EPILOGUE
Samantha O'byea sat alone in the lounge of the observation dome. The asteroid was turning its face away from its host star, Menno Prime, and in a few moments would be facing the depths and darkness of deep space once again. As the direct rays of Menno Prime faded along the walls of the observation deck, the overhead panes gradually depolarized and the magnificent vistas of Mennoan space were once again revealed.
She picked up the same magazine that she'd found here days ago and once again thumbed through its worn pages. She stopped to stare upon the many faces in the articles and advertisements, and she wondered if any of those people still lived. Certainly, as long as she kept this magazine at hand, they were alive, in her imagination if not in fact.
She glanced around the spacious lounge and wondered if anyone else had been here since her ordeal with the vision. It certainly wasn't apparent in the arrangements of the room. As a matter of fact, she might have to have words with the facilities folks about paying proper attention to the cleanliness here.
That thought suddenly shook her. In that moment, she forgot why it was she was here, and the duplicity of her thoughts, even if her own personality was exposed. She looked about quickly, as if to see if anyone had seen her in this divided moment, and she saw that she was still indeed alone. She felt a bit sheepish, as if she had a sign on her that said "Look At Me, I'm Guilty." But guilty of what, even she didn't know.
O'byea sat quietly for several moments, then in a burst of impatient temper discarded the magazine to the end of the couch and stood abruptly. She turned to head for the elevator, uncertain as to why she'd even come here, but then she stopped. She turned to look pensively over her shoulder at the row of small telescopes along the edge of the dome, then turned completely to face them. Before she knew it, one foot had preceded the other, and she was now standing at the larger of the telescopes. She was at first reticent to look into the eyepiece, afraid of what she might see. Was she a traitor? Was she something other than the frumpy schoolgirl form Saggitaron that she thought herself to be? Or was there some other destiny awaiting her at the other end of the field of that telescope?
There was only one way to know for sure.
Samantha brought her eye to the edge of the telescope. She turned her whole body to bring the telescope to the rough area of space that she had observed the anomaly in before. She adjusted the eyepiece for a wide angle then stepped gingerly from side to side, dragging the telescope with her. Carefully she went from the left stop of the telescope mount to the right, then elevated the tube slightly for the return pass.
Nothing.
She backed away from the telescope momentarily, refocusing her vision to look outside the great dome with her own eyes. As she had with the telescope, she swept slowly from side to side, but saw nothing other than the familiar twinkle of the night sky that she had come to know these many months on Menno Seven Three.
Relieved that she had not re-discovered the enigmatic object again, she allowed herself one more glance into the depths of space beyond the Mennoan asteroid fields through the telescope. Indeed, she found the distant bodies both beautiful and intriguing. Suddenly, as she had been before, she was transfixed to the telescope. Almost as if she had been bolted there, she found herself unable to move, staring through the telescope. And it was in that moment that she realized that she was looking directly at the same red light that had captured her mind only days before.
Gone were the doubts and insecurities that had plagued her only seconds ago. Gone was the veil of doubt as to what she was. Gone were the doubts about what was expected of her or how she was to proceed.
"Yes…yes…I understand…" she whispered softly
There was work to be done.
Time to get to it.
The End