Epilog (131)

Loveabby was my 100th review for this book in the series. Congratulations and my thanks for your continued support and reading my stories.

AND, on with the show! This is it, hit the heights and oh what heights we'll hiiiit. On with the show this is it.

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Kate guided her chair using its electronics thru the opening and into the metal obelisk that they had found on Ariel so many years ago. Though to be honest she had never actually been here. Only Rick and Alexis from her family had ever been here.

Kate didn't turn to look but could still feel that the doorway behind her had closed as soon as she entered.

It was dimly lit. Not dark, just not bright. Kate could also make out a concentric pattern on the floor. Even now she can recall Evans telling her and Rick that the one on Tellus had concentric rings on the floor. These were in the shape of a square, matching the shape of the obelisk from the outside.

Kate moved her chair to the wall and started going down it running her hand along the side of it. "It's smooth on the inside too."

"Hello Katherine." A voice calls her name and Kate twists to look.

In the center she can see a softly glowing human looking woman all dressed in white and crème. Kate can almost see thru her to the other side. Her outfit is rather flowing looking and hangs loosely off of her.

Kate operates the controls and guides her chair to be in front of the woman and stops. Then Kate reaches out and watches her hand enter her body and not feel a thing. However Kate can see her smile.

"You're the Oracle?" Kate asks looking up at her. Since she has been in the chair for a few years now Kate had gotten used to looking up at everyone now.

"I'm an Oracle, yes. Just not the one assigned to this planet." The Oracle clarifies.

"There is a different person for each building?" Kate knows there is one building for each planet they have, except for Earth.

"Yes, I'm the Oracle for the planet you call Tellus." The Oracle explains.

"Ok, so who's is this one and why are you hear? …. And why am I here?" Kate may be old, but not senile.

The Oracle smiles. "I'm here as an intermediary between you and her. I've been asked to give a background before you talk to the Oracle for this planet."

"O-Kay." Kate didn't get it, pretty much any of it.

"As you know your ancestors were taken from Earth and brought to Tellus. The race that did this saw humans and decided for reasons of their own to give our race a fighting chance at a future.

Even then they saw an Interstellar war coming, that is about to start again very soon actually. They modified or terraformed if you prefer certain planets hoping you would colonize them. In preparation they created buildings like this one, and assigned people to man them and give direction when the need arose.

If it helps you can call me Amelia. I died on Earth on July 2, 937. My great, great, great, granddaughter, also named Amelia died in a plane crash in the south pacific on July 2, 1937. I've been on Tellus ever since.

Certain strategic people have been selected to be Oracles ever since to man one of the stations that were built by the race that brought humans to Tellus." Amelia explains.

"I'm afraid my knowledge of Earth history is limited. Rick might have known, or maybe Alexis. But what does this have to do with me?" Kate was born on Tellus long after this woman died, if she is dead.

"You're here to take my place so I can move on. You are going to be the new Oracle for Tellus. Personally i can't think of anyone else more worthy of taking my place. As for why you? …." Amelia motions to the side and slowly disappears.

"That would be me Katie. I'm the Oracle for this planet, and this is my home." A new woman approaches Kate to stop in front of her.

Kate instantly starts having trouble breathing and is on the verge of hyperventilating and the tears start flowing heavily. "MOM!?"

"Hi Katie." Johanna beams at her daughter, so very proud of her. "No, no, don't try to get up. Not just yet." Johanna motions for Kate to stop from trying to stand.

"What, how?" Kate had no idea just what to say or ask.

"It's alright Katie, things will be clearer soon. … I'm ever so proud of you and what you have accomplished. You've been happy and have a wonderful family. Just like I hoped you would." Johanna is still smiling down at her.

"You're, …. You're an, …. Oracle?" Kate still didn't understand.

"Yes, just like you soon will be. … I've been following you for a long time honey. Trying to give you a nudge here and there as best I could and then hope for the best." Johanna didn't have that much control over what happened or will happen.

"I was lost after you died mom. I was in such a deep dark hole. You were gone and there was no one." Kate could still remember those early days.

"I know honey, and it broke my heart to see you like that. So I gave you a little nudge. …. Well maybe not me exactly but it was my idea, so I guess I can take credit for it." Johanna has a secret.

"I don't understand. There was no one to give me a nudge." Kate didn't remember anyone.

"You don't remember me?" A new voice asks. Followed by seeing a broad shouldered man also dressed in flowing white and creme walk up next to Johanna.

Kate looked at him and was suddenly shocked and overjoyed. It was Rick! …. But no, not Rick. Something was different.

