Subject: Grail:"The Great Brightness" - 'Epilogue : Reason's to believe'

<<Stardate 47307.31 13:05>>

<<Bridge>>

Mirka Tzavaras walked off the bridge with a load off her chest. They

had made it. A tired smile on her face, she leaned on the turbolift

wall facing the doors. They had actually worked as a team. None of

that competitive spirit present, non of those obnoxious attitudes, well

except François but that was normal. She was so relieve. Finaly some

hope. She could have kissed Demontigny because of how proud she was of

him. She rolled her eyes thinking back on his last line before leaving

the Bridge. She had seen it in his eyes, the pride not only for what he

did but for what the others did with him. She was also very pleased

with the captain. So calm and so in control, he had been a rock during

this whole thing. Epic Terrakian would be a very good captain... in

time.

In the middle of all this, when they were attracted back to the sun,

when she thought that they might not make it, she realised she had

forgotten some very important people. She was going to remedy to that.

She had friends to see. Some little ones she had neglected during the

last few days. She had been too busy being the big shot ship's

counselor. But during the battle with gravity and radiation, how she

had lost track of what really mattered hit her. That was why she had

been such a mess lately, that was why she sensed she was losing herself.

It was time to touch base again. It was time to remember why they were

really doing all this.

As Mirka walked into the schoolroom, heads rose.

"Mirka!" Came a loud yell.

"Hello everyone" She said back, smiling and catching Aria as she ran

into her arms. Kids were her soft spot, they had always been. They

were so pure, so honest. Everything was so simple for them and they

always had something to say or discover. Kids grounded her. They

reminded her that in the end, that's what mattered: Children.

She looked at the eight years old in her arms. She was her favorite.

Because she reminded her so much of herself when she was younger.

"So were you afraid?" Mirka asked.

"No!" The little girl answered but her eyes said otherwise.

She smiled. "Well I was for a bit. But then I decided to go on the

bridge to see what was going on and I saw that everything was in good

hands."

Aria's eyes widened "You were on the Bridge? We are on a brake and

about to play the Great Brightness." She said motioning her head

towards her group of friends in the left corner of the room. "Can you

tell us who was there and what happen?" Mirka nodded, smiled and

followed the little girl to the spot she had shown her.

They weren't many children left. A lot of them were sick... some had

died. Some parents didn't bring their little ones in since the GQ. But

those who were left needed attention. Children were like sponges.

Tension, frustration, fear, insecurity, all the emotions that were felt

by the adults of the ship, you saw them in the kids too. Only on them

it was more painful, because they didn't know why they were feeling this

way, they just did. She wanted to comfort them. She tried to come

everyday. But sometimes it was impossible.

After the role were distributed, she and two of the younger kids sat

and watched the others little simulation. After Mirka had explained to

them what happened during the GB, the censured version, they were

getting busy playing their heros. There had been a little fight because

every girl wanted to play Brinn. Mirka had suggested one of them play

her. But they had looked at her with derision explaining that

counselors didn't count. Although Zarac, the leader of the group, had

been diplomatic about it and had asked what she did during the GB. Her

answer, of course, only convinced them of the uselessness of the

counselor.

The representation went well. It became a bit rocky when Maelle

started to do realist play and told Walker, to "Drive this thing

correctly or I'll make sure your butt fries." She of course was playing

Brinn and the nine year old who was doing Demontigny gave her the

finger. Mirka had to repress a laugh and tell them such accuracy in the

characters was not necessary and that nothing of the sort would ever

happen at such a critical moment. They were really cute. Zarac playing

a serious and calm Epic, the small Aria was the very efficient Janice

Hargen. Donnucci and Fionn were played by twins Marah and Darya, there

was just not enough boys. And the spooky commander Hunt was represented

by the very feared Tron, a young Klingon. Nobody played Mirka, 'I'm

such a boring character', she thought with amusement.

After a moment the children asked for a story. That was the first

reason she ever came to visit them. It was on the second day of their

voyage. She wanted to observe how the children would be acting on the

Grail. But, she and their teacher agreed it would have been kind of

spooky just to sit there and watche. So Mirka had become the

Storyteller. As they sat down with her on the floor, other kids joined

the group and with little Beijing on her lap, she began.

"This is the story of Odysseus who was punished by the gods and lost

at sea on his way home. And who battled against all odds to return to

the ones he loved...."

Counselor Mirka Tzavaras