Because they are short, for now they're all on this one page to save clicking/downloading time.  (I hate having to go back and forward, or from link to link....)

Feedback on any of these is most welcome to stardestiny@bigfoot.com
 
 

STAR WARS - The Last of the Jedi

The volcano growled.  It was the highest peak as far as the eye could see in any direction on a boiling red world covered with small eruptions of fury.  The sides of the mountain were painted in black, trails of magma that regularly leapt forth into the sky, reaching for stars it could not quite conquer.  Usually.

The figure that stood at the rim of the volcano, in amongst the scattered black rocks, lifted one hand.  The fires leapt.  The volcano rumbled.

“Soon,” he whispered, feeling the power run through him.  He was master and the volcano, with all its primeval power, could only bend to his will.  The dark Jedi laughed.

*

Amidala Skywalker wandered slowly out the glass doors onto her balcony overlooking the peaceful city of Aretimis on Alderaan.  Each step was taken deliberately and with intense concentration.  She did not notice the perfect blue sky, nor the brilliant sunlight or the quiet laughter coming from the street below.  A troubled expression was upon her beautiful face, a face so haunted by sadness of late.

The message had come.

A message she had prayed for yet dreaded for the past two years.

A message from her husband, Anakin Skywalker.

"Mommy?"  Amidala heard the little voice from behind her and turned, smiling sadly at the child.  Little Leia, not yet two years old, always seemed to know when something was wrong.  Obi-Wan said it was a Jedi trait and that Leia had potential.  Amidala had decided a long time ago, however, to keep Leia away from the teachings of the Force.  Leia was *hers*, the one person she was able to keep safe in this troubled galaxy.

Yet there were times that Amidala felt even Alderaan wasn't safe.  As a pacificist planet with no real resources, it was considered safe from the growing darkness which was sweeping the galaxy.  Bail Organa, a good friend, had vowed to keep Amidala safe during these troubling times.  But he couldn't keep her safe forever, and he hadn't been able to keep the message from Anakin away….

She heard a slight rustle and instinctively turned while his name formed on her lips.  "Obi-Wan," Amidala said, dropping her regal tones for the friend she held so dear.

"Have you received word?" he asked, more as a formality because he could already sense her despondancy and her unease.  "I did not want to believe that he was still alive."

"And you suppose the rumours to be true?" Amidala suddenly flared.  Despite the fact that the Anakin she loved had been gone for so long, she still cared for him passionately.  He had been everything to her.  She did not want to accept that *he* was partially responsible for the wars, the destruction, the destroyal of almost all of the Jedi Knights.

"I do not know," Obi-Wan said calmly, joining her on the balcony.  He stood beside her, also staring over the city yet not truly seeing  it.  "I would hope that Anakin has not been involved.  I miss him too, Amidala."

The way he said her name caused her to sharply intake a breath.  Obi-Wan and Anakin were so alike in so many ways, down to the way they pronounced her name.  It was understandable, as the two men had been inseperable for years.  The master-apprentice bond had quickly developed into a bond of deep friendship and Obi-Wan had been hurt just as much as Amidala when Anakin vanished.

"He wants to see his son," Amidala revealed.  She could see the shock and the instant denial appear upon Obi-Wan's face.

"No, that cannot be allowed!" Obi-Wan protested.

"I agree," Amidala said.  Again, the sadness overtook her, as she thought of what she had sacrificed, simply so that she, and her children, could be safe.  "How is Luke?"  Only here, alone on the balcony, did she speak of him, for the newly-declared Emperor's spies were everywhere and Luke's birth had not been a secret amongst those in tune with the Force.  Obi-Wan himself has performed an initial midi-chlorian count, noting a figure comparable to that of Anakin's.  There was no doubt that little Luke Skywalker could one day be a great Jedi, but for which side, no one knew.

That was what had convinced Amidala to send him away.  He was in hiding and only Obi-Wan knew where the boy was located.  "When he is old enough to decide for himself, he may choose the Jedi path if he wishes," Amidala had decided.  "I want him to make the decision as an adult."  For already, the old way of master-apprentice bonds was becoming extinct and neither Obi-Wan nor Amidala could be sure that the Jedi would exist within a few years.  And with the attack on the Jedi training academy, the destruction of so many young….