"I'll forgive you for not remembering. After all, you only saw me once, and even then it was from behind. Plus it was a long time ago. And your Master agreed to never tell you about me" He was smiling. A smile Kate knew only too well. It was one Rick would give her, and the pain of losing him years ago came back in full force, as did the tears. It hurt her heart and Kate could almost feel the pain of that day yet again.

"Easy Katherine, take it easy. ….. Think back to when you were on Tellus. You were lost and looking for Bracken in places no person should ever be. This was after your Master had found you, since I sent him" He tries to jog a memory.

It took Kate a few minutes while they both watched Kate scrunch her face. "I signed onto the Horizon for three years." Kate guesses it was about that time. "You sent the Master?"

"He had a unique ability. There had been no one like him before or since. He could see and talk to me in his dreams. In his dreams I sent him to you. … Of course he had to recognize the situation to actually do something about it. …. Think back Katherine. You followed someone into the recruiting station." He reminds Kate.

"And then I had Rick in my dreams all the way to Earth. …. That was you?" Kate thought she had it now.

"Well partly. … I was the guy you followed into the recruiting station. It's not easy for us to allow you to see us outside of these buildings." He confirms.

"Why?" Kate asks her biggest question not knowing just how big a question it really was.

"We had to find a way to get you to my son, so you could find him." He explains.

"Your son." Kate wasn't sure she heard correctly.

"Hhhmmm, It's a pleasure to finally meet you Katherine Houghton Beckett-Castle. My name is Jackson Hunt, and I'm Richard's father. And also the Oracle on the planet you call Athos." Jack explains standing a little straighter.

Kate lets her mouth hang open. "Rick's father and you lured me onto the Horizon to get me to Earth." Kate wasn't being accusatory, but it wasn't really a question either.

"Please don't be mad honey. We had to find a way to get you to Rick. We both only wanted you both to be happy." Johanna pleads.

"My son made some questionable choices in his life. With good intentions I'll grant you, but you two were perfect for each other. So your mother and I came up with a plan, and then let nature, so to speak, take its course." Jack was actually quite proud of his minor role and how things worked out.

"You two set me up with Rick." Kate was a little put out by being manipulated, no matter how good intentioned.

"Well to be honest your crashing where Rick and Alexis were camping at the time was more about blind luck than being planned. We have a little less control over items than you might think. So technically you're falling in love with my son and his daughter was all you." Jack wasn't technically telling the truth, but maybe Kate wouldn't notice.

"So my dreams of Rick all the way to Earth wasn't you?" Kate still didn't like the idea of being manipulated.

"To be honest, No. I'm a guy, what would I know about a woman's subconscious dreams of her perfect man?" Jack defends himself telling a partial truth. Since most of that came from Johanna and her knowledge of her daughter. Though together they had put Rick in her dreams so she would recognizes him when she finally did see him. Not just sure how or exactly when that was going to happen.

"Amelia said I was replacing her. What does that mean?" Kate didn't get it. She was an old lady who couldn't even walk anymore.

Jack fades away while Johanna moves forward and kneels down to look at her daughter. "You're going to die today honey, and then ascend to being an Oracle and take Amelia's place on Tellus." Johanna explains softly, with tears in her eyes. She wanted her daughter to live, but understood that it was her time.

DIE!? Kate wasn't ready to die. Rick was gone but her girls needed her. Even if she wasn't that much help anymore. "What about Alexis and the girls?" Kate didn't want to leave them, and finding her dead was going to break their hearts. Kate's tears for her children's hearts started to fall.

"Alexis and the girls will be fine babe." A new voice answers her question.

Kate stops breathing. She knows that voice. Kate would know that voice anywhere.

Kate watched her mom stand up, back up and fade away as she did.

Kate couldn't get her hand to work her chair controls, even her mind seemed to have shutdown.

A man she knew well also dressed in flowing white and creme clothes that Kate could almost see thru came around to face her.

Kate's body seemed to spasm as Kate did her best to suck in breathes as she started to cry and feel the tears flow down her cheek.

"RICK!?" It couldn't be, but it was. The love of her life for years was standing in front of her. The man she had cremated and allowed his ashes to blow away in the wind from their home on Ariel was standing in front of her.

The man who had saved her life and her very soul, was standing in front of her. And he was young, like he was when she first met him.

Kate held out her arms, she wanted him in them. She wanted to feel him again, smell him again, hear his voice and the feel of his lips again.

