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The Eternal Lonely Day

by Starscribe

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: The Day After (292 AE)

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The disused mine up on the back hill proved to have been barricaded to prevent further escapes. An hour or so and a crowbar later, and they could use the lift to start bringing trapped miners back up. Just in time too: the rain had flooded the mine, and the water level had continued to rise. The storm seemed to have lost interest in the complex once the battle was complete, but even so most of the Refugees emerged wet as well as hungry.

Alex made sure she was out of sight as this happened, hoping the miners would give their credit to the liberating army of Radio Springs. She never could’ve liberated the camp on her own. These ponies needed to develop a relationship with the local powers if they were going to take over operation of the mine.

Hiding in anonymity was not something she could hope to succeed at long-term, not after the way she had confronted Sloan. Word was ponies could hear his screams all the way from Springs. She waited out of sight as a slow stream of Refugees began to emerge from the mine, shivering with fear and hunger. Pegasus eyes served her well to watch from a distance now that her armor had been totally destroyed. Yet she did not see them, not until the very last load.

Former Shift-Captain Miles led the final group from the mine, carrying a sick-looking foal on his back. It wasn’t raining hard anymore, only an occasional sprinkle, and the air was thick with damp. The wind had also faded, nothing more now than a desert breeze. It would’ve been a beautiful night, if Archive didn’t know too well how many ponies had died here. Radio Springs had fought well, but there had been casualties. On Frontier’s side, there had been still more. She felt guilty about some of those; how many really understood the evil they had been a part of? Were all of them as callous as the mercenaries who locked mares and foals under the earth to starve?

Alex stole a coat from a hook in the bunkhouse, slipping it over herself and pulling down the hood so that ponies would not see her face.

Miles recognized her despite the hood, and he stopped as she approached. Most of the other ponies around him kept moving, shepherded along as they were by troops from Springs. There were only two exceptions, who also slowed to watch. Archive removed her hood, then looked up into his eyes. “My word is honored, Miles. You’re free.”

The unicorn hesitated, seeming not to know how to form words. “Is it true? People said–”

“Yeah.” She smiled sheepishly. “Probably is. There was a little justice to be done here. You’ll, uh... have to build a new mining office. I might’ve messed up the old one a little.” There was no trace of the old office, except for a few boards and scattered bits of glass on the ground where it had been. The old safe house and foundation was entirely saturated with water, and didn’t look like it was going to drain anytime soon.

“If I’d known what you were, I wouldn’t have been so hard on you when we had a mining shift.” He looked down. “Will you be tearing up any more buildings?”

She shook her head. “Not here.” She advanced, lowering her voice. “There are still some hard questions to ask, Miles. Lots of ponies here still need a future. They’re still good miners. If the mine was run differently... higher paychecks, more safety equipment... it wouldn’t be that bad a life.”

“Maybe not.” He glanced once over his shoulder, at the foal resting on his back. She looked to be asleep, and she didn’t open her eyes. “But we’d need a new owner. I’m not sure who anyone could trust to run it the right way.”

“You.” She touched him lightly on the shoulder. It hurt a little that he recoiled, though not far. Clearly he didn’t want her to notice. “You were the only member of the senior staff who sided with your fellow miners during unionization. Lots of the others felt the way you did, lots of them were unhappy with the way things around here were run. Everybody knows it. I’m sure if you were in charge, you’d run a different mine than Sloan did.”

“I... suppose so.” He started walking again. “If they’ll have me. I think I’d prefer more of an elected position than an owner this time. Ask me about it tomorrow.”

Alex walked past the place he had been, towards where Ezri was waiting for her. Without any more delay, she rushed forward and took the drone up into a hug, squeezing her tightly against her chest. “Good to see you again, squirt.” It wasn’t quite as nice as seeing her for the first time after being killed, but it was close.

To her shock, the little drone shifted in her arms. She had her eyes closed at the time, but it didn’t matter. She could feel the magic, a faint shiver that passed through the body of the other and left all that it touched changed. She had seen such magic several times before; changing from an earth pony did not make it harder to sense. Of course, she wasn’t a unicorn, but even a pegasus could sense magic when they touched it.

By the time she opened her eyes, the little drone had become a little pegasus. Her coat was green too, though lighter and more pastel than Alex’s own. Her mane was electric blue, not unlike her accents had been as a drone. She was crying. “M-Mom, I don’t like it when you do stuff like this. You get hurt when you fight! What if you didn’t come back?”

