(updated 05-03-2021)
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It Ain't Over Until…
"There is life on this world, as far as the eye can see! Under this aquamarine sky there is pure unadulterated life. I have observed how the sentient life forms interact with their environment. They center their entire existence of routines and rituals on the flowers and fruit of this 'Flower of Life' that dominates this planet. There is a power… a purpose for this flower beyond what the Invid are using it for. I can feel it in my bones! It is almost as if the flower is calling to me… to unleash its power…"
— Zor
oOoOo
Faith didn't know how long she raced at high speed before realizing she wasn't being followed. She eased back on the accelerator, pretty sure she'd put enough distance between her and the Alliance base.
She tried contacting the Arcadia using the Cyclone's communication system. The lack of response from the Arcadia along with a red flashing light on the Cyclone's console told her why this bike was in the maintenance bay.
Despite her apparent bad luck, this didn't slow her down or cause her to reconsider her mission. Her focus continued on driving over what passed for roads on this planet, hoping she would run into some Invid that could help her.
She pulled over to the side of the road to take a break and give some thought to her next moves. Sitting up, she pulled off her helmet, and for the first time she had a real chance to look around.
Until now, her complete focus was on getting to Optera and finding Paul. As she took in the scenery, it sank in that she was on an alien planet on the other side of the galaxy.
The bright aquamarine sky gave the entire landscape an "alien-feeling", yet strangely it all seemed familiar, leaving her a little confused and off balance.
"Okay, what do I do now? Where do I go?" she mumbled, scanning the alien terrain.
The growing dryness in her throat made her decide on taking care of bodily needs first.
Fortune shined more favorably on her as she checked the Cyclone's cargo container and found a standard survival kit inside. She appreciated this change in luck while ripping open one of the emergency pouches of water and taking a long swig.
With her thirst quenched, she did a quick inventory of the survival kit's contents. There were enough emergency rations and water to last her for three days.
This was more than enough to keep her going because she had no intentions on being here for that long. Yet, until she could communicate with the Arcadia or get help from the locals, she would have to monitor her supplies.
Faith sat back, sipping her drink, taking in more of the planet's scenery. She recognized the Flower of Life. The plant seemed to grow everywhere, mixing with the other flora.
Faith watched the flowers swaying in a light breeze, moving in rhythm with the wind. The flower's hypnotic swaying drew her in that she lost track of time.
She finally shrugged off their spell, regaining her focus. That's when she finally noticed it… there was no sound other than the wind and the swaying flowers. She expected to hear birds—or Optera's equivalent—or other background noises, but there was nothing else.
This lack of noise sent a chill down her back. Faith shuddered as the eerie stillness and silence played on her nerves.
"I need to get moving," she mumbled, putting her helmet back on, and glancing around.
Okay… Which way to go? I guess I'll keep following the road… It's not a yellow-brick one, but maybe I'll get lucky…
She started the Cyclone and revved the throttle. The Cyclone's engine shattered the stillness as she sped off down the road, hoping to find someone or something to help her search.
oOoOo
The setting sun, behind a distant mountain range, told Faith it was time to pull over for the night. Despite the urge and desire to continue on, common sense prevailed. Her body was also telling her she needed to rest.
In the waning daylight, she found a spot that looked sheltered and secure, and pulled off the road. She studied the surrounding area while stretching to work out the kinks and stiffness.
A sense of frustration gripped her. She had yet to come across any signs of civilization or see any local inhabitants. The road she was on seemed to lead nowhere. or signs of civilization. She needed to plan what her next move would be and how much further she should follow this road before trying to back track.
As she considered her next moves, she eyed the landscape as night fell. A strange sensation filled her, but it wasn't because of any threats. It was like something was trying to get her attention. She shook off the nagging thought. With exhaustion taking hold, she decided it was time to grab some sleep.
With the survival blanket from the Cyclone's cargo container to keep away the night time chill, Faith settled down next to the motorcycle.
