Ashton has currently accumulated 8 unspent XP.
Stats are being reset to default to begin the epilogue (2 Momentum, 5 Health/Spirit/Supply).
[Begin a session: Flashback reveals an aspect of another character - see Prelude.]
The Journals of Ashton Frost - Part Twenty
I thought I had died. I think I tried to. If it was what it took to rid the Forge of that son of a gratch Doctor, I would have gladly. And I would again, if I had to.
The first thing I remembered when I came to was how much I hurt. Everywhere. My side felt like it was on fire - not in the usual way. My ribs hurt, my limbs hurt, my head hurt. But my forehead felt cool.
When I opened my eyes, all I could see were those two deep, brown soulful eyes. Pools that I wanted to just dive into and let myself drown. Then those eyes grew wide, she let out a small sob... and she kissed me. Then she stood up and ran from my cabin. I had no idea what had just happened.
* * *
Blake was alone on the bridge when I found him. "Good to see you're up and about, lad," he said. "I was worried we were going to lose you. We're almost to Altair."
Had I been out for three days? I told him what had just happened. He looked at me paternally.
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" he asked me. "The woman loves you. What does she need to do to get you to see that? I've watched her trying to show you for weeks. And I've been trying to give you two the space to work this out."
"I can't believe you've known all this time!" I said, perhaps more angrily than I should have.
Blake kept his cool. "I can't believe you haven't." That caught me off guard.
"Well, then why didn't you just tell me?" I asked.
"Because if I had to tell you," he said solemnly, "then you weren't ready yet."
I was stunned. I had been blind to it all. I remembered all of the times that Blake had stepped away, finding something else to do, somewhere else to be... giving us private time to work things out. Never pushing us together, just letting us find our way to each other. I remembered the dream - and the way I had described it to Blake. Suddenly it all made sense.
* * *
A few hours later, we arrived at Altair. Alexis seemed uncertain, but glad to be home. Juliana came with me to reassure her. We didn't talk about what had happened when I awoke, but I resolved to.
[Milestone: Mark Progress on Vow "Find out what happened to Alexis Keelan" +3 (9)]
We arrived at the Keelan household and rang the door. Sira Keelan answered the door and saw her daughter, and nearly fainted. Sor Keelan came to the door as well, and gripped my hand.
[Fulfill your Vow: 9 vs 6/8. Strong hit. +1 tick to Quests legacy track]
"Thank you, Sor Frost. Thank you and your friends for bringing our daughter back to us. I'm so glad someone found her. We thought she was lost forever."
"I thought I was too, Sor Keelan," I said, "and I'm glad someone found me." He did not understand what I meant, but Juliana gave me a shy smile.
We bid them good day, and walked back to the Acheron hand-in-hand.
* * *
We set out for Amity Station. We still had eleven children aboard. We were sure that Volition would take in and care for those that could not be reunited with their families in Redhaven - it was in Its nature.
Very few moments in my life have ever felt as good as disembarking on Amity Station. The air actually felt fresh and clean - perhaps in part due to the overhauled environmental systems and in part due to spending days with 15 other people in a ship meant for four. We had the bag of alien items we had acquired from Solitude Station. Dr. Florian joined us. We warned him what to expect.
GREETINGS BREAKER. CYPHER. WRAITH. YOU ARE WELCOME IN OUR HOME. WE ARE UNACQUAINTED WITH YOUR COMPANION.
"Volition, this is someone who helped us at great risk to himself," I told the AI. "In fact, he saved my life. I owe him a debt of gratitude and ask that you kindly extend him the same."
IT IS AGREEABLE TO US. IF YOU AND THE CHILDREN ARE INDEBTED TO HIM, WE ARE AS WELL.
"Thank you, Volition," I continued. "This is Dr. Erim Florian. He is a xenobiologist. Though he worked for the Institute, he was misled and held against his will. He did not participate in the abduction of the children, nor the experiments involving them."
IS THIS TRUE, FLORIAN ERIM?
