Chapter fifty-five.

Even at five light minutes from the planet it took the Arwen a good week to arrive in orbit around the Home world. The reports from the Home world told of mass devastation from the malfunctioning wormholes. Trillions of Handler's were dead and trillions more stranded in route to the planet. It would take the Handler's hundreds of Earth years to recover. Whatever the cause it gave the Earth the time it needed.

As promised the Handlers showed The Arwen's engineers how to cloak themselves from the ships which orbiting the planet. It was a simple shield modification which bounced any of the Handlers sensors away. It wouldn't last too long; eventually someone would discover the anomaly, so once they were in orbit around the planet Captain Cook ordered full and quick scans of the surface.

Captain Cook looked at her screens as the scans came in. The devastation on the surface affected her in a way she never thought she could feel for an enemy. Buildings which had once been thousands of feet tall had crumbled to the ground as the heated blast from the Wormholes melted whatever they used to hold them up.

Blackened ground scared the surface in thousands of locations and covered thousands of miles of land. The Handlers on the ground struggled to contain the fires that ragged out of control on every corner of the planet. Cities which housed hundreds of millions of Handlers burned bright enough to be seen easily from where the Arwen orbited.

The ships which had been in orbit continued to fall into the atmosphere as their engines failed. Most of the crews had been killed, burned to death inside, with no one around to man the stations to keep them in orbit. Once every few minutes another bright flash marked the death of another ship as it burned up in the atmosphere. A few of the larger ships crashed onto the surface leaving craters and more devastation.

The hardest area hit was a canyon that seemed to bisect the planet down the middle. Hans had explained to her this was where the grubs grew and this was where the Handlers went too to eat, mate, and have their children. There were thousands of Wormholes located all around the valley to accommodate the influx of Handlers. Now, those wormholes were glowing white hot and blasting the valley with heat and radiation.

There was an odd pink mist which was hazing the readings. When she asked Hans about it he replied, "It's the grieving mist. The planet will be covered in it and it will soak into the soil. We'll remember this devastation for millions of years and the mist will become a permanent record of our pain."

The devastation played on Captain Cook's emotion as she paced the hallways. She remembered what Ann had told her about the Handler's and how they could be reasoned with. How they needed to see the similarities between the races.

She had these thoughts in her head as she walked into the room where Juliet lay. Juliet looked up at the Captain, smiled and gave a quick salute. "Captain Cook, good to see you."

"How are you feeling?"

"They still won't give me my leg back. I thought you talked to them about that?"

"I did and they told me once the leg is in hibernation it's there until they're ready to reattach. Something about being unable to hibernate it again. Don't worry about it. I'm sure they know what they're doing."

"I guess. I still think they should have at least tried."

"Nanobots seem like magic sometimes and if they had asked me I would have told them to wait till we got back to Earth to try it. Sorry, Commander, you're not going to get your way this time."

"Fine, whatever." She replied with a small laugh She looked down at the floor and collected her thoughts. She looked up when she was ready. "We need to make a decision."

"We? Captain, this is your ship, you make the choices."

"I know, in the end I'll make the final choice, but only after talking to you about it because this will affect you just as much as it'll affect me. Over the past few days we've gathered a lot of information about the Handlers and it needs to get back to Earth. I need you to take the Arwen back to Earth because I'm going to stay here and help."

Juliet did nothing to hide the emotions on her face. The shock was evident in her open jaw and in her eyes which seemed to grow larger by the second. "Captain, are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yes and no. There is no promise I'll be accepted by them, I haven't even talked to Hans about it yet but I feel there needs to be someone from Earth here to set an example. I've been watching the way Hans and Karla have interacted, he seems to love her as much as she loves him and if they have the ability to bond like that we have a chance to reach an understanding."

"That's a huge risk your taking."

"I know, it might be for nothing but it might be for everything. I no longer have Nanobots in my body so I won't live more than a normal human. To them it'll be an eye blink but maybe in that time I can make an impression so when they do meet us again they'll have a better understanding of whom we are."

"What about Earth? What about the people who rely on you there?"

Captain Cook shook her head. "No, there's no one back on Earth for me. I've done all I could for Earth, sacrificed so much for that little blue ball. If I were to go back what would they make me do? Tour the planet giving speeches? Send me off somewhere to retire? Send me back on duty with the Arwen were we'll fight another war?"

"So, your mind is already made up then? "

"It is," Captain Cook replied standing from her chair. "Commander, I am officially giving you a field promotion to Captain. Arwen, make note of the time and date and also make note that I would like this to be a permanent promotion for Juliet. Captain Monrow, congratulations."

"I don't feel much like celebrating but thank you, Captain."

"It's Marjorie from here on out. Arwen, get Hans and Karla ready, I'm going to need to talk with them as well."

Karla looked to be about twenty five years old by now. The rapid aging which had devastated Ann didn't seem to be affecting her in the same way. Marjorie wondered about that when she sat down across from her and Hans at the table. She no longer wore her Captain's uniform and instead was dressed in a pair of comfortable pants and a white tee shirt. Normally she'd wear this outfit when she worked out or when she went onto a hotter planet. Now it was the only thing she had that seemed appropriate for the occasion. "So, what did you decide?"

