Tweet
If 'Beginnings' could be considered the prologue to my grand Deirdre/Santiago epic and 'Love' was an excerpt from my grand Deirdre/Santiago epic, then this little fic, 'Endings' must be the epilogue of my grand Deirdre/Santiago epic.
So, really, the only thing left for me to do after this is to, you know, write my grand Deirdre/Santiago epic.
=====
This was Sparta Command.
It was surrounded by trees and its hallways were filled with laughter and casual conversation and people getting through their days without much trouble. There was some police around, but really only for the look of the thing since they were far from needed.
This was Sparta Command. And it wasn't Santiago's any more. In name it still was, in theory it still belonged to the Spartan Federation, but faction labels had become meaningless since that day... when was it again... ten years ago? Or was it a hundred?
Colonel Santiago sighed. After a few centuries, the years all started to look the same.
Oh well, she wouldn't have to deal with it for much longer.
An engineer from the Physical Reconstruction Department nervously approached her. His uniform was brown and green and his chest proudly bore the logo of the faction - half of one black arrow pointing down merging into half of a red rose with green thorns.
"Colonel Santiago?" he said, bowing nervously.
Corazon Santiago raised an eyebrow. "Yes? What is it?"
"The Lady is ready to see you now."
"Good," said Santiago.
The Colonel took the few paces necessary to reach the door opened, took one more step and paused, her breath hitching in her throat.
Lady Deirdre was beautiful. She always had been, of course, but somehow she'd never been more beautiful than she was now. Perhaps the old saying was true after all; you never know what you have until it's gone.
Lady Deirdre turned around and her whole face lit up when she saw Santiago.
"Corazon," she said, before flinging her arms around her and kissing her.
Santiago hesitated between letting Deirdre kiss her for a while and pulling away, but the softness of Deirdre's lips convinced her that five minutes or so wouldn't hurt.
"You're looking well," said Santiago eventually.
Deirdre smiled and only now did Santiago really notice her eyes. They were Deirdre's eyes, of course, soft, gentle, beautiful, but Deirdre wasn't the only one looking out from them. Planet was in there with her as well as the billions and billions of other minds that had transcended.
"I feel well," said Deirdre. "Now that I can touch you again."
"You could always touch me," said Santiago. "Every single moment I stood on your soil."
Deirdre smiled. "It's not the same."
"No, it's not. Shall we go for a walk?"
"To someplace more private, you mean?"
"More or less," said Santiago.
* * * * *
Santiago and Deirdre walked through Sparta Command. Deirdre had taken her hand and was resting her head on her shoulder. It was a public display of affection that Santiago would never have allowed back when they were both human. But nobody really saw it in any case. Everyone they met didn't see a couple walking down the corridor, they saw their goddess with Santiago barely being registered if she was seen at all.
"Where are we going?" Deirdre asked.
"The Tree Farm," said Santiago.
"You still have it?" Deirdre asked, her voice sounding pleasantly surprised. "Even when I have made the perfect trees grow wherever they were needed?"
"There are some things we should still do by ourselves," said Santiago.
Deirdre chuckled. "I can give you everything you could possibly need and still you feel that way."
"Being pampered never taught anyone anything, Deirdre," said Santiago. "Even in Eden, people should strive to improve themselves."
"Yes, you're right," said Deirdre.
"I've given the crew a day off," said Santiago, opening the doors. "There should be no-one here."
* * * * *
The tree was large, gnarled and old. Even though the Tree Farm more or less doubled as a public park, no tree stayed more than a decade in its dome. But this tree was obviously centuries old.
Deirdre put her hand on its bark. "You kept it," she whispered.
"Yes," said Santiago.
Deirdre turned around and smiled. "You're getting sentimental Corazon."
"I hear it comes with old age," said Santiago.
The Colonel sat down at the foot of the tree and pulled Deirdre into a hug, enjoying every moment of it. It had been too long since she'd held her close, she'd almost forgotten the smell of her hair.
"There's something I want to tell you," said Santiago.
Deirdre sighed. "There's nothing I can do to change your mind, is there?"
"No," said Santiago. "You knew this day was coming the moment you Ascended."
"When are you going to stop the longevity treatments?" Deirdre said.
"Tomorrow," said Santiago. "So I'll probably be around for another thirty years."
"To me, that's nothing more than the blink of an eye," said Deirdre.
"Yes, well, that's the problem, isn't it?"
"You don't have to die, Corazon," said Deirdre.
"Deirdre, I've grown obsolete. I'm a relic of a violent age that has long since past. Yes, people still follow my orders, but they're nothing more than formalities. I'm old and useless," Santiago said. "And I'm alone."
