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In a faraway place, a brilliant star eradicated disease...
Four Karellian soldiers knelt behind an avalanche of wreckage still smoldering after a particularly devastating barrage of missiles courtesy of a nearby Peacekeeper. They had but one goal: to reach a lone terminal and potentially end this conflict once and for all.
The Freedom Fighters were as tireless in their pursuit of chaos as the Global Community was as restoring order. All of it just to disrupt the order their forebears labored so hard to build. They’d forgotten the history of this star and its once myriad nations. The wars waged; the countless lives lost...
They huddled together in hopes of evading the unfeeling machine, built in retaliation of said chaos. To their superiors’ credit, their creations fulfilled their primary function, but then artificial intelligence would evolve to root out every single threat to peace. This directive would, contrarily, include the very architects who’d brought them into existence.
...before destroying the selfsame lives it had saved.
All that remained of this once prosperous society was an unwavering tenacity to stand and fight.
Each Global Citizen clenched their firearm close as a complex tapestry of bullets and missiles blitzed past their makeshift hiding spot. Their bodies were encased in full armor as a precaution to repel the mechs’ recent alteration of tactics to incorporate toxic gas into their menagerie of weapons.
One soldier craned their head around just enough to spy the all too familiar resonance of the metal beast’s front cannon locking on to an organic’s shift in movement. Once rolled back to face the others, another exclaimed a desire to retreat if only to avoid such a grisly fate.
That choice would prove both costly… and futile.
Just as the fourth was about to speed around the bend and join their newfound colleagues, a monotonous voice bellowed through the assorted babel of explosions and fighter barks…
Executing Peace Protocol. Commencing Extermination.
And then just as sudden as taking a breath, there was nothing left of the three faceless comrades other than the remains of a devastating missile blast comprised of fire and smoke.
“It means to kill us all!” the remaining armored soldier shouted amongst the dust and debris… not quite certain if those words would even be heard by another living soul. Dark eyes peered through the helmet’s mask… fixated on the small patch of ground where the others had stood only moments before.
A sharp inhale of sterilized air served to further motivate the lone survivor even as gloved hands clenched their shotgun so tight it was almost indistinguishable from the very armor they wore. “I have to end this!” the muffled voice exclaimed as boots scrambled across the ground until finally settling behind another scorched fence.
Its people sought ever greater freedoms no matter the cost...
The synthetic monstrosity suddenly beamed a search light to pinpoint the source of the clamorous footwear. It was all for naught as their owner had already continued forward to shuffle up a nearby ladder. “If I can just reach the terminal...” the soldier whispered as they climbed at a brisk pace and somehow circumvented the dangerous beacon pausing upon the very spot they’d just occupied.
The pipe was almost too narrow for the armored suit to maneuver, and yet perseverance prevailed over constrictive surroundings as the Citizen dragged their way through the sticky remains of ichor and oil and finally dropped just a few meters away from their intended objective.
They tried to buy peace with fire and steel...
Arched above the seemingly unobtrusive activation device, a grotesque display of colossal projectiles remained vigilant in anticipation of their indubitable purpose. ‘Just a few more steps…’ the soldier thought as their mask jerked left and right cautiously. Another deep breath followed as the rush of adrenaline pooled in their belly as the solider soon dashed forward toward the very contraption they’d been charged to find.
A singular red button pulsated in silent invitation to set forth the very act that could end this bloody war once and for all. Its almost tranquil glow reflected on the nameless Citizen’s helmet as their palm lowered seemingly in slow motion…
The array of projectiles was bewitching as plumes of smoke and metal launched into the air and effortlessly found each their assigned targets.
“I did it!” the soldier shouted as they grasped the edges of the terminal in victory. “I killed them all!” The lone figure then slowly grasped their helmet… tugging thick plastic up over their head and plopping it down onto the ground, revealing tendrils of dark, thick curls and even darker eyes.
Ears, no longer obstructed by the headpiece then caught the all too familiar bellowing cacophony of screams in pain, disbelief, and anguish. And soon as the bombardment began… it was over. The battlefield then drew eerily silent as both organic and inorganic finally found the peace everyone wanted.
And when one asked, "What is the point?" there was none left to answer.
It was only then that she realized what she’d done; this Last Survivor of her race.
“I… killed them all…” she whispered as her exhausted form crumbled onto the ground at the foot of the terminal.
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She had no idea how long she’d been asleep, but the gentle touch of a small hand upon her cheek soon roused the soldier awake. The sight she took in was not of a surviving synthetic mechanism seeking her death… but instead a strange creature with blue feathers and matching blue eyes. The pale, round face gave way to a peculiar smile as the child suddenly spoke.
{Ah! You’re awake!}
Or at least… it seemed to speak yet its lips did not move. The voice in her head was soft, like she’d suddenly been scooped up and placed on a pillow. Such comfort was not deserved, considering what she’d done…
Taloned feet jumped back as the Citizen sat up with every muscle in her body begging her not to. She grit her teeth and reached up to brush away a few mangled curls from her eyes. “Who are you?”