Rick tried to give her what she wanted by kneeling down, but Kate's hands and arms went right thru him like he didn't exist at all.

"The girls will be fine Kate, you'll see them again soon. But first you have to join us as an Oracle." Rick tells her with his own tears flowing. Kate was almost with him again.

"An Oracle. …. You're an Oracle too?" Kate didn't understand this. Just what was going on?

Rick nods his head. "You're taking Amelia's place on Tellus. Your mother has Ariel. My father has Athos. Your father has an as yet uncolonized planet, but we will soon. And when we do you will get to see him too. For now he is sleeping and waiting" Rick explains.

Kate tries to stroke his face but can't feel him. "But where are you babe? And I want you with me, not out in the middle of somewhere or nowhere." Kate could see him and hear him, why couldn't she have him back? She loved him with all of her heart. Her's had shattered when he died. There was only one person who had any chance at putting it back together for her.

"I'm on Callisto." Rick tells her.

"NO! NO! … Please, can't we be together again? P-L-E-A-S-E?" Kate cries in sobs looking him in the eyes. It felt like her heart was shattering all over again. There was even a physical pain in her chest that she could feel. Much like last time, and it hurt.

"The buildings are only places for us to communicate with the living Kate. All the other time we are where we want to be. Literally anywhere at all for hundreds of years to come. …. I promise." Rick smiles at Kate and tries to convey the truth in his words.

Kate calms down considerably and tries to touch Rick again but can't. "Promise?"

Rick smiles the smile she has been missing for a few years now. "Promise."

It took Kate a moment to truly believe him. "How many Oracles are there?" Kate was catching on that there were a few.

"Including you? … Me, your mother, your father, my father and four more a number of years from now, when it is their time." Rick tells her wondering if she will figure it out.

"We have five planets, but you said my father's planet hadn't been colonized yet." Kate didn't see how it added up.

"Correct, your father is waiting patiently. But he doesn't have to wait for too much longer." Rick tells her knowing he can see Jim's Oracle building being found soon as a new colony planet is discovered and inhabited. The new Explorer class that replaced the Sun Rises and Moon Shines had already found it and arrangements made to establish a colony on it. As soon as they found his building Jim would wake from his long sleep.

Alexis and her family had just been asked and accepted to help establish still another colony planet. The Castle clan was still making their mark in history. As soon as Emily convinces her husband to go, her and her family would be joining Alexis. Even today Emily loved her older sister. Alexis, Andre and family had moved into the Castle home on the island on Ariel. To Help her mother.

Kate's body may be failing her but her mind was still sharp. "You said four more babe."

Rick smiles watching the wheels of her mind turn. "Yes."

"So who are the other four?" Kate wondered. The alien's maybe? Did she want to see one of the aliens that did this? Would that be exciting or frightening?

"You're the detective babe. Who do you think?" Rick was grinning wide because he couldn't help it since he already knew the answer. Rick now had a lot of answers.

Kate was watching Rick grin and the glow in his eyes told her it was someone she knew. Maybe someone close.

Kate slapped a hand over her mouth. It couldn't be, could it? If she said the name would that make it not be her when she so wanted it to be her. She was already so gifted.

"Alexis." Kate whispers thru her hand. Searching Rick's eyes for confirmation. Please say yes, written all over her face.

Rick's grin gets wider and Kate's heart soars as she watches Rick's face. "Alexis has Cyliene waiting for her after she dies and ascends to being an Oracle."

Kate's tears are back in full force. Alexis was going to be an Oracle, and she trusted Rick to be telling the truth about being an Oracle. Kate was going to get her daughter back with her for hundreds of years. "Who are the other three?" Kate barely whispers out.

Rick's grin only gets bigger if that was possible. "Detective Castle?" Rick questions her.

Kate started hyperventilating at the possibility as the tears continue to fall. "My babies?" Kate prays.

"There are three more future colony planets after we find Jim's. …. Emily gets one, Kali gets another, and Elena gets the final one. But not for a number of years yet. They all have a number of years left." Rick confirms and quells any fears Kate has over them.

"And we'll be a family again." Kate can't believe it. It was a dream.

"As Oracles for hundreds of years to come." Rick nods his head. "Until the time comes where even we will step aside and move on." Rick flashed her another of the smiles that she so remembered.

Kate was quiet for a while as she processed what she had been told so far. Her parents, Rick and his father that she knew nothing about, and her children for years to come.

"Can I touch you then?" Kate whispered out wanting so much to feel Rick again.

"Yes babe, and even a little more. You'll see." Rick tells her watching her as his face starts to look sad.