It seemed sleep was going to elude Faith, but it didn't take long for sleep to come once she closed her eyes. She finally drifted, falling into a deep sleep. Disturbed dreams of places and people came at first, but her mind settled down into dreams of her, Alex and Paul.
oOoOo
The warmth of the early morning sun on her face stirred Faith awake. She groggily opened her eyes, taking a few moments for her mind to shake off the remnants of her dreams.
As she woke up more, she got up, stretching to work out the stiffness in her muscles. A quick rummaging through the survival kit brought out breakfast.
Faith sat on her Cyclone, taking in the morning sunrise while she munched on a survival ration bar. Her thoughts drifted as she absently stared off at the distant range of mountains.
So, what do I do now? Which direction do I go in?
As she sat there eating, the strange nagging sensation from yesterday returned. It bothered her because she sensed the feeling was trying to tell her something important, but she couldn't quite grasp it.
She tried brushing this frustrating sensation to focus on what she needed to do next. At that moment, the morning sun lit up the distant mountain range.
"Holy sh—!" she muttered, staring at the mountains. In that moment, everything crystalized and fell into place, realizing why everything seemed so familiar to her.
Faith instantly remembered the pictures Alex had drawn. The view of the mountains she was looking at was exactly as he'd drawn them.
Some would argue this was coincidence, or she was seeing what she wanted to see. Yet, ever since her exposure to the Flower of Life, she sensed there was a grand plan at work.
Either way, whether it was the hand of God at work or just mere randomness, this was the first sign she'd found so far. Faith took it as a sign because she didn't have any other options left.
She powered up her Cyclone and roared off in a cloud of dust towards the mountain range.
oOoOo
The closer Faith got to the mountains, the more her confidence grew with her decision to follow this path. Yet, while her confidence grew, an unexplained sense of urgency gripped her.
Rather than fight or question it, she gunned the Cyclone's throttle, accelerating as she entered a small valley at the foot of the mountain range.
The further she drove into the valley, the steeper the mountains became, casting their shadows across the valley. The road had dwindled into nothing more than an oversized trail the further she traveled into the valley. Still, other than the trail, there was no sign of anyone living in the area.
Along the side of the trail, swaying in the light breeze, were the Flowers of Life. Faith fought to keep her eyes focused on the road as the hypnotic swaying of the flowers pulled at her.
She slammed her brakes, bringing the Cyclone to a screeching halt in a cloud of dust. The flowers' hypnotic pull almost caused her to miss the change to the trail.
Faith turned the motorcycle around, slowly driving back to a point she'd almost missed. She studied the barely used trail, branching off the main trail. This new trail seemed to head into a smaller valley, canopied in a dense forest, leading deeper into the mountains.
There was no way she should've seen this other trail, but yet she'd somehow instinctively known it was there. Again, Alex's drawings stirred in her thoughts. An old quote, long buried in her memory, surfaced. The quote took on a particular clarity as she studied the other trail.
The road least traveled…
Faith turned her Cyclone on to the barely used trail and slowly drove to follow where it led.
oOoOo
Faith lost track of time following this new trail. Despite the dense forest surrounding her, she sensed this trail was taking her higher into the mountains.
She thought the trail would take her over the mountain range, but it finally leveled out, bringing her into what appeared to be a small bowl-shaped valley. Thick, large trees greeted her as she followed the trail into the valley. She expected more dense forest, but discovered the thick trees were only an outer shell as they gave way, and the valley opened up in front of her.
Faith stopped her bike, staring in shock at the sight of several buildings on the other side of the valley, nestled up against the trees and mountain for shelter.
It took all her self-control not to gun the Cyclone and race across the valley to the buildings. Her heart pounded as she approached, picking up more details of the buildings.
The larger building looked like a barn, with doors large enough to move equipment in and out of it. The smaller building definitely looked like a house. Whiffs of white smoke escaping the chimney definitely revealed someone was living there.
Still struggling with the urge to gun the Cyclone and roar in, she decided on being cautious. She did not know if Paul was there or who or what she would find there.
After what seemed an agonizing long drive across the valley, Faith pulled up in front of the smaller building. She sat there for a long moment, studying the house.
It was a simple design with a front veranda. There was a chair on the veranda, so someone sitting there would have a view of the entire valley.
