Epilogue

"What heart takes, Heart gives," were the words spoken by the Great Lupin, Char'ena.

Indeed so. One's heart of being may be called upon to suffer, or "undergo, experience, endure, sustain loss or damage". Everyone among the crews has, at some point in their lives, endured hardships or loss or pain; some worse or for longer than others. Their families and friends back home have endured the years apart while they have been away. "What heart takes", as Char'ena said.

But the crews are on their Journey of the heart, _to_The Heart--the mysterious and enigmatic creation of the First Ones that resides in the realm of Ayoo-t'ahna nal-Zhidôr. Char'ena alluded that The Heart gives--after what their own hearts of being have had to take, what will The Heart give them in return?

Arlan Schneider, the easy-going genius near-human of skunk G.E.L.F. ancestry, who had come to love the reptilian Vey'ani, Rissanivi Salnuano, had been displaced in time and transported back to the McHenry Research Facility on Mars by an ancient Kær'aûla artifact. Having been cast twelve years into his future only to find that he and his co-workers and friends, Cameron and Hauvri'ahn, had been listed as missing and presumed lost, Arlan worked to discover how to trigger the artifact again so that it would hopefully return him to when and where he had come from. After spending over a year in his future, Arlan had been returned--three minutes after he had disappeared. What would the consequences be from his displacement in time? Would his two daughters by Poppy exist? Would Poppy even remember him if he could make it back home? And what of Alicia Wyman, his co-worker and would-be lover, who still carried a torch for him? Would Arlan be able to hold onto his sanity?

While on Elysinar, Char'ena promised Lilly, "give ride now, carry later". Lilly had been given a rare gift by a Great Lupin, who generally do not interact with mere mortals, in the form of an intimate mental, emotional, and perhaps spiritual bond, unlike any she had ever experienced. Char'ena now has made good on the other part of her promise by carrying Lilly to Ayoo-t'ahna nal-Zhidôr, with her life literally in the hands of a First One.

Naoia Anensu'ena, one of the timeless, immortal, pan-dimensional beings who are older than the multiverse, has caught Lilly's essence, to keep her from being forever lost, by "giving of herself". Will the connection they now share, and the transferring of a First One's living energy into a mortal, have a lasting effect on either of them?

Elí and Meyleh had done something no Fansq had ever done before in their entire history. They fought back. What lasting effects will the act of defending their friends have, not only on the girls themselves, but also on their entire culture once word spread of their deeds? Will they be seen has brave heroes or treated with scorn? Among the crews, their friends, it will no doubt be viewed as an act of profound bravery on their part.

The R'Hinsi, Khel'zet Harankhek, who had been rescued by her former adversaries, saw what a Dark Blood had done to Chief Petty Officer Lilly Donnelson. In that instant, to her, the threat posed by the true enemy of all became real--and personal. Lilly had shown Khel'zet compassion and empathy, and genuinely cared for her well-being. Khel'zet may have lost a brother in a war between their civilizations that should not have happened, though she had gained new brothers and sisters who will stand with her in the war that must, and will, come. Their fight was now her fight--she had chosen to stand in the Light, a staunch defender against the coming Darkness.

Seeing Lilly so grievously wounded, knowing that she had sacrificed herself to save him, broke his heart. Despite this, he still had his responsibility as the commanding officer of his ship and her crew, and he must carry on with the mission, wherever it led them. He had to place his trust in an incomprehensibly powerful alien being who he only barely knew.

Rhuw-Rha'an felt James' pain in ways others could not; she also had sensed Lilly being on the razor edge between life and death--only by Naoia giving of herself to Lilly was all that kept Rha'an's friend from being lost to them. Knowing just how deeply he loved Lilly, Rha'an did what she could to encourage James to continue on. Unlike James and his crew, Rha'an and her own had grown up knowing the tale of their First Healer and how she became such. The one who was "Eldest of Old", who had imparted the gift of healing, was thought to be a First One. Rha'an also knew of the terrible power wielded by the masters of the an'im-Raleen, for they had visited her homeworld in the ancient past and verifiable proof of that existed. If anyone could save Lilly, it would be the one who had given the gift of healing to her own people. But...did that First One actually exist, or had it all been a story? Rha'an was becoming certain that they would find out, one way or another.

Much more was yet to come for the crews of Nightwing,Se'nika, and Ilissenri, but first Char'ena had to run as fast as she could to fulfil her promise to Lilly...

...and Char'ena always kept her promises.