Kate was happy for that. She wanted to hold him and kiss him and feel him again so very much.

"But I'm an old lady babe." How can she be an Oracle in a wheelchair?

"You will be the age you want to be. Whatever you feel your age should be. I saw myself the age when we first met. So that is what everyone sees." Rick explains. Seeing Kate smile at the possibilities. However it soon faded.

"I'm tired babe." Kate was slumping, thinking it was time to go so she could be moved into bed so she could sleep. Since she needed help getting changed for bed now.

"I know you are Kate, I know. … Just rest babe, everything will be fine." Rick's tears started to fall in earnest. He knew what was coming next. Not all answers were free of pain.

"I'm tired babe. … I love you." Kate's head was almost on her chest and her breathing was shallow now.

"I love you too Kate, so very much." Rick tells her thru his tears as he watches the love of his life die in front of his eyes.

Johanna and Jack soon return. "You better go son, she's going to be lost and disoriented without you." Jack warns him. Reminding Rick of what it was like when he passed over to being an Oracle.

"We'll be there later son, go on." Johanna encourages Rick. Rick had become the son she never had.

"Thanks." And Rick fades away only to re-appear in the Oracle room on Tellus seconds later.

Rick finds Kate standing in the empty room looking terribly confused. "Kate?"

Rick watches her turn to look at him but not really see him. "Concentrate babe. … You can do it. Just listen to my voice. There is nothing to fear. It's a lot to take in I know. …. Do you know who I am?" Rick walks over to within a foot or less and looks into Kate's eyes.

"That's right, look into my eyes. …. Tell me who I am Kate. You can do it." Rick does his best to search her eyes.

Rick can slowly see some life in them. "Rick?" Kate was questioning, not really sure. As a hand reaches up to stroke the side of his face with tender care.

"Rick who? And who am I?" Rick pushes a little.

"Rick Castle." Kate says with a little more conviction. "My husband." Kate is grinning now. Now using her hand to cup his face in her palm.

"And you are?" Rick questions a little more.

"Kate Castle. …. You're wife." With more life in her eyes and Kate's grin getting bigger. "And I'm an Oracle." Kate was now smiling wide.

Then Kate launches herself into Rick and Kisses him hard. Kate breaks from the kiss. "Your wife who loves her husband more than anything." Kate smiles into Rick's lips.

"And we're on Tellus, but I'm also on Ariel. … And I can see my mom and dad. You're father, Alexis and the girls and their families. Their worried about me. I can FEEL it Rick!" Kate's face suddenly took on a look of pain. There was so much she knew about now, and it was only increasing faster and faster. Absolutely everything was trying to tell her things all at the same time.

Rick grabs her face and kisses her softly, passionately. Sliding his tongue across her bottom lip asking for entrance. Kate gives it to him freely, relishing in being able to deepen the kiss. The type of kiss that she hasn't felt in years.

Finally breaking from what had become numerous kisses with a little air in between. "I've missed you Rick. I love you so much." Kate whispers into his lips.

"I love you too. … Come on there is somewhere we need to go." Rick takes her hand and pulls her off of Tellus and they end up in another room that looks similar to the one they just left.

Then Rick pulls her thru the wall and outside.

All Kate sees are trees with a metal looking obelisk behind her. "Where are we? Ariel?" Kate didn't think so since it felt different somehow.

"No, this is a future colony planet. Kali's planet when the time comes to be precise. We haven't found it yet, but we will." Rick explains understanding why Kate is a little lost.

"I needed to get you out of your Oracle room." Rick tells her.

"Why?" Kate didn't understand. If she was an Oracle, that was her building. Wasn't it?

"It isn't just an Oracle room. It's a library of sorts. It's also a way for you to see things that are far, far away. Only you can access your Oracle room. And until you can filter the information it contains and master how to use it, it gives you information overload.

Everything about it can be accessed all at the same time if you're not careful." Rick explains.

"I was seeing and feeling everything all at the same time. … Until you kissed me." Kate was starting to remember as Kate lifted her hand to her lips still feeling them tingle like they used to. So long ago now it seemed.

Rick nodded his head. "Out here you don't have access to your Oracle room, so you are just you. You'll need to enter your Oracle room in short durations while you practice control." Rick explains.

"Or I'll go nuts." Kate gets it. "So what now?"

"We'll I can think of one thing off the top of my head." Rick arches his eyebrows a couple of times.

Kate grins. It has been a long time since she had, had sex with her husband and surprisingly found she was looking forward to it as the blood, if she actually had any, was suddenly going south.