She didn’t remark on the drone’s newfound ability, not right away. “Shh. It’s okay, Ezri. I won’t have to fight again for a long, long time. We’re safe.” She held her to her chest, sheltering her from the wind on pure instinct. “Mom can’t die, remember? Even if I’d been hurt, I would’ve come back. And Jackie would have taken care of you until that happened!”

She waited until Ezri was done to break away, letting the drone stay where she was as long as she needed. It wasn’t as though the moisture or the wind bothered either of them. Eventually she started to squirm. Alex wiped the tears away from her eyes, then straightened. “That’s an impressive disguise, Ezri. You make a very convincing pegasus.”

“I learned while you were gone.” She grinned, almost glowing from the praise. She didn’t look nearly so hungry anymore. “I haven’t figured out how to make my wings go away yet, but I’ll get it!”

“Not for awhile.” She nudged the child, pulling her protectively beside her. “We’ll get to learn to fly together now! I dunno about you, but I’m excited. But... don’t feel like you have to pretend. You’re my Ezri no matter what you look like.”

“I like to pretend.” She flicked her wing to one side, almost a shrug.

“Alright.” Alex mussed her new mane, tugging it to one side. “But it means I can do this!” She started to tickle.

The changeling giggled, and after a few seconds her disguise faded in a flash of blue magic. She pouted. “No fair.”

“No fair at all.” She picked up the drone by the scruff, settling her onto her own back, not all that unlike what Miles had done. Alex wasn’t nearly so big or Ezri so small, but she still fit well enough. She stopped squirming.

Jackie had been waiting politely this whole time. Now she finally spoke. “From the sound of it, there was a helluva fight up here.”

“Yeah.” Archive sighed, her joy fading. “Justice isn’t done yet. Most of the ponies in charge surrendered. They’ll have trials in Radio Springs. Probably go to prison...” She shrugged, careful to keep her movement small enough the drone on her back wouldn’t be dislodged by it. “The fighting was just the crazy part at the front.”

Jackie chuckled, though her laughing quickly broke into a hacking cough. After several seconds, she spat a disgusting mass of black slime to the ground at their hooves. Her breathing came a little ragged for a few seconds after, and Alex didn’t rush her. Eventually she said, “You could’ve got us out to help.” She stretched her wings, and as she did they made little popping sounds, like a human cracking their knuckles. “I would’ve happily punched that bastard Sloan for you.”

It was Alex’s turn to smile. “There would’ve been a long line, I’m sure. We had things taken care of, don’t worry. The ponies who fought today were all trained for it. You’re a miner, and you haven’t even been a pony for a year. Give it time before getting into fights. Besides, you did great work where you were.” She glanced back at the pony on her back, if only for an instant. “You’re right about how bigoted and unkind ponies can be around ponies who come back as rarer species. Thank you for taking care of my daughter.”

The thestral shrugged, though she did smile a little. She clearly didn’t want Alex to see how the remark affected her. “Of course I took care of her. I said I would–” She stopped. “Wait, daughter?” Her eyes widened, as though she’d only just then decided to consider the implications of the last few minutes. “That wasn’t another layer to the act? How does that even work? Unless...” She lowered her voice. “Have you been a changeling this whole time?”

“Nothing like that!” She had to suppress her giggles. It felt good. “Ezri’s adopted. I only had one foal...” she trailed off, deflating. “He’s been dead almost fifty years now.”

It was Jackie’s turn to hug her. Granted, the gesture wasn’t nearly so tight or motherly as hers had been for her daughter; only a parent could understand that kind of love. That didn’t mean it didn’t feel good to have a friend, though. “I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories. I was just wondering if you hadn’t told me something.”

“Not bad memories.” She sniffed. “He was a good kid. Had a nice, long life.” She shook her head, trying to clear the pain away. It didn’t work. “Anyway, you’re probably hungry, both of you. Why don’t we get you inside? I happen to know the soldiers have already raided the commissary stores and are fixing up a feast. After that, a warm bed and as much sleep as you want.” She turned slowly, and started walking back towards the buildings.

Jackie followed. “That sounds wonderful.” She slowed after only a few paces, dragging her hooves. “Shit, what are any of us gonna do now? If the mine’s gone...”

