2199 Extinction
Epilogue

I look in the mirror. Malum’s blade left a big scar over my eye. That was easily covered by a large black tattooed stripe. I earned my first stripe, I’m not exactly proud of it. The fact that I had to kill someone, even in self-defense, is a hard decision to live with. I replace myself waking up in the night, terrified that has come back to exact his revenge on me.

Of course, the General wanted to know what happened, so I had to explain it to him. He took it well enough, but once I was done with my story, he waved me out. He refused visitors for three days, and then he called me back. Since I was his daughter’s child, I was welcome to stay but I would have stricter rules to follow. He doesn’t want me to follow the same path as she did. ​I did go back and rejoin the Copaie military.

This time around, I asked Xuves to dinner after a year in. He accepted and three years later, I was forced to drop out of the military, due to pregnancy and the impending marriage. When the time came for Xuves’s trip to visit his grandparents, off-world, I begged him to stay. I eventually had to tell him about my time traveling, so he would stay. We were married for over two hundred and fifty years before he died. It was still sad but at least I didn’t feel cheated this time. ​

Iknoyn was raised by Xuves and turned into a wonderful husband and father. His wife, Leita is such a wonderful mother and grandmother. He chose a good female. Iknoyn’s job of choice was something to do with genetics. Last I heard the genetics lab was attempting to crossbreed other races into the Copaie bloodlines. The DNA attempts always seem to fail, but that doesn’t seem to discourage them in the least bit.

Iknoyn says they will just have to try the old-fashioned way, whatever that means. As for me, now that my children are grown and Xuves is gone, I spend a lot of time trying to broker peace between the Copaie and Talfarian people. I’ve had no luck, so far, but who knows, maybe one day it will come to pass.

I went back to my own time and found my mother alive and well. I told her all about my adventures and the upcoming baby. She was a little disappointed, we didn’t marry first, but overall, she was thrilled. I then explained to her that I wasn’t going to stay. I was going back to Saltu, to the past. I explained about Xuves and how I fell in love with him. She understood and told me we were welcome on Talfar any time.

She also promised to keep my whole time traveling a secret so long as I promised not to do it anymore. That was an easy promise to keep because it seems like the more I time traveled, the more people I care about, die. But then again, it was kind of an amazing experience, so long as I don’t try and help anyone else cheat death, everything should be fine. Right?