"But I think we should get you some perspective first. Then I'm going to ravish you since it has been a long time." Rick grins.

Kate takes Ricks hand, and grins at him knowing what he is thinking. "Where to?" Kate wasn't in a big hurry. She was going to have hundreds of years to love him and make love to him. So she could wait a little longer.

"Wait, I heard you but you didn't say a thing. …. I can hear you!" Kate started grinning.

"You own my heart Kate, you could always hear me. It's just that now you are listening." Rick was smiling.

"Wait if I can hear you, that means you can hear me." Kate glares at him since Rick owned her heart. She had given it to him years ago, willingly. As Rick is grinning.

"Ok, what am I thinking?" Kate challenges him.

"No, your mother can't hear you." Getting Kate's eyes to go wide. "Your mother loves you like a mother should. But you and I love each other differently." Rick explains.

"So what am I thinking babe?" Rick asks her trying to use his poker face.

Kate moves in close and fingers his clothes, and grins at Rick. She wanted him too. And Kate can FEEL her heart being put back together again with the love that Rick washes over it with. Stronger than ever before.

Rick takes her back inside and in seconds they are both standing in front of Johanna. "MOM!" Kate let's go of Rick and wraps her arms around Johanna.

"How are you doing honey?" Johanna asks.

Kate laughs. "Shocked, confused, excited. I don't know, it's a lot to take in." Kate answers not letting go of her.

"She was in information overload." Rick explains. "I thought it was time to come to the expert for some clarification."

Johanna places her hands on either side of Kate's face. "I've been waiting a long time for this day. I can't begin to tell you how good it is to have you here. Even if it does mean, ..." Johanna trails off.

Kate got the meaning. She's here because she's dead.

Johanna decides it's time to get serious. "Ok, each Oracle building is attuned to a specific person. Amelia handed hers over to you. In a few hundred years I'll hand mine over to someone else and move on just as she has. Just as you and Rick will someday.

Each building is capable of many things." Johanna starts off.

"Rick said it was a library plus more." Kate lets go of Johanna and steps next to Rick to take a hold of his arm with both hands. Kate had him back and wasn't going to let go if she could help it.

"Library is part of it. It's also an observatory that can see for untold light years. You can also use it to see the future to some extent. However since every action affects the future each future you see is only a possible future. Not something that WILL take place, but only MIGHT take place. Depending on how far back in time you try to look. OR how far into the future you try to look. The further out you look the cloudier it gets.

Let's start with this." Johanna waves her arm and the room lights up and they are floating in space.

"These are the aliens transporting the humans from Earth to Tellus." Johanna explains.

"But that's not even a ship. It's just a blob." Kate tells her. Then Kate can see them living inside the blob. Talking and living. Cooking and loving.

Then they watch as the blob deposits them on Tellus and Johanna fast forwards to them finding the Oracle building. There were these Yutes for them to live in like a city.

"This is what I saw as a possible future if I didn't convince Jack to lure my only daughter onto the Horizon." Johanna waves her hand again. And they are now in some back alley with Bracken standing over Kate's dead body along with a few "Rags" both standing and lying unconscious or dead on the ground.

"He killed me." Kate whispers out.

"Yes, and I couldn't have that honey. He killed me, but I just couldn't let him kill you too. There had to be something else. Then I found this." And Johanna waves her hand again. Kate could hear her mothers voice break at the end of the last few words.

It was Alexis, she was breaking down standing over a grave crying heavily, and she was all alone. Not even Martha was standing next to her. She was literally, ALONE! Alexis was relatively young, say around 14 or 15 years old. Just about the age when Kate encountered her for the first time. The name on the marker was Richard Castle.

Kate slapped her hand over mouth. Her husband was dead! But he was standing right next to her. Kate unconsciously held his arm a little tighter. She wasn't losing him, ever! However the pain she knew Alexis must be going thru was getting to her and Kate started to cry with her.

"I decided to link the two to see what I got as a possible future. But not everything worked. … You were still dead and Rick was alive or Rick was dead and you were alive.

I had to make adjustments for years to get the result we have now. I'm still amazed that you actually crashed just yards from Rick and Alexis. It was my own little miracle. I never saw that in any of my viewings.

I didn't force you to love Rick honey; you did that on your own. I just did what I could to get you to Earth so you could find him. After that I just watched. And felt my heart soar year after year." Johanna concludes her display.

Rick shifts position to wrap his arms around Kate from behind. Kate leaned back thankful to have his arms around her again. Kate loved him more than anything. It felt good to be young again like she was when she first met him.