“Oh, the mine’s not gone!” She touched herself to the mare’s side briefly, not caring that it smudged ash and dirt all down her fur in the process. “I’ve already talked to the ponies from Radio Springs. They’re gonna do everything it takes to get the place running again. And when it does, there will be a new pony in charge. No more debts to the company store, no more locking ponies in the camp, no more slavery. And if ponies want to go off to do something else, well... they’ll be able to. This whole situation is an embarrassment. From what I hear, the mayor’s already committed to get anypony who wants to situated with a new career.”

Jackie was silent as she walked, at least for a few minutes. Eventually she muttered, “I’m not really sure what I’d do.”

Alex stopped walking, lowering her voice to a bare whisper. “You wanna come with me?”

The thestral met her eyes, raising her eyebrows. “To where?”

She hesitated; whatever else might be true of the HPI, they were very particular about their secrets. She couldn’t say too much and risk it be repeated. Of course, there would also be several airships full of medical ponies landing here soon. She could probably get away with more than she could’ve said elsewhere. “Somewhere that isn’t in the past. Somewhere you won’t have to do another day of physical labor in your life, if you don’t want to.”

“That sounds nice.”

* * *

Alex slept until early the next morning, though she did not stay in her old bunkhouse with her friends. Ezri practically had to be pried away from her, but she had insisted. There was one more duty ahead of Archive, and she couldn’t risk that she might miss it by sleeping inside. It was early morning when one of the miners on the cleanup crew found her sleeping in the booth and woke her. She ignored their offer of aid, instead slipping quietly off to catch breakfast and a shower.

Feathers and wings were indeed in bad shape from being so misused, and she came out of the shower with a limp, bedraggled look. Yet even so, she took advantage of this first time to see herself in a mirror without the dirt of a mine or the decay of a recent death. She was indeed taller as a pegasus, and a little older-looking too. Relative ages were difficult to judge as a pony, but she could’ve sworn she looked closer to eighteen than sixteen. An unintentional boon from Discord, perhaps? Or just a trick of longer legs and a bird’s build?

She didn’t stick around to investigate. Once she didn’t feel her presence would disgust anyone who met her, Alex put on a hat and nothing else (she was sick of the stupid clothing taboo) and went to the train depot to see off the troops from Radio Springs. Along with the soldiers were a dozen prisoners clasped in irons, and half again as many wounded on both sides. Archive had been in part responsible for the pain these ponies felt, she would take the time to look into each face and see their suffering firsthand. She could give them that much.

Some of the troops were sticking around, to help keep the mine running. Some financial people would be there the next day to see what was missing and take accounts, but all that was beneath Alex’s notice. She heard happy voices as she walked the complex, friends and relatives reuniting after so many of the miners had been “killed” in a “cave-in.” She took little satisfaction in the sound, even though perhaps she should have. These ponies had been her people, and they had been suffering for God knew how long before she had been able to help.

How many more Refugees were being similarly mistreated the world over? What could a finite, certainly not divine being like herself do about it? The growing glow of sunrise held no answer for her. So she sat under the awning of the train station, resting her head on a pillar and watching as troops loaded back into the train. Watched and waited, hoping that maybe in the quiet of morning she would come up with a satisfactory answer.

She didn’t.

A rhythmic stomping heralded White’s approach long before Alex could see her. Quite a few of her scales were missing and several bullet holes creased her wings. Her voice was a little gruffer than it had been the day before, too. “Are you hurt?”

“I don’t think so. Guess getting struck by lightning isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a pegasus.” Once she had scraped all the burned fabric and dead feathers away, she had actually looked healthier for the experience.

The dragon’s expression grew harsh for a moment. “I’m told you instructed my second not to send doctors with the relief train tomorrow. I’m sure you have a very good reason.” Her teeth flashed in the early morning light, though they emerged from only a slight crack in the dragon’s lips.

“I’ve already got medical ponies coming. For what I’m paying, I figure they sure as hell better earn their keep. Use whatever coin you would’ve paid them to keep the mine afloat during the transition, maybe.”

“You better not have ordered Alexandrian doctors. We can take care of our own.”

She shook her head. “Most ponies in Alexandria don’t even know my name. The ones who do–” She remembered the soldier who had tried to stop her on her way out. It felt like years, though she knew it wasn’t even quite one. “–don’t believe I exist. I got the only doctors with a chance of curing the chronic injuries, not just the bumps and scrapes of some rough treatment. The Initiative is sending its humanitarian legion. If they get here on time, they’ll be here before tomorrow morning.”

