Kiyos frowned at the couple, walked up calmly, and slugged the Starfleet captain in the jaw. “Sorry about that,” he muttered and then he ran after his friend. He was glad she had told him the story of her first encounter with the captain; it was the only way he knew where she’d be. She was already through the hole in the fence at the edge of the river. As he watched, she spread her arms and launched herself into the river in a high-arcing dive. “No!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, too late.
As fast as he could run, Kiyos sped towards the river. He barely fit through the hole and snagged his shoe as he was passing through it. He tore it off angrily and ran to the river’s edge with one bare foot. He looked down and saw Acasja some distance down the current. She was holding a small figure, a girl, in her hands and was nearing the far bank. She pushed the girl up on to the dry land and held the verge for a moment. Then her hands slipped loose and she sank back beneath the surface.
Not a strong swimmer, Kiyos knew he couldn’t jump in after her. He looked hurriedly left and right. There was a staircase leading down a hundred meters away. He made his way down as quickly as he could and ran to the river’s edge. To his surprise, someone had beaten him to it. A man, drenched in water, held Acasja in his arms. Seeing Kiyos, he laid her on the ground. He seemed to fade from sight and disappeared completely in a silvery shimmer. Kiyos blinked, not sure if he had imagined it, and then ran quickly to where Acasja lay.
As he reached her side, her eyes fluttered open. “Where am I?” she asked. “How did I get here?”
“Do you remember?” he asked in turn.
She nodded. “Some of it anyway. I was coming here to look at the river. I do that when I’m depressed. Then I saw a little girl fall in, like I did all those years ago. I… I tried to save her. I’m not sure what happened after that.”
“Look!” he said, pointing to the other side. A woman, he guessed the girl’s mother, was helping the child up and wrapping her in her own coat. “You did save her but then you fell back into the water. I was afraid you were going to drown. I ran as fast as I could.”
“Did you save me?”
He stopped. He couldn’t answer her. He wanted to say it had been him, but couldn’t. Finally he spat it out and his voice sounded unintentionally bitter. “If I did, would you look at me like you look at your Captain?”
“The reason I considered him so dear to me isn’t that he saved my life. He gave me something beautiful, something shining. He taught me that I have the courage and the strength within me to live a noble life.” Kiyos stared at her intent face as Acasja spoke and sighed. She continued less emphatically and her voice was soft. “I guess it’s okay if he’s in love with my aunt and not me. He said he liked strong women, I thought he meant me. He meant her.”
Kiyos took a deep breath and sat down on the far end of the bench. “Are you sure you really want to know the truth about your hero captain?”
She glanced up at him before finding a spot on the ground to stare at. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he said, hesitating. “I mean.” He sighed heavily. With her he could only say the truth. “Your hero does exist and he’s not Captain Acton. I saw him. I think I did anyway. I wanted to rescue you. I tried to reach you in time, but I was too late. When I arrived at the river’s edge, he was already holding you. He saw me and set you down and then he vanished. I know what you mean now. It’s almost like it really was a dream. That’s how I know it wasn’t Captain Acton. It didn’t look like him. But that’s not all. I can prove he exists.”
“Did he have a green shirt and dark hair?” she asked breathlessly. Her voice was all excitement again and her recent accident forgotten. “Wait. You can prove he exists? Then you must have known about him all along.”
“I did,” he admitted glumly. “I didn’t want you to go after him. You’re the best thing that ever entered my life. But, since you’re moving with your aunt anyway, I’d better tell you while I still have the chance.”
He looked at her then, but she was focused on his revelation, not him. “The cards do have a message on the back. Let me see them.”
Acasja reached for her bag. “Oh, it’s up by the hole in the fence.” He reached a hand down to help her up. When she put her weight on his arm he winced and all the strength left him.
“I’m bleeding,” he said dumbly, looking down. There was red around the sole of his bare foot. “I must have cut it going after you. I didn’t notice until now.”
She smiled warmly. “I guess the crisis is over. She reached under her uniform jacket and took out a yellow scarf. She gently examined his foot and wiped the grime and stones off the bottom. Then she wrapped the scarf around the cut on the bottom. “This will hold until you get it looked at by a doctor. Now lean on me and we’ll get back to the top.”
Once there, she carefully replaced his shoe and tied it so that it wouldn’t slide against the makeshift bandage. “Can you show me the message now, or do you want to go home first?”
“Right.” He opened the backpack and found her postcards. He laid them out on the ground. “They are different parts of one scene. It’s the Federation’s Starfleet Academy.” She rolled her eyes at him. “I know, I know. You already knew that. Just look here at the last one. By this tree here, there’s a small square. If you blow it up, it’s a placard with writing on it.” From his own book bag, he pulled out a folded piece of paper. On it were several letters in a blocky, unfamiliar script. “It’s Latin, an ancient language of Earth. I had to look it up.” He glanced at her one last time, but her eyes were shining and focused solely on the paper. His eyes were filled with tears too. He knew he was losing her forever. “It says ‘I will meet you here.’ That’s your final clue.”