Nothing's going to happen if I sit here…
Faith pushed aside her hesitation, taking off her helmet and getting off the Cyclone. A moment of self-conscious doubt gripped her as she walked warily towards the front door.
Her mind raced with myriad thoughts as she climbed the house's steps. What would she say to Paul? She wished she'd cleaned up first, or at least make herself more presentable.
Her eyes drifted to the chair sitting by itself on the veranda, imagining Paul sitting there. She wondered what he would have been thinking sitting in his chair.
Now, standing at the front door, she took deep breaths to calm herself, then knocked gently on the door. Time dragged while standing there waiting for a response.
Faith knocked again, this time a little harder, but again there was no response. She moved over to a window and peered in, noting the simple furnishings and layout of the house.
Of all the scenarios that played through her head, the last one she expected was the one where nobody was home. Faith sighed, glancing towards the large barn-like structure, wondering if she should go over and check to see anybody was there.
A shocked-sounding voice caught Faith by surprise, freezing her in her tracks, "F-Faith?"
Time stopped, and for a moment Faith didn't know if she was dreaming or awake as she turned towards the voice. A wide-eyed, open-mouthed man stood at the corner of the house staring at her.
Faith took a deep breath, gathering her courage, and moved down the steps towards Paul. Despite his haggard appearance—beard, long unkempt hair, and bloodshot eyes—her heart raced at seeing him.
His voice sound shaky and stunned as he spoke, "F-Faith, w-what are you doing here?"
Faith stood in front of Paul, meeting his eyes, taking a deep breath, "I came here to find you."
Paul shook his head, stammering, "Y-You shouldn't be here! You need to leave! There isn't much time left!"
Faith took another deep breath, "I came here to take you home."
Paul shook his head, somberly, "T-This is my home! T-This is where I b-belong…"
"Paul…"
"DAMMIT! I'M NOT HIM! HE DIED YEARS AGO! I'M THE REGENT!"
A burst of anger and frustration gripped Faith, "Bullshit!"
She stepped closer, still meeting his dark eyes, "You're still Paul! Deep inside you… he was always there… you never left!"
Paul shook his head, turning away from Faith as a flood of memories and emotions engulfed him. For her to show up now was almost too painful to bear. He'd spent years trying to bury his love for her. It was only in the last few weeks as the Regess's Grand Plan neared completion that the lines separating the Regent and Paul blurred and merged. Even though his soul ached to be with her, he understood that his time was ending.
Pain and sadness filled his voice as he spoke, "You have to leave! It's almost time… I can feel it! I can feel them calling to me… to join them!"
Faith moved closer, gently putting her hand on Paul's shoulder. She jumped, experiencing the same electric shock as she'd experienced in her Flower of Life induced vision with Tashe. She noted Paul's body stiffening at her touch.
Paul turned around to face her, "Faith, p-please go home… Go home to your family. You have a future with them. There's nothing here for you," he pleaded.
Faith, fighting back growing tears, shook her head stubbornly, "Damn you! You promised me you would come back!"
The heartbreak and pain was plainly visibly on his face, "I-I'm sorry I had to break my promise…"
"Don't be sorry! I know why you had to do what you did! It's over, you can come home and we can be together!" Faith pleaded.
Paul shook his head, "Go home to your husband and child… that's where you belong," he whispered.
Faith realized there was no more time to waste, "He's your son! You have a son!" she blurted out.
Paul's face was one of incredulous shock, "M-My son? I-I h-have a s-son?" he stammered in disbelief.
Faith smiled, tears filling her eyes, "Yes, his name is Alex, and damn if he doesn't look and act like you!"
"I-I…" Paul trailed off, his thoughts a mess of conflicting emotions.
"I came here because I still love you! Hell, I've always loved you! We have a chance for a future! We can be a family, but we have to leave now! The Arcadia is in orbit, and if we can signal them, they can pick us up and take us home!"
"H-Home?" Paul whispered.
Faith urged him on, "You know… home… Earth."
"I-I can't go back to Earth," Paul stammered, shaking his head.
Faith shook her head in confusion, "Why? What's wrong now?"
