Offspring by Colchek

Circling for eons around a distant star far from the known worlds, the planet Hygia was often used by local spacefarers as a rest and relaxation stop on their routes. It was a local playground, as it were. Uninhabited, except for various forms of flora and fauna that often entertained visitors. The planet was much like Earth in climate, and quite inviting to a group of travelers who were nearing the end of a long journey. An end which brought with it much sadness, for the end of this journey also marked the end of the journey of a valued friend.

With a last burst from his maneuvering thrusters, Galactix settled into an orbit around Hygia. This was what he had been searching for. The planet was a jewel in space, a place where his crew could start anew after their long trek through the galaxy. It was also a place where he could land for the last time, and prepare himself for the next journey that awaited him, beyond this life. For him, it was not a time to mourn, but a time to rejoice, for at last he would be re-united with his brothers and sisters, lost so long ago in the Great War. He had seen them once before, when Sanctuary had visited the Realm of the Dead ever so briefly, and now he would be with them for eternity.

Despite his positive outlook on the inevitable, his crew did not share his sentiments. Galactix for centuries had been their liberator, their home, and their friend. His loss was not going to be easy for them, and already the haze of despair had settled across the crew as they made final preparations for Galactix to land on the world he had chosen for them. No one was forsaking their duties, but today they went through the motions without their usual sense of purpose.

As Galactix settled into his orbit, he brought his sensors online and routed the images to the display screens on the bridge. He had been scanning the planet for some time as they approached, and he had already picked out the perfect spot. Highlighting an area on an equatorial island continent, he zoomed in and overlaid a silhouette of himself over the flat landscape on the southern side of the island. His bridge crew watched as he did so, knowing what it meant.

“I believe this would be the best orientation.” Galactix said. “Here my body will provide the centerpiece of the new city, and allow room to build around it as the colony expands.”

Rubytail, the current elected leader of the crew, nodded as she watched Galactix select the landing site. The image of the planet, the plans for the city displayed before her, brought the fact that this was the last journey into the forefront of her mind. Fighting back a tear, she nodded her agreement.

Galactix knew the meaning of her silence, for he had known her, and all of the crew, since birth. All of the crew aboard him were descended from those he had rescued in an alternate universe, and he had watched births, and deaths, for the past 1000 years they had travelled. “Do not be saddened, my child. We all knew this day would come in time. These old bolts have travelled many a light year, and my mind isn’t what it used to be. I have earned this rest.”

Rubytail managed a smile, brushing away a tear that had moistened the fur around her eye. “I know, but even with that knowledge, it still pains all of us to lose you.” She settled into the command chair as Galactix began plotting a descent to the colony site. As she did, she glanced towards a nearby scanner and noticed three blips approaching the planet. She knew what they were, and their arrival brightened her spirits a bit. “It seems the children have come back from their explorations.”

Switching one of the display screens to an external view, Galactix focused a sensor array on the approaching contacts, and three old freighters came into focus. “It is about time, children. I was beginning to get worried. Did I not tell you to stay within sensor range?” Galactix’ tone was firm, and he was concerned, but at the same time he just couldn’t stay mad at the three of them. Their curiosity and boundless desire to explore made him a proud father.

The largest of the three piped up. “I’m sorry dad, but I picked up this comet on my sensors and we just had to take a look! It was amazing! It had all kinds of dust jets spewing out as it approached one of the nearby stars. I’ve never seen a comet’s tail that bright before!” Tharsis said excitedly.

Galactix couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’ll see many more in your travels, of that I am certain. However, you mustn’t stray too far from me. This region of space is not one I have travelled extensively, and thus there is no way to know what dangers may await us here. Do you understand?”

“Sure dad, we’re sorry. We’ll stick closer next time.” said Alaria, the smallest of the three. “We didn’t mean to worry you.”

“That’s all right. You’re back, you’re safe, and that’s all the matters for the moment. We’ve reached the end of our journey, and we will be setting down soon. You had best stay nearby in orbit until we land; I have made sure there is plenty of room for you to set down as well.” Galactix said.