"But you did change us mom. You gave us weapons, powerful weapons even. Those things are going to kill countless people." Kate hated becoming closer to what Earth was like when she found it. Those weapons were going to change Tellus forever. The Tellus she knew and loved.

"I know honey, and the three of us talked about it for a long time. This is how what's coming started." And Johanna waves her arm again.

Kate sees a planet send out a huge colony ship that takes years to reach its destination. It didn't even have FTL. It was some kind of sleeper ship.

Then Kate sees what looks like a cross between a lizard but mostly some kind of bug kill everything and everyone they find on the planet. They had infantry and some heavier units. Then steal the technology they find to improve their ability to travel and kill.

And they do it over and over and over again. Planet after planet. The females come into heat every few months and they produce dozens of eggs each. They attack in wave after wave headless of the losses they take. Knowing there are millions and millions more right behind them.

"Colorful little buggers aren't they." Kate notices the paint that they use to make each other different based on their rank and function in their military.

"This is the enemy that is coming. Their sole purpose is to explore and kill everything intelligent they find. And there are untold trillions of them now. As they spread out everywhere all at once.

This is how they fight in space." Johanna changes the view again.

The enemy has come across a race that has space travel and a navy to fight back with. However their weapons are either equal or weaker than their new enemy, and they watch them swarm all over them.

There are some small capital ships that do the scouting. When they find something they call in heavier capital ships, several of which that carry fighters and long range missiles.

For larger battles they have huge fleet carriers that carry hundreds of fighters each. In addition there are these large ships that sit way in the rear and fire wave after wave of missiles at their enemy. The fighters surround and harass their enemy taking countless losses but in the end they prevail due to sheer numbers.

"They have hundreds of thousands of these capital type ships and literally millions if not billions of these fighters." Johanna tells her.

"They'll overrun us like a plague of locusts." Kate is now scared. Her babies won't live long enough to be Oracles.

"That's why we gave you weapons, plus their FTL that they stole from those they have already defeated and totally eliminated, works much like your first FTL, just a little slower. It takes them at least a year or two to get from one system to another. And except for their fighters, their capital ships are not very maneuverable" Johanna explains.

Kate had been out of what was happening for a long time. "What do we have?" How could they possibly stop that or even prevent them from keep conquering them. Kate knew from years back they had already encountered a scouting group.

"It's been 40 years since you started to build your first warship using the weapons we provided that you could build easily enough. Plus there are even more powerful weapons that will likely be provided in the future. That however will be decided at another time in the future somewhere.

For now you have built a destroyer roughly every 7 years at Tellus. So 6 destroyer class at Tellus alone. The latest ones first flight will take place in a few days. Ariel has built 4 destroyers and Athos has built 4 destroyers. In addition Tellus has built 6 cruisers that each has twice the firepower of the destroyer. Ariel has built 3 cruisers. One of them is a Marine landing variant and Athos will finish construction of two cruisers in about 3 months that are both part Marine landing variant and is capable of boarding and taking enemy ships intact. Callisto has finished one cruiser and will finish another cruiser in about 6 month's time.

Johanna shows her one of the destroyers that has been built and one of the cruisers. Next to those two were the old explorer ships and cargo ships, to give a size perspective.

"There are four more colony planets in your future." Johanna tells her then makes it all go away.

"Is that enough? They are huge." Kate was worried, since it looked bad.

"Several possible futures tell us no. They are just too big and gain new technology with almost every victory. …. There is however this." And Johanna waves her arm again.

This view shows a huge space battle with easily over a hundred and seventy ships combined between the two adversaries.

Kate has no trouble making out the enemy, but who was the other group. It was made up of what look like a hodge podge of ships. Some looked like their destroyers and cruisers and something even bigger that didn't look anything like their destroyers or cruisers, but looked like something they would build. The others were totally different, and just as big.

"Who is that?" Kate asks pointing out the other group.

"Depending on certain conditions, that we hope will come to pass, though there are no guarantees, a potential Ally in the fight. Alone it is likely you will both lose however together you can take the fight to them and someday put an end to the conflict." Johanna tells her. "But that is a long time in the future, and this battle hasn't even taken place yet. And may possibly never take place at all." Johanna knew it was only a possible future.

"However the conflict between you and them is about to begin again." Johanna waves her arm yet again. There have already been two. However this one isn't going to be as easy.

