by Ryan Frieda
She then entered the next room which was the dimensional rift. It even looked like the dimensional rift with all the ships that were discovered and their exact location. It even had an exact replica of the organic creature that seemed to be made of nothing but what was found in nature. When you stepped into the room displaying the dimensional rift, it would open up in all directions and you would feel like you were actually there. A young man stood there looking at where the Endeavor was.
“Was the Space Shuttle Endeavor's engines really used?”
“They were. Captain Steele was honored to see them go to such a great use.”
“No one could have even begun to imagine that the apparent end of the Space Shuttle Endeavor was really the beginning of something much much more. It's incredible that it ever became as pivotal to the long standing survival of man as it did.”
“It really was an incredible find brought on by Captain Steele's great ability to never back down, to complete the mission, and his ingenuity. For it to survive from its creation to long after its death as a sign of mankind creativity, ability, greatness, and survival is truly magnificent,” Jamie replied.
“Captain Steele is an incredible inspiration to me. It is because of you two that I am able to keep doing what I do today. Thank you for choosing the impossible no matter what the cost.”
Jamie then went into the next room which was room with all the samples they had collected. All of the other rooms had replica samples on display but this room had the actual samples. Off to the side was a giant lab where experiments were done on the examples. New research was always being collected and compiled and she had complete access to it all. Any new data that came in from anywhere she had access to and many people cross referenced the data she had analyzed and collected during the mission. This was one of the leading labs on all kinds of theoretical sciences. Just beyond the labs was an enclosed room where her AI core was. Jamie was in charge of the entire lab, and those who worked under her leadership loved having her as their boss. They would always marvel at what it would be like to work with her for as long as Captain Steele did. This was one of her favorite rooms.
Jamie traveled to the next room which contained all the logs Captain Steele did on various holoscreens. It even had the most exciting ones already displayed for viewing. While each room had video footage from Captain Steele's DSSM when he was on a specific mission, this room contained them all. It had all his DSSM's on display too, along with Captain Steele's image from when he started the mission until he died. She loved this room because it reminded her so much of Captain Steele. This room also had the news broadcast that went out across the Milky Way saying that they had completed their mission. She watched the footage.
“Even as the Milky Way is set upon the edge of complete destruction, there is still no hope. In an attempt to help prolong the end and survive the end, the governments have decided to collect people to several central points so that distribution of resources would be much simpler. The last shuttle should arrive any minute now,” A news announcer said.
“Wait. Wait! I am getting some breaking news. Incredible! Captain John Steele, the human who left the Milky Way to head to the Overlapping Galaxies close to 160 years ago, has allegedly succeeded in going to another galaxy. He has made it to another galaxy? He has made it! Absolutely incredible! Wait, I believe we are getting brand new images coming in. Yes! These images you are seeing is a ship going through an Instant Teleportation Device. Yes, this footage is live and yes, I do believe that is the shuttle that left the Milky Way over 160 years ago. That is the shuttle! That is the shuttle on the other side of the Device folks! Oh my gosh! Captain Steele has succeeded! Captain Steele has succeeded!”
As much as Jamie loved the rooms before the one she was currently in, the next room was her favorite.
The next room had images of him and her and detailed their journey on their down time when they weren't doing anything but lounging around on the ship. At the end of the room there was a open door leading outside to a small field. Stepping out the door was a marble walkway leading down a slight hill. On each side of the walkway there was green grass with a few trees. At the bottom of this small walkway was the marble casket of Captain John Steele and just beyond that was a small rounded ledge that overlooked a beautiful natural view. 200 feet below this ledge, and 100 feet away from it, there were two waterfalls 400 feet apart and they were 400 feet long that poured down for 1,000 feet. A small natural bridge of reflective marble was between these waterfalls 800 feet below the top of them. At the far end of the waterfalls, away from Captain Steele's casket, was a large city that sat upon a hourglass like shaped hill far above the land below the city. This city was the first city to be founded in the Overlapping Galaxies. People from the city could look up above the waterfalls and see the memorial for Captain John Steele in the distance. Beside his casket on his left side was a statue of Captain John Steele and on the right side one of her with trees just beyond the statues on both sides of his casket. There was a caption that sat at the foot of his casket that said:
“To Captain Steele, the one who braved the dark space between galaxies,
who faced adversity,
who faced the unknown,
who faced perils untold,
who faced certain death,
and who sacrificed himself,
May you forever be remembered as the one who saved a galaxy.”
And next to her statue was the memorial Captain Steele made of her.
She enjoyed coming out here, especially after closing time, and just sitting. It was extremely peaceful and the birds would come and sit in the trees along with squirrels, rabbits, and other small creatures running along the ground. Occasionally there would be a deer or two out there eating the grass. The sound of the waterfalls were oddly quiet for some reason. She didn't care to read up on why. It was just so peaceful. The sun would set behind his casket, and due to the odd wobbling rotation of the planet it would sometimes raise above his casket as well. The planet also had two ring systems around it. One was directly overhead, pointing straight up, and was stationary and didn't move, while the other one moved in different directions due to the planet's odd wobbling rotation around its axis.
Jamie went back into the museum and closed it up. She thanked people for showing up. Even 1,000 years after Captain Steele came to the Overlapping Galaxies people were still so excited to hear his story and she loved to tell it. People loved talking to her and she loved talking to others about both her and Captain Steele.
Jamie loved her life. Not only had Captain Steele given new life to the galaxy but to her as well. She missed her friend, but if she couldn't be with him, then nothing made her happier than to tell everyone about his life.
Jamie was deeply grateful for her life. Every single time she floated through the museum memories of Captain Steele and her would fill her mind. She loved being there after hours when no one else was there because it reminded her of when she was alone on the ship with him. She loved recalling everything and she considered it a great honor to do what she was doing. Captain Steele always took care of his team and he also made sure to take care of her long after he was gone. Jamie would often go to the actual ship that they traveled in after the museum closed and just spend time in there. She loved Captain Steele for who he was, everything he had done for her, and the journey they had taken together.
Jamie floated out to Captain Steele's casket and sat down in front of it just as the sun started to set. The sun hit the ring that was tilting at a 35 degree angle just above the horizon. The sun hit the ring at just the right point and it looked like the entire ring peacefully caught fire. It lit up in a dark red where the sun was then slowly reached outward and changed to an orange then yellow in each direction. When the sun hit the ring an aurora of violet to green came from the ring until it filled the sky and split directions so that it stayed on both the left and right side of the ring until the sun set below the city that was off in the distance.
Jamie loved every single day of her life. She never got tired of what she did and she never grew tired of the view and was extremely grateful for her life and for her friendship with Captain John Steele.