"Luke is fine," Obi-Wan revealed.  "He shows a remarkable interest in the stars for one so young."

Smiling wistfully, Amidala asked, "Tell me, is he happy?"

"Yes," confirmed Obi-Wan.  "I believe he has forgotton both you and your daughter."

That was painful to hear, but also comforting.  Luke had cried many nights following the initial separation, for even at only a few days old, he was devoted to his sister.  One gentle touch from Luke in the crib would stop Leia crying almost instantly.  Luke had always looked out for her, even while still in Amidala's womb.  No one had known Amidala was to have twins, not even Anakin who had visited at her sixth month and become acquainted with the feelings of his son.  It seemed that Luke had shielded Leia from the outside world, masking her thoughts as his own in a protective fashion.  This was something Amidala found interesting, as Leia had been born first, crying until Luke joined her in the breathing world.   He played the role of older brother to perfection.

Yet as the galaxy had dictated, the two no longer knew each other and would not have that chance until Darth Sidious, and possibly Anakin Skywalker, had been destroyed.

"We do not want to destroy him," cautioned Obi-Wan, picking up on Amidala's thoughts.  "I must go to him as he requested and learn what he has truly become.  It may be that he has been infiltrating the Dark Side for a greater good and now needs my help to overcome the evil."

"It may be that he wants you to join him," Amidala replied swiftly.  "I wish you would not go, Obi-Wan, but I know I cannot stop you.  I also know that I will go with you."

"No, Amidala, I urge you to stay here," Obi-Wan interrupted.  "As terrible as things have been, I fear something worse is coming.   The Jedi Council feel it too – they are contemplating going into hiding!"  He took her hand as if begging her.

"I cannot stay here," declared Amidala.  "Not while Anakin is asking for me. I must go to him.  Perhaps I alone can help."

"And perhaps you will be destroyed!"  Obi-Wan's face flashed in anger, a trait Amidala recognised as one he had been trying to quash for many years now.   "General" Kenobi of Alderaan, renowned freedom fighter of the Clone Wars, often struggled to be calm the way his own mentor had been.

"You will not change my mind, Obi-Wan.   Together, we will travel to the planet Arechon and see what has become of my husband."  Amidala stood tall and proud, releasing her hand from Obi-Wan's as she strenghtened her resolve.  She was frightened but she was tired of hiding.  She longed to have the freedom to serve again, as she once had done on Naboo, and part of her was still the young queen who ached to help all those in the galaxy.
 

Obi-Wan Kenobi was troubled during the flight to Arechon.  As he piloted the small ship through hyperspace, his thoughts kept skipping all over the place.  He had spoken to Yoda only hours before and the Jedi Master had also warned him against going.  "Only one outcome from this, I see," said Yoda.  "Beings will die.  Thousands, millions.  Do not go."

"I must go, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan had insisted.  "I owe it to Anakin.  I was not able to complete his training before he disappeared…."

Yoda sighed.  "Still believe the truth you do not.  The Sith took Anakin from you, yes, the Sith."

"We have no proof of this!" interrupted Obi-Wan almost angrily.  "Why is everyone so ready to condemn Anakin?  I refuse to believe he could become evil!"

"Clouded is your judgement," declared Yoda.  "Just like Qui-Gon, so headstrong, so sure you are right…."

Obi-Wan's face saddened for a moment, remembering the man who was the only father he knew, before continuing, "I must do this, Yoda.  I have seen myself confronting him."

"As have I," Yoda conceded.  "Go, then.  Fulfil your destiny. Try to save him you must."

"I *will* save him, Master Yoda," declared Obi-Wan.  "We will return together and rebuild the Jedi, I promise you this!"

Yoda had said nothing to that, he simply turned and walked away, leaving Obi-Wan with a sinking feeling.  If even Yoda was sure it would end in disaster, then why was Obi-Wan still going?

He didn't know.  It had a lot to do with loyalty – loyalty to Anakin, to Amidala, and also to the dwindling Jedi.  Soon they would be extinct and the Sith in control unless radical countermeasures were taken.  Obi-Wan knew that he and Amidala were the only ones who could get through to Anakin and they *had* to try.

Glancing at his travelling companion, Obi-Wan frowned.  He could not shake the terrible sense of foreboding that came over him each time he looked at Amidala.  Could he protect her when the time came?  And if it came down to it, could he make a choice between her life and Anakin's?

It all came down to Anakin, to seeing if he was truly a servant of the Dark Side, and learning if he could be turned back to good.  Obi-Wan fervently believed the latter; there was no point in going if he believed the situation was hopeless.

He was glad that Amidala had not brought her children.  There was no sense in exposing Leia to danger although the young "princess" had cried and sobbed desperately as Amidala hugged her goodbye.  Almost as if Leia never expected to see her mother again.  Obi-Wan tried not to dwell on that fact.

And then there was Luke, Luke Obi-Wan Skywalker to be precise (although few knew the boy's full name).  He was living with Obi-Wan's brother Owen on Tattooine.  It had taken a lot of convincing for Owen to take on a child, but his sweet wife Beru had been smitten with Luke the moment she saw him.  Obi-Wan knew that Luke was safe unless Anakin ever decided to search the galaxy for him….

"Look at the stars, Obi-Wan," came Amidala's gentle voice, interrupting his train of thought.  "Did they ever seem more beautiful to you?"

Obi-Wan realised that he'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed the transition from hyperspace to normal space.  He left his instruments for the moment and moved over a little to gain a clearer view of the stars.  They seemed the same as always, cold pinpoints of light in an unforgiving universe, each one representing a billion more lives that could be harmed by the Empire.  Still, there was no sense pointing that out to the eternally sad Amidala who needed some joy in her life.  "They are beautiful," he agreed.

"Anakin once showed me the stars," Amidala continued wistfully.  "He told me how he dreamed of visiting each and every one.  He showed me the true beauty of the galaxy.  I think that's something we don't appreciate nearly enough."

"You are right," Obi-Wan conceded.  A light flashed on the console below him and he adjusted their course to meet up with the one lone beacon emitting regular flashes from Arechon.  "We're almost there.  Look."

The two stared as the monstrous planet loomed below them.  From space it appeared as a red fireball, only as they flew closer could they make out the myriad of mountains that covered the red plains, many which seemed to be active volcanos.

"Why would Anakin bring us here?" Amidala mused aloud.  It was a question Obi-Wan didn't want to answer.

------------

“Anakin Skywalker is dead,” Obi-Wan spat angrily.  “The man who was my friend is dead.”  His voice trailed off at the  last words, betraying the horror, the anguish, that Obi-Wan still felt.  “Everyone is dead,” he continued soberly.

“Look dead to you, do I?”

Obi-Wan stared at Yoda for a moment.  “You’re the only one who isn’t.   But it won’t belong before they hunt you down, Master Yoda.  They have murdered every other Jedi and a part of me has died as well.”

“Strange that Vader has not come for you,” mused Yoda.  “He alone knows you survived the duel.  Perhaps there is still hope.”

“No,” Obi-Wan shook his head violently.  “Our time is over, I cannot try again.  I must keep my promise to Amidala and watch over her son.  But I will not train him young, I have learnt that lesson.”

“Then go,” Yoda acquiesed.  “Leave me now, I shall find safety.  Obi-Wan,”  and Obi-Wan turned, holding up a hand in protest.

“Ben,” he said.  “My name is Ben.”

And the Jedi were all but extinct.

-------------

Voyager...Janeway and Chakotay....

There was a time when we used to glance at each other across the room.  The little smiles, the excuses to wander over to the other, the opportunities for conversation that we seized at every opportunity.  Smiling, talking, laughing, there was a time when every moment was special.

Yet today, when I walked into your office, we had nothing to talk about.  After five years, the conversation was over.  Part of me finds that hard to accept.  The other part of me realises the inevitable truth.  We know everything about one another – our thoughts, dreams, opinions on the crew, philosophies on life and the universe and even death.  We’ve flirted and danced and spent so much time in friendly conversation.