It was well after dark when Acasja slipped into her aunt’s condominium. The lights in her aunt’s bedroom were out but there was a light on in the kitchen. Her aunt had left her a note and a plate of food. She read the note, “We’ll talk in the morning, young lady,” as she reheated her dinner. She peeked in on her sleeping aunt as she turned in for the night.
The next morning, her aunt was waiting for her at breakfast. “About yesterday,” Accalia began. “What happened?”
“Oh, I’m sorry auntie,” Acasja replied lightly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just surprised when I walked in on you, that’s all. Do apologize to Captain Acton for Kiyos. He’s very protective of me.” She got up to leave.
“We’re not done,” her aunt said and Acasja, half standing, slid back into the chair. “I’m moving and you’re coming with me. You know that. That’s not all. Captain Acton and I are getting married and the three of us can become a sort of family.”
“Congratulations,” Acasja answered sincerely, “but I won’t be moving in with you.”
“You’re still in school and a young lady shouldn’t be out on her own alone. Or are you and Kiyos going to get married when you graduate?”
Acasja laughed at the idea. It was almost hysterical to her. “Kiyos never was my boyfriend, auntie. I thought you knew that. But that’s not what I meant. I’m going to Earth and to join the Federation. I’m going to enter the Starfleet Academy there.
Last night I was at the library, getting all the information I need and downloading the proper forms for an application. I filled out what I can, except for the essays, and have to give parts of it to you, my teachers, and Kiyos and my other friends. It said on the Starfleet Net that a recommendation from a Starfleet Officer was very helpful. Perhaps Captain Acton would be willing to forgive my rudeness of yesterday and do that for me?”
Her aunt looked at her in stunned silence. “You’re sure… of course you are. Alright, Acasja, fly away to your future. I’m having dinner with Luke tonight. We can ask him when he comes to pick me up.”
Captain Acton treated her as though nothing had happened. “I’d be happy to sponsor your entry into Starfleet Academy,” he replied, smiling, in response to her nervous question. “Even better, once you’ve completed the application, give it to me. I’ll make certain it gets to the proper authorities more quickly than any other method. You’d better hurry though if you want to get it done in time to be considered for the upcoming year.”
“I will,” Acasja promised solemnly. She began filling it in while they were out. She left the parts meant for her parents to be completed by her Aunt. Though Acasja already knew the truth, she felt it better that her Aunt complete that section anyway.
She took the part to be filled in by her teachers with her to school the next day. There was the academics section that she took to the main office. The recommendations she gave to those teachers whom were willing to accept the charge. Acasja was sure they wouldn’t have done so had they known how often she would pester them to get them back. At home when her schoolwork was done, she answered the essay questions. Thanks to her constant pressing, she had everything completed within a week.
Captain Acton was pleased to see her finish the task so quickly. “Very promising,” he said, after looking over the packet she gave him. “It all appears to be in order. I’ve already completed my own recommendation as well. I included a bit about how you inspire loyalty in others to the point of them hitting a Starfleet Officer over an alleged slight to your honour.” It elicited an embarrassed smile from Acasja.
Two days later, he dropped by their home after Acasja returned from school and before her aunt was done at work. “I submitted your application and I can tell you that, while it will take some time - probably after you graduate - before you receive official notification, you will be accepted for the next year’s class at the academy.” She gave him a very polite and formal thank you. She did not mention it to her aunt or Kiyos. Both of them could wait until she received official notification.
The acceptance came shortly before her aunt had completed all the preparations for the move to Hollans. It was a brief message on the computer instead of an envelope delivered by post. She told her aunt that night and waited for morning to reveal it to Kiyos.
He had found a summer job working at the city library. The quiet of that place was too intimidating even for Acasja. She waited until he took his lunch break. She treated him to her favorite café. Over a parfait at the end of the meal she said, “I got accepted to Starfleet Academy. I’ll be traveling to Earth on a real starship. It’s leaving in two days.”
He nodded. “I always knew you would. How could you not? You’re so good at everything.” He looked away from her for a moment. “Oh, my time’s nearly up. I have to get back to the library.” He stood up hurriedly, knocking over his chair and resetting it. “I’ve got to go.”
“Kiyos, wait,” she said, grabbing his hand to keep him from leaving. He still did not look at her. “I know how much you’ve done for me. You’ve always… been there… for me…” She could see his distress, suddenly realizing how deeply he cared for her.
She released him, stood up, and came around the table. Gently but irresistibly she turned him to face her. A slow tear was trickling down the side of his face. She put a hand on his cheek and lifted his face until he was looking at her. “Acasja?”
She stepped up and into him and brought her lips to his cheek, touching them to the trail of salty liquid that ran down his face. “Thank you, she whispered. She wiped the tear gently away with her lips. “There. Now you have the same strength I was given. Because you’re the friend I love the most.” She put her arms around him and they held each other for a long time.
She released him, took his hand in hers, and shook it. “I have to go now and find my destiny on my own. I’m not sure what awaits me at Starfleet Academy, she continued, starting toward the exit. He watched her go with a whimsical smile on his face. She paused in the doorway. “I do know all of my life so far has been a prologue for tomorrow.” He kept her in his sight until she reached the end of the street and vaulted the stone fence and was gone.