The enemy has found a way to shield their torpedoes from the damaging X-rays that damage their computer systems. They had obtained it by defeating someone else far, far away. It was how they advanced technologically. It was only about 60% to 70% effective for now, but that would likely change over time. Now they will have to shoot them down one at a time. It is going to come as a very big surprise in this fight.

Kate could make out 6 of their destroyers and four of their cruisers. In the distance Kate could see the enemy. There were three large ships almost as big as their cruisers, that were already launching fighters. In addition there were 19 ships equal in size to their destroyers. These had just started firing several rounds of torpedoes, all with the new shielding.

And then there was this massive ship holding place in the rear of their lines. It was like looking at a Super Star Destroyer in terms of size while the three large ships were Star Destroyers in terms of size. Obviously a command ship of some kind. This time it was not a troop transport used to take planets. This was even bigger than that ship. Those would follow later after they won this fight.

And then there were the two huge ships, Battleship sized ships, that were already sending out hundreds of fighters each. Headed towards their ships just behind the last wave of torpedoes.

Kate could also see 3 more of their destroyers in FTL that were about to join the ships they already had. It looked like they were going to show up on a flanking position. Catching the enemy in a cross fire. Kate could see their ships sending out their own wave of torpedoes after watching each destroyer fire their MAC guns. The cruisers had just finished firing one of their 2 MAC guns.

Plus two of their completed Marine cruisers that were filled with Marines, Earth and Tellus Marines. They were just now exiting from FTL a respectable distance behind the enemy, not in line with the destroyers that had already fired their MAC rounds and had just fired both of their MAC guns, aiming for the two huge ships that were launching fighters. This was followed by firing 34 torpedoes each into their rear line. All aimed for the Super Star Destroyer sized ship. Then they launched their total complement of 12 fighters just as the first of their torpedoes was reaching the enemies rear line. Hoping they managed to get a chance at taking one of these ships intact. Take it apart and reverse engineer it. Maybe learn of their closest base or system.

Just off to one side moving slowly was the Wednesday. Dell had found this fleet forming up outside of an adjacent system and had called in a strike. Kate could see Lynn, her old Lucy and Dell working feverishly, trying to coordinate their forces for a victory. Lynn had worked out that the enemy torpedoes were shielded from their X-rays and she was trying to adapt to this unexpected development.

Kate had complete faith in Lucy, she or Dell would think of something.

Plan a raid and take the fight to them. See how they liked being the hunted?

Then Kate saw two more of their destroyers exit from FTL on the enemies other flanking position and immediately fire their MAC guns.

The fist 6 destroyers were turning in place so their Gatling guns were facing the enemy. The twin barrel auto-cannon guns top and bottom were soon firing on the missiles/torpedoes the enemy had fired. The three cruisers were in the middle of their formation that looked like a wall and had each just launched 48 torpedoes each as part of their second wave. The cruisers total of 36 fighters were just now launching with the intent of shooting down as many of the shielded torpedoes that they could. The cruisers twin guns were also soon firing at the missile/torpedoes the enemy had fired.

There were literally hundreds of enemy torpedoes. Spread out in a giant cloud.

"This hasn't actually taken place yet, but it will shortly." Johanna explains.

Rick squeezes Kate from behind. "In the mean time, I have plans for you." Rick whispers into her ear while nipping at her earlobe, then takes Kate's hand and drags Kate behind him away from Johanna's Oracle building.

Kate finds herself out in the woods. There was a stream with a pool nearby. Sitting nearby was a tent, a pair of quads and a fire pit that was already set up and burning. The place looked familiar to Kate but just couldn't quite place it.

"Where are we now?" Kate couldn't place it.

"This is my Oracle building. You can make the interior look like anything you want it to. Even our house on Ariel if we want. Even though the building is relatively small, the illusion will allow for you to never walk into a far wall. Or drive your quad straight into a wall, or take the boat out for a spin or one of the jet skis. All you need is imagination.

As for what it looks like. …. This is where we took the girls camping on Athos one time." Rick was grinning.

"Are there smores?" Kate wanted chocolate.

"We don't actually eat anymore, however if you can think it up, then yes, there are smores and you can eat them." Rick answers her question still grinning as he steps up to Kate and starts working on Kate's buttons. "What am I thinking now babe?" Rick grins at her as he hadn't actually spoken when he asked her.

Kate grins and starts working on Rick's buttons. Kate can feel his love and hear his love for her in her mind. Washing over her like a warm morning rain. "I love you Mr. Oracle Castle." Kate tries to get Rick to feel what she feels, since she loves him so very much.