Or was it?  Looking back now, those times were few and far between because inevitably, we would talk about work.  It’s the one thing we have in common, the one thing we talk about now.  Yet after five years, even these conversations are redundant.  There is very little that we haven’t come across before.

You might argue that we’ve had wonderful discussions in the past but always, I was flirting.  I was sure you were too, only you wouldn’t let it go too far.  You always pulled out the emergency brakes when I threatened to get too close.  And when I backed away, you would suddenly come running back to me.  I never knew where I stood with you.

All I know is that I loved you for a long time.  The moment I met you I thought you were beautiful, but you were the Captain and I knew I could never act on my feelings of lust.  That was before I got to know you, before I fell for the person inside as well.

At first I tried to hide it, because there’s always that terrible risk in putting your heart on the line.  After a while, though, I got tired of waiting and wondering.  New Earth was the perfect opportunity to tell you how I felt.  But you, you broke my heart all over again, telling me no yet still leaving some hope.

Looking back, I get the sense that you were confused.  So many conflicting signals for so long.  So much potential.

So much behind us.  Because now I know it’s too late.

Today, for the first time, I felt awkward in your presence.  Only now do I understand why – with nothing but work binding us together, with the acceptance of the fact that a relationship was nothing more than a dream from the start – we are simply two people adrift in life who briefly connected.

If we were destined to be together, it would have happened by now.  I gave you ample opportunity.  I tried to break down your barriers.  And then, to see you with someone else, was heartbreaking.  Even if it didn’t work out.

I feel a deep sadness within me, not for the loss of you, but for the loss of what-might-have-been.  I won’t miss you because in a sense, you’ve been gone for quite some time.  Never reachable, never the woman I dreamed I had in my arms.  It’s so hard to say goodbye to this image.  I wanted you, I sometimes envisioned scenarios where we would marry and be together for the rest of our lives.

It was a dream that kept me sane during the dark times.  It’s something I don’t want to let go of, but I must.  Because we have nothing to talk about and the time for us is past.

Goodbye, Kathryn.  I loved you.  It’s time for me to accept that we weren’t meant to be.  I will grieve for a while and then try to get on with my life.  It’s so hard to say goodbye.

-----
 

The X-Files - Scully moves on....

Scully had always known it was going to end some day.  She always thought she was prepared for the moment, envisioning the worst possible scenarios so that when it actually happened, she wouldn’t be too upset.

Naturally, Scully understood that her imaginings really wouldn’t help at all, but they were some comfort against the fear that Mulder would die in front of her and there would be nothing she could do.  Part of her accepted it as almost inevitable, yet it was an inevitable truth she constantly wanted to deny.

It was time to move on.  Fox Mulder was no longer her partner, now she had someone new.  She wondered how they would work together.  Would he frustrate her?  Or-

She looked up as he walked into the office.  "Agent Scully?"  At her nod, he continued, "I'm Agent Carter.  It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Scully said vaguely, straightening a photo on her desk.  Carter caught her looking at it, and turned it around.

"Your husband?"

"Yes," said Scully, smiling.  It was taken from her wedding day, and in Mulder's arms, she looked happier than she'd ever been.
 

--------

Stargate - Sam talks to Hammond

“I had good reason to be,” Hammond replied shortly.  “At least you had the sense to keep it on a professional level.”

Sam flushed.  “Me, sir?”

Hammond sighed, leaning back in his chair.  “Strictly off the record, Major Carter, I have noticed the … uh… mutual interest you and Colonel O’Neill once shared.”

Sam knew she couldn’t deny it.  At their first meeting she’d thought Jack good looking and soon a true friendship developed between them.  Running into alternate versions of herself and/or Jack who were together only added fuel to the fire of possibility.  Yet after her joining with Jolinar, everything had changed and Sam had backed away, grateful for the excuse to follow protocol rather than her own heart.  “We knew we couldn’t get involved,” Sam finally admitted to the general.

“I just wish Jack’d keep that in mind.  ”  At Sam’s look of protest he held up his hands. “Not that I’m saying he doesn’t do an excellent job – he has coped remarkably well over the past few years – but he wasn’t trained for the military.”