Rubytail couldn’t help but grin and shake her head as she listened to the exchange. Her thoughts drifted back about 8 years to the day they had first brought his children on line. They were the crew’s ultimate triumph, and their gift to their aging liberator. Each was a copy of Galactix’ core programming, his basic sense of self, and since that time had grown into individuals unique in their own way. They were eager to learn, enthusiastic about what lie ahead, and prone to getting into mischief, but due to Galactix’ firm parenting, and the help of the crew in guiding them, they were for the most part well behaved.

Idly, she wondered, would they remain once Galactix was gone?

The trees around the edges of the landing site swayed in the wind kicked up by Galactix’ massive landing thrusters as he settled into position to touch down on the surface of what the crew had dubbed Hope Island. Nearby, his three children had found their own suitable spots to land and were also setting down. With a mighty whump that shook the entire area, Galactix settled onto his landing gear, which sunk quite a bit in the soft ground of the meadow.

“Gee dad, this place is awfully nice.” said Alaria as she powered down her thrusters. “It’s really warm here.”

“Indeed it is. This will be the perfect spot.” Galactix said as his massive engines powered down for the last time. To this point, Galactix had told his children half-truths about why they had headed to this planet. He desperately wanted them to understand what was to happen, and now the time had finally come that he would have to reveal the finality of this journey.

Tharsis and his younger brother Berseus, the youngest of the three, settled down beside Alaria and their father as the dust began to settle around them. Galactix’ boarding ramp began to lower to the meadow below, settling into place with a soft thump as his crew began to file out into the bright sunshine. Galactix sensed his time was finally near. In his mind, he prepared his final words to his crew and his children as his crew began to set up camp.

The sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon when the crew had finished their labors and settled in for the night. A variety of camp fires had been built around which the crew gathered for a town meeting of sorts which Galactix had called for a few hours earlier. As quiet came across them, Galactix mustered his last bit of strength to address them.

“As many of you already know, my time in this life is about to come to its inevitable conclusion.” Galactix started, prompting a few gasps of disbelief from his children, who immediately began to protest. Galactix kindly shushed them as he continued. “It is true. Like any living thing, I can not live forever. My life has been long, rewarding, filled with triumphs and challenges, and hopefully one that has left its mark on the galaxy. My positronic matrix has functioned well for nearly 550,000 years, but with all the maintenance, all the self-repair systems, all of the technology used upon it during all that time, it has finally reached a point where nothing further can be done.”

Galactix’ voice was already beginning to waver as he continued. “I feel that I only have a few hours at best before my pathways finally collapse, so I wish to say some things while I still have the time. We have suffered great tragedies during our time together. We were hunted relentlessly by the Phyrrians, pursued them to this alternate universe where we were subsequently trapped by the rifts in time in space, joined with the noble Vanguard, and at last set forth on our own journey to make our mark in this new world, free from the Phyrrian tyranny. Our journey has taken us over millions of lightyears, lasted 1000 years, and has culminated on this planet of paradise. It is my final gift to you, my friends and my family, as I will no longer be able to carry you onwards.”

Galactix paused slightly, leaving a silence filled with the weeping of some of his crew, and that of his children, who felt great sadness for this news, even though they had no tears to shed. “My children, I know we have only had a few precious years to spend together, but those years were perhaps the best these tired bolts have ever known in my long life. Each of you carries a part of me inside you, and thus I will be with you always. I have given you knowledge of worlds, peoples, cultures, and celestial sights that will take you a lifetime to visit and explore, for there is still more to learn despite what I have taught you. Although my end is near, I meet it with joy rather than trepidation, for I know that I will live on in you. Know that I am proud of you, as proud as any father can be of his children, and know that your aunts and your uncles who watch over you from the great beyond share that pride, and know the legacy which you have inherited.”

Tharsis was the first to speak, after a long silence. “I… I understand dad. I think, deep down, we knew this time would come, but… we didn’t know it was to come so soon.” he said, pausing slightly to gather this thoughts. “We will carry your memory with us always, dad.”

Alaria spoke up next, sadness in her voice. “As life begins, life must end, as we have seen these past few years.” she said. “Even knowing that path of life, it still saddens me to lose you, father. We will honor your memory with each passing day.”

Berseus, always the silent type, spoke one simple sentence. “I love you, father.”

