Starlight:Finale
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| Episode 20: Finale | ||
High above the earth, the United Earth Alliance ship Starlight punched through a borehole in time and space, re-entering its own era. It was surrounded by the flotilla of onlookers that had come to commemorate the ship's christening and maiden voyage. Chronos emerged behind Starlight, its red eyes heralding doom. Starlight lurched ponderously around to face Chronos, and its ventrally mounted gravity cannon flared to life, the dark beam struck right between Chronos' eyes. In the instant of impact, with the time-defying Chronos destroyed here as well as far in the future, the tunnel it had bored in existence collapsed. The infinite probabilities that had been created by Chronos and Starlight's dance through time imploded, the loop closed, and the threat ended.
Terminal C of Geneva Astrodrome was abuzz with activity. Long lines had formed over the last few hours as sailors and aviators queued to check in and step aboard the transports. The captain of the UWS Starlight was posted aside the gate, greeting each one personally before they headed down the jetway.
Two MS pilots, Lieutenant Jerias Slover, UK Stellar and Lieutenant Tobiaz Rolden, Poland-Russian Alliance, had gravitated towards each other and had been talking for a few hours now. They were both cadets fresh out of their respective military academies – Slover had volunteered, and Rolden had been volunteered to join the ship. They had very different personalities and outlooks to life. The Englishman was laid back and had devil may care attitude about things in general. He seemed to be doing his best to walk the line between pretending like everything was either going exactly as he had planned and pretending that he didn't care what happened and was just rolling with the punches. The Russian had an intense seriousness that came with the rough upbringing of a son of a Colonel who was the son of Colonels traceable back generations. Every button was buttoned, every buckle polished, and nothing out of place. Despite their vast differences, they'd been enjoying the comfortable conversation of old mates.
A man rolled up in a motorized wheel chair and addressed the two of them "Pardon gentlemen, do I know you from somewhere? The name is Lopez... Rafael Lopez... you haven't been to Brazil recently, have you?"
Slover and Rolden turned to the man, and felt a spark of recognition, like a forgotten memory or a dream, but responded that no, they did not. The two immediately stood at attention and saluted a woman that had been standing next to the Lopez.
"At ease, pilots," Lieutenant Commander Reed said, returning the salute. Reed would be the pilots immediate commanding officer once they got on the ship and spoke with the two of them a few moments. She was a bit embarrassed that Lopez, the manager of a Brazilian energy conglomerate she had once been assigned to protect from rebels, had travelled all this way to see her off. He had referred to her as his "guardian angel" to more than one of the pilots that had greeted her.
Lopez was recounting to the two the accident that had taken his legs, and nearly killed them both – the way she had grabbed the steering wheel to prevent them both from being killed by a falling MS, dragged him out of the crushed wreck of his vehicle and performed life-saving first aid. He said he wished he could have become a pilot himself after the accident but was prevented from doing so because of his wounds. Reid bid them all farewell as it was time for her to head to the transport. Lopez continued chatting with the two pilots, asking them where they were from and their training.
"Excuse me," a young woman interrupted with a thick Scottish accent. She was standing arm-in-arm with a young man. "Was that the Lieutenant Commander Susan Reed you were talking to?" Lopez turned towards her nodding.
"I'd better get after her then - I'm to be her Yeoman. I'm Paige MacNeil, by the way. This is my husband, Finn. Pleasure to meet you all, I'm sure we'll get to know each other better on board." She collected her pack from Finn, kissed him quickly on the cheek, and ran off after Reed.
The four men quietly considered each other for a moment and could feel an unshared history between them. There was something about themselves they saw in each other, somehow, as if they'd known each other for months and had been through hell together. For a moment they all felt like heroes.
"So... Finn, is it?" Lopez started. "You an MS pilot too? You have the look of one."
"No, mate. Not me. I'm a transport pilot for the United Worlds, not attached to Starlight, though. Besides, I'm a terrible shot, I'd probably do a lot of missing," MacNeil smiled. "My ship's being refueled right now so I thought I'd see Paige off."
Admiral Aaron Stobulous stood off to the side of the bustle in his crispest white dress uniform, watching the four talk. He gazed around the terminal, taking in the results of the project he had long overseen. With his right hand, he supported his slight frame with a cane, in his left was over-stuffed sealed envelope. A young man spotted him and hurried towards him, arms outstretched.
"Ah, young Barnabas, it's good to see you again," the Admiral beamed, leaning into the Trevor Barnabas' embrace.
