Welcome to the Journal of Now and Forever. This Journal is a collection of my Star Control and Star Control 2 fiction. Note: Some of this material is, by necessity, extrapolation from the slim information provided by canon sources.

New fiction is posted first at My Livejournal before it appears here. This story is in response to 15 Minute Ficlets' Challenge #34.

Man. You hear about the Revanche pilot? Whatsisname, Otto I think it is. Revanche came back and he was the only one breathing on it. Man's Image didn't make it back at all. They got the black box out, though, and sounds like it was a real dustup.

And the Foxfire's crew brought back parts of an Earthling cruiser, and we got their black box. And it's just... it's weird, hearing what they think of us.

Don't get me wrong, now. I'm not looking back and saying "Oh, it wasn't that bad on Earth after all, we could've done just fine, we didn't have to leave" or anything. Even after all these years, I know we had to leave. 'Course, it makes me wonder – did we leave anyone behind besides the damn Earthlings? Any Androsynth, I mean?

Yeah, you see what I mean now, right? Did you hear any of the recordings on the Earthling black box? I think that ship was the Ramsey or something, the Earth ship. Doesn't mean anything to me, but probably some politician or war hero – that's what they used to do – they didn't have the crews vote on a name, like we do.

Anyway. The recordings. I guess I never really thought about what the Earthlings thought of us, y'know? Except that they didn't come after us, so they didn't care – or were afraid of us, har! And I guess they really were, now that the Ramsey box is in our hands. 'Course, I can see why Otto or whatever his name is didn't want to surrender to 'em even after the beating the Revanche took. If they're that nervous of us, who knows what they'd do to their prisoners.

Makes you wonder – sure hope we got all the Androsynth off Earth during the Exodus. I mean, nobody says anyone got left behind, right? We'd've known about it a long time ago, right? So I hope that it is right.

Oh, hey, I gotta go, my mission leader's paging us. Oh, and it sounds like the Revanche is toast – gonna cannibalize it for parts. Some crew's gonna get lucky with that pilot – I heard he's pretty good – just one of the oddballs, but they make some of the best spacers, if you can get along with 'em. Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll get assigned to yours, har! Keep your cannons warm!

Comments? Email me: laridian at aol dot com