“No,” Sam agreed and then she frowned, focussing back on Hammond’s earlier words.  “Are you saying that Jack has …ah… an inappropriate relationship with someone?”  Hammond’s silence was the only confirmation she needed and before she could stop herself, the question, “Who?” flew from her lips.  She wasn’t jealous, she couldn’t be!  But maybe she was.  A small part of her was just waiting until all of this, the Stargate program, was over so she could judge where they truly stood.  But the point was moot if he had fallen for someone else.  She ran through a mental list – there were barely any women on base at all.  Dr.  Frasier?  But Janet was her friend, she would have told Sam.

“Major, it’s not my place to say anything more.  In fact, we shouldn’t even be having this discussion, but I was hoping that you could maybe talk to them.  Tell them to keep it out off the base and the project.  What they do on their own time is not my concern as long as I don’t hear about it and as long as it doesn’t affect their performance.”  He gave a wry smile.  “And if they go ahead with this, then be a friend to them.  God knows they’ll get enough grief from everyone else.”

“Yes sir,” Sam replied, nodding but still confused.  Hammond stood up and she recognised it as a sign that the “interview” was over.

“Oh, and one more thing.”  Hammond pulled open a desk drawer and reached inside, retrieving an unmarked video tape.  “If you could pass this along to Colonel O’Neill – unofficially – I’d be much obliged.”

“Will do, sir,” Sam said, fighting the impulse to salute as she took the tape.

------

The Sentinel - the time travel story from hell

Jim was grimacing as he noticed his ex-wife, and a look of surprise crossed his face.  She looked - well, exhausted would be the best way to describe her.  Like she'd been through hell.  There were lines on her face, her lips were pale, her features withdrawn.  "Carolyn!" he said.

She was breathing heavily as she gasped, "Jim, thank God...I didn't think I was going to make it...."

"What's wrong?"  He stood and took her arm and she leaned into him heavily.

"The date, tell me the date...."

"Carolyn?  Are you okay?"  Jim grasped her with his arms and was startled at how thin she felt.  She'd never been a particularly large woman but now he could literally feel the sharpness of her bones protruding.  She looked unwell, seriously unwell, and Jim wondered how he had never noticed it before.  They worked together, surely he should have seen some signs?

"It's August."  She still looked at him blankly.  "1996."

"Good, I made it..."  She shuddered, and to Jim's horror, he realised there was a trickle of blood at the side of her mouth.  "I have to tell you something, Jim, and it's not going to make a lot of sense but please believe me."  She paused, coughing, and Jim held her the best he could.  "This probably sounds all melodramatic but I came so far for this and if you don't listen then everyone will die.  Do you understand?"

She looked at him, her eyes beseeching him to believe her, and under the gaze Jim could not refuse.  This was Carolyn, whom he'd once loved more than anything else.

"Stay away from B.S."

"What?"  It almost sounded like a joke, of course he stayed away from BS, it was just standard when you were a cop.  But the look in her eyes told him that he wasn't understanding what she meant.

"Stay away from him - I ..."  She coughed again, and this time it turned violent.  As Jim held her spasming body he realised just how delicate Carolyn was, how sick she was....

He slapped the emergency button by the wall, hollering, "I need a doctor in here, now!"  He pulled her closer to him, not caring that she was coughing blood down his front, and then he realised that he could actually hear her heart  beating and for the first time he knew that these crazy senses could come in useful.  The pounding, it wasn't steady, it was erratic and growing weaker with every passing second.  "Hold on, Caro," he whispered into her hair.  Then he pulled back and yelled again for a doctor.

Finally, one came in, and took one look at Carolyn's quivering form before declaring, "She needs to get to the emergency room.  Now."

Jim didn't hesitate, he just carried her to where he was instructed and lay her gently on the bed while a frantic set of doctors began to work on her.

"Her whole system's shutting down!"

"Her heart's just giving out....Sir, do you know if she had a heart condition?  A weak heart?"

Jim could only numbly shake his head as he focussed on Carolyn, shutting out the cacophony of noises around him, all he wanted to hear was her heartbeat, her heart, the sound growing fainter and fainter....