"The Sunnydale Accords… I can never set foot on Earth again," Paul replied hesitantly.
More pieces of the puzzle fell into place, but that didn't matter to Faith, "Hell! It doesn't matter where we go or live as long as we're together!"
When Paul didn't move, Faith's anger and frustration flared, "What's the matter? Don't you love me now that you find out I'm a divorced single mom?"
Paul eyed her. A small smirk grew on his face, catching her by surprise, "You look pretty good for being a mom."
Faith caught the look in his eyes and found long simmering urges and desires wanting to burst out. She struggled to keep her focus on the matter at hand.
There's time for that later… We need to get out of here and contact the Arcadia…
"I've never stopped loving you," Paul said.
Faith smiled, reaching out to take his hand, "Then what the hell are we waiting for?"
Paul took her hand, gently squeezing it, "Nothing… let's go."
They took a couple of steps, but Paul stopped, yanking hard on Faith's arm, spinning her. She recovered and saw his face filling with a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. He let go of her hand and staggered, falling to his knees.
"What's wrong?"
Paul knelt on the ground, his breathing labored and ragged. He held his head between his hands, his entire body convulsing while a multitude of voices echoed in his mind. Almost immediately, he realized what was happening… the Invids' transformation was starting.
Faith stared worriedly at Paul, "P-Paul? W-What's wrong? What's happening?"
Paul struggled to focus and push through the multitude of voices in his head, "I-It's begun!" he stammered hoarsely.
Faith immediately understood what Paul meant. The vision the Regess had shown her danced in her thoughts.
"Alex," she whispered, staring at the sky.
A sense of regret, loss, and uncertainty gripped Faith. With the Invid transformation under way, there was no way the Arcadia could send anyone down to pick them up… this was the end.
Paul gazed at Faith, hearing her say their son's name. He continued to struggle to block out the hurricane of voices echoing in his head.
Through the storm, new visions pushed through to fill his thoughts. When he'd chosen his path to save Faith and everyone else, he'd known he was giving up all chances for a future with Faith.
In this moment, at the beginning of this last journey, the dark curtain he'd never been able to see past parted. The Shapings unveiled their secrets, giving him a glimpse of what could be…
Faith noted how the sky was darkening, as if nightfall was coming. A sense of failure now weighed on her. She'd failed not only herself, but Paul, and worst of all, she'd failed Alex. The images of a huge phoenix made of energy flying off into space towards a higher plane of existence danced again in her thoughts. A wave of sadness engulfed her knowing she wouldn't be there to see Alex grow up, hug him and tell him she loved him.
I wonder how long we have? I wonder if it will hurt?
Paul's voice interrupted her melancholy, "It's not over…"
Faith spun, surprised to see Paul standing, his face projecting an intensity and sense of purpose she'd never seen before.
"What do we do?" she gulped.
Paul didn't hesitate, grabbing Faith's hand and leading her over to the barn-like structure. Faith didn't struggle, her eyes still locked on the darkening sky that seemed to have now taken on a shimmering green glow.
"If you want to go out with a bang, I would prefer a soft bed to rolling in the hay," Faith muttered.
Paul smirked, "It ain't over until the fat lady sings," he said, opening the large door of the building.
Faith shrugged, shaking her head in despair, failing to see how a barn would protect them from what was happening to the planet. Her eyes still locked on the changing sky as the door opened. She turned and gaped at the sight of what was inside the building.
"Holy, shit!" she muttered.
oOoOo
"Report!" James ordered, studying the bridge's main display screen.
The officer manning the sensor station replied, "Energy levels are off the chart! The more intense power readings are in the Invid population centers!"
James looked over to Aaron and Dawn, seeing his confusion mirrored on their faces. Until a few minutes ago, they'd been trying to locate Faith and communicate with her while ignoring a constant barrage of calls from Alliance Command.
As expected, the first communications from Alliance Command were for Aaron to relieve James of command and place him in custody.
After hours of non-replies to their communiques, orders were now being directed down the Arcadia's chain of command to have each succeeding officer relieved and placed into custody. This had led to a ship-wide pool of who wouldn't be "in custody" at the end of all this.
