26 August 2044
Kyle was lying on his bunk on board the Enterprise holding the communicator A'nacal gave him above his face when Cindy came back in the room. He was staring at the little silver disc that would allow him to communicate across the galaxy at a touch.
"How are Mom and Dad?" he asked without moving.
"They are great! Bill was late, as usual, so I didn't get to speak with him, but I will see him this weekend when we get back." She sat on the bed next to Kyle's and sighed.
"What's wrong, sis?" he asked as he sat up and looked at her.
"So many things have changed, Kyle, and I don't know where I fit in. When I was captured, I was an astronaut, one of a couple of dozen in space at any given moment. Now there are thousands of people in space all the time. I had an understanding of advanced engineering theories back then, and now I am like a child full of wonder every time I see something new. You don't even blink an eye at any of it," Cindy said as she fell back across the narrow mattress.
Kyle patted his sister's leg as he stood up. "Don't worry about it. In three months, I'll be asking you about everything again."
"Maybe. Probably," she said as she sat back up. "How did General Kitch take it?"
"Pretty good. She'll be fine without me, there are plenty of good officers for her to choose from to replace me. McKendree would be my recommendation."
"I can't believe you resigned your commission, Kyle. Isn't that going to be weird for you?"
Kyle nodded. He had been a marine for twenty nine years since he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. It was the only life he had known, and to say it would be weird was just scratching the surface.
"I'll get to spend time with Sara, and Mom and Dad could use my help around the house. Plus, I can travel and see you in Florida and Bill in New York whenever I want a change of scenery." He held up the small silver disc. "Besides, I've already landed another job."
The door to their room opened and Alex walked in. "Hey, just heard why you were in there with General Kitch. Is it true, sir?"
Kyle nodded. "Yep. Better start getting used to calling me Kyle."
Alex shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that. What about the other part? Are you really going to be Earth's rep?"
"As long as the Earth Council approves."
"You are the most famous human in the galaxy and even India will be glad to let you have this job. I bet it's going to be a ton of reading and a bunch of boring meetings. Glad that you will be there, though," Alex said.
"Thanks... I think," Kyle said. "What do you know about the dinner NASA is going to throw?"
"Yeah, I was going to tell you about that. They are setting up the exhibit at Kennedy for us. They are going to have busts put up of Donovan, Nestor, Greene and Jennings. They rest of us are going to have have our photos put up. The plan is that when each of us die, they will replace the photo with a bust. Maybe we should have a Tontine."
"What would we put up?"
"A bottle of Cognac from 2042?"
"That might work, see what the others think," said Kyle. "We need to have Lon included in the memorial. Maybe Firtulm and Giric as well."
Alex nodded. "That's something we could talk to NASA about. If we have an exhibit for Earth's first contact, we should have the aliens that were there as part of it."
"Do you know what they are going to do with the Fletcher?"
"As far as I know it's going to be kept in service until we can design our own short transports. After that, maybe they will put it as part of the exhibit at Kennedy."
Kyle walked over to the display console in the room and looked up the itinerary for launch. He had nothing to do with it, but it was a habit after so many years of command. "How are you doing, Alex? Are you going to take some time off when you get back?"
Alex shrugged uncomfortably. "Williams is going to put in for retirement when he gets back and K-man is looking forward to having his own command. I don't know what I will do."
"Command?" Kyle turned quickly. "How is he getting a command?"
"General Davies gave him a commission last night after he read the reports from Salazar. K-Man is now Lieutenant Colonel Kiskaliski, or will be once he has Senate confirmation."
"Definitely the right time to get out," muttered Kyle. "But back to my original question, what about you?"
"I don't know. I have a couple of weeks of leave coming, so I might head up to an old cabin in Montana that my Dad owned. Guess I own it now. Fishing always relaxes me. I still have three years until I can retire, so I guess I can serve out the rest of the time quietly, unless you plan on starting any wars in the near future."
"No more wars, Alex. No more wars."
The door to the room opened again and Williams stuck his head in. "Sir, we have about an hour before we go to warp. A bunch of us are heading to the bridge to do 'Kirk' poses in the Captain's chair. Come on."
Cindy jumped to her feet with a little squeal and Alex started out the door. Kyle stood still and watched them leave. A few seconds later, Alex stuck his head back in the door and looked at Kyle. "Are you coming, sir?"
"No, I think I'll try to grab a quick nap."
Alex walked back in the room and looked at him silently for a few seconds. "You already have pictures of you in the captain's chair of the Enterprise, don't you?"
Kyle smiled and shrugged. "About a dozen or so the day before she was commissioned."
Alex laughed and turned back to catch up with the others.
Kyle walked to his bunk and sat down on it. He reached down and undid his boots and put them out of the way so Cindy wouldn't trip on them when she came back. He thought briefly about heading down to the mess and seeing if they had something to eat, but dismissed it as he realized he was more tired than hungry.
Tired. He had been tired for a long time. Since Hyderabad, maybe earlier. He was good at his job, but he hated it. He hated that it had to be done and he hated that someone had to do it. But he had a duty, and he had honored that responsibility.
He pulled the small silver disc back out and looked at it again. This was a new duty, and he would carry it out just as devoutly. He hoped if he were as good at this assignment as he was at being a marine, he would be able to prevent Alex from being in any more wars.
He turned the disc over in his hand as he thought back to what A'nacal had said to him after he had accepted the position: "The Junniji testified before the Higher Council about you. Their considered opinion was that while Ambassador James Thomas was a thoughtful and wise man, you were better suited to sit on the Lower Council. They said you showed mercy in your judgments, both low and high. This element, mercy, is rare among Earthmen; rarer still among most other races. It is mercy that empowers your actions; which allows you to make judgments that others would run from. It is mercy that we need on the Council. You will lead us into a merciful age. That is what I believe and why we need you on the Council."
A heavy burden.
A sober responsibility.
Kyle realized at that point he would have to resign his commission. He could not in good conscious represent all of Earth while carrying the flag of an individual Nation. He loved the United States and would defend her with his life. He already had. He could also not care for and guide an entire planet when he had a daughter at home that needed him. He had neglected that part of his life for too long and would not accept that behavior any longer.
When he got back home he would have a party with his family to welcome Cindy back from the dead. He would then travel to Kennedy in Florida for the unveiling of the first contact exhibit. Afterwards, his parents and Cindy would join him and Sara hitting the parks in Central Florida. Then off for a trip to Sicily and the ruins of Syracuse. It wasn't fair to think that he could make up for twenty years of lost time in just one quick burst, but he was going to try. And never again would he fail to be there for her.
He put the silver disc in his pocket as he felt the ship's main generators kick in. It would be thirty minutes before they warped out and he still needed a nap. He didn't know what his future held, but he knew that he would face it with more integrity and more honor than he had so far.
Kyle closed his eyes and slept peacefully.