Passing

by Seven


Disclaimer:  Earth: Final Conflict and its characters are copyrighted by Tribune Entertainment Company.  All rights reserved.



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May 25th, 3001.

Peace had reigned in the galaxy for centuries, in the nearly one thousand years that Liam Kincaid had lived on Earth. The Jaridians, the Taelons, humanity, the few surviving Kimera... all lived in peace. It brought a warm glow to Liam Kincaid's heart, as he watched the crystalline cities of Earth in the rising sun, unperturbed.

That millennium had brought advances that Liam had never dreamed of. And sorrows he had never dreamed of, as well. He had watched good friends pass away. Lili, Augur, Renee, Da'an, even Sandoval and Doors. Zo'or was still alive, but Liam carefully kept all contact with Zo'or as brief and rare as he could.

And now Liam was dying.

He stood by the window. His face still had a boyish cast to it, but it was lined and bore a close-cropped white beard. His curly hair was also white, framing his calm green eyes. Old age, he thought wryly. It had claimed friends and family before, and now it claimed him. He had felt it coming for a long time. He was not afraid.

He had seen how peacefully death could come. His first wife, Rachel, had grown old as he barely aged at all, the process slowed by his part Kimeran heritage. It had made him feel guilty and miserable, until the day she died. She had slowly slipped away, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. Then he had realized that for her, there had been no difference.

He glanced back at the bed, where his wife, Jahai, was sleeping comfortably. Her dark hair spread over the pillow like a midnight cloud. For a moment, he just watched her, hoping that the grief would not be too hard for her. He knew from long experience how difficult it could be to lose a spouse. He had lost eight.

The sound of their children rang through the corridors of the ancient mansion, calling out in the Kimeran language. Liam smiled, then walked to the bed and kissed Jahai on the forehead. Her beautiful blue eyes opened and looked at him.

"It's time," he whispered.

Jahai looked at him, and understanding dawned across her lovely features. "So soon?"

"It's not my decision," Liam said gently, caressing her hand. "Jahai, I'm sorry. Sorry to leave you, and all the children. But my life is over, and what I have had to do, is done. I was born with a lifespan beyond that of any human, and now it's over."

"Can't you... hang on a little longer?" Jahai asked, sitting up and taking his hands.

Liam sighed. How could he make her understand? "Jahai, I want to go this way. I am not going to waste away, or die in my sleep. I can feel what's coming, and I embrace it. Please... it's time to let go of me."

Tears began to trickle down Jahai's cheeks as she hugged him. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Liam replied, holding her in his still-strong arms. "I will watch over you, always. I promise you that."

"I believe you," Jahai whispered.

Slowly, the two of them rose and dressed. As they exited the bedroom, their curly-haired, green eyed hybrid children swarmed around Jahai and Liam. Liam said good morning to them all, walked past them to the door, then turned and looked at Jahai. Her eyes shone bright with tears as she watched her husband. "It's better," he said softly, "with no goodbyes."

"I love you," Jahai repeated.

"And I love you," Liam whispered back, as he left the mansion forever.

Jahai Kincaid slowly sank into a seat, tears streaming from her eyes. A heavenly brightness seemed to fill the room, as if Liam had left an indelible mark in it.

****

The shuttle slowly lowered itself to the grassy green hills of Ireland. The burial markers were long since gone, but the trees looked the same, swaying against the cloudy sky.

Liam climbed from the shuttle and walked along the trees, finally finding a grassy spot, in the shade. His chest was beginning to burn, with a pain both horrible and pleasurable. He lay down beneath the trees, smiling a little at the sight of the birds dancing on the branches.

He would miss Jahai. He would miss the dozens of children he had fathered, many of them now residing with the Taelons or the Jaridians, helping to keep the peace.

He could no longer feel his legs. But it felt less like dying and more like... transcending. He could feel his body beginning to lose its shape and turning into a glimmering cloud of pure energy. Threads of white seemed to lace his vision as he wisped upon the winds like a puff of smoke.

So this is dying, he thought. Why do we fear it so much?

Liam looked down at himself, then touched his hands to his face. He felt with a shock that he was no longer old, no longer the ancient man who had seen and felt so much in the last thousand years. He was... as he had been, when he was young.

"Liam?"

Liam turned at the soft voice behind him. Standing between the trees was Da'an, smiling gently, seemingly with a burden lifted from him. The last time Liam had seen him, the Taelon's energy had been dispersing throughout the hospital, his dying thoughts ones of compassion and love for humanity. Now, his blue eyes shone with happiness at the reunion with his friend, and Liam had to restrain the urge to hug him. "I'm... dead?" he asked hesitantly, looking around.

"Yes," Da'an replied simply. He held out his hand, and Liam saw a brief flash of the shakarava. "I have come to bring you."

Liam hesitantly took Da'an's hand, and followed him across the hills. As they rounded a cliff, several people came into view.

"Liam, old buddy!" Augur dashed toward Liam and threw his arms around him in a brotherly hug. "What's been keeping you?"

"Just the pesky Kimera lifespan," Liam said dryly. As Augur stepped out of the way, more figures approached. Liam felt a grin spread across his face. "Lili? Doors? Sandoval?"

Each of them, just as they had been almost a thousand years ago. Doors and Sandoval smiled at Liam as Lili seconded Augur's hug. "Welcome, Liam."

"I'll give ya my heartiest blessings, Liam," a throaty, brogued voice called out. Liam whirled to see a lithe redhead sitting behind him, her lovely face wreathed in smiles. He felt, rather than saw, Sandoval smiling at her lovingly. "Mother?" he breathed.

Beckett slipped off the rock and wrapped her arms around her son. Liam felt tears beginning to slip from his eyes. "I missed you," he whispered. "For a thousand years, I missed you..."

"I know, acushla," Beckett whispered back. "But now you're with me. Me, and everyone you've ever loved."

Liam pulled away and stared around the Irish landscape. Friends, family, long gone for years were gatherng around him. Those from the Liberation, and later, the women he had married and lost, Jaridians and Taelons, humans and Kimera... All of them welcomed him, even those whom he hadn't known. Ha'gel, Rachel, Hayley, Boone, Dee Dee Sandoval...

Liam sighed, content. He slowly hugged Beckett again. "I've come home," he whispered.