Deirdre didn't say anything like 'you still have me' or 'I'm always here'. It would be a lie and they both knew it. Instead she said, "Then why not join me?"
"And be one more voice in your mind? No thanks."
"It wo-"
"It wouldn't be like that?" Santiago said.
"That was what I was going to say," said Deirdre.
"Then I'm happy that you didn't."
"Why did you call me here, Corazon?" said Deirdre. "Not just to inform me of your death I hope."
"I just... wanted to be with you one last time," said Santiago.
"And here I am."
Deirdre turned around in Santiago's arms and kissed her. Slowly, the two women lay down onto the ground.
And, high above, the sun broke through the clouds.
* * * * *
The Glimmering Lady looked at the drawings and smiled.
"These are nice," she said.
"You think so?" said Marcia. "Teacher said they were too grim. Whatever that means."
"Teacher was wrong," said the Glimmering Lady.
"That's what I said," said Marcia.
"I'll bet," said the Glimmering Lady. "But whoever taught you about marching armies?"
"Not teacher," said Marcia. "I found it in the datalinks."
"Little girls like you have no business snooping around in the datalinks," said the Glimmering Lady, her voice stern, but her eyes amused.
Marcia just shrugged. "It's more interesting than school anyway."
The Glimmering Lady looked back at the drawings and smiled again. "Did your mother ever tell you about the day you were born?"
"Not really," said Marcia.
"There was a terrible storm that day," the Glimmering Lady said. "Thunder, lightning, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions. The whole planet let loose. Many people thought it was coming to end. And, in a way, it had."
"But it's still here," Marcia pointed out.
"Yes," said the Glimmering Lady. "It's amazing how much is still here. It amazed even me. And it takes a lot to amaze me."
"Who are you anyway?" Marcia asked.
For the first time since Marcia had known her, the Glimmering Lady actually looked surprised. "What?"
"Well, you've been coming up to my room for years now and I don't even really know your name."
"I'm..." The Glimmering Lady paused. "I'm just a girl who likes to play in her garden. Once upon a time, there was another girl who liked playing with me. She liked soldiers too."
"What happened to her?"
"She left," said the Glimmering Lady. "But she didn't go as far away as I thought."
Marcia looked at the insubstantial figure standing next to her chair. "You're weird."
The Glimmering Lady smiled. "That's what she thought too."
So, really, the only thing left for me to do after this is to, you know, write my grand Deirdre/Santiago epic.
=====
This was Sparta Command.
It was surrounded by trees and its hallways were filled with laughter and casual conversation and people getting through their days without much trouble. There was some police around, but really only for the look of the thing since they were far from needed.
This was Sparta Command. And it wasn't Santiago's any more. In name it still was, in theory it still belonged to the Spartan Federation, but faction labels had become meaningless since that day... when was it again... ten years ago? Or was it a hundred?
Colonel Santiago sighed. After a few centuries, the years all started to look the same.
Oh well, she wouldn't have to deal with it for much longer.
An engineer from the Physical Reconstruction Department nervously approached her. His uniform was brown and green and his chest proudly bore the logo of the faction - half of one black arrow pointing down merging into half of a red rose with green thorns.
"Colonel Santiago?" he said, bowing nervously.
Corazon Santiago raised an eyebrow. "Yes? What is it?"
"The Lady is ready to see you now."
"Good," said Santiago.
The Colonel took the few paces necessary to reach the door opened, took one more step and paused, her breath hitching in her throat.
Lady Deirdre was beautiful. She always had been, of course, but somehow she'd never been more beautiful than she was now. Perhaps the old saying was true after all; you never know what you have until it's gone.
Lady Deirdre turned around and her whole face lit up when she saw Santiago.
"Corazon," she said, before flinging her arms around her and kissing her.
Santiago hesitated between letting Deirdre kiss her for a while and pulling away, but the softness of Deirdre's lips convinced her that five minutes or so wouldn't hurt.
"You're looking well," said Santiago eventually.
Deirdre smiled and only now did Santiago really notice her eyes. They were Deirdre's eyes, of course, soft, gentle, beautiful, but Deirdre wasn't the only one looking out from them. Planet was in there with her as well as the billions and billions of other minds that had transcended.
"I feel well," said Deirdre. "Now that I can touch you again."
"You could always touch me," said Santiago. "Every single moment I stood on your soil."
Deirdre smiled. "It's not the same."
"No, it's not. Shall we go for a walk?"
"To someplace more private, you mean?"
