𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐑 ➪ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐤²

|| 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦 ||

Hi readers! AN is up here again because this chapter is quite a long one - I'm really sorry in advance if it drags or gets boring at any point! It has taken me ages to write so I hope you enjoy it! Lots of love and I will hopefully have the next one ready for you soon! :)

I take it you've never come across the Guardian of Forever on your travels?

That question sparked an understandable wave of confusion throughout the room and moments later, Luna was sat by the fire telling them everything. Well...almost everything. She started with the planet. The objects floating in the air. The ruins of a city lost to the ages. The Arch. Then, it came to explaining Kinrih.

She recalled as much as she could from the fleeting time she spent with the Guardian of Forever, including their trip to the past. Except, she left out the part with Amalbi and the bracelet. Luna still needed to make sense of that on her own. Regan's deal also lingered at the back of her mind but she was nowhere near ready to bring that up.

"So, time travel is real," Walter marvelled, his lips parted in disbelief. "I mean, I know black holes can theoretically create tunnels through spacetime but it's impossible to determine where, or rather when, you'd end up. I guess the Slingshot Effect could be more reliable though."

"The Slingshot Effect?" Hendorff echoed.

Hikaru leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's never been tested but some engineers have theorised that travelling at a high warp factor towards something with a huge gravitational attraction and pulling away at the right moment, could slingshot you through time. Hence the name."

McCoy scoffed and grimaced. "That's more reliable?"

"It does sound dodgy," Walter admitted with a cringe. "But as long as you get your calculations right, you should end up when you want to be."

"Or you get deep-fried," the doctor added. He nodded in Luna's direction. "Miraculously, what you did sounds a hell of a lot safer."

The brunette curled her lip. "If you have a guide. Regan seemed to know the Guardian of Forever quite well even though he's never been through."

"I thought Jared discovered this planet first?" Kirk said.

The young Captain had been strangely quiet up until that point. His voice was grave and Luna could tell he was thinking the same as she had earlier. "He did, but Kinrih said they don't let anyone with bad intentions through."

"Kinrih?" Walter parroted. "You're telling me you're on first-name basis with Timecop? Think you could hook me up with some vintage Lego sets?"

Luna laughed and patted her friend's knee. "I'll see what I can do."

"You didn't go home then? To Sanguine?"

That question caught her completely off guard. Not only because of the mention of her home planet but because of who asked it. Selwood had barely looked at her since she returned, never mind spoken.

"No," Luna said, turning to face him. "No, I didn't. Regan gave me the option but..." She sighed and shook her head. "To see that planet again, all those people unaware of what was to come..." The rest of her words trailed into nothing as she gripped her forearm tightly.

"What happened?"

Carol's voice was the next to surprise her. The young doctor was leaning forward, elbows propped on her knees, and her eyes aglow with a soft curiosity. A single moment of silence passed and she started to backtrack.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"What have I said about apologising for no reason," Luna was quick to say. She sent Carol an assuring smile and cleared her throat. "There was a war. A really, really bad one. Back then, Sanguine was split up into five factions across the planet. Valimaar, Erisnaar, Oritivva, Canterra, and Alviiros, where Samsa and I lived. They were united by a council made from the leading Houses of each faction. There were always tensions but the one that kickstarted the conflict was about Forbidden Children."