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With a final yank barely compensated by the inertial dampers, the Polaris exited subspace, her mass shifted hull groaning as her internals tried to compensate themselves to the smaller outside space they occupied. The auto-regeneration systems were kicking in, trying desperately to mend the damage caused by the final battle with the Mercy, and the ship's last, blind Warp jaunt.

The Polaris survived the battle that no ship in generations was built for. While the rest of the Galaxy rejoiced over the collapse of the Emerald Chain and the return of the Federation, some, well, many, on Earth had other concerns in mind. The grand chessboard was wiped clean for a new game, and players of old games might be stirring to have their chance at a rematch. Whoever thought that Earth's first long-distance explorer in a generation needs to be a tough-as-nails battleship as well was right.

For Sonya Straczinsky, the Mercy were as much a mystery as they were more than two centuries ago. Oh, she knew the science behind them: highly advanced beings composed of energy and strange matter, in the shape of what could be best described as angels. Their goal, which was the origin of their name, was also clear for her: life is an endless torrent of suffering. The merciful act is to relieve the sufferers of their pain, once and for all. For the Mercy, genocide on a galactic scale was the ultimate act of kindness. What drove them to this conclusion, Sonya did not know. Not back when she was human, not now, stuck between life and death. Not dying. Deathless.

But she was the master of her vessel, and as the Polaris decelerated to a full stop near the orbit of an M-class planet, she had other things to wrap her mind around. With her ancient (for the rest of the crew, not for her) smart staff collapsing into a marshal's baton in her sweaty hand, she turned to her first officer.

- Are we…? – was all she managed to say, her voice hoarse.

- Ship's clear, no enemy pursuit. – Lianhwa said, as calm as ever – Mass shift is stable. Programmable matter injectors at 68%.

- Long range in all directions. – Sonya quipped – The mercy…

- They are not pursuing us, Sonya. – Lianhwa said silently, his voice sending a wave of calmness through Sonya's body. Lianhwa, in his early eighties, was but a child to her, yet she was the one who didn't look older than twenty-five. Lianhwa was her final and best anchor to whatever's left of her humanity, and she cherished him for that. The way he looked at her, with a small smile, his fingers absent-mindedly playing with his grey goatee made her feel relaxed. She was safe. They were safe.

- Captain, someone's hailing us. – Lakanga said, turning back from the forward operations console, his eyes glowing in the deep sockets of his ebony face – It's… an old Earth signal.

- Put it through. – Sonya said, sounding perplexed. Just where were they? Where did that last desperate Warp jump take them?

A blurry, humanoid figure appeared in the form of a hologram, standing before the front viewscreen. Another one, and then another popped up, all three the vague representation of an upright biped.

- Who are you? – one of them asked, the voice a mere echo.

- I'm Captain Sonya Straczinsky. – the necronaut said.

- Who are you? – another of the holograms asked, as if disappointed by the answer.

- I'm a scythe in a field full of briars. – Sonya said, holding up her smart staff for all to see, clicking it open. The staff expanded into a silvery javelin, its monomolecular semi-matter tip reflecting the light at dizzying angles.

This had a noticeable effect on the holograms. They looked at eachother, as if the sight of the weapon have triggered a memory in them.

- Who are you? – the third one asked, a voice filled with awe.

- I'm… I'm the Captain of the Polaris. – Sonya said, declaring her truest self openly.

The three holograms wobbled to clear up, revealing three very familiar strangers: two women and one man, all very much unmistakably human.

- Welcome to Elizabethtown, Earthers. – one of the women said – We are the Humans.

***

Okay, people, I just have to have my own spin on the Discoverse future. Many concepts that I had in my head for quite a while have found their way into this little story.
I have lots to thank for my wonderful lady love, who inspired many of these, including the title (bonus points of you get the reference), and for not letting me sink into technophobic depression.

Models by me

Description

With a final yank barely compensated by the inertial dampers, the Polaris exited subspace, her mass shifted hull groaning as her internals tried to compensate themselves to the smaller outside space they occupied. The auto-regeneration systems were kicking in, trying desperately to mend the damage caused by the final battle with the Mercy, and the ship's last, blind Warp jaunt.

The Polaris survived the battle that no ship in generations was built for. While the rest of the Galaxy rejoiced over the collapse of the Emerald Chain and the return of the Federation, some, well, many, on Earth had other concerns in mind. The grand chessboard was wiped clean for a new game, and players of old games might be stirring to have their chance at a rematch. Whoever thought that Earth's first long-distance explorer in a generation needs to be a tough-as-nails battleship as well was right.

For Sonya Straczinsky, the Mercy were as much a mystery as they were more than two centuries ago. Oh, she knew the science behind them: highly advanced beings composed of energy and strange matter, in the shape of what could be best described as angels. Their goal, which was the origin of their name, was also clear for her: life is an endless torrent of suffering. The merciful act is to relieve the sufferers of their pain, once and for all. For the Mercy, genocide on a galactic scale was the ultimate act of kindness. What drove them to this conclusion, Sonya did not know. Not back when she was human, not now, stuck between life and death. Not dying. Deathless.

But she was the master of her vessel, and as the Polaris decelerated to a full stop near the orbit of an M-class planet, she had other things to wrap her mind around. With her ancient (for the rest of the crew, not for her) smart staff collapsing into a marshal's baton in her sweaty hand, she turned to her first officer.

- Are we…? – was all she managed to say, her voice hoarse.

- Ship's clear, no enemy pursuit. – Lianhwa said, as calm as ever – Mass shift is stable. Programmable matter injectors at 68%.

- Long range in all directions. – Sonya quipped – The mercy…

- They are not pursuing us, Sonya. – Lianhwa said silently, his voice sending a wave of calmness through Sonya's body. Lianhwa, in his early eighties, was but a child to her, yet she was the one who didn't look older than twenty-five. Lianhwa was her final and best anchor to whatever's left of her humanity, and she cherished him for that. The way he looked at her, with a small smile, his fingers absent-mindedly playing with his grey goatee made her feel relaxed. She was safe. They were safe.

- Captain, someone's hailing us. – Lakanga said, turning back from the forward operations console, his eyes glowing in the deep sockets of his ebony face – It's… an old Earth signal.

- Put it through. – Sonya said, sounding perplexed. Just where were they? Where did that last desperate Warp jump take them?

A blurry, humanoid figure appeared in the form of a hologram, standing before the front viewscreen. Another one, and then another popped up, all three the vague representation of an upright biped.

- Who are you? – one of them asked, the voice a mere echo.

- I'm Captain Sonya Straczinsky. – the necronaut said.

- Who are you? – another of the holograms asked, as if disappointed by the answer.

- I'm a scythe in a field full of briars. – Sonya said, holding up her smart staff for all to see, clicking it open. The staff expanded into a silvery javelin, its monomolecular semi-matter tip reflecting the light at dizzying angles.

This had a noticeable effect on the holograms. They looked at eachother, as if the sight of the weapon have triggered a memory in them.

- Who are you? – the third one asked, a voice filled with awe.

- I'm… I'm the Captain of the Polaris. – Sonya said, declaring her truest self openly.

The three holograms wobbled to clear up, revealing three very familiar strangers: two women and one man, all very much unmistakably human.

- Welcome to Elizabethtown, Earthers. – one of the women said – We are the Humans.

***

Okay, people, I just have to have my own spin on the Discoverse future. Many concepts that I had in my head for quite a while have found their way into this little story.
I have lots to thank for my wonderful lady love, who inspired many of these, including the title (bonus points of you get the reference), and for not letting me sink into technophobic depression.

Models by me