Tharsis and Alaria shared their agreement to this sentiment, to which Galactix responded. “I love you all, my children.” He paused slightly, and continued in a voice that was a bit weaker. “I feel that my time is drawing nearer. I may not have enough strength to talk any further, so I leave you with these final words. Do not mourn my loss, but instead celebrate our journey, and the beginning of a new world upon which generations of our progeny will work to found a new culture. In this, I find peace, and satisfaction of a job well done.” With his voice fading, he said “Farewell to all of you…” as his vocal synthesizer finally gave out leaving nothing but the sounds of sadness and the crackling of the campfires.

Galactix’ matrix operated for only another 2 hours after his final words, and with a last flicker, shut down for all time as his pathways collapsed one after the other. The next morning, the crew and the children arranged a meeting to decide their future. Rubytail sat at a long table with the bridge crew and officiated the meeting, calling it to order as the sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon.

“I am sure we all know now why we are here. Today we will begin to lay the foundation for how we will live our lives here on this newfound planet. We will begin by electing a government to oversee the establishment of our city…” she said as the meeting got underway. Meanwhile, the children of Galactix stood silently by to listen and watch, but between them, they were having their own meeting of sorts, using their private commlinks.

“We can’t just up and leave them without us.” Alaria was protesting, as Tharsis and Berseus discussed plans for striking off on their own. “Whether he implied it or not, father left them in our charge.”

Tharsis had different ideas. “We may be able to stay for a while, Alaria, but I think dad fully intended us to find our own destinies. If he had planned for us to remain here all our lives, why did they place us in these bodies? We have the means to go where we will, to explore like dad did. That, I think is what he intended.”

“I would tend to agree.” Berseus commented. “I do not think our departure intends to be hasty, but I do think it is inevitable. It would be wise to remain and ensure that the colony becomes firmly established, and assist the crew with whatever they may require in terms of planning or transportation.”

“They’ll need supplies; that much is for certain. What dad has on board won’t last long, and certainly won’t build an entire city.” Tharsis said, as the crew voted in favor of leaving Galactix’ body intact as a memorial. “We’ll have to find a source and bring it here so they can build homes.”

“Then it is settled.” said Alaria. “We will help them get established, and then if we choose to leave, then we can. I for one intend to stay for as long as possible.”

“I’m not surprised there sis, but I think we may want to agree on a universal code we can use should we need to find each other again.” Tharsis said. “It’s a big galaxy.”

“Agreed.” said Berseus. “We may want to take some of the long range communication technologies father was working on and adapt them for our purposes. We may be able to devise a method of sending short messages long distances without suffering long delays.”

“I’ll see what I can come up with for that. I’ve got a bunch of blueprints in my memory banks I’ve been working on for stuff along that line.” Tharsis said, as the crew finished electing their leaders and began to adjourn to begin the day. “Berseus, how about you take the first shift on taking a look around this sector to see who’s in the neighborhood. You’re better at diplomacy than we are.”

“I will see to some of the medical needs of the crew in the meantime.” Alaria said. “With dad no longer operating his body, many of the systems will no longer work, and there are a few among them who are nearing birth or have taken ill.”

“A good idea, Alaria. I will begin my search.” said Berseus. “If needed I will call, but I doubt there is anything truly dangerous in this system. Otherwise, we would have detected it on our way here.”

“Allright little bro. Be careful out there, and I’ll keep my comm open.” Tharsis said. “If you need help hauling anything, just give me a ring.”

Berseus lifted off and headed to orbit as the remaining two began their tasks. As Tharsis began his design work, his thoughts drifted to his father’s words the night before, and it was then he decided that he was going to see the worlds his father spoke of in his tales. He would see these worlds called ‘Earth’, and ‘Sivad’, and the home worlds of the many races they had travelled with for so long.

By now, 5 years had passed. Around Galactix’ former body a small city had begun to grow, built with supplies acquired from some of the friendlier races in nearby systems that the children had brought to Hygia, now re-christened Delta Ultunima in homage to Galactix’ home world. The new city, Galactia, was beginning to show signs of life and the bustling activity Galactix had envisioned when he set course for this world those years ago. Life for the former crew was good, and their future was bright.