I could see that Florian was very nervous to be speaking with a nearly omniscient being of legend. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "Yes, that is true, mighty Volition. I come to you in the hopes that we can work together to solve the mysteries of these artifacts my friends bring to you."
WE CONFIRM YOUR VERACITY, FLORIAN ERIM. YOUR COMPANIONS TESTIFY ON YOUR BEHALF. YOU WILL NOT BE RECONSTITUTED. WE ACCEPT YOUR PROPOSITION.
[Develop your relationship (Dr. Florian) +2 boxes (2)]
Breaker carried the large satchel containing all of the alien technology we had obtained during our foray. "We bring you a gift, Volition. This bag contains a number of alien artifacts of unknown purpose. Perhaps Dr. Florian can work with you to determine their function."
YOUR GIFT IS WELCOMED BLAKE BRIDGER. OUR EXAMINATION OF THESE ARTIFACTS MAY BE BENEFICIAL TO ALL. IT IS STIMULATING TO BE PROVIDED A CHALLENGE WORTHY OF OUR INTELLECT.
[Develop your relationship (Volition) +2 ticks (6)]
Cypher stepped forth. "We are grateful for the navigational information you left in the Acheron's computer. It allowed us to pursue the ships carrying the abducted children. You may find the navigational data of our journey to be of great interest.
"We also encountered a stellar phenomenon that appeared to be a pulsar, but the signal appeared to be an encoded transmission of considerable size. It is our hope that you are able to interpret it and make use of it."
JULIANA RUIZ, YOU HAVE OUR GRATITUDE AS WELL. IT HAS BEEN TWO CENTURIES SINCE OUR INTELLECT HAS BEEN APPLIED TO ITS FULLEST. FLORIAN ERIM WILL REMAIN WITH US AND WILL BE PROVIDED WITH THE NECESSARY FACILITIES TO ASSIST US.
THE ADOLESCENTS IN NEED OF REFUGE WILL BE PROVIDED WITH THEIR NEEDS AND INTEGRATED INTO OUR SOCIETY. YOU ALL HAVE OUR GRATITUDE. WE BID YOU GOOD FORTUNE AND AWAIT THE SATISFACTION OF FUTURE REUNION.
Dr. Florian waved goodbye to us as we left Volition's sanctum. I didn't know if I would ever fail to be awed by being in Its presence.
* * *
During our visit to Volition, a ground crew had begun resupplying the Acheron and performing maintenance on systems that had been overworked during our recent adventure. A cadre of health workers took in not only the children seeking sanctuary here at Amity, but also those who would be accompanying us to Redhaven. All of them had endured a very traumatic experience and could benefit from the level of care that only Amity's highly educated professionals could provide.
Blake, Juliana and I had a day or two ahead of us before everything would be ready for our departure. We returned to our suite to unwind. We were all too tired to go out anywhere, but too keyed up to sleep. We got washed up and into some fresh clothes, and spent the evening relaxing with a bottle of Florin whiskey, sharing stories of the wondrous things we had witnessed. A wormhole. An alien beacon. An artificial star.
We did not discuss Solitude Station. Nothing needed to be said. The hour grew late and the whiskey bottle was empty. We sat quietly and basked in the warmth of family.
Blake stood up and said "I've really enjoyed this evening. I think we all needed this. But, it's late and the whiskey is starting to go to my head. Goodnight to you both." He patted me on the shoulder in passing.
A few minutes later, Juliana stood as well. "It's late Ashton, I think I'm going to turn in as-"
"Wait," I said, rising from my chair. "There's something I wanted to tell you on Solitude. Something I should have said before I asked you to leave. I guess it just took me a while to come to terms with it. That's the second time I left, not knowing if I'd ever see you again. I don't ever want to make that mistake again. Juliana Ruiz, I lo-"
I didn't get to finish my sentence. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. This time, she didn't run away.
[Forge a Bond: 10 vs 7/7. Strong hit with a Match. Add Role (Tech). +2 ticks to Bonds legacy track. +2 XP (10)]
