Journey to Year 1,000,000,000 Ch. 17

"We don't know what happened to the crews of any of these ships. We do know, however, that after the Devonshire went in, the shockwaves ended. Two months after that, the Black Box disappeared from Earth entirely."

"We can only conclude from that that our boys saved us. They saved us all. And so we are here today, to remember our valiant-"

There was a sudden whine in the atmosphere, the sound of a ship landing at Auburn Field.

Admiral Johann Von Windhoek frowned. He had specifically ordered no ships to land this morning, so as not to disrupt the remembrance ceremony. Whoever it was would receive a severe chewing out.

"-Captain Margaret Astor of the science ship Aurora, and her gallant crew-" A holo of Captain Astor and the Aurora appeared on stage.

The ship was thundering down to the ground now, overwhelming the voice of Admiral Starnes. "Let us pause for a moment," he shouted, as he waited to be heard again. He gave Admiral Von Windhoek an annoyed look. Von Windhoek shrugged helplessly.

He could see it coming down now. A battle cruiser! Impossible. There were only three still in existence, and Von Windhoek was intimately aware of the location of all of them. All of them except... he saw the lettering on the side of the ship. No. It couldn't be.

JUDICATOR.

Von Windhoek's jaw dropped as he watched the ship land. As the thunder turned to silence, Admiral Starnes looked up, clearly impatient with annoyance in his eyes.

"Thank you," said Starnes. "And now, if I may resume?"

Emergency vehicles rushed onto Auburn Field, as would be expected for any unscheduled landing. The ship was only a few hundred feet away. Von Windhoek craned his head. He saw the landing ramp descend...

"Wherever you are, Captain Margaret Astor and your gallant crew, we salute you," said Admiral Starnes. The audience clapped wildly.

Six figures--or was it seven?--descended from the ramp. The new arrivals saw the crowd gathered at the remembrance ceremony, and started walking towards it. One figure came ahead of the rest. At a run.

"Our next tribute is to Captain Robert Andrews of the Judicator," said Admiral Starnes. A holo of Andrews and the Judicator appeared behind him. Some in the audience looked at the holo of the Judicator, and then turned around and looked at the freshly landed battle cruiser behind them. People started whispering in the audience.

Meanwhile, the figure who had ran ahead was getting closer. He was wearing a Survey Service uniform. An officer's uniform?

"To Captain Andrews and the gallant crew of the Judicator, we salute you!" said Admiral Starnes. The audience clapped again, at least the members who weren't looking behind them.

"We are also here to pay tribute to Captain Audrey Spaulding of the deep space cruiser Exeter." A holo appeared of Spaulding, in her trademark bun, as well as a holo of the ship she commanded.

The figure running towards them started to get clarity. Von Windhoek peered at him as best he could.

Could it be? No, it couldn't... could it? Him!

"-bravery beyond the call of duty."

It was him!

Von Windhoek's jaw dropped. He stood up, turning his back to the stage, and stared at the lone figure, who was getting closer now. More and more people were turning around to look as well, not quite sure what was going on.

"And so we pay tribute to Captain Spaulding and the Exeter crew!"

Only about half the audience was paying attention now, but they clapped.

War Admiral Starnes frowned. What was going on behind them? First there was an unscheduled landing, and now a single man was generating so much attention. Who was he? He would find out later, and make sure the man was properly disciplined.

"And last but not least, we come to the gallant crew of the USS Devonshire, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Michael Taylor." A holo of Taylor, and the Devonshire, appeared behind him.

Sara Taylor and her husband Edwin saw more and more audience members standing up and turning around. Pamela Nesbitt and her fiancée Doug were sitting close by.

"What's going on?" Sara wondered. She stood up and turned around. She saw a Survey Service officer in full dress whites coming down the aisle. "Oh my God! Edwin! OH MY GOD!" she screamed. "Edwin, Pam! It's Michael! IT'S MICHAEL!"

Taylor's former girlfriend Pamale Nesbitt, her eyes full of tears, stood up and turned around and looked. Her jaw dropped, and her heart pounded heavily in her chest.

The officer came down the middle aisle. He saw Sara, and then Edwin... and then Pam.

"Michael!" Pam shouted. Their gazes matched, for just a moment, but in that moment, something passed between them. Her eyes were full of shock and need and pain; his were filled with excitement, but also calm reassurance, befitting an officer of the United Survey Service.

And then the officer was moving on, forward towards the stage, and then up the stairs onto it.

War Admiral Starnes eyed the rapidly approaching young man. "Let us pay our respects to Lieutenant Commander Michael Taylor, and his gallant crew..." He broke off. This was clearly too much for him. In an extremely annoyed tone, he said, "Excuse me, young man, but who do you think you are, interrupting these proceedings?"

The officer went up to the broadcast podium. His image was enlarged to the audience, as big as the holo of the commander of the Devonshire behind him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Admiral. But my name is Lieutenant Commander Michael Taylor."

Starnes looked at him with confusion written all over his face.

"Captain, USS Devonshire." He paused. "Look, sir," he said, pointing to the giant holo of his face behind them.

The screams could be heard across Auburn Field from end to end.