Chapter 185 - Epilogue: Final

　　Kal set foot on Caledon once again after nearly five decades away. Breathing in the crisp morning air, he looked in satisfaction at his Estate.

　　It was stunning how much had changed since he had returned from his time in Stasis. He remembered how the planet was nearly in ruins, the environment polluted, and the citizens oppressed and bereft of hope.

　　Seeing the beautiful vista of the city, the flourishing gardens and clean, blue skies put his heart at ease. Coming off the shuttle, he was greeted by thousands of people. He recognized many of them, and their happy expressions told him everything he needed to know about how they had fared while he was away.

　　Walking up behind him, Mare tucked her arm through his as they walked forward through the crowd. A part of him wished Flo were with them, but she had elected to stay in New Caledon to oversee the settlement and train with his forces there.

　　But, while one child was still away, another was waiting for them with a smile on his face.

　　Emeritus had matured while they were away. Wearing a Caledonian House Guard uniform, Mare was struck by how similar he was to his father. Her son was nearly a twin to her husband when they had first met.

　　Engulfing him in a hug, the family retreated to the Estate to reconnect and spend time together.

　　Page Break

　　"I don`t know why you requested this thing to be delivered here, Father. It seems silly to have a reminder occupying the room with you. I thought you would want to forget your time in Stasis." Emeritus spoke, walking around the Stasis Pod with a frown on his face.

　　The family was gathered in the throne room of their palace, staring at the piece of equipment that Kal had retrieved from the recently decommissioned prison where he had once spent five hundred years of his life.

　　Kal sighed, running his hand along the glass of the pod.

　　"It`s good to have a reminder of the cost of your actions. Someday, when I`m gone, and you are Duke, I hope you will retain it as a keepsake to your children. To teach them that arrogance has a price, and not just for themselves but for others around them." Kal`s voice trailed off.

　　How would his life have changed if he hadn`t been consigned to Stasis? What if he had been allowed to inherit immediately? What would Caledon have been like? Would Kal have been able to fight the Vore, or had his experience hardened him and prepared him for what was needed?This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

　　He would never know.

　　Page Break

　　"I understand that this is a lot to ask of you, Duke Caledon. But I honestly can think of no one better to lead this expedition." The Emperor asked in private. They were on Terra for Marella`s one-hundredth birthday.

　　The years had been incredibly kind to the Duke and Duchess, their appearance not even closely matching their age. Handsome and healthy, Kalen Caledon was in the prime of life. Combined with his experience with the Vore, he made the perfect person for the Emperor to ask.

　　The settlements in Andromeda were flourishing to the point where they were discussing independence. Rather than fight it, the Emperor had embraced the sentiment. The universe was large, and forcing humanity to serve a single person seemed a ridiculous and meaningless notion.

　　"And if we do find them?" Kal asked, gripping the arm of his chair tightly.

　　"I would prefer you negotiate with them. Ultimately, we are responsible for what they did. We created them, and they made the Vore. We should work with them to correct this mistake, not fight amongst ourselves."

　　They had picked up signs that the A.I. Collective was not dead, as previously believed. Faint transmissions were picked up by deep space probes sent to find the Vore. Their purpose was to alert the Empire if the Vore were approaching and had found remnants of the A.I. instead.

　　"Please, Kalen. There is no one I trust more to see this done." Augustus asked, and Kal was surprised to hear how tired the Empire sounded. He was too young to appear so old and grey, but the Throne had not been easy for him.

　　His son, a scion of the Carmichaels as well as the Royal Family, was poised to take over soon.

　　"Five hundred years to get there, five hundred more to return. You won`t know if I succeeded." Kal reminded him. The trip was long, much further than the Andromeda Galaxy, requiring everyone who was travelling to either stay in Stasis or live their entire lives on board a Dyson Sphere.

　　Unlike the Stasis used for punishments, these would grant the user sleep, sparing them from the torture that Kal experienced. Their minds would not be awake and aware of everything around them.

　　Kal shuddered at the remembrance.

　　"If you`re going, then I`ll have faith that you succeeded." Augustus stated, and Kal could hear the man`s trust in him in his tone.

　　Kal nodded at the words, agreeing to the Emperor`s request.

　　Page Break

　　Kal watched the pod close over Mare, sealing her inside. She watched him momentarily as the Stasis systems engaged before her eyes closed, and she fell asleep.

　　"I`ll see you in five hundred years." Kal whispered, placing his hand on his wife`s pod gently and running his fingers over the cold surface.

　　Turning away, Kal went to his own Stasis Pod, where he pressed the necessary buttons to set the timer. Watching the lid close slowly, he thought about what awaited him. He would see his children once again, someday, along with Caledon.

　　Enclosed in the pod, he could only hear the faint beeping as the mindless computer counted down.

　　Kal closed his eyes.

　　Five hundred years.

　　To sleep, to dream of halcyon days.

　　The End

　　Caledon`s Fall

　　By

　　T.G. Parsons