"It's difficult for us to understand why you are doing this," Karla replied. "We suspect it's some sort of trick."

"It's not. Your planet has been devastated, I could easily attack it from orbit and finish the job but I don't believe that's what I should do. My view of how things are and my place amongst them has changed since this war started. It probably started to change before that, before we even encountered each other." She sat back in her chair, the memories of the past ten years flooded back to her. "When I joined the Corps we were out there finding new wonders and exploring. I'm not sure I wanted to be a part of that, science has always bored me. But I did want to be a part, a small cog, in allowing mankind the option to go out and explore. I wanted to protect us from hostel aliens, not because I wanted to kill the aliens but because I wanted to give us a chance to. . .I don't know, make peace with them."

"Peace by war?" Karla asked. "That seems odd."

"You have my memories; you tell me how odd it is. Some of Earth's longest stretches of peace happened after our most devastating wars. But, no, that's not really what I'm talking about. When I joined we were all about protecting and exploring, that's what I signed up for. Then you guys came along and all we were about was war, building up the fleet, attacking when we could, defending when we needed too. It became more about preserving ourselves and not about expanding. That's not the corps I signed up for. Don't get me wrong, I'd do everything I was asked to do, everything I was ordered to do but it started to feel empty, I started to feel bad about all the killing I've done."

"The number of Handlers you've killed is a very small part of our population," Karla said. She had somehow managed to keep up with Marjorie's rambling, translating it quickly for Hans.

"I have a lot of blood on my hands. I've ordered the death of hundreds, maybe even thousands of beings. I could very well be the biggest mass murder of all times and all so I could save Earth and the Corps. It was a noble cause and I would do it again if I needed too. But, I can't help but think if it could have been avoided. If we had talked to our enemies, tried to find an understanding before attacking. I'm not saying it would have worked, we have a lot of enemies and not enough friends, but what if there was a chance to avoid the bloodshed? Shouldn't we have taken it?"

"The Handlers have never negotiated," Karla replied. "But maybe they could start."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Marjorie replied. "This seems to be the best place to start. You're planet needs help, I can only really provide my hands and my brain but I'm hoping that the kindness of an Earthling will create some sort of impression, something that you can recall the next time we meet."

"That could be in a thousand years," Karla translated. "It will take a long time to undo the damage that has been done."

"I'll be long dead by then, that's true, but you have a long memory. A Handler I impress tomorrow might be the same Handler who meets us again. That's powerful if you think about it. Our lives are short, we remember people from the past but that always gets distorted by time. You are unique in that if you have a question about someone who lived a thousand years ago you can probably find that Handler and ask them questions, right?"

"This is correct," Hans replied through Karla.

"I could die in twenty years and you, Hans, you will remember me and you'll remember what I did to help. You, your crew, anyone else I meet, they'll all remember the strange Earthling who helped rebuild the Handlers Home world and that could make a difference."

Once the translation was finished Hans lay on the ground quietly. A small cloud of something which smelled like vanilla pudding floated through the room. Karla said, "He's thinking."

"That's what I figured." Marjorie replied. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Karla replied.

"Why aren't you dead yet? I can see you're growing about as fast as Ann, but by the time she was your age she was near death."

Karla looked uncomfortable as she answered, "Ann was a rushed clone. They didn't have the time to fix her DNA. My DNA is fixed but it's not a perfect fix. I'll be dead soon as well, maybe within the week, but the repairs have given me a few extra days to live."

"I'm so sorry," Marjorie said. "I feel responsible."

For the first time since she's had contact with Karla she saw a slight smile cross her face. It reminded her of Ann, and of old pictures she would see of herself, and her mother and even a little bit of her father. "It's okay, it's just how it is."

Hans started tapping on the ground, snapping the smirk of Karla's face. "He said that you may come if you want. Bring some supplies, they'll need to figure out if they can feed you that might take a while so bring as much as you can. He can't promise you anything except he will try to get you an audience with someone in charge. They could kill you on the spot, or they could listen to what you have to say."

"All I ask for is a chance." Marjorie replied standing from her chair. "I'll get myself together and we'll meet at the hanger in two hours. Thank you, Hans, I have a very good feeling about this."

Juliet stood on one leg and one crutch. The doctor asked her not to leave but she told him where he could take his advice and asked for the crutches, there would be no way she wasn't going to be here to say good bye to the Captain. . .to Marjorie Cook.

So she waited and watched the door. When it did open the first person she saw was Karla, she had grown so much in the past week it was scary. Behind her was the Handler, Hans. Seeing him always sent a strange sensation through Juliet's body. It was hard not to forget the first time she encountered the Handlers, when her and Professor Ricter made that life changing trip to through the first Wormhole.