“Really?” She laughed. “I didn’t think they scurried out out of their burrows any more. If you have them by the balls, I say twist.” After a few seconds, her expression became more somber. “This shouldn’t have happened. We need to implement a vetting process for businesses like this.” She propped her empty weapon against the wall and sat against it, her head now level with Alex’s. “I wouldn’t have been informed of this if you didn’t take it so personally. What are these people to you?”

Archive took a deep breath, then sighed. “My sons and daughters.” She stared out at the empty tracks. “Maybe that’s just Equestrian magic talking, and not really me. When the Princesses transformed me into...” she glanced down at her cutie mark. “I didn’t understand what they were doing. They asked if I was willing to give up everything to protect humanity, I told them yes. Then–” She winced, trying to banish the memory. Archive had died many times since she had returned from Equestria. Even so, she suspected her transformation had killed her more. It might take centuries before her dangerous lifestyle finally brought her number of deaths in line with the ones she had suffered in Equestria.

White listened intently, and looked to be mulling the words over. “Ever since the last of us died I’ve had a... hard time caring. It was my job to care and I couldn’t. I’ve been letting everyone under my care down. How do you cope?”

“I’m not sure if there’s an easy way." She rose to her hooves, wings twitching as she did so. “I just... try not to get bothered by all the people I can’t help. Figure that if I make a difference for even one, then my life was worth something.” In the back of her mind, she saw again the hundreds who had died before she had discovered the camp. Their human faces did not seem so accusatory now, though. If anything, they seemed peaceful. Archive’s magic demanded no more vengeance.

“Look at you, all fit with purpose.” White chuckled, a small black cloud snorting out of her nose. “You’re not bad, Alex. I’m not sure if the bat judged you too harsh or if you’ve just gotten wise, but you’re different than I expected.” The dragon sighed, looking as tired as ever. “And if we’re both going to be around for a while, you can visit again. I hope by then I’ve gotten over all of... this. Maybe I’ll take a nap for a few dozen years. If I can trust this place not to catch fire without me.”

Alex shrugged. “I’m sure I will. I’m... well, I’ll probably be busy for the next few years. Got a little changeling to raise, after all.” She turned, back towards the mine, glancing back over her shoulder. “Figure if I go back now they’ll forget I was involved. I need to find my daughter. She’s probably hungry.” With that, she started walking. Not very fast, but fast enough that she could feel the breeze in her feathers. It was good.

* * *

“I don’t understand why we had to wait outside in the cold.” Even sheltered under one of Alex’s wings, little Ezri shivered against the breeze. Hot it might be during the day, but at night she always wore a jacket. On her other side sat Jackie, occasionally descending into hacking coughs that trailed bloody mucus on the ground.

Since the mine had stopped running, Jackie didn’t bother with the full jumpsuit anymore. Alex had to request she dress for the night. “I’m sure your mom has a good reason, bug. Maybe she predicted a meteor shower and she wanted us to come outside and watch.”

“Not for...” it didn’t take her long. “We’re in the wrong hemisphere to see anything interesting like that.” Alex grinned, glancing once down at the gauntlet on her left hoof. The backup was actually several decades old. Its touchscreen no longer worked, and it barely held a charge. Still, it was enough to get her back to the HPI. They could get her another when they arrived. “Watch the sky there, about thirty degrees east of the moon. Don’t blink, or you might not see it.”

“See what?” Jackie stood up, squinting off in the indicated direction. “Is there some kind of thestral migration happening tonight? They would happen at night!”

“I guess they would, yeah.” Alex shook her head. “It’s our ride.” She could see it then, almost as she said so. A faint black shape on the horizon, moving rapidly. The craft emitted only a faint blue glow, shimmering at the edge of the visible range. It moved through the air more like a pegasus than an airplane, only tacitly recognizing the principles of gravity or aerodynamics.

The gauntlet around her left leg spoke suddenly, and not in Athena’s simulated voice. “Memoria Nobilis.” There was nothing at all of strange accents or lingual drift in the voice. Instead the speaker sounded exaggerated, like they had learned English watching the BBC.

Archive lifted the gauntlet closer to her mouth. “Mirabile Dictu.” This time, it was she on the receiving end of HPI’s quasi-religious ritual. “Captain Virgil, is that your voice? I didn’t think you were still doing fieldwork. I thought you were close to retirement.”

The voice on the radio laughed. “We don’t age that much faster than you, Noble Memory. There’s no way retirement will be anything like as interesting as going out into the field.” Pause. “This is Slipstream Omega-97, ready for extraction.” Motion blurred above them in the air, though there was no sound. No jets roared, no rockets glowed. There was simply a ship in the air above them that hadn’t been there before. “Are you ready to go?”

