Mother of Stars

Epilogue

Hello Commander,

We do not know each other, but I write to express my excitement for your mission. I hope the Martian climate has treated you well so far, and if it hasn't you won't have to wait long until you're off to Soruvis. Judging by the description the aliens gave us, it is a desolate planet, but it has harbored life before. Like you, I am a huge enthusiast for exploration, and I am slightly jealous of your opportunity to embark on such a mission.

I'm ignorant on how much interaction you've had with the Asturnians, but I presume you have been qualified to work with them. I've studied them informally for several years now, and am supremely confident we all share a common goal. I hope they find your expertise valuable in finding sustainable resources on Soruvis.

You probably get lots of these letters, so I'll end it here.

Sincerely,

Conrad Drake

P.S. Don't get too close to the Grephens. They can get really clingy sometimes.

My fingers hovered over the laptop keyboard as I scanned the email for typos. I pressed send, and a notification popped up to tell me my message would arrive at MC-1 in three and a half minutes.

I leaned back in my chair and stretched my arms as I drew my gaze to the orange sky over the ocean outside the vacation rental home. A soft breeze blew through the open balcony door. Earth had never smelt so pure.

I closed the browser on my laptop and was met with a sight I'd never quite gotten used to. A white dragon with a silvery mane stood with arms folded before the open doors of an assembly chamber. Any time someone saw that picture on my laptop, I always told them I commissioned a really talented artist. Only I knew the truth.

Neila had been the one to take that picture, and had done it with her own eyes. I never suspected I had looked so noble back in 2016. I certainly hadn't felt noble at the time. The grief was still evident in my eyes in the photo.

It didn't bother me that we had to be given back our human bodies. I had looked forward to it, in fact, because I felt I no longer needed the extra limbs. It was clear to me that the shape of my body had virtually no impact on the quality of my life.

"You know you miss it."

I rolled my eyes and looked to the bed beside me. Skylar's draconic form lay sprawled out on the mattress with his head on the pillow. Neval sat casually against his shoulder with Phobos sleeping in his lap.

No, I don't. I thought. It was freaking weird.

"You kidding?" Skylar flared both of his wings. "You can't fly anymore, boi!"

Who cares? I replied. Not me!

Skylar gave me a deadpan expression. "I hope you shank your first tee shot tomorrow."

Phobos' eye sockets sprung open and he hopped off Neval's lap. "Shank! No, no. You can't do that! Thousands of people will be watching. Millions!"

"Look what you did, you big buffoon," Neval quipped as he picked Phobos up and set him back in his lap. "Got him all riled up again. Surely, you know better than that."

I smirked at my laptop screen. Maybe I missed it a little.

A wet, slimy object slid up my neck behind my ear. I nearly jumped out of my chair. "What the? Eww, Neila!"

She leapt away before I could grab her and settled on the bed, giggling like a maniac. I scowled at her as I grabbed several tissues to wipe her saliva off my neck. Her tail swayed back and forth mischievously.

"Lost with the figments, were we?" She tilted her head with an evil smile. Her ear twitched.

I glanced at the now-vacant bed, then back to my laptop. "No..."

"I dunno about that," she said, shaking her head in shame. "You were showing the signs."

I glared at her. "Stop psychoanalyzing me. I'm not one of your clients, in case you didn't know."

"Oh," she cooed, resting her head on her hand. "You've been one of my clients from the start. In case you didn't know."

I chuckled. "If that's the case, I need a different psychologist."

She slapped the bed with her hand. "Hah! You're not escaping me that easily."

She clambered to the middle of the bed, and just like that, she was out.

<- Alert: 9:00 bed time. 7:10 tee time tomorrow. ->

Anxiety welled within me for the millionth time, and like all the other times, I did my best to let it come as it pleased. I was in the first group off tomorrow playing in the first round of the 2027 US Open at Pebble Beach. Who knew I'd feel more nervous about hitting a little white ball than running for my life from a giant shape-shifting techno-spider?

"Server's open," Neila said.

I turned off my laptop and got into bed. "Don't tell me it's a—"

"Sparring, yep!"

I sighed as I pulled the sheets up from the bottom of the bed. Neila was already laying on her side facing away from me. She always curled her tail up between her legs. I scooted myself up behind her and got comfortable, laying her head on my bicep and bringing her back against my torso. My chin rested naturally on the top of her head, and my hand reached around her and spread across her flat chest. I loved feeling her heartbeat.

The warmth seeped into me, relaxing every part of my body. The anxiety remained, but without it's overbearing presence. Then came the intuitive feeling that, no matter what happened tomorrow, I'd be alright.

"I'm waaaaaiiitiiiiing!" Neila yelled in my head.

I began the sleep routine in my interface after making the final adjustments to the comforter.

"Only if you don't douse me in ice water right when I enter," I replied.

She didn't respond.

Author's note: Thank you so much for getting to the end of my story! I hope you enjoyed it, and I would appreciate your honest feedback!