He pressed his hand to the sun and smiled. It was almost hot enough not to hurt. He blissfully watched the skin on his palm sear off. This was it. Everyone was dead and if this worked, everyone would live. He waited for footsteps but heard none.

At that moment, he stopped being jealous of Trey, who had ended his life before all the chaos. He felt wonderful. The sun was beautiful. Everyone would become part of the sun. Ashes to ashes. Stars to stardust. He wished Searle could see this. But he was gone, burned to death in the Icarus I. Mace had frozen to death as coolant entered his bloodstream. Corazon was stuck somewhere, an electric scalpel still lodged in her spine. Harvey's body was already gone, frozen in space then disintegrated by the sun. And Kaneda, destroyed before his eyes by the sun. He listened as all this disappeared, he could hear the Icarus II exploding behind him.

Only him and Cassie and Pinbacker were left. Stuck on the payload as it smashed into the sun. He forgot about the wound on his chest. He could only feel the sun. Its intense warmth as it slowly consumed his arm. Soon it crawled up his shoulder and into his smiling mouth. He imagined his family back on Earth; how long it would take them to realize he was dead. About seven years he thought. He could live for seven more years. Then the sun took his brain and ashes to ashes, stars to stardust.