Her daughter spoke before she could answer. “Who is that?”

Alex ignored Ezri’s question, at least for the moment. “We’re ready, Omega-97.”

The radio channel went dead.

“Oh, I should probably warn you guys. These ponies aren't anything like–” Alex was cut off by a blast of light from above them, a half-dozen searing spotlights blasting down from the ship towards the ground all around them. She heard Jackie whimper from beside her, covering her eyes with one leg. “Sorry... probably should’ve warned you. Most pilots like to be dramatic. They can see the ground just fine without visible light, but it doesn’t come off like an alien abduction if they do. They probably wouldn’t have done it if I was alone.”

Seen in the light, the craft was perhaps the size of a very large helicopter. Its outline was cut into sharp radar-defying angles, seemingly without regard to the consequences on its aerodynamics. It had two stubby wings, far too small to lift it. Of course, the most remarkable thing about it was that it had no visible means of locomotion. No propellers twisted above it, or engines glowed from behind it. The whole craft was black, a uniform material and color not easy to identify as metal, plastic, or fabric.

The craft was silent in the air as it descended, a tripod of legs extending to anchor it securely on the ground in front of them. As soon as it touched down, the spotlights went out, and Alex was nearly blinded by the contrast.

The opaque right side of the ship, unmarked save for the letters “HPI”, opened almost like something alive, contracting to form a circular hole tall enough to admit an adult. Light spilled out from within, an even-spectrum orange as bright and warm as sunlight. It even had a ramp, lowering with appropriately dramatic mechanical sounds to touch down on the dirt.

A human stood at the top of the ramp. She wore a tight black uniform, with white and yellow trim and lots of metal. The rounded object she wore on her side bore little resemblance to a gun, though Alex recognized it at once.

The pair of soldiers past her stood at attention just inside the craft, similarly dressed though without so many little bits on their uniforms. “Memoria Nobilis!” The woman repeated, the same voice as the one from the radio. “I did not expect the honor of serving beside you so soon.”

Alex didn’t exchange the greeting a second time. She made her way towards the edge of the craft, separating it from her friends. “Captain Virgil.” She returned the salute, in crisp military fashion. It looked silly from a pony. “Before anybody steps onto that carrier, I want to hear the terms of our agreement again.” She stood perhaps a foot away from the opening. She held herself with as much poise as she had while facing the dragon. In their own way, these people were just as dangerous.

“Sure.” The woman took a breath, relaxing from her stiff posture. The soldiers behind her, standing just within the interior of the Slipstream, did not relax, but held their weapons ready. If bits of curved plastic and coiled wire could even be called weapons. “One full century of enlistment, with service requirements comparable to other posthuman equines. Your service would be conducted primarily at the Bingham Canyon settlement site, with an open option for field assignments as needed.”

She heard a faint whimper from little Ezri. She tried not to feel the pain in it. “Bingham Canyon.” Alex repeated the name, searching her memory. She couldn’t think of any pre-Event military installations by that name. “New city?”

“When it’s finished. If the engineers are right, it should take our maximum population into the tens of thousands. It’s about time we defrost those pre-Event embryos.”

“I hope I can help somehow, that sounds like a noble goal.” Alex resisted the temptation to ask about the science behind keeping fertilized human embryos stable that long. While she was sure it was fascinating, she could sense Jackie’s boiling emotions from behind her and she wasn’t even a changeling. She had to get on with this. “In exchange for my service, what will your organization provide?”

“Immediate promotion to G-3, with the associated benefits. The relief legion is only two hours behind us. When they arrive, they will provide treatment and full rehabilitation for approximately two hundred equines suffering from deprivation and various stages of pneumoconiosis. Lastly, non-native citizenship approval for two Refugees of your choosing.” She nodded slightly towards her friends. “I can see you’ve brought them with you. Have I forgotten anything?”

Alex shook her head. “Nothing.” She slipped the saddlebags off her back, tossing them onto the ground. “We’ll need a drone to carry these to... Bingham Canyon. I’ll want them in my quarters.”

The woman leaned forward a little, towards the opening. She did not pass through it, though. At first she seemed perplexed, but that expression turned quickly to fear when she got a glimpse of the object sitting there. “Shit! Er, I mean... of course, Noble Memory. But I’d be happier if there were at least a hundred meters between that thing and my ship.” She lifted up her sleeve to glance at something on her arm, then relaxed. “Maybe less stress-tests for our equipment? We’ve still got to fly all the way to the canyon.”

