by Doug Farren
Scarboro appeared and walked over to him. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“No,” Stricklen replied shaking his head. “Just looking at something I didn’t think I would ever see.” Pointing each out in turn Ken continued, “Chroniech, Kyrra, Human, Omel, Tholtaran, Lamaltan, Rouldian, Shandarian, Lartz, and others I can’t see from here. All talking, eating, drinking, and laughing together in peace.”
“It is indeed an unbelievable sight. You are to be congratulated.”
“No!” Ken spun and faced Doug. “It was not just me. I rendered assistance to a disabled passenger liner – nothing more – nothing less. Captain Zatch had the guts to risk his life to honor me for that. The Chroniech ruling council and the Alliance Grand Council ended the war. We all worked together to make this happen.”
“True,” Scarboro replied. “But it all started with a single act of kindness. The flap of a butterfly’s wing you might say.”
“A butterfly's wing?”
“You should look it up sometime,” a familiar voice from behind him replied.
Ken spun around and saw Elizabeth. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes met hers. She was dressed in a stunning outfit that seemed to show off every curve of her incredibly beautiful body.
“I am part of the negotiating team,” she said. “Weren't you curious to know where I was?”
Stricklen felt as if she had backed him into a corner. He had assumed that the negotiating committee would have left after completing their job of bringing peace to the galaxy. But seeing her here seemed to give him more joy than anything else. “I didn't know the team was here,” was all he could say.
Scarboro suddenly seemed to have business elsewhere and melted into the crowd. Elizabeth looked at Ken and smiled. It wasn't a large smile, just a small one, but it seemed to melt Ken's heart. Ken took a hesitant step forward and was met halfway by Elizabeth. The two embraced each other as if they were two long lost friends.
* * * * *
The treaty was signed and the war was officially over. Ken returned to Earth and published his autobiography. As predicted, it was an instant Galactic best seller. It took many years before the Chroniech and the other member species of the Alliance could comfortably interact with each other but both cultures learned fast.
The Kyrra remained in the area for a few years until they were satisfied that the peace would hold. They had felt partially responsible for the war and were glad to have seen it come to an end. They surprised everyone when they announced they were leaving. They wanted to explore and so the worldship left for parts unknown. They did promise to stay in touch through the mysterious power of the hytrans transceiver.
Several years after the signing of the treaty, Elizabeth Warden became Elizabeth Stricklen. There are those who claim that she used her superb knowledge of Human psychology to influence Ken and manipulated him into settling down with her. Ken, of course, would be the first to disagree. But, in the end, does it really matter? Even if she had used the unique bond they had created during their first meeting on the Komodo Dragon to influence his emotional attachment towards her, did it really matter?
Ken was happy. He was as happy with Elizabeth as he had been with Tash. His retirement pay from the Alliance along with the royalties from his book gave him the financial freedom to do as he pleased. Peace not only permeated the galaxy, but Ken was at peace with himself and enjoying life to the fullest.
It is amazing to think what might have happened had Ken Stricklen not been on the Komodo Dragon when it defied the odds and encountered the damaged passenger liner. What would the outcome have been had he not insisted in showing mercy toward the dying passengers?
The beating of a butterfly’s wing indeed.