Walking behind both of them was Marjorie. She no longer wore her uniform so it was odd to see her without it. She carried with her a bag which she slung over her shoulder. It reminded Juliet of the time she and the Professor saw her on Planet Ricter. She seemed happy back then willing to let it all go. She had that same look in her eyes now. She was ready to start a new life and to leave this one behind.

They approached and Juliet nodded to Karla and Hans. Karla nodded back and walked up the ramp, Hans followed. She saluted when Marjorie approached her and stopped. "At ease, Captain. I should be saluting you."

"No, you'll always be my superior."

Marjorie laughed. "Is the shuttle loaded?"

"Yes, filled to the brim with supplies. They say you have about five years of food to work with, should give you plenty of time."

"I hope," she replied. The two stood there in silence. Marjorie looking at the shuttle. "Are the other Handler's ready?"

"Yes," Juliet replied happy there was a break in the silence. "They left on a shuttle a few hours ago. We watched them touch down on the planet where they were met with open antenna."

"Devastation has a way of making enemies friends when the goal is the same," Marjorie replied. "Well, I guess I'm ready. When you see the Professor hand him this," Marjorie held out an envelope. "He would appreciate the hand written note."

"That he would," Juliet said talking the note. "I need to ask this one more time: are you sure this is what you want?"

"I'm not saying I don't have my doubts this will work but yes, I think the reward outweighs the risk." Marjorie stood at attention and gave Captain Monrow a stiff salute. Juliet returned the salute, laughed and gave Marjorie a hug.

As Marjorie Cook walked up the ramp Juliet watched and tried to remember every moment of it. This would be the last time the Arwen saw her Captain. The hero of so many wars was leaving to start a new adventure. It was a bittersweet moment that could change the galaxy forever.

Epilogue.

Professor Ricter lowered the note after reading it and made damn sure Juliet didn't see the tears which were welling up in his eyes. "Very nice, thank you." He said to her and placed the note on his desk.

"That's it?" Juliet asked. "Just thank you?"

"Did you want more? Do you want me to tell you what she said? No, I don't think I'll be doing that. What she wrote will always be between me and her but, just to satisfy your curiosity she didn't give any last minute devotions of love or anything like that."

"That's not what I was thinking," Juliet replied bitterly. "But, that's good to know. Guess I'm the only one who's ever really loved you."

"That would be correct."

Juliet laughed and sat in the chair across from him. "I bet you're just so proud of yourself, aren't you? Closing the wormhole, saving the Corps, maybe even saving the galaxy."

"Yes, it really is very overwhelming, even for me. My research and dedication made it possible. All the awards, the parades, the speaking engagements, I can't wait for them to be over."

"Right, cause you hate all the attention," the sarcasm made even the Professor smile.

"I want to get back to the research, to finding ways of dealing with our next visit from the Handlers should they not be friendly. The Captain will do her best I'm sure and there could be a chance they'll be friendly but I don't think the Corps is going to take the chance."

"I hear they're going to search for other Water Planet's and try to plunge them into suns as well, seal that method of travel for good."

"Yes, I'm leading the research on that project as well, it's more of a side project for now. I think the one we did put into the sun will flood Wormhole Beta space for a very long time but it would be nice to have backups ready. What about you? How is your leg?"

Juliet knocked on her metallic leg. "Good as new. Shame they couldn't save my other one. I still say if they had just attached it when it was fresh the nanobots would have fixed it."

"I don't doubt that," Professor Ricter replied. "I don't think I want to test it anytime soon, but you're probably right. Are they giving you the Arwen?"

"As soon as they upgrade the computers. I need to pick a second, which is harder than I thought it would be, there are so many good people to choose from."

"I'm sure you'll make a good choice." He stood from his chair. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Captain, I have some work to do. I thank you for giving me the note and I wish you all the luck in the world. Try to keep in touch. I do enjoy hearing from you."

"Right," Juliet replied standing. "Professor, good day." She turned and walked out of his office.

Once she left the Professor sat back down and looked at the note. He read it one more time before placing it back into the envelop and then into his desk drawer.

Juliet sat in the Captain's chair and squirmed. "Feels weird," she said.

"Do you need another chair?" Arwen asked. The bridge crew chuckled at the question. They seemed to be a loose bunch, new recruits that needed to be whipped into shape.

"No, Arwen, sorry. I mean it just feels strange to be sitting here. I'm the first new Captain of the Arwen in over 30 years, that's saying something."

"I see what you mean," Arwen replied. "You'll grow comfortable in the seat."

"I'm sure I will. Okay, now, let's get down to business. We have a new mission, we're supposed to go the Ulliam system and observe the activity there. From what I was told the partially build Dyson sphere took heavy damage."

"According to our scans and scouts the entire structure was destroyed."

"Right, and we're supposed to keep it that way so, Helm let's get moving."

She felt the engine come to life. Captain Cook told her that sound always made her feel at home, as if the ship were welcoming her back with a hug. The sound and vibration of the engines signaled a new mission, a new adventure, another chance to make history. You never really knew what was on the other end of the wormhole and Juliet looked forward to finding out.

end.