Fortunately, the Alliance ships in orbit were too busy with the evacuation to bother with the Arcadia. Even then, James and Aaron avoided tempting the fates, moving the ship to take up a position on the other side of the planet, away from the evacuation fleet.
"What's happening down there?" Rachel said, catching James's attention.
James turned towards Rachel, seeing Giles, Buffy, and Alex grouped with her, "I don't know, but whatever is going on its massive. We can't stay here… We're going to have to break orbit."
"You can't! Faith!" Buffy blurted out in a desperate plea.
James understood and sympathized with Buffy's plea, but the safety of the ship and her crew had to come first… that was his priority. Besides, whatever was now happening down on the planet made it impossible for them to send anyone down to help Faith.
Hell, we don't even know where to start looking for them!
James shook his head, "Buffy, I won't jeopardize the safety of this ship when we don't even know what's going on down there!"
A little voice spoke up, catching everyone on the bridge by surprise, "They're getting ready to leave."
Rachel knelt down in front of Alex, eyeing the boy warily, "Who's getting ready to leave? How do you know?"
Alex met Rachel's eyes, not shying away, "The Invid… I can hear them. They're happy, yet she's sad to be leaving."
Rachel stared at Alex, trying to process what the boy was saying. She realized who he was referring to, "Is there any way you can ask her if she knows where your mom and dad are?"
The adult intensity of the young boy's eyes threw the older woman off balance, "Mom found him… they're together."
James was going to ask Alex if he knew where Faith and Paul were, but the boy turned, facing him as if already knowing his question. The Admiral found his nerve tested, staring into the boy's dark eyes.
Alex smiled, "You don't have to send any one down to the planet, but you will need to get closer."
A confused James was going to ask Alex what he meant, but a call out from the communications station interrupted him before he could ask.
"Sir! I'm getting a call on tactical channel one-oh-four!"
James looked at Aaron and Dawn, their confusion mirroring his own. Fighter squadrons used that tactical channel, but the Arcadia had no fighter squadrons aboard and none of the other Alliance ships had launched any fighters.
There was no way that whoever was calling was a straggler. This had to be someone else using the channel or a mistake.
"Query them! Get an IFF or ID!" James ordered, trying to make sense of everything happening.
It seemed to take forever to and James's frustration erupted, "Well? Did they ID themselves?"
The visibly stunned crewman, manning the communications station, struggled to compose himself, "Y-Yes… Y-Yes, sir."
"And?" an exasperated James demanded.
"I-It's R-Reaper-One… The call sign they gave was Reaper-One."
oOoOo
Faith tried not to squirm or make any sudden movements that could distract Paul as the Alpha fighter screamed through the valley at high speed.
She still couldn't believe it when Paul opened the barn door and sitting there, looking shiny and pristine, was a Veritech with her name emblazoned on the fighter's fuselage. Questions filled her head, but Paul was racing through a system check, prepping the plane for a quick launch.
"She's got enough juice left in her for one last flight. It'll be snug," he smirked, while powering up the fighter's flight systems.
Faith replied with her own smirk, "You know I like snug."
She ran to grab her helmet from her Cyclone while Paul finished preparing the fighter for take-off. The whine of the fighter's engines, powering up, were a beacon of hope as she raced back to the barn.
Paul waved to Faith to climb up and get into the cockpit with him. A moment of hesitation gripped her as she saw how cramped the cockpit would be with the two of them.
"Get in!" he shouted over the roar of the engines.
Faith eyed him skeptically, "You sure about this?"
Paul smirked, "It's not like we're flying a combat mission, besides what choice do we have?"
Faith shook her head, "Make room, big guy," she smirked, climbing into the cockpit.
She squirmed into Paul's lap, and he adjusted her position so he could still reach the controls. With the fighter's ejection seat safety harness both holding them in place, it didn't leave them much room for moving around.
Paul took a deep breath as he lowered the canopy, This is going to be all-pure fighter mode… We're going to need speed and altitude…
With the canopy secure, he eased the throttle forward, causing the fighter to lurch forward. He eased the fighter out of the barn into the open field.
