placed it on the console in front of her, and touched the crystal – it began to glow with a faint light.
"What now?" Catty asked.
"I guess we wait," Shildy said. Hurry, Marcus, she thought to herself...
Several days had passed since Shildy activated the communications crystal Marcus had given her – with nothing taking place outside their ship, the only way they knew how much time had passed was by the steadily increasing numbers on their chronometers.
The last of the food was gone, water was running low, and the air had started to become stale. Amy and Spea spent most of their time asleep. Catty had shut herself down, so that she could save her power reserves. Of all of us, Shildy thought, she might be the only one to survive and tell their story. She chuckled at the irony – the creation outlives the creators.
She looked out at the stars that filled the window. Marcus, where are you? She thought. You said you'd find us – you promised. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she had no more thoughts.
So none of them noticed the gargantuan vessel that eclipsed the Sigma Narse star as it approached, nor did they stir when the ship shuddered – caught in the grip of a tractor field that pulled the shuttle into a landing bay.
None of them stirred as a figure in a silver-grey suit carried each of them away...
In the darkness, Shildy heard whispered conversations that she couldn't understand. Am I dead? - she thought, as feeling slowly returned to her face, and she felt a pressure around her nose and mouth. She slowly opened her eyes, groaning as the bright light bothered her. The whispering stopped, and she turned her head to see Amy, Catty, and Spea rushing towards her.
"You're AWAKE!" squealed an excited Amy. "We're SO glad that you're okay, Shildy-sempai!"
"I'm happy to see you, too," Shildy said weakly as she smiled at her young friend. Her vision became clearer, and she discovered that the pressure on her face was the transparent and flexible material of an oxygen mask. She used her elbows to push herself up. As she started to do so, the bed tilted upwards to put her in a semi-seated position. Huh? "But – where are we? Did another ship survive, and rescue us?"
"Not exactly," Spea told her.
"What do you mean?" Shildy said, cocking an eyebrow at her friend.
Catty stepped forward to explain. "Both Paranoid and Solnoid fleets were wiped out," she said, "not a single ship survived, save ours."
Shildy, still slightly dazed, didn't understand. "But... but how are we still alive, then?" she asked.
"Because I had a promise to keep," said a deep voice that came from the figure standing in the shadows by the door.
Shildy recognized the voice immediately, and smiled widely. "Marcus," she said, "you came back."
Marcus stepped forward. The girls moved away so that he could stand beside the bed and grasp her hand. "I said I would, didn't I?" He brushed her hair gently. "I feel I should apologize for the way I left you before, but I suspect that you are starting to understand the reasons why I had to." Shildy simply nodded. "I should also apologize for taking so long getting to you. I had no idea that the radiation left behind would interfere with the crystal's signal so much - I had to find you the old-fashioned way."
Spea placed a hand on his shoulder. "Nick of time, I'd say," she noted with a grin.
Marcus closed his eyes for a moment. "Sentinel tells me that your vital signs are returning to normal," he said. "It will do you some good to get you up and about." He gently removed the oxygen mask from her face, and extended his hand to help her up.
Shildy pushed the cover off her legs, and swung them off the bed. Instead of taking his offered hand, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his – ignoring the startled looks of Catty and Amy, and the look of smug satisfaction from Spea. "Thank you," she whispered, looking deeply into his eyes. Marcus simply smiled at her.
Releasing him slowly, Shildy blushed when she realized that she was wearing nothing but a blue-white infirmary robe. "Ummm... I think I'd better change first," she said. "Where's my... but I guess I won't be needing my uniform anymore, will I?" she asked. Looking around, she noticed that the other three were not wearing their uniforms anymore, either – Catty was wearing a purple skirt with a yellow sweater, Amy sported grey slacks with a white tee-shirt beneath a blue jacket, and Spea had chosen a black pseudo-leather pant and vest set that covered a green button-down shirt.
Suits their personalities perfectly, Shildy thought to herself as she grinned inwardly.
Marcus shook his head with a smile. "You're not under military discipline anymore, since your war is over." He pointed to a door near the far corner of the room. "You can have anything you want to wear fabricated in that changing room. We'll wait in the corridor while you're making your choices." With that, he ushered the other girls out of the room, giving Shildy some privacy.
Twenty minutes later, the door folded open and she stepped out to show her companions. She had chosen a simple white dress with black leggings, and a half-jacket of a bright blue that matched her eyes. She had also changed her hair – keeping the bangs, she had let half of her long locks fall forward over her left shoulder. She did a quick pirouette for the group, saying "Well, how do I look?" as she flared the skirt with her hands. Catty, Amy, and Spea all showed their approval with a quiet thumbs-up, while Marcus smiled broadly, unable to hide his reddening face. She walked over to them, and Marcus escorted them down the corridor.
"So, what's going to happen tu us now?" Amy said, posing her eternal question.
"Well," Marcus said, "our first stop is the lounge. I think you could all use a good meal, and we can watch the stars go by as we tell each other stories about what we've been doing since we parted ways."
Amy stomped her foot and pouted, her disappointment obvious. "I meant AFTER that!"
Her outburst brought a chuckle from Marcus, and a giggle from the other three. "You'll be welcomed into Solnarian society, as full citizens," he said. "We aren't at war with anyone, so you can do whatever you wish. The choice is yours."
Shildy walked up beside Marcus, and took his hand in hers. She interlaced her fingers with his, smiled and said, "I already know what I want to do, and who I want to be. And I wouldn't have it any other way."
Marcus smiled back at her. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, they walked together into a universe filled with endless possibilities.
- FIN -