"I love you too Mrs. Oracle Castle." Rick grins and leans in to give her one of the many kisses to come over the next several hundred years. Feeling and hearing her love wash over him giving him comfort.

It was three months later and Alexis, Emily, Kali and Elena are standing outside the same Obelisk that they had escorted their mother to, and found her dead body inside of.

Kali had given birth to their second child only a few short weeks ago. Her husband was probably feeding him right now using the breast milk that Kali had pumped for him to use.

Emily had flown to Ariel with her family when council members had flown her to Ariel yet again. Members of the council had delivered it in person and Alexis had flown them all to the obelisk on Ariel, just as the Oracle on Tellus had instructed. They had been given an exact time on a specific date.

They were scheduled to leave for the new colony planet in a month, so she and her family were living in her parents home along with her sisters and their family for the next month. Then after they were gone Elena and her family would take their place and share it with Kali and her family. Built in baby sitters.

They had done as their mother had requested after they found her inside the obelisk. Have her body cremated and have her ashes spread to the wind, in the hope that at least a piece of her would find a piece of her husband and they could be together again.

They had both loved Ariel over all the other planets.

"You know why we're here?" Emily asked the group.

"The Oracle on Tellus opened and told them to escort us to this point at this date and time, just like it did for mom?" Elena tells her, AGAIN.

"I KNOW!" Emily snaps back. She didn't mean to, but her emotions were still just a little raw. "Sorry!" Emily switches to looking at the ground. ... "Does that mean they're going to find our dead bodies too?" She asked softer, barely a whisper.

"It's an Oracle." Is Elena's only response. "Maybe we'll find out why Lucy didn't record anything." Lucy had come back with nothing after Kate had entered the obelisk. It was like she had turned herself off. No video, no sound. The second mom had crossed the threshold, ... nothing!

"I hope not. Emily and I have a new colony to set up. … I wish mom and dad were here though. Setting up new colonies was more their thing than mine." Alexis was still crying over losing her mom and dad. Convincing their husbands to go had proven to be easy. It was convincing their children that had been the hard part. However they had also been told that new cruise ships to help move the population around would also be built. So their children would not be trapped on the colony planet. Unlike when Alexis and Emily had been young and setting up colony planets with their parents.

Times were changing!

Alexis was going to miss having someone to fall back onto and tell her what to do. Hold her and tell her that everything would be alright. Sure she had her husband and she loved him, but he wasn't her parents. There was a hole in her heart now that no one was going to fill. Alexis had gone thru the most with her parents. She was there from the beginning.

She was just a child still when Kate had crashed at their campsite and fallen in love with her. Meredith wasn't even a memory anymore.

Actually all four of them were hurting still. All it was going to take was one little tear to get them all crying.

"It sucks not having parents." Kali comments. Getting all of them to nod their heads. Kali blinked back her tears or they were all going to a sobbing mess, AGAIN. Elena had now lost 2 sets of parents and was doing all the mental exercises she could think of to hold it together. It was barely working.

Then they watched part of the wall bleed away and create an opening.

"Here we go." Elena tells them. The detective in her wasn't going to back down from the unknown.

Elena was first walking in hand in hand with detective Kali right behind her. Even today there were 2 Castle's that were detectives. Alexis did the same with Emily. Alexis had Castle Gardens on Ariel while Emily had control over Castle Gardens on Athos. Emily had gotten just as good with plants as her older sister.

They could feel the wall close up behind them, without even looking and they waited. It looked empty. There were concentric lines on the floor. It wasn't very well lit, however it wasn't pitch black either. Then there was a soft glow coming from the center of the room.

"Hi girls." A voice full of happy tears called out. A voice that all 4 of them knew only too well.

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My thanks to everyone that has been reading. This is the end of our story. I trust that those who have been following, even if the followers of this story is the lowest out of all of the ones I've written, have enjoyed it.

I have an idea for another one and yes it will have a Sci-fi twinge to it. I can't help it. Just don't expect it for a while till after i get back from my vacation.

When I have enough chapters written so that I'm far enough out in front that I can update on a daily basis, and not have you read some authors note sob story about having writers block, I'll post the first chapter. I'm on chapter 14 already and my beta reader has finished with 9 of them.

Maybe I'll even find a better automatic spell checker. No more wench, winch, sir, sire, hole, whole, etc. And get the she, her part right. Yes, I was listening!

See you in the funny papers!

Th-th-th-that's all folks! - Porky Pig (Voiced by the great Mel Blanc, man of a 1,000 voices, 1908 -1989, many have tried to take his place. No one has and no one will).