Until it stopped and there was nothing but the shrill monotone of the heart monitor.

"I'm sorry," a doctor said, regret colouring her voice.  "We did all that we could - but her body was too weak to respond.  I'm sorry," she repeated.

Jim took a step backwards, his mind whirling, unable to believe what had just happened.  Carolyn, dead?  It wasn't possible!

"Sir, if you'll come this way, there are some details we need....."

*

And in another wing of the hospital, Blair Sandburg sighed and kicked the door in frustration.  The person who was supposed to be a Sentinel had disappeared somewhere and now Blair didn't know if he'd ever find him again.  So close....so far.  It was almost like a conspiracy.  Maybe it was time for a new dissertation topic.

-------

Earth 2 - The Rivers of Blood

This is the companion story to "The Princess and the Proletarian", presenting the flip side of events.

The trio drove slowly into camp.  Their faces were grey and ashen.  A pall hung over them that could not be denied.  At the
sound of the vehicle, Bess and True hurried out of the biodome to greet the travellers and the hope on their faces was evident.

"What happened?" True shouted and then skidded to a stop.  "And where's my dad?"

Only silence answered her and in those few moments, a terrible feeling of dread overcame True.  She knew, without a doubt, that something terrible was coming and she didn't want to hear it, she didn't want to know that her Dad was gone forever.  She stared at Devon with the sound of her blood roaring in her ears, never, ever wanting to hear the words which must be said.

"I'm so sorry, True," Devon began.  She stood and climbed from the vehicle and held out her arms.  A tear trickled down her
cheek and she didn't bother brushing it away.  "I have to tell you something about your father."

"No!" True protested and backed away from Devon's invitation of embrace.  "I won't believe you, nothing could have happened to my Dad, he's too strong!"  Her voice had risen to a hysterical pitch.  "Where is he?" she screamed.   "WHERE IS HE?"

"True-" and now Devon herself was on the verge of tears as she desperately tried to reach out to the distraught little girl.
"The monster got inside your Dad.  Do you understand what I'm saying, honey?"

True shook her head in violent denial.

"Alonzo tried to kill the monster on the Dreamplane but it was too late.  John - your father - was already gone.  True, I'm so
so sorry."

"No!" True screamed again.  "Where is he?  I want to see him, Devon, I want to see him!"

Now openly crying, Devon exchanged a look with Julia.  They'd decided not to tell True that her father's body had been taken by Anarchy because they thought that would give her false hope or upset her even more.

----

Babylon 5 meets Earth 2....

It was the longest time she'd ever been under and it was the furthest she'd ever travelled.  What was even more eerie was the
fact that once she made the drop off, she might be going straight back.  That was something she'd have to discuss with Commander O'Neill and perhaps Devon Adair - they'd be the best judge of whether or not to go back to the space stations.  (Shelia refused to think of them as home, as she was a wanderer by nature and had never put down roots in any place, least of all Earth's empire.)

As the process of restoring her body to normal function continued, Shelia found herself wondering if Alonzo had gone
back.  Part of her hoped not - it would be good to see him again.  The rest of her was wishing that he had gone back and cleared the way for her, it would make her reintegration into space corporation controlled life a whole lot easier.  Although who
even knew who was in control now?, she mused.  Maybe an alien government had contacted humanity and given them a far-advanced technology.  A technology that could put Sheila out of a job....

She shook her head and smiled wryly to herself, sitting up and stretching.  Idle speculation was getting her nowhere.  It was
time to get up and see the planet that Devon Adair had risked everything for.

The ship was silent and empty, save for the electronic background noise that Shelia had automatically tuned out long ago.  She
didn't bother throwing anything over her sleepwear, it was a luxury afforded to only the pilot to be up hours before anyone
else, just checking things over and enjoying the view.  Shelia had to admit she always enjoyed the time of solitude before the
masses woke up and life suddenly became chaotic again.

Stepping quietly into the cockpit, Shelia felt a sudden flutter in her heart at actually seeing the fabled G889.  She lifted her
eyes to the viewscreen.

