Galactic Conflict - Epilogue
#91 of Legacy of the Veiled Stars
An alien's visit had disturbed Yukiomaru and he realizes that he can't overcome his trauma through sheer willpower.
Standing over the bed in the absolute darkness of the night, Yukiomaru stared at the sleeping marten. The chocolate fur that covered his body, and the pale yellow patch on his chest slowly rose and fell while Jun breathed deeply in his sleep.
Tears were forming in the golden eyes of the fox while he stared at him. Yukiomaru didn't want to disappoint the marten, cause him to worry or hurt him anymore because of his inability to control his nightmares and emotions. The fox wanted to live a peaceful life with Jun, not one that is plagued by his traumatized emotions.
No matter how hard he tried, the nightmares would always still plague him. Yukiomaru had to find a solution and it wasn't here.
"I'm sorry Jun," whispered Yukiomaru. Tears started to escape his eyes and wet his fur. Without another word, he set down Jun's PawPad next to the marten with a short message written on it.
Yukiomaru turned and walked silently out of the room and out of his and Jun's home. In the cold darkness, the fox didn't stop or look back while he descended the mountain. He couldn't look back. It was tearing his heart into pieces leaving Jun, but he knew he had to find a solution before he and Jun could live peacefully together.
Each step crunched with the hard snow that covered the face of the mountain. Passing through the trees, Yukiomaru was led by his memory. There was little wildlife out in this freezing cold on this mountain but occasionally the fox could hear the movement or call of another animal.
Each step became easier the further Yukiomaru was from his home, and Jun. There had to be answer to his infection somewhere in this universe, and he was determined to find it. He'd return to Jun cured.
Several kilometers away from his home, Yukiomaru was crossing a meadow when he heard the distinctive whine of a ship's engines. He couldn't see over the trees but the ship was getting closer until the sound started to roar over the meadow.
The bright lights of the exhaust ports came into view, and Yukiomaru watched the ship slowly turn above the meadow before landing. The ship wasn't large but it was a small, fully equipped transport vessel. It nearly filled the entire width of the meadow.
Waiting in his tracks, Yukiomaru waited for the pilot to step out. A small hatch on the side of the ship opened, and stepped out a pine marten.
"Yukiomaru," spoke the marten. She had a reserved expression. "I did as you requested, but I wish you'd reconsider. Jun is going to be heartbroken."
The arctic fox didn't respond. He couldn't even meet Tang's eyes. Instead he took a step towards the ship and ignored the marten.
"We've been working on your blood samples, you don't have to leave," Tang said, watching the fox walk toward her. The fox started to walk by her but she placed a paw on his shoulder, stopping him. "Jun loves you, he wouldn't want you to go."
"Tell Jun..." started Yukiomaru, trying his best not to have anymore tears leak from his eyes. "...I'm sorry."
Yukiomaru pushed pass Tang and walked up onto the ship. Before he entered the ship, he added one final plea, "Please take care of him."
The fox stepped into the ship and allowed the door to shut behind him. The fox didn't' waste any time and entered into the small cockpit of the vessel. With the activation of the ship's engines, Yukiomaru pushed the ship to hover above the ground. Giving more power to the engine, he turned the ship up and accelerated toward the sky. The further the ship got away from the surface, the more power Yukiomaru directed to the engines. Soon the gravity of the planet started to loose its grip on the ship.
"You're installed, aren't you?" muttered Yukiomaru, watching the stars grow even clearer leaving the atmosphere behind.
"A subroutine program to assist you," answered his own voice. "Searching for a planet that might hold the cure will be incredibly difficult. I have implemented some of the technology that allowed Nishant Gerbo to travel between galaxies into this ship. It's highly risky though because we don't know how they avoided the gravity forces from crushing the ship, and the passengers."
"That's enough, Fur," replied Yukiomaru. "Once we're out of the Huli system, fire up a test jump with the new refitted engines. If it works, then we'll make another jump to the galaxy Nishant Gerbo claims to have been in."
"Yes sir," Fury replied.
"Our gravity measures should compensate for the time lost on Canidera traveling at those speeds," Yukiomaru said more to himself than the A.I. "I'll be back before you know it Jun." The fox stood up and walked out of the cockpit into the back of the ship where he Tang had stored his armors and weapons. Ignoring those, he went to the bed and lied down. "Let me know when you're ready to make the jump."
"Yes sir."