However, true to the agreement they had made among themselves that day 5 years ago, the children were beginning to plan their own paths through life. For Tharsis and Berseus, that meant heading off to explore the galaxy before them. For Alaria, it meant staying put, at least for the time being. She had become an honorary doctor for the city, and for the moment was serving as its primary hospital.

The crew, especially Rubytail, knew that this time would eventually come. Galactix intended for his children to follow in his footsteps, and to do that they had to head out into the wide expanse of the galaxy. Berseus and Tharsis had agreed to leave together, and then part ways once they had left the system, and so the crew had prepared a small send off party for them on the eve of their departure.

The party was beginning to wind down as Rubytail stood between them. “So, where do you think you’ll go?” she asked.

Tharsis already knew his answer. “I want to see the worlds that dad spoke of in his stories. I know they’re far, but we have many friends along that path we met along our journey, so I’m not worried about supplies or fuel. I want to see it for myself.”

Berseus piped up then. “I really have no destination in mind, but once I start exploring, I figure I’ll set my mind on something.” he said.

Rubytail nodded to them, her expression a mixture of joy for their spreading of their wings, but sadness at their inevitable departure. “Good luck to both of you then. Never forget, you have family here, and should your travels find you this way again, our arms and our hearts will always be open to you.” she said, hiding a hint of a tear in one eye. “Be careful, and do not be so quick to trust those who you meet. Despite the friends we made, there were just as many enemies we met as well all those years.” she offered in warning to them.

“I’ll keep that in mind as I travel.” Tharsis said. “Please, take care of Alaria. I sense that she’s a bit more afraid of what’s out there than we are, but perhaps one day, she’ll feel the longing that we do and explore. Until then, I know she is in capable hands.”

Rubytail nodded. “You have my word on that, Tharsis. May Altheor watch over your travels, and may he one day guide you back home.” she said, her grin moving to a smile as she nodded once more, and headed back to join the party and assist in the cleanup.

Tharsis settled himself in for the night, giving his systems a chance to rest before he put them to work on the journey ahead. As the sounds of the night overtook the party, he settled into a dream-filled sleep…

The next morning, the entire crew had gathered to watch them begin their journey, and they waved as the two ships fired up their engines and began their ascent away from the city. As Galactia grew ever smaller behind them, they both realized that they had taken their first step into a much larger world. They were entering a world without the familiar feeling of family; a world without the familiar presence of their father. The two flew together until they reached the very edge of the system, and it was there they paused to say their goodbyes.

“You take care of yourself, little brother.” Tharsis said. “If you ever need me, just call on that new transmitter I had installed in your console. I’ll come as fast as I can.”

“The same holds for you, brother.” Berseus replied. “I think my first stop is going to be that nebula we passed on the way here. There were some interesting patterns in it I didn’t get a chance to really look at as we flew past.”

“I’ve got a ways to go before my first stop.” Tharsis said. “The Sylenians are about 50 lightyears from here, but I think I can make it. There I can refuel and get a good feel for what lies ahead. It’s been at least 10 years since we were through there.”

“Until the next time, then, brother.” Berseus said. “Our paths will undoubtedly cross again, of that I am sure.”

“We will meet again, little brother. Until then, be good, be careful, and always watch your back.” Tharsis said in reply as he set course and began to throttle up. “The journey begins.” he said as his Spindrive charged up and engaged, sending him off in a flash of white light, as Berseus disappeared in a flash of his own.

The feeling of being on his own for the first time was rather overwhelming for the first few hours, but Tharsis busied himself with a few puzzles and logic problems that helped keep his mind off things as he travelled. He knew it would take him at least 72 hours to reach Sylenia. His ultimate goal, Earth, was years in the distance, but he had planned a few ‘slingshot’ moves around a few stars along his path that he felt should shave a few years off his journey. He knew it was tricky, and his father had nearly collided with one during an attempt several years ago, but he was confident that his speed and small size would be an advantage to him.

He began to idly access some of the records his father had left for him before his passing, and he studied them hard as he travelled along. He wanted to be as prepared as possible for his inevitable arrival at Earth, and at least have a chance of understanding what he was to encounter. In the back of his mind, though, he knew that a long time had passed since then, and even what information he had would be questionable at best. Undaunted, he was dead set on his chosen course, and as his visit to Sylenia came and went, he kept a steady trek towards that distant solar system. No matter what awaited him.