August 17 1989
August 17 1989[pause]
I apologise for not writing this sooner, but I'm afraid my diary went down when I crashed in the water. I got out in time, and ending up just floating in a small life jacket the designers saw fit to include.
A small fishing boat rescued me. When I saw it I knew I had to plead ignorance. Only know English, only know facts and theories, no information about me, 'permanent personal amnesia' they called it, said it must have been brought on by some 'extreme personal trauma'. It did the job though.
Today is my wedding anniversary, I have taken Anne to Switzerland. Her favourite country. I only mