19.

Brandon Michaels is dead. The Pathfinder is shell-shocked as if it itself is a living entity gone into mourning. It is only a day or two shy of four weeks since Brandon arrived onto this incredible small city onto itself flying through space, and now as a service devoted to him is coming to an end with Maria Flores taking a moment or two to speak a few words.

'I actually knew a few months prior to coming aboard this ship that I was going to be a part of all this, whatever all this is, but despite that there isn't or wasn't anything that could have prepared me for what was to come, what has already come and for what still lies ahead. The strange thing is that to me it feels like we have always been here, yet it also feels as if we haven't even started to begin our journey in earnest.

Before I met Brandon, I would have never considered taking a position in command whether that be taking charge of any kind of situation or whether it be taking charge of others. For sure, I definitely would not have considered taking a command position aboard a star ship. Yeah, I have had and do have command of all the science related considerations aboard The Pathfinder but this is my area of expertise and I still have to offer my opinions before going ahead with anything.

When Brandon suggested that I take a command position under him, it really got me thinking and now it has me thinking once again. Am I now left to take charge of this star ship? Is it my responsibility to lead all of mankind to a new world? If it is, I don't know if I can do it, I don't know if I want to do it especially without Brandon for it is such an enormous responsibility. I know I will never be alone here, but I would so much rather have Brandon ... here.

None of us really knew the colonel but I can't imagine him no longer being around, but around he will be, for although I know he is gone to another place, a better place, in my thoughts and prayers he will also stay. Brandon Michaels. Rest in Peace. You were more than a commander. Despite our brief acquaintance I can say that you were a mentor and a friend too, a friend I won't soon forget.'

The pathfinder has its own mortuary so it had been an easy decision to make to keep Brandon within its holdings rather than to release his remains into the vastness of space, with the hopes and thoughts that if a new world were to be found, hopefully sooner rather than later then Brandon could receive a proper burial. Indeed, it may be many years, generations perhaps, before a new world may be found, if one can be found at all, still ... what's the rush?

Having gathered together in the strategy room as an afters to Brandon's service not only proved to be a fitting thing to do, a right and natural thing to do, it also proved to be quite productive. Not only did everyone there get a proper chance to mingle and get the chance to vent their thoughts but Maria, Stanley, Robert, and Simon all agreed to work together and become a team, a unit who would not only go forward as a unit but go forward together in style.

The Owens brothers also made it clear that they were free to be used in any way necessary. Right away a huge weight had been lifted, just maybe Maria can now look forward somewhat to the future and not feel so overwhelmed by it. Prior to this day Maria always exuded strength, she still does though at least now if there is vulnerability, it can be shared and not hidden. The hopes of all of humanity don't just rest on her shoulders.

This lengthy day is coming to an end, a service is long over, and a gathering is departing, and Maria while heading towards her quarters stops off by Brandon's quarters first. Feeling a bit better with the thoughts of a shared command rather than having to go it alone, Maria couldn't help but to also feel a little down in herself. Being where she was in this moment would not aid things one little bit. Having made the decision to enter Brandon's quarters Maria's mood changes somewhat when she comes across Brandon's diary.

At first the small uplifting wave of emotion that hits with having come across this diary makes her smile though that smile would not last all so long as that uplifted feeling would soon be replaced by guilt, guilt in wanting to take the diary away with her. Her compulsion won over. Taking the diary was almost like steeling especially when she checked the hallway to see if anyone was close enough to see her depart Brandon's quarters with his diary in tow.

Back in her own quarters, Maria found herself being surprised by a couple of things as she sat at her desk reading the diary. While only using a table lamp for light she reads, feeling the need to hide what she is doing despite being alone in the quarter's main living area. One of the things that surprised her was the fact that Brandon knew something was wrong in himself before accepting his position aboard The Pathfinder and the other thing was of how much Brandon believed that she, Maria, resembled his own wife. She kinda knew this already but not to the extent it had been at.

Further surprise would ensue when Maria would soon find herself physically standing at a crossroads. She stood right smack in the center of an extremely quiet intersection with street and traffic lights lighting a nighttime sky, a clear night time sky with a full moon also adding to the illumination. How she got to such a place Maria had no idea. It is a place she does not recognize; besides how could she be standing at a crossroads presumably and obviously somewhere on Earth when she has travelled one heck of a distance not only through space but also away from Earth?

After standing a few moments in her peaceful surroundings and trying to assess just what the hell was going on, Maria noticed the dark silhouette of a figure begin to approach her. Not knowing who or what the figure is she calls out an 'hello'. The sound of her voice echoes out and adds to her disorientation.

The silhouetted figure clicks his fingers revealing himself just as if the finger clicking switches on a light taking away the shroud which had kept the figure in darkness and once again Maria is taken by surprise for that figure is none other than Brandon, seemingly appearing to be very much alive and well.

'Brandon? What the Hell? How are you here? How am I here? ... Just where is here exactly?'

'Maria relax, it is alright. You are asleep and dreaming.'

Brandon moves forward and places his right hand on Maria's left shoulder.

'Dreaming? But this feels so real' Maria certainly can feel the touch of Brandon's hand on her shoulder, there must be something more to this moment that can't be simply passed off as some sort of a dream.

'Yeah, I know. You are asleep at a desk in your quarters aboard The Pathfinder and now you are here with me too. I got to come here quite a bit in my dreams before I died, this place is kind of a conduit where the living and the non-living can come and meet, I guess. My wife Florence came here to meet me, ya know. She came to help me move on.'

'So, what are you saying? Did I somehow come here willingly? You are still dead, right? Am I about to die?'

'Die? You? No, not at all, not anytime soon anyway, me on the other hand, well I am what I am and as for coming here willingly, I do not really know about that though what I do know is that this place is allowing me to contact you.'

'Contact me? Why?'

'To tell you to wake up.'

'Wake up?'

Before Maria could make any sense of anything she was experiencing or had just experienced, she did indeed wake up. Her head had been laying on her desk facing to the right. She slowly lifts her head. The light coming from her lamp which sits on the left-hand side of her table hurt her eyes and it made her bring both her hands up to her head. As she did this, she caught a glimpse of something. What she saw or thought she saw next made her fall out of her seat.

Maria was sure that she caught a glimpse of Brandon's face next to and behind her desk lamp. Before Maria could get up off the floor Cindy comes running into the room. The sound of her mum's fall had woken her.

'Mom, are you OK?'

'Yeah, I am fine Cindy, I fell asleep at my desk and then fell out of my chair, that's all.'

Maria seemed to be trying to convince herself of that rather than trying to explain what had just happened to her daughter. As soon as Maria gets to her feet Cindy would take her mum by the hand and lead her towards the bedrooms.

'It is about time you got yourself some decent sleep mom.'

Mom could not disagree with that. As she walked away, Maria couldn't help looking back towards her desk wondering if she had really seen what she thought she had, and also wondered about that moment of actually getting to talk with Brandon at a crossroads, such an occurrence can be no more than just a dream, can it? Brandon's diary, for the moment it will stay resting atop a desk in the main living room of Maria's quarters. She will, in time read more about these ... crossroads.

How odd and nice it is that positions within a mother and daughter relationship can be swapped around for a brief moment.