"You ready for this?" Paul said.
Faith gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, "With you… always."
Paul recognized the limited room available to him for a rolling take-off, but with Faith sitting on his laptop he couldn't access the fighter's vertical take-off controls. He engaged the fighter's landing brakes to hold the fighter in place, while he increased the throttle, sending more power into the engines. The Alpha's two Pratt & Whitney turbines increased their whine, surging with Protoculture energy.
It'll be fine…
Paul released the brakes, and the fighter roared across the valley.
From Faith's point of view, things didn't look fine. Even at the speed they moving at, the far edge of the valley with trees and the side of a mountain was growing ever closer. She didn't think they were going to make it, and they would either hit the forest or the mountain.
The increasing force of gravity pushed her into Paul as the fighter roared across the valley, gaining more speed. She wanted to see Paul's face for some reassurance, but feared to move so as not to interfere or distract him during the take-off.
Faith cringed as the looming trees and mountain grew larger. But suddenly they were airborne, and she sighed in relief. It took her a moment to realize the fighter was flying between the mountains and wasn't climbing to a higher altitude.
"Why aren't we climbing?" she said, taking a deep breath as the fighter raced between the mountains.
"Because of that," Paul replied, pointing off to one side.
Faith twisted carefully to see what Paul was pointing at. She stared in shock at gigantic tornado-like pillars moving across the planet on the other side of the mountain range. The multitude of twisting green-pulsating energy pillars were merging, joining to become one massive energy hurricane, consuming everything in its path.
"My god," Faith muttered in disbelief.
"This fighter can't make it into space on its own. We're going to do another 'Sunnydale Special'. We'll use the mountains as cover until the Arcadia enters the planet's atmosphere."
Paul felt Faith's body tense as she grasped what they were going to do. He opened a comm channel to the Arcadia to explain what he would need them to do.
oOoOo
James would have called anyone else making this request crazy, but the person on the other end wasn't just any other person.
He didn't hesitate, turning to Aaron, "Captain, she's your ship… you have the conn."
Aaron nodded, taking back his command station as the Admiral vacated the seat. His eyes paused on Dawn as he studied his bridge crew. She gave him a loving smile that only reinforced his confidence.
"Okay everyone, we're going to be doing a planetary atmospheric re-entry. It's going to get bumpy, so make sure all sections are secured and damage control teams are ready. Engineering, monitor our shields and hull temperature. I also want our fold engines on standby. I want to jump as soon as they're aboard. Questions?" he said, eyeing his bridge crew again.
The bridge crew acknowledged their Captain's orders. They had no questions and understood what was being asked of them. They'd already come this far and wouldn't leave now.
A surge of pride filled Aaron, seeing his crew not hesitate with taking on what was being asked of them, "Okay people, let's get to it!"
Aaron turned towards Rachel, "Chief, we're a little shorthanded in flight crew. I thought you could…?"
Rachel grinned, immediately understanding the Captain's request, "It will be my pleasure, Captain! Tell him to use Hanger Bay Two."
Rachel gave Giles a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, before leaving Giles and Buffy to watch over Alex while she headed down to the hanger deck.
Aaron kept his eyes locked on the bridge's main display as the Arcadia began its descent into the planet's atmosphere, "Okay, now this is where the fun starts," he muttered.
oOoOo
Faith still had doubts about Paul's plan, but it wasn't like they had a lot of choices. It sounded insanely suicidal to bring a huge starship—with their son aboard—down into the planet's atmosphere for them to fly up and land on it.
"How do we know when to go?" Faith said, trying to come to grips with the plan they were contemplating.
"A ship that big entering the atmosphere, will light up our scanners like a flare, she'll give off a huge radar signal. As soon as the Arcadia begins her descent, I hit the afterburners… then home sweet home," Paul replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
"You make it sound so easy."
Paul smirked, "Well, there is still the pucker factor and we still have to avoid all that."
His smirk faded while nodding towards the raging and intensifying cyclonic energy storm. Faith stared in awe at the growing, green pulsing pillars of energy.
"I-I can hear them… I can hear all their voices," she muttered.
