He stood staring into the weapon's main power matrix as white electricity discharged across the reactor's surface, dancing and agitating along the crystal as it glowed gold. The count down was running and he knew as soon as it struck zero it would launch its cargo of death at Temhof.
A smile crossed his face as he thought of the untold destruction, the deaths of millions of N'kell, their government, their beloved Gefuht and their holy land. With one salvo he could shake the N'kell Imperium to its very core and blast it back to oblivion. For Caroline?
He subconsciously touched the necklace in his chest pocket. Would she approve? No! Now was not the time to question his actions, she wasn't here, she wasn't present to tell him right from wrong. It was her death that had started this chain of events, had sparked his hate filled vendetta. He couldn't question it now on the eve of victory.
"Jonathon... This isn't you."
He shook his head to rid her voice from his hand. "You're dead." he said, pain edging his voice, it was his mind playing tricks on him. He checked the count down and then the coolant levels, he feared if the weapon’s core temperature reached critical the whole thing would erupt.
"Yes I am." She persisted. "I'm glad. Glad I didn't see what you have become. Jonathon this isn't you, this isn't what I'd want. Let go of your hate while there is still time."
He rubbed his forehead and looked around the room. It had to be in his mind, there was no one here with him. He turned to face the reactor again and there she was. Caroline in her Captain's uniform, her hair tied back in the tight pony tail she had preferred and an expression of concern and empathy on her face.
"Why are you doing this?"
"For you, I always do everything for you."
She nodded slowly then gave him her penetrating questioning stare. "What makes you think I'd want this?"
He met her gaze. Why was she doing this?
"You would want to be avenged."
"You think wiping out an entire civilisation would make me happy? Would bring me back?"
"No... But they must pay."
"They have paid, but not for what they did to me or even us but to our race. Destroying their culture, their way of life... You would be no better than they are and that isn't you. The man I fell in love with, the man I married was a good man, a man of honour who would not be blinded by hate and rage. I know that he is still in there under your burnt out husk. What would he say now?"
"That..." he paused. Why was he indulging this hallucination? "No! He is gone now; he died the day they took you from me. All that I have left is my anger and Vengeance."
She touched his arm and looked up at him imploringly. "Jonathon." Her voice was soft. "Let it go."
His communicator chimed and Stacey's familiar voice called into the silence. "Jonathon, Captain Sir?"
"Does Stacey know?" Caroline enquired
"Go ahead Stacey I'm here." he tried to ignore Caroline.
"We've cleared the system as you ordered. What should we do? Have you finished sabotaging the device?"
"That’s a no then." Caroline rolled her eyes and turned away. "My God Jonathon, you've not even told your best friend, your rock and confident that you plan to commit genocide?"
"This is not your concern." He snapped "You aren't her, you are a hallucination!"
"Sir? I'm not who?" Stacey's voice sounded confused. "Is everything alright?"
"Tell her!" Caroline turned and clenched her fists at her side.
"All is good Stacey. I've not disabled it yet... I'm going to fire it at Temhof."
"Sir?!?"
"See she thinks is a bad idea, she can't believe you'd do it either." the spectre waved her hand.
"Do you think that is wise Jonathon?"
"They need to pay Stace... They need to pay for what they've done. I'll make them pay."
"Can't you hear yourself? You are a ranting maniac." Caroline narrowed her eyes in disgust.
"I wanted vengeance for Caroline as much as you did but now that time is past and we have an impressive amount of enemy kills and war records that make admirals blush with envy but... Killing a race that..." She paused. "You'd become like them. Remember Zosen?"
"She's right." Caroline agreed. "Isn't that what I just told you?"
"I'm nothing like them! He shouted.
"Jonathon... She wouldn't want this, it is too much. You cannot kill a race in her name."
Tears filled his eyes, he knew they were right. What had he done? What had he become? The blood that he had spilt, military and civilian, the torture, the murder...
"Freya." Another voice appeared in the void of his mind. "You know what you have to do."
He raised his head and wiped his eyes in a sudden bout of clarity and ran over to the controls.
Stacey turned to Ethan and Marcus on the bridge of the >>>>>>
"What are our options? We cannot let him fire the weapon."
"Not many." Ethan shook his head. "We're out of weapons range and it will take to long to close the gap before it fires and if she does it’s too late."
"Sir!" Lieutenant Waight, the sensor chief looked up from his station. "We've a reading. A massive power surge."
Stacey ran to the observation point and looked at the N'kell weapon as it shook before her.
"What are you doing Jonathon?"
Jonathon stood bathed in red warning lights as klaxons sounded. The coolant system hazard lights flashed a priority code but he ignored them and just stared ahead at the crystal as it began to break up under its own power. Fissures rent its surface and the power discharges grew more erratic.
A tear ran down his face. "I'm sorry Caroline." He whispered
She stepped up next to him and put an arm around his shoulders and looked up at him the same way she had on their wedding day and smiled.
"I love you." She whispered. "I always have and always will."
He slid his hand around her waist and rested his head on hers.
"I love you too."
Stacey watched as the giant weapons platform erupted into a great fiery ball with a sigh of relief. The last great N'kell weapon was gone. Then as the shockwave of the explosion rocked the ship she was hit with a sudden sense of loss. Jonathon had died there; he had no chance of escape. The grief hit her in the chest like a soccer punch and she fell back against the observation rail in shock. She was aware of things going on, of crewmen registering damage and trying to right the ship but it was all in slow motion and she could only hear a steady throbbing of red alert klaxons.
"Stacey!" Marcus was running to her side.
She watched as the consuming fire dull and fell back on itself, the wreckage spreading slowly into the crushing black abyss.
"Good bye old friend." She whispered. "I hope, in the end, you found the peace and happiness that had been taken from you."
Marcus grabbed her by the waist and gently pulled her to her feet. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah... I'm ok." she half smiled
"That crazy bugger." Marcus looked at the wreckage. "He did destroy it. I had my doubts for a while, thought he had finally gone over the edge."
"No." Stacey shook her head sagely. "He would never have fired it. She wouldn't have let him."
"Who?"
Stacey had that knowing smile as she looked at Jonathon's final resting place. “Caroline... You did good chuck. I'll catch you guys later." She gave a small wave and turned to look at Marcus, she saw the same youth and ambitious drive that she had seen in their eyes, had had in her eyes all those years ago on Zosen. She embraced him and held him tight, she too had found happiness and could now allow herself to enjoy what she had. "Much later." She whispered.
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