Starship X-15

by Alan VanMeter

  He nods and moans with weary weight. “Devon Haley has told me that her momma will become something else real soon, and that this is very important to us.”

  “What? Did she say anything else?”

  “Just that she was given some of the ‘Soul-Sucker’s’ soul from her mother, and that this is a good thing.” He cries onto my shoulder with pure neediness.

  I push him off with haste. “Just what the hell is going on here Rick? You need to tell me everything!”

  “I just did… all that Devon Haley told me babe.”

  “What? You didn’t ask her what was going on? I can’t believe that baby!”

  “I did, but that was all she would say. I’m not holding anything back from you babe.” I can tell he’s being forthright with me, I know after twenty plus years of living with the man. It still doesn’t quench my anger from him holding this information from me though, so needless to say I don’t give him any goodies tonight.

  The next year I am voted out of office as a new generation takes the reigns. I don’t mind a bit, because I am now feeling ready to retire, and spend my time with my family. Yet Haley seems very depressed and she has absolutely no contact with her children, besides Devon Haley that is. With her she acts as if she is her sibling, not her parent, and this makes me sad. It doesn’t seem to bother my granddaughter though, as she takes everything in stride. I ask her about Haley Jane often, and she always tells me her mother is very special and has a great purpose, and that we should indulge her whims. I don’t know what to make of all of this, honestly!

  There are now five human cities on Haley’s world, each with a population of more than a hundred thousand people. All are entirely self-sustainable too, as well as having extremely low environmental impact as is required by laws that I had set in place. I still have very much political clout when I wish to wield such, which is rare anymore. Now I get trade credits from giving speeches and lectures, and writing books to tell my story, and my family’s story; hell, all our stories of the farthest, of the first colonies of humanity.

  One evening as I arrive my home with my husband Rick, we see that there are some very huge space ships in orbit around our world. The alarm cry goes out electronically, and soon the city streets are filled with gawking citizens. The space ships are enormous, bigger than I can comprehend. We witness smaller ships come from them, and they seem to grow greatly in size as they descend. These tiny ships that came from the big mother ships are hundreds of kilometers in diameter.

  Haley Jane comes up to me and hugs me with much love.

  “I’m leaving you today Momma. I don’t want you to worry about me, okay?”

  “What? Are they taking you away from us?”

  “No, not the Legacy, not them.” She points to the ships in the sky. “I am going away with them.” She points to the pavement of the street in front of our home, and just then a bunch of ‘Soul-Suckers’ rise right out of the ground, or pavement rather.

  Above us nine very large disc shaped ships have joined in a circle right above our abode, glowing with bright multi colored pulses.

  “I don’t like the looks of this.” Rick comes to hug Haley also, after she motions for him. “Where exactly are you going baby?” He asks her.

  “To their other worlds, also part my home now too. Then to all of our worlds.” She smiles.

  Just then a shuttle comes down from above, and lands near us. Out of it comes several Legacy members, of the Chondeauxk type, followed by a bunch of Fleet personnel. I recognize all of them, some I haven’t seen since the Academy, including Angela, Ed, Calli and even Eric. They stop, forming a circle around the red glowing beings. Then Stephanie comes walking right up to us, and I run into her arms. She hugs me back with love.

  “Devon, you must be more brave than you ever thought was possible now. I have been assured that what will transpire is a very good thing.”

  “What? What’s going on? Gosh, you really came all the way out here.”

  “Yeah, what is going on Admiral?” Rick interrupts.

  “True evolution, in its purest form.” She reaches and holds his shoulder, while still hugging me.

  Haley Jane comes up to us. “I have to go now. I love you both. Thank you for being so patient with me, I know it wasn’t easy. It was necessary for me though, I needed as much human and animalistic experience as possible. I will now share that of us with them.”

  “What’s going to happen to you baby?” Suddenly I am clutching Haley in my arms.

  “I have to go now mom.” She hugs me back, and then she pulls away from me and goes to her father. They say a very tearful goodbye as well. Then Haley goes to Devon Haley, and she kneels to kiss her. Some quiet, private words are exchanged. My daughter gets up and there is a very serene look on her pretty face.

  Haley walks into the midst of the red glowing ‘Soul-Suckers,’ and then eight of the red glowing beings shoot into her body all at once. She starts to shine with such a bright blue light that I have to look away. I hear people screaming as they witness this, and I want to run away too, but that is my baby! I strain to see, and then I do see that a bright blue creature is now floating above the ground where Haley Jane just was. It has tentacles that are glowing dangling beneath it, and the top of the creature looks just like my baby daughter’s head… it is her! Oh God! No… what happened? This is this some kind of nightmare!