“Sure.” Alex flipped the saddlebags back up onto her back. “Watch me, so you know where to send the probe. I’ll be upset if they don’t make it.”

Alex started walking, past her friend and Ezri. “Come on,” she whispered. Ezri hopped up and followed, and Jackie wasn’t far behind. Both waited until they were out of earshot to speak.

Jackie was first. “Kristy, Alex, whatever. I thought– I thought humans were extinct!” Her wings flared behind her as she spoke, with an anger she couldn’t quite contain. “How the fuck are there humans on that UFO?”

“They’re called the Human Preservation Initiative. I’m not surprised you never heard of them. Most people don’t talk about them much these days, now that they’re not involved with daily life.”

Jackie glared. She didn’t need to speak for Alex to get her meaning.

She continued: “They’re a very small group that were aware of the Event before it happened. They tried and failed to develop a way to protect the whole planet, so they just protected themselves. They’re more advanced than we used to be. Probably not as advanced as humans would be by now if we hadn’t all been turned into ponies, but...”

“Doesn’t matter. Jackie, you’re sick. All that coughing you do, it’s not going to go away. Probably it will shorten your life by a hundred years, and that’s if you stop mining. You’re not the only one. Almost everybody’s got it pretty bad. A wet bandanna over the face was never adequate safety equipment. I’ve negotiated to get you treatment, you and everybody else. The HPI can cure things that no pony can. Hell, pretty sure they could just grow you some new lungs if they can’t fix the ones you’ve got.”

She didn’t look satisfied, but Jackie did relax slightly. “And what did she mean by ‘citizenship approval’? She seemed to think that was your sister and me.”

“Yeah, well. I told you there was somewhere you could live that wouldn’t make you live in the past. The HPI have a city– well more than one city now. Cities with every technology you ever knew and more. Cities where you can do something that matters more than just mining coal. Where you can have a future.”

Alex turned, looking down to Ezri. “You’ll come with me, won’t you?”

The drone embraced her. “Course! I’m not happy about some of the things the... h-human said. But if you’re going, I’ll come. Are we going to be setting people free again?”

Alex patted the drone gently on her head. “You’re getting too smart for your own good. They’re not keeping slaves like what the Frontier Mining Company did. I’m helping voluntarily. It’s... a worthwhile transaction.” She turned, glancing back at the mining camp. Numerous voices echoed from inside, the echoes of the ponies she had saved. They would have to make do without her. Miles could handle himself. He had won the election today almost unanimously. The only other votes had been cast for Alex herself, and she had already told them she wasn’t staying.

Jackie was unconvinced. “They care enough about having one more person helping them that they’d treat hundreds of sick miners for it? Or are we going to be ‘serving’ too?”

Alex shook her head. “If you come, you’ll be free citizens like anyone else. You’ll probably want a job, but you won’t be forced to work if you don’t want to.” She shrugged. “You’ll have to ask them why they care about having me so much.” Archive had no desire to put words in the HPI’s mouth. Though it did seem like she was going to be more of an engineer than a soldier this time. If that were true, she was thrilled.

“Look, we can’t keep them waiting.” She turned back towards the ship. “If you come with, you might not ever see your friends here in Motherlode again. I can’t promise you will.”

The thestral followed, but her steps came halting and she never actually caught up. “What do you think I should do?”

“You’ll get treatment either way. As Virgil said, there are doctors coming. Being healed isn’t conditional on coming with me. Even so... I think you should come with us. You’ll have a higher quality of life than almost anyone else in the world these days. It’s not gonna be all roses and glitter, but you won’t regret it.” Alex wished she could offer a seat on that carrier to everyone in camp. Hell, she wished her race hadn’t fallen so far that much of what they had once discovered was now lost.

Unfortunately, wishes alone could not make the world better.

Jackie turned, staring back at Motherlode. Alex waited for her, though she was conscious of the HPI’s eyes on them and she knew they wouldn’t be happy. Eventually her friend sighed, then turned towards the Slipstream. “Alright Alex. Let’s see what this ‘Initiative’ of yours is like.”

In the chill of a Colorado night, an HPI Slipstream carrier’s doors slid shut. Without a sound it began to hover, metal legs retracting again into its sleek body. It lifted upward, then shot violently off into the night.

Next Chapter: Epilogue 1: Day of Peace (293 AE) Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 3 Minutes
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