Paul eyed her in surprise, "Yeah… I do too," he whispered.
He shook off the hypnotic lure of all the Invid voices, undergoing their transformation, echoing in his head. He turned all his focus on Faith and his son.
The beeping from his sensor console caught his attention, "I've got the Arcadia in range… You ready?"
Faith gently squeezed his hand, "Yeah… let's go home."
A roguish smile flashed across Paul's face, "Okay, home it is. Now, the fun part begins," he said.
Paul lit the fighter's afterburners, and pulled back on the stick, putting the Alpha into a vertical climb…
oOoOo
"Hull temperature increasing… Shields holding!"
Aaron nodded, "Fold system?"
"Fully charged and on standby, sir! We can jump any time!"
"Any sign of them?" Aaron said, eyeing Dawn, who was standing by the main sensor station.
"No, nothing—Wait! I've got them! They're on an intercept course… less than five minutes before we meet up!" Dawn replied.
"What about those energy discharges?" Aaron said.
Like everyone on the bridge, what was happening on the planet's surface stunned and worried him.
Dawn tried keeping her voice professional and focused as she studied the sensor display, "Those energy discharges aren't up to our altitude yet, but they're climbing and gaining in strength! Faith and Paul will still have to fly through them to reach us!"
oOoOo
This flying experience paled compared to all of Faith's previous flying experiences. Faith's stomach was in her throat as the G-Forces pushed her down as the fighter climbed higher.
Paul kept slamming the fighter into twisting turns, trying to avoid the growing pillars of green pulsing energy. The thundering emanating from the energy pillars drowned out the roar of the fighter's engines.
Faith was in awe of Paul's piloting skills, amazed he could make such maneuvers with her sitting on his lap. It seemed impossible, but he was making last-minute turns, barely avoiding tendrils of energy shooting out from the energy pillars.
The fighter kept clawing for more altitude, and Faith wondered how much longer it was going to take. Through the darkening, glowing sky Faith glimpsed an object ahead, descending towards them.
The Arcadia was hanging in the sky like a beacon showing them the way home. They were closing on the ship. Home was so tantalizingly close, almost at their fingertips.
Suddenly, the energy pillars closed together, their tendrils reaching out, threatening to cut off their escape route.
"NO!" Faith screamed in frustration, seeing hope being snatched from their grasp.
"I said, it ain't over yet…" Paul grunted, pulling back on his control stick, spinning the fighter inverted.
He slammed the throttle to max. More Protoculture surged into the engines, straining them past their red lines.
Faith sat in awe as Paul somehow maneuvered between the slashing tendrils of energy, finding a path through the energy storm.
Finally breaking into clearer sky, Faith let out a rebel yell with the hanger bay of the Arcadia beckoning…
oOoOo
Rachel had corralled enough crew to help her get the landing bay ready. She'd been keeping tabs on the fighter's progress, so when Aaron's voice came over the ship's PA system, it didn't catch her by surprise.
"Head's up, Chief! They're coming in hot!"
She'd prepared for a rough landing by having the crews put out crash barriers along the deck. Now, she hurried her crew to double-check the barriers and have rescue equipment ready in case the worst happened.
The landing bay doors opened, and a roar of atmosphere swept over the deck. Rachel said a silent prayer while studying the open sky, now filling the landing bay opening.
Come on, Paul! You got this… this is a piece of cake for you!
She caught sight of the Alpha roaring towards the landing bay, "Too fast," she muttered.
oOoOo
Faith saw how fast they were closing with the Arcadia, "Uh, shouldn't we slow down?"
Paul shook his head, lining up his approach to the open landing bay, "No time… When I tell you, slide the lever with the 'G' on it!"
Before Faith could think to question or complain, the fighter hit the edge of the landing deck.
"NOW!" Paul shouted.
Faith didn't hesitate, reacting in an instant, sliding the lever to shift the fighter into Guardian mode.
oOoOo
Rachel shook her head in disbelief, watching the Alpha shift into Guardian mode.