"I figured you'd be here, but must admit I am surprised – both the Silver Fox and Black Panther of Theta Boӧtis here together?" Barnabas returned.
"I apologize for not making your father's funeral," Kalu Venn bowed his head to Trevor. "He meant a great deal to both of us. All Wanderers mourned his passing." The elderly Cydonian's fur was greyed with age. Trevor was disheartened, feeling like this might be the last time he saw his father's old friends.
Along with his old man, these two had reshaped the face of humanity – it's first contact with a non-human species, the start of the United Worlds Alliance and their contribution to Project Starlight. Without that work, Starlight may have been a threat to the sovereignty of the Wanderers, but instead nearly a fourth of the ship's crew were Wanderers, including the Thanos Executive Officer. Trevor was excited to be serving under Captain Langer and Commander Mavros.
"Father would have understood, sir. The universe is a large place, and news travels slowly." Barnabas returned the bow, a gesture of respect among the Cydonians.
"I've got an important mission for you, young Barnabas," Admiral Stobulous reached out with his left hand. Barnabas shot a puzzled glance at the envelope but took it anyway. "This morning we received word from back home. A drought followed by a poor harvest means there's a risk of starvation in Asellus City. The UWA has put together a supply ship for a relief mission to Theta Boo. A pilot is needed, and I thought of one man who was up to the task..."
Barnabas looked at the line leading to the jetway, and the hustle and bustle of the procession, and back to the admiral.
"Young man you needn't worry. You're just the tip of the spear. The Starlight will follow you shortly - the council wants these supplies to be taken with haste." Stobulous did his best to assuage his younger self's fears, but deeply regretted the fabrication. There was no crisis on Theta Boӧtis - the final loop needed to be closed.
Barnabas considered another moment and nodded in agreement, "I suppose I'll just have to wait a few more months to board Starlight. Well, gentlemen, with your leave." he embraced both Venn and Stobulous and rushed off to the freighter.
The Cydonian turned to the admiral and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry you had to do that old friend."
"No," Stobulous said, jutting out his chin, "it's fitting that I should never step foot upon Starlight. The destiny of this ship is out of my hands now, and I'm ready to finally rest. I want to go home now." Venn nodded and waived down a nearby skycap.
Rafael Lopez wheeled himself through the terminal towards the exit. He felt charged after his conversation with the three pilots. All good things had to come to an end; after the one named Finn got the call that his vessel was ready, he offered to bring the two MS pilots up to the Starlight. The four of them had exchanged comm addresses. Lopez was interested keeping in touch and hearing about their experiences.
It had been a good day, rare since the accident that had taken his legs a few years earlier. A dark cloud had followed him around since then, but days like today kept it at bay. His thoughts always seemed to turn to horror situations, and a week didn't pass without nightmares. Ones where he was killed or worse, of his actions causing the death of Lieutenant Commander Reed.
"I say, young man!" a familiar, though was unsure why, refrain cried out. "Young man, you there!" an old white-haired man waved to Lopez from the back of a skycap's electric cart. Lopez wheeled in the man's direction, looking him over. He was sitting next to an equally old Cydonian. "I'm sorry, do I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar."
"No, not at all young man. I thought perhaps you'd like a lift back to entrance in this sweet ride I've found!" The old man gestured to grandly to the cart and tapped his cane against a lowered access ramp. Lopez considered the offer for a moment, then guided his chair up the ramp with a shrug.
"Thank you, sir. Pleasure to meet you both," Lopez reached out his hand and exchanged greetings with the old man and Cydonian spotting a sword strapped to the cat-man's belt. He did his best not to stare but his eyes kept flashing back to the weapon.
Kalu Venn smiled a Lopez, and patted the sword, "You want to see it, perhaps, young human?"
Lopez laughed nervously, "No. I mean, I don't mean to stare. I've heard about Cydonian ceremonial weapons, but have never have seen one first hand."
Venn let out a louder-than-expected laugh at this, though Lopez didn't get the joke. "This is actually the second one I've had, you know. I gave the first to a... to someone I knew in my younger days. As a sign of respect at our first meeting. I often wonder what happened to that weapon."
The admiral tapped on the sword's scabbard with his cane, "Look at this old fool, getting nostalgic on me again."
"Not as old as you, Stobulous," the Cydonian hissed back.
"No one's as old as me, young man," The admiral said, winking at Lopez.
They rode in silence for a few moments, before the admiral finally spoke up again, "I'm curious," the old man tapped Lopez's wheelchair, "Why is a it a man as young as yourself hasn't looked into cybernetic replacements. It must be an ordeal getting around-OW!"