  Devon Haley walks right up to the creature that used to be my baby girl.

  “Momma, I will. I promise you. We will do it, just like you said.” She reaches into the new being and they seem to share bright blue light with each other, and from one another. Then Devon Haley comes over to me and grabs my hand, just to hold it, and comfort me I think.

  I hear my baby daughter Haley’s voice clearly in my mind; ‘Momma, daddy, I love you, and I always have. That will never change. Bye-bye.’

  The remaining red, glowing ‘Soul-Suckers’ that didn’t merge into my daughter shine very brightly, as does Haley Jane… or whatever she’s become. In the blink of an eye, they are all gone. I hear Rick sobbing, and watch as he drops to his knees. I drop next to him, and we hold each other in tears. Devon Haley rubs our backs.

  “It’s a good thing grandma, and grandpa. Momma will live for a real long time now, and she will have so many children.”

  Just as I am about to ask her about this, I see one of the Legacy members approach. I hear him in my mind, and realize that it is Ambassador TKX.

  ‘Your daughter has become the very first of a new highly advanced race of beings. All of her kind that she will propagate are direct descendants of humanity, and they will honor your kind so. You should be very proud of her.’

  Before I can think of a response he turns to Devon Haley, and they seem to be communicating silently. Devon Haley nods with a smile, and then he walks away.

  Stephanie and Devon Haley bring Rick, and me inside our home, and they tend to us with loving care. I am in shock it feels like. That happened so fast, and now Haley is gone. She’s not dead I know, but she’s not coming back, I could tell she was saying good bye permanently.

  “She’s the very first of a whole new race.” Rick mutters. “I want my little girl back.”

  “Me too.”

  “Don’t cry grandma. Momma will live a real long time now, just like I will someday too.”

  “Not now Devon Haley, it’s too soon.” Stephanie interjects.

  “Oh my god! Are you saying that you will do the same thing someday Devon Haley?” Now I’m really nauseous!

  “I was given some of their soul from momma too, before I was born. Someday after I have kids, I will do just like momma did. All her children will.”

  Stephanie sighs and comes to rub my shoulders. “The Legacy told me all about it too, Devon. I just thought now might be a bit soon.”

  I hear sobbing, and turn to see Rick really breaking down. Devon Haley hugs him, and he embraces her tightly.

  “This is a nightmare!” I also break into a bawling fit.<
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  Stephanie and our granddaughter try to feed us some soup, partially successfully, and soon Rick and I retire to our bedroom, into each other’s arms.

  “Don’t they understand? Haley has become some sort of monster, she’s not human.” I ask him.

  “Maybe not as monstrous as it seems baby.” He hugs me closely.

  “You saw what she became babe; that was not human.”

  “She is in part, and always will be I suspect.” He tries to comfort me.

  “I hope so.”

  “I just hope that her new race will be friendly towards humanity, I mean she did come from us.” He squeezes me even tighter.

  “Yeah, that too. Ditto.”

  Epilogue

  I fall into my dreams with a heavy heart this night that my own daughter has become something not human. In no time I find myself on a pristine beach with pure white sands and emerald waters. I walk along in the cool evening air, but there are two suns that I see setting at the same time on the ocean horizon.

  ‘Where am I?’

  I also look around and see a very close spiral galaxy in the darker part of the sky. It is huge, taking up almost half the horizon, and is tilted so I can see almost the whole whirling mass of it, yet some is still below the horizon. As I look around I see what appears to be a person walking along the distant shore towards me, and I see a hand wave at me over their head. So I start to walk to meet them waving back, as they are heading along the far beach towards me.

  It takes me five minutes or so until I can clearly make out my husband, Rick walking towards me, and we both break into a run.

  “Devon! God I love you woman!” he hugs me with gladness.

  “Holy crap baby, where are we? This feels so real. Is this real?” I embrace him hard.

  “It feels real enough. I can feel the breeze, and smell those smells.”

  “Yeah, me too!”

  In a moment a bright bluish light emanates from the beach just near us. After a second of this I see Haley Jane standing there as she was, smiling at us. I run to her, and we hug with joyful vigor.

  “Mom, Dad. I love you both so much.”

