Age 550, Planet Sadala, Universe 7
Noblewoman. Warrior. Teacher. Full Moon Patroller. Head of Household. Lover. Mother. Peparia had been a lot of things in her days. But not one of those meant anything anymore.
Sadala was going to die. A strange solar phenomenon was about to happen, one that Peparia didn't understand, but their scientists had determined that it was powerful enough to wipe out all life in the first several planets in their system. Everyone was going to die unless they got off world in the next 10 minutes.
Peparia flew in a panic, her son Vegeta in a death grip, trying to find a ship that had enough room to get them off world. This was the second time in her life that she could lose a 4-year-old child if she didn't hurry.
Peparia looked down on the last ship that hadn't taken to the sky, hoping against hope that it wasn't full. There weren't enough ships built to take the entire population of Sadala to safety; they could get maybe a few thousand out of a population of several billion. She landed and saw a worker start to close the ramp, and she panicked; this was it. Peparia and everyone she knew or cared about was going to die.
"Please tell me you have room!" She shouted, getting the attention of the worker. He jumped and looked at Peparia and Vegeta, sighing audibly.
"Not enough for an adult. But the boy? Just barely," he said sadly.
Tears welled up in Peparia's eyes. She'd have to let Vegeta go on without her. He had to survive if any of this was going to be worth it. "Well, this is it," she said, taking her son's shoulders and looking at him square in the eyes. "This is goodbye."
Vegeta merely hugged his mother. She prepared him for the idea that they would be separated like this, and the only thing he could do in this situation was to be strong. "I promise, someone will take care of you when you get to your home, okay?" Vegeta nodded and hurried up the ramp. As it closed behind him, Peparia silently wept for her son's future.
Rutin, who had just landed after a failed search to find another escape ship, simply placed his arm on his mate's shoulder, and pulled her close. They watched as the final escape ship blasted off, it being the last ship to get away before the planet was destroyed.
"I hope they'll be okay," Rutin said. "From what I've seen, the oldest person on those ships outside the pilots is 15."
"They have to be," Peparia said, turning to her mate and buried her face in his chest, weeping softly. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as they prepared to die.
But suddenly, Rutin's embrace disappeared. She opened her eyes and looked around, and everything was all white. Then, she heard a booming voice that sounded like it was coming from all around her.
"Someone summons you from a land far away," the voice said. "Brave warrior! Now, come forth!"