{A traveler from a faraway star,} the girl answered as she then turned and observed the remnants of the missile launch. {I had come to ask your people questions, but instead it seems I’ve already found the answer.}
The woman squinted as her lungs took in a considerable amount of dust and dirt, and her nose caught the unmistakable odor of death. After a series of labored coughs she finally asked, “As I am the last, would you not tell me your questions in their stead?”
The child chuckled audibly as her gaze lowered for a fraction of an instant. {Are you sure?}
Only a small nod followed in response, as her left hand fell almost lifeless to the side.
Blue eyes once again focused on the woman as the girl’s head tilted to the side inquisitively. Both hands tucked behind her as each clawed foot shifted back and forth with anticipation.
{What meaning does life hold? For what do you strive?}
Such beautiful irony… to ask such questions to the last survivor of an otherwise extinct population. The soldier’s lips rose into what can only be described as a melancholy smile. “You’re not the first otherworldly being to visit us, you know. We welcomed these visitors with open arms as they saw that we were possessed of a wisdom and compassion to guide our population away from sickness and strife.”
She craned her head backward and noted the darkened pillars of destruction still looming in the background, “But others… the Freedom Fighters… they did not trust our guests. They instead chose to invoke chaos to disrupt the order our forefathers labored so hard to build. They’d forgotten the history of this star and its once myriad nations. And so wars waged, the countless lives were lost...
“Soon enough… a new weapon was built. The Peacekeeper,” eyes rolled back to face the blue creature, “it was a pinnacle of engineering and technology made to restore order and eradicate those who opposed it. Unfortunately they… eventually saw all living beings as a threat…”
Her new companion’s hand came up to touch her chest as she seemed to contemplate this confession for a few silent moments. {It’s somewhat comforting…} was her eventual, if cryptic reply.
A scowl emblazoned the Citizen’s features as the pain all throughout her body become the one and only reason it otherwise didn’t stir. “Comforting?”
A nod. {My sisters and I were made with the capacity to sense Dynamis…. energy created by means of any and all emotions.} Her tiny form slowly bent down if only to provide the smallest amount of succor for the soldier. {I can only sense yours now. You’ve reached into the darkest depths of despair, and your only wish is for it all to end.}
‘Yes. End it. Please,’ she thought as a single tear striding down her cheek betrayed that wish to the child. Global Citizen. Freedom Fighter. Those terms meant nothing anymore. She would forever live on utterly alone, remembering her role as the one who caused millions of deaths with the push of a single button. Yet, there was no one left to enact any sort of penance for the unforgivable crime she’d wrought.
Or perhaps there was…
“Is that why you are still here?” the lone survivor inquired out loud as moist eyes stared directly into those rich cerulean pools. “To fulfill that wish?”
{Would that make you happy? Give your life meaning?} The girl’s smooth fingertips once again reached over and tenderly stroked the woman’s dust-ridden cheek.
Such tenderness provoked a stream of more tears to emerge as her entire form trembled. “We destroyed ourselves to accomplish peace.” Her lips pursed and spit off to the side, “All of this death… did not have to happen. We could have done so much more. I…” her chest then gave in to a series of sobs as she stared at the orange sky and the occasional flake of burnt ash as it fluttered past. “No. We thought it gave us meaning… but it was all a lie.”
Meteion’s other hand rose to mirror the first if only to turn the woman’s face toward her… shielding her from any further destruction by means of an incredibly warm smile. {Rest now, Love. Rest with the knowledge that your people will never experience such sadness… ever again.}
The Citizen’s eyes then grew heavy, yet any agony left in her heart seemed to fade away. Perhaps it was simply a trick of the light when the innocent girl’s feathers gradually lost their lovely azure hue… replaced by an odd visage of dull grey.
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There was no funeral for the last survivor. There was no one left to give her one, to mourn her passing as she had done for so many, so many times before.
She had sung, danced, prayed, mourned, cried, laughed - she had rejoiced the passing of a few - but there was no one to cry or pray for her as she drifted away into oblivion.
‘So this is what it felt like,’ she thought as her eyes drifted closed, this wasn’t too bad. It’s like falling asleep.
And it was.
There was no crying for the last survivor - no tears or laughter or prayers of peace.
There was only silence - blissful, perfect silence and the music that came with it.
The rustling of trees and the smell of the lavender fields, the feel of the wind like velvet on the skin.
‘This isn’t so bad at all,’ she thought again, a small smile tugging at her lips, it’s almost like a memory.
And she wasn’t surprised when the distant sound of laughter hit her ears. When the quiet, playful voice of her friend told her it was about time.
She wasn’t surprised to hear her mother, or her father or her brothers and sister, she wasn’t surprised to feel their arms wrap around her in a warm embrace.
There was no funeral for the last survivor.
No one mourned her passing.
But they all rejoiced when she joined them at last...