  Rick revels in the warm hug fest. “I miss you so much already baby. I know it hasn’t even been a day yet since you left.”

  “That’s why I’m here now. I will meet you here in this place any time you wish. Just think of me as you sleep, and I’ll be here.”

  “Haley, are you happy?” I have to know.

  “Oh yes mom! It seems like paradise to me, and I’ll live for a very long time.”

  “Good. All I ever wished for you was for you to be happy.”

  “You got your wish mom.”

  “What does all this mean baby?” Rick also has a need to know. “I mean, what is it all about?”

  “Life daddy, it is life, only now I know that means so much beyond what I ever could have dreamed of.” She smiles and hugs him.

  “Haley, can you see the spirit world?” I don’t know why this question comes to mind, but I ask her anyhow.

  “Of course, that’s where we are now momma.” Now it is my turn for a hug from her again, and I relish it.

  “Is it true that the same thing that happened to you will happen to Devon Haley, and all your other children?”

  “Yes, and for their children, and their children’s children. It is the beginning of us, anew.”

  “What of the rest of humanity then? Are we to become extinct?”

  “After you shed your body, if you come back to our bloodline, then you will join us too.”

  “And if we don’t come back?” Rick asks.

  “Then it won’t matter, you’ll be beyond even us.”

  “Who are the ‘Soul-Suckers’ anyhow?” He persists.

  “They are us, now. Before me, they were those who would join with us. They have waited so very long for this, not knowing if it would ever happen.”

  He shakes his head, confused. So am I.

  “Well, like I said; any time you want to see me, just think of me as you sleep. I have to leave now, I’m having a child in little while.”

  “Another grandchild?”

  “Yes, I will bring them with me here next time, for you to meet them if you like.”

  “Them?” He is surprised.

  “I will have many children daddy, and you and momma’s lives will be revered and celebrated in many galaxies, by so many of our descendants.”

  I awake as golden sunlight streams across my face from the east window. A nice stretch makes me feel so good, and I hear Rick take a deep breath and then let out a comfortable sounding sigh.

  “I had the strangest dream last night baby.” I tell him.

  “Me too.”

  “In mine, I was on a strange alien beach, with a galaxy in the sky, and two stars.”

  “With me and Haley Jane?” He sits up now.

  “Oh my god, it was real.” I start to shake. Thank goodness he takes me in his arms, and kisses my head.

  “We didn’t lose her at all then, Devon. We can be with her, and hold her anytime we want, at least while we sleep that is.”

  “So our lives really will be celebrated by millions then.”

  “Billions. Heck, billions upon billions.” He squeezes me gently.

  “That’s nice.” I muse as I have never been so comfortable in my life. I don’t know why, but I ask him, “Hey Rick, baby. What would you think about sharing our bed with Stephanie?” Like I said I don’t know why I ask, other than I still really like sweet oranges too.

  Admiral’s Log: of Fleet Admiral Stephanie Romero (Ret.)

  Star date: 48.230.593 ISEMT

  2063 CE

  Yesterday we all witnessed another of Haley Jane’s children ascend with the Pantherians (Soul-Suckers.) Devon Haley is still with us for a while yet she says, and I am glad for every minute with her. This has been a wonderful eight years since I retired here on Haley’s World.

  It seems my retirement was not destined to be. Though I have thoroughly enjoyed being with the loves of my life here, circumstances have prompted me to enter into another political conflagration. I would like nothing better than to just fade away here, but the recent proposals by some at Fleet Command have made my return into the arena of utmost necessity. The project submitted; to design and create telepathic androids is an extremely dangerous idea. Though I fully supported the genetic modifications to humans to engender telepathy, creating an autonomous race of far superior beings is beyond our wisdom to unleash. I will fight this with all I have, yet still striving to stay here on Haley’s world. I will travel no more personally, as it is too much for my old body, but I don’t mind at all. I will stay here and enjoy my orange, and my apple, as a partner of mine likes to say; yet will fight this insidious idea in every way possible.

  End of Entry.

  Also by the Author:

  * The “Fractured Worlds” saga by Alan VanMeter (A science fiction trilogy.)

  Book 1: Fractured Worlds

  Book 2: Fractured Minds

  Book 3: Fractured Souls

  * The Blue Door and the Dream Realm; by Alan VanMeter (A tale of mystic transformation of a young man as he struggles with love, hate, and dreams that become reality.)

  -All are available on e-book, or paperback.-