A New Beginning

[Capt. Henry Morgan]

Ten Years Ago

For five years now, Gary carried the artifact with him. No matter how much he investigated it, he simply couldn't figure out what it was for. By all appearances, it was just a useless trinket. Strangely, though, he couldn't bear to part with it, and he kept it in his pocket at all times. A couple times, he considered having it analyzed to see what it might be. Each time, though, he suddenly changed his mind before telling anyone about it. The manner in which he changed his mind was strange though. It almost seemed as if the thought did not originate within himself.

At times, Gary thought the pressure of his work might be getting to him, that he might be going crazy. Lately, he had a hard time sleeping. He just couldn't shake the idea that something was watching him. Eventually, though, he managed to get to sleep. His sleep was a fitful one, though, and he didn't get as much rest as he would've liked. Despite this, his dreams were still quite vivid.

Gary found himself floating in deep space. He knew the fact that he wasn't in a ship or a spacesuit of any kind should concern him, but it didn't. Strangely, he didn't feel the slightest chill, nor did he want for air. Floating in space like this seemed like his natural environment. All around him, he heard strange voices whispering in his ear. No matter how closely he listened, he just couldn't understand them, nor could he figure out where they were coming from. Suddenly, Gary felt the need to move, almost like he needed to be somewhere. He didn't know exactly how he accomplished moving in the vacuum of space, but he managed anyway. All it seemed to take was a thought as to which direction he wanted to go, and he speeded off in that direction. It was the greatest sense of freedom Gary had ever felt.

As Gary flew, he realized that he was flying straight towards a planet. It wasn't a place he recognized, but he had the feeling that he was going home. As he got closer to the planet, he began to notice that the indistinct whispers in his ear started to become louder the closer he got to the planet. He still couldn't make out what the voices were saying, and his curiosity drew him in closer still.

He finally arrived at the planet. It looked much like a normal terrestrial planet, though it looked to be frozen over much of it's surface. He didn't see any of the typical signs of Human civilization, but he knew that someone was down there. He could hear them! Gary concentrated on the voices, trying to figure out where they were. They seemed to be coming from the planet's surface. He entered the atmosphere, completely certain in where he was going, despite the fact that he had never been here before.

As he got closer to the planet's surface, he noticed that there was a small hole in the tundra below. He knew that the hole was exactly what he was looking for, and he slowed himself down as he got closer to it. He managed to reduce his speed by a fair bit when he finally reached the hole, and he glided through it. As he looked out before him, what he saw took his breath away.

It was a city, though one completely unlike any he had ever seen in his life. At first, he didn't see anybody around him, but he knew they were there. The voices here were almost clear, though he still couldn't make out exactly what they were saying. The buildings themselves appeared to be both crystalline and organic at the same time, and they glowed blue with their own inner light. Gary's curiosity led him to lower himself to street level and walk around a bit. He knew that this city had not been built by human hands, and he wanted to learn as much as he could.

As he walked, he began to see the city's denizens. They were definately not human. They looked to be composed of both energy and matter, and they glowed with the same blue hue as the city itself. Each one looked a bit different from the others, but there was no doubting that they were the same species. Before he could notice anymore, though, one of the aliens looked straight at him.

***Defiler...intruder!***

Then Gary saw a bright blue-white flash, and then nothing.

Gary awoke with a start. It took him a moment to gather himself, but when he did, he noticed a beeping coming from his comm unit. He answered it.

"Thacker here."

"Captain, we've been trying to contact you for ten minutes, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Though, Gary wasn't sure he was. "Just overslept is all, what did you need?"

"We're almost to our destination. You'll be needed on the bridge shortly"

"I'm on my way, just give me a moment."

"Aye, sir."

With that, Gary heard the connection close. He couldn't shake the feeling that something significant had just happened to him, but he dismissed it as the result of overwork, and pledged to take a vacation as soon as circumstances would allow. A week on Curacao should set him straight.

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