The fighter's legs shot out, making the plane take on the appearance of a gigantic bird of prey. Thrusters in the legs roared, slowing down the plane's forward momentum. The plane hit a crash barrier, and in a matter of seconds, the combination of reverse thrusters and crash barriers brought the fighter to rest on the landing deck.
Rachel activated a comm panel, calling the bridge, "We got them! They're aboard!"
Aaron didn't hesitate. The climbing columns of green energy were now reaching out for the Arcadia.
"FOLD NOW!" he ordered.
In seconds, a fold field formed, shimmering around the Arcadia, and then the ship vanished.
oOoOo
On the edge of the Tzuptum system, a small fleet of Mollusk-class Carriers gathered to witness this moment. Onboard were the Invid chosen to remain behind as the rest of their species transformed, evolving to a higher plane of existence.
On the bridge of the lead carrier, Tashe watched the display screens. She heard and sensed as her brothers and sisters lost their physical form, becoming part of an immense raging storm of green, sweeping across her homeworld.
Tashe listened to their voices, expressing a mix of wonderment and joy at their transformation. From across the planet, all the surging energy pillars coalesced into one enormous storm.
Her eyes glistened in joy as the surging energy storm paused, then erupted outwards from the planet's surface in a blinding column of pure energy.
Tashe watched in awe and wonder as the energy column climbed higher and higher into space. Joy filled her heart, hearing the voices of her people as the column of energy transformed into an enormous phoenix made of pure energy.
As the phoenix soared deeper into space, Tashe sensed the Regess reaching out one last time to touch her mind.
With that last touch, the Regess revealed everything she'd done and why to Tashe. With that, Tashe now understood all the reasons and everyone's part in this great work… even hers.
Tashe grasped the irony of her own journey from her universe to this one, understanding the reasons for the endless war. She now knew how she would evolve to become the new Regess.
Tashe would become the mother and custodian of the Invid and The Flower of Life. She would lead and guide the others—along with the generations to come—at this mortal level until it was her time to lead her people to the next level.
The Flower of Life seedlings carried inside the ships of her fleet would reseed Optera to continue the cycle. Tashe now understood that the cycle never ends.
She saw how the transformed Invid would now join other beings of light at the higher planes of existence. There the Invid would help those beings to hold back the powers of darkness that threatened life.
The Shapings unveiled the path ahead for Tashe. The visions revealed the many struggles and difficulties that lay ahead. But the visions also revealed the Invid would survive and flourish… in its many forms.
oOoOo
Paul struggled to keep himself from pacing. He couldn't remember ever being this nervous before. He was thankful Aaron and James had let Faith and him use one of the ship's lounges for this private reunion.
As the waiting seemed to drag on, he became more self-conscious of his appearance. Paul wished he'd had taken some time to clean-up or at least shave, but Faith wouldn't wait, not after this long.
After everything he'd gone through and experienced, he was finding this one of the hardest things he'd ever faced. What does one do or say when they meet their son for the first time?
He jumped when the lounge door opened and took some quick, deep breaths to steady his nerves.
Faith approached, holding the hand of a small boy. Paul sucked in his breath as he laid eyes on his son. His gaze never wavered on the pair while Faith knelt beside the shy-looking boy and whispered to him.
Paul's eyes blurred, watching the young boy nod and walk somewhat hesitantly towards him.
Time stopped and Paul's heart pounded as the boy approached. The boy stopped in front of him, looking up and shyly making eye contact with him.
Paul knelt down in front of the boy, to not seem as intimidating and not wanting to spook the boy, "H-Hello," he stammered, "My name is Paul."
The boy said nothing, but kept meeting his gaze. Paul took another deep breath, struggling with a storm of emotions.
"I hear your name is Alex. That's a good name. Your gran—m-my father's name was Alex," Paul stammered.
The boy still said nothing, but continued to stare at him.
Paul glanced towards Faith for help, but then the boy held his arms out, catching him by surprise. A confused Paul glanced again towards a smiling Faith. Everything clicked, and it sank in. There was no more hesitation as Paul reached out and took his son in his arms, wrapping them around the child. His son's small arms wrap around and squeezed him. Tears glistened in Paul's eyes as he hugged his son tighter.
I'm home… I'm finally home…