"More or less," said Santiago.
* * * * *
Santiago and Deirdre walked through Sparta Command. Deirdre had taken her hand and was resting her head on her shoulder. It was a public display of affection that Santiago would never have allowed back when they were both human. But nobody really saw it in any case. Everyone they met didn't see a couple walking down the corridor, they saw their goddess with Santiago barely being registered if she was seen at all.
"Where are we going?" Deirdre asked.
"The Tree Farm," said Santiago.
"You still have it?" Deirdre asked, her voice sounding pleasantly surprised. "Even when I have made the perfect trees grow wherever they were needed?"
"There are some things we should still do by ourselves," said Santiago.
Deirdre chuckled. "I can give you everything you could possibly need and still you feel that way."
"Being pampered never taught anyone anything, Deirdre," said Santiago. "Even in Eden, people should strive to improve themselves."
"Yes, you're right," said Deirdre.
"I've given the crew a day off," said Santiago, opening the doors. "There should be no-one here."
* * * * *
The tree was large, gnarled and old. Even though the Tree Farm more or less doubled as a public park, no tree stayed more than a decade in its dome. But this tree was obviously centuries old.
Deirdre put her hand on its bark. "You kept it," she whispered.
"Yes," said Santiago.
Deirdre turned around and smiled. "You're getting sentimental Corazon."
"I hear it comes with old age," said Santiago.
The Colonel sat down at the foot of the tree and pulled Deirdre into a hug, enjoying every moment of it. It had been too long since she'd held her close, she'd almost forgotten the smell of her hair.
"There's something I want to tell you," said Santiago.
Deirdre sighed. "There's nothing I can do to change your mind, is there?"
"No," said Santiago. "You knew this day was coming the moment you Ascended."
"When are you going to stop the longevity treatments?" Deirdre said.
"Tomorrow," said Santiago. "So I'll probably be around for another thirty years."
"To me, that's nothing more than the blink of an eye," said Deirdre.
"Yes, well, that's the problem, isn't it?"
"You don't have to die, Corazon," said Deirdre.
"Deirdre, I've grown obsolete. I'm a relic of a violent age that has long since past. Yes, people still follow my orders, but they're nothing more than formalities. I'm old and useless," Santiago said. "And I'm alone."
Deirdre didn't say anything like 'you still have me' or 'I'm always here'. It would be a lie and they both knew it. Instead she said, "Then why not join me?"
"And be one more voice in your mind? No thanks."
"It wo-"
"It wouldn't be like that?" Santiago said.
"That was what I was going to say," said Deirdre.
"Then I'm happy that you didn't."
"Why did you call me here, Corazon?" said Deirdre. "Not just to inform me of your death I hope."
"I just... wanted to be with you one last time," said Santiago.
"And here I am."
Deirdre turned around in Santiago's arms and kissed her. Slowly, the two women lay down onto the ground.
And, high above, the sun broke through the clouds.
* * * * *
The Glimmering Lady looked at the drawings and smiled.
"These are nice," she said.
"You think so?" said Marcia. "Teacher said they were too grim. Whatever that means."
"Teacher was wrong," said the Glimmering Lady.
"That's what I said," said Marcia.
"I'll bet," said the Glimmering Lady. "But whoever taught you about marching armies?"
"Not teacher," said Marcia. "I found it in the datalinks."
"Little girls like you have no business snooping around in the datalinks," said the Glimmering Lady, her voice stern, but her eyes amused.
Marcia just shrugged. "It's more interesting than school anyway."
The Glimmering Lady looked back at the drawings and smiled again. "Did your mother ever tell you about the day you were born?"
"Not really," said Marcia.
"There was a terrible storm that day," the Glimmering Lady said. "Thunder, lightning, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions. The whole planet let loose. Many people thought it was coming to end. And, in a way, it had."
"But it's still here," Marcia pointed out.
"Yes," said the Glimmering Lady. "It's amazing how much is still here. It amazed even me. And it takes a lot to amaze me."
"Who are you anyway?" Marcia asked.
For the first time since Marcia had known her, the Glimmering Lady actually looked surprised. "What?"
"Well, you've been coming up to my room for years now and I don't even really know your name."
"I'm..." The Glimmering Lady paused. "I'm just a girl who likes to play in her garden. Once upon a time, there was another girl who liked playing with me. She liked soldiers too."
"What happened to her?"
"She left," said the Glimmering Lady. "But she didn't go as far away as I thought."
Marcia looked at the insubstantial figure standing next to her chair. "You're weird."
The Glimmering Lady smiled. "That's what she thought too."