The Cydonian elbowed the admiral hard in the ribs, "I have never understood your humans desire to prod into things that are none of your business. Besides, you are not one to talk. The Asellus council offered more than once to pay for the treatments you need for that hip of yours, but no. The Grey Fox of Theta Boӧtis does not trust nano-machines." Lopez chuckled at the banter between the two. "No, it's a fine question. And understandable. It's my penance for risking others' lives because I was impatient and selfish. I took a selfish action that almost got someone else killed. That person saved my life, but this was the result."
The admiral seemed to consider this for some time, "Well, young man... if I may say, it seems things could have turned out much worse for you. Perhaps you should consider this a second chance at life. Perhaps you should forgive yourself and learn from it, rather than punish yourself for what could have been." The cart came to a stop and the old man stood up with the Cydonians help. "Well, this appears to be where we get off."
"That is the wisest thing the old man has said in the last 10 years, Rafael Lopez. You would do well to listen to his advice, I think. It may be another 10 years before he says anything of worth again." The old Cydonian bowed to Lopez and the two exited the cart.
Lopez sat lost in thought, turning the old man's words over in his head all the way to the ground transportation level. "...forgive yourself... rather than punish yourself..." The words stuck with him. Maybe it was time reach out to the trauma counsellor Reed had recommended after he had regained consciousness in the hospital.
"I've seen a lot of good people take these kinds of things hard, and have it change them for the worse. This guy can help", she'd said.
Lopez opened his communicator to summon a ride back to his hotel. While he waited, he opened his mail app and found the message he'd written to the doctor at her insistence 3 years ago, finally pressing the button to send it.
The taxi pulled up and the driver got out to help him into the back seat. "That's a fancy sword you've got there, where'd you get it?" Lopez looked at the man, "I'm sorry?" then he saw the Cydonian's weapon tied to the wheelchair. "I'm... it was a gift." He finished, and realized he'd never told either of them his name, but the Cydonian had known who he was.
As the vehicle departed the aerodrome for his airport, Lopez's communicator chimed a notification. He pulled the it from his pocket and saw a new mail, sliding his finger across the screen he opened the message with some apprehension.
Trevor Anthony Barnabas tossed his pack into the co-pilot's seat of the medium freighter UWS Mosquito and hurried through the pre-flight checklist. Within moments he had received clearance from the tower and was ascending over Lake Geneva for a high transfer orbit. He tapped quickly through the ship's communication interface and brought up the contact information for Lieutenant Anne Swafford, Starlight's lead administration officer.
Her face appeared next to him in a swirl, the result of a nano-machine induced hologram. "To... wait, is this personal or official?" she asked.
"A little of both, Anne." Barnabas noted his altitude, cut the engines, and positioned the freighter for its next burn which would take him on a long elliptical orbit into the interstellar medium within the next few days. He set the computer on the task of calculating the shortest route to Theta Boӧtis. At least this ship had its own jump drive, and he wouldn't have to try to get there using the gates. "I know I promised you dinner tonight, but I've gotten a slight change of assignment. I suspect Starlight will be following, so I'll have to make it up to you when we meet up again."
"Change of assignment?" she gasped. "From whom?"
Barnabas paused for a second, considering this. "Well, I honestly don't know how much I'm allowed to talk about. It all sort of happened rather quickly," he finally settled on."
"How bad is it?" she asked.
"It could be bad. Not war bad, but... I just don't what I can tell you... I wanted to let you know where I was. It might be a bit before you hear from me again," he told her.
"This keeps happening to us..." she sighed, turning away from the camera.
He reached towards the hologram of her face, trying to caress it, but his hand just passed through, "Well, as members of the military, it's expected. At least you were able to get both of us assigned to Starlight... we just have to be patient."
The young woman turned back towards him and laughed, "Oh, don't get it in your head that I'll just sit here filing paperwork and waiting for you while you gallivant off to save the universe, Lieutenant."
"I never said-" he started
"Why just today, I ran into the most delightful gentlemen. A bit rough around the edges as most of the yanks are, but he's quite the handy man, and handsome. His name is Gold-something or other. Maybe I'll invite him by for dinner later," she ribbed. Barnabas face flushed red and rested his forehead in his palm. "Oh, come now, Trevor. I'm just teasing you." Barnabas smiled, "I know you are... but you always get me with that act. I've got some more to do on this ship, and I'm sure your inbox is filling up-"
"It is."