Nothing was there.  "Okay, we're pointing in the wrong direction," Shelia murmured to herself and settled herself in her
pilot's chair.  Idly, she brushed a cobweb away from the controls and began to check their position.  A slight rotation brought the G88 system's sun into view and the viewscreen automatically darkened, shielding the brilliance.  Quickly checking the
constellations against maps in the ship's database, Shelia confirmed that they were in the right place.  No doubt about it.

Another scan revealed the existence of several planets, right where they should have been.  G881 to 8 were at various points of their orbits, 10 through 13 likewise.  That just left G889 which, according to Shelia's scans, was nowhere.

She frowned and manually turned the ship.  Their pre-plotted course should have brought them near enough to detect the planet even if they were slightly in the wrong position.  The only remaining option was if G889 was currently behind the sun.

Should she wait for it to appear, Shelia wondered, or should she wake James Taggart, technically in charge of the colony ship.
The pit of uneasiness in her stomach was growing deeper by the second as she stared at the front screen focussed on the sun,
willing G889 to suddenly appear from beyond.

It didn't happen.  Now becoming frantic, Shelia intensified the scans and manually rotated the ship several times, using her own
eyes to search for the planet that had to be there.  Time and time again she came up with nothing.  Not even debris to indicate
the planet had exploded or been hit by a rogue asteriod.  Nothing.

"This is impossible," Shelia whispered, sinking her head into her hands.  Maybe she was in the wrong place, maybe the autopilot had failed or maybe every damn instrument on the Ronoake was lying to her.  But in her heart, she knew that wasn't the case.

G889 was gone.

And deep in space, a shadow shimmered across the stars.

*

FORTY-FIVE YEARS LATER....
 

*

Falling, Danziger was falling....

*

"Dad, look!"  True's voice was full of wonder as she pointed skywards.

"What is it, True-girl?"

"The stars are different."

Danziger looked up, wondering what his daughter meant.  As far as he could tell, they were the same old stars that had always been there.  Maybe in slightly different positions, but G889's rotation constantly caused movement.  He began to explain as much to True but she wrinkled her nose in annoyance.

"It's not that," she protested.  "It's something else...I don't know.  They just look different."

"Well maybe it's the atmosphere, or..."

*

Ivanova sighed.  She'd thought having her own ship would be the greatest adventure ever but it sure as hell wasn't shaping up
that way.  Earthforce had made her a Captain of a new destroyer which seemed like a great assignment.  A one-year shakedown cruise, well, that had obvious strings attached but Ivanova could live with that.

What she couldn't live with was being assigned to the boring sectors of known space, supposedly searching for spatial
anomalies, exploring unmapped planets, and the cruncher, looking for lost colonies of Earth.  When Ivanova had first received the orders it was all she could do to not laugh.  Lost Earth colonies?  It sounded like a bad episode of "Universe Explorers"
(a show she would never, ever admit to having watched).

Reading the material sent to her gave a little more credence to the theory: during the early days of exploration when sleeper
ships were used, several colonies had been sent to distant planets to build their own human communities away from Earth.  It
seemed inconceivable, however, that records of this had become lost.

Only one incident stood out in the mass of rumours, and this was more unbelievable than everything else.  A massive ship called the Ronoake had returned to Earth some forty-five years after it had first set out, claiming the planet it went to was gone along with the first settlers.  Everyone blamed the error on the Ronoake's aging technology and as for records of its mission, nothing existed except for a file stating the Ronoake had exploded upon departure; and testimony from a Sheila Day stating they had been bound for G889.

It wasn't a lot to go on.  What was even more amusing in Ivanova's mind was when she checked up on G889 (after deciphering the old government's incredibly detailed, and stupid in her opinion, method of classifying planets), she'd discovered the Fomalhaut system with no eighth planet at all.

Crazy, all of it.  But then why was her ship headed to .... right now?  To be thorough, Ivanova had told her crew.  It wasn't true, but she couldn't explain it more than that.  It was almost as if something was pulling her there....
 

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Fleeting Love (misc)

And sometimes, it comes slowly, softly, like the waking in the morning with a smile curving across your lips and his face in
your mind.

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