• Chapter 25
    Sacrifices to be made.



    Thomas looked at Nicole, he had a twinkle in his eyes she hadn't seen since High School. "When i entered the UNMG, I had dreams of showing up all of the snobs from class, show them I was worth something." Thomas says as he walks to the observation window, the massive Senterian Destroyer almost glowed because of the star behind it.
    "But now I know something, I know what I must do." he holds up a small control, "and as the captain of this fine vessel, I order you to enter the escape pod, to live your life as any other would, happily." he says, he points at the pod, its doors slide open. Thomas pushes Nicole in, "I've always loved you, did you know that? I would die for you... Well, I'll see ya starside Nicole" Thomas finishes, the doors slide closed. Thomas sets the projectery of the pod to land on Helios, Nicole jumps up and bangs on the pods doors, "THOMAS!!, THOMAS JOHN MILLER, NNNNOOOOO!!". He waves one last time as the pod races through space.
    The USSC Fatman turned toward the Senterian ship, it collided and the three thermo nuclear warheads housed in the hanger exploded. Both ships dissappeared behind a second sun created by nuclear fission and fusion.
    Nicole sank into the seat in the pod, tears streamed down her face, Thomas's voice rang in her mind, "I'll see ya starside." She looked toward Helios, its former green fields burnt by the escaping Senterians, the UNMG and USSC had finnaly pushed them off of Helios, a simple miracle.





    EPILAGUE.


    The pod touched down in a field near The Athens, Nicole fell out out of the pods seat. She hit her head on the observation panels, she grunted as she hit the ground, the pods sirins rang out. Thomas had apparently set them to go off at land fall. A platoon of soldiers found the pod and pryed the doors open, they found nicole out cold, blood pooled around here chest.
    Three days later Nicole woke to a miliary doctor standing over her, "wha- wheres, wheres thomas?" She rasps out. "Ma'am, Luitenit Commander Thomas Miller was presumed MIA when the FATMAN hit the destroyer, theres no way to know wheather or not he survived until he shows himself if he survived" the doctor replys while looking at the data pad. "Where am I exactly?" She asks as she wearly sits up. "You're at UNMG M.A.S.H Number 23-74/W96, you where found fourty-five miles out of The Athens in a ODSP" the doctor replys.
    Nicole stumbles outside, tremendous flames still erupted in the sky, two soldiers stood and pointed at the fireworks. Tears build up again in Nicole's eyes, Tom's voice rings in her head, "Never forget me, I have feeling that we'll meet again, one day long from now" he had seid. Nicole started to walk toward the field she had watched burn while she was in freefall, her vision began to get fuzzy. She stumbled to a large tree, half of it had burned away during the assault, three-forths of the ground around it had burned aswell. Helios had seen hell since it had been discovered. Three civil wars, and then the war between us and the Senterians, it had taken alot out of humanity.
    Nicole sat down, leaning on the tree, her head felt heavy, she thought of Thomas, of the things he had shown her, the things she'd learned. She closed her eyes, she fell over, empty thoughts filled her head. She went into a comatose, four weeks later she woke in a hospitil on Yen-Sen-Gi. A monument was erected of Lt. Commander Thomas John Miller and the USSC FATMAN on each and every planet, over 100,000,000 pounds of marble was used to make these statues.
    Every June first Nicole visits the monument in The Athens, Helios, this one was made with special add-ons to Nicoles specifacations. On its base reads: "I'll See Ya StarSide."
    Two years later the Senterian Armys retreated to distant space, humanity had shown its worth, and by Thomas's willpower and preserverance, had survived.




    "In the end, Never forget
    me, I am part of you, of all
    of us. Never Forget."