"So, I'll let you go. See you later," he finished.
Anne smiled at him. "Of course. Take care, love."
"You too," he replied, disconnecting the call.
The UWS Mosquito was declared missing two months later, and Lieutenant Trevor Barnabas declared MIA almost a year after. An inquiry followed, culminating with the admiral being called before the panel to explain why he sent the Lieutenant on a mission to an unknown destination with an unknown cargo. That the admiral was being extremely unhelpful did not shed any light on the disappearance, just saying the mission was classified.
Just as the lead judge began his line of questioning, his law clerk entered the room and whispered something into the man's ear. The meeting was quickly recessed, and the judge exited. A half hour later he returned, thanked the admiral for his testimony, and let him go, adjourning the hearing. The Grey Fox of Theta Boo still found use in the long list of dirt he had collected on members of the upper echelons of society. He returned home for the last time to spend the remainder of his days.
For Trevor Barnabas things weren't that simple, having passed out after his first jump from earth was underway. He'd snap back to consciousness to the sound of a loud crunch and a collision alarm, discovering that he was trapped in the gravity well of a terrestrial planet and quickly descending. He would find out later this was home planet – in 2260, 54 prior to his leaving earth.
The freighter was heavily damaged, and the ship's computer indicated it was a UK Stellar survey probe he had collided with. The probe, thoroughly destroyed now, had just finished sending a report detailing the planet as perfect for colonization. It would take 6 years for that data to get to the nearest UK Stellar listening post, and the burgeoning empire would begin designed on a new colony ship, HMS Asellus.
Barnabas, almost too terrified to think, fought with the controls of the freighter the entire way down through the planet's atmosphere. He managed to survive reentry and crash-land, leaving behind him a trail of smoking debris almost 2 miles long. Amazingly, the main cargo bay and the cockpit had managed to stay intact, but this was little consolation. The landing had damaged his communication pack and engines beyond repair. He had failed his mission. One-hundred twenty tonnes of food supplies would never reach the starving, and lives would be lost on his home planet because of his carelessness.
The morning after the crash, he was able to break into the cargo bay using a stripped off piece of armor plating as a pry bar. Though the supplies would never get to their destination, he could use them until rescue came – starting with the perishables first. He was surprised to find the freighter filled with very carefully packed farming equipment and fertilizer. Further investigation revealed a single container containing preserved rations, about enough to feed a single person for a year.
Barnabas recalled the envelope the admiral had given him; he'd forgotten it completely and it was left unopened in his pack. Perhaps there was a shipping manifest, or something explaining what all this was for – starving people don't need farming equipment after the harvest has failed. He ripped the envelope open and several maps spilled out on the ground around him.
Sitting down among the items, Barnabas started to pick through them. The maps contained survey data, soil analysis and hydrological data – all the xenoagricultural engineering information you would need to start a colony, and the markings indicated this was data for Theta Boӧtis. One last item remained in the envelope, a simple black and white notebook with the word "Starlight" written on the cover. He opened it up and started reading.
It was a year later when the lights of orbiting ships appeared in the skies above Theta Boӧtis, just as the book had told him would happen. As the massive Wanderer Homeships began descending to a terrestrial planet for the first and last time, a small vessel would seek him out. A strange being stepped out of the vessel and stripped his helmet off, revealing feline features.
"Trevor Barnabas!" Kalu Venn, cried out, "We thought you had perished! What happened? Why are you here?" the cat-man bounded towards him and nearly tackled him in an embrace, "It is excellent to find you still alive!"
After explaining to the Cydonian that they had in fact never met before, Venn recounted the amazing tale of the Starlight, a being known as Chronos, and how the Starlight and the Wanderers that had joined with Venn stood against the darkness and prevailed. They had been transported to a galaxy they did not recognize, but here they had found their "Blue and Green Heaven". With a place to finally call home, they would be wanderers no-more. From Venn's telling this had all just transpired within the last few weeks.
Barnabas shared the book with Venn, who read it voraciously. "It would seem we have been given an amazing second chance," he would finally say after much consideration. "So, then... Aaron Stobulous – shall we work together for a brighter future for both of our people?"
Barnabas was uncomfortable being called that name. In the last year had read the book several times, never quite fully believing it all. He thought of Anne once more, a woman that had met a great deal to him – more than he'd even realized a year ago – who wouldn't even be born for another 25 years and resigned himself to his fate.
"I say, young man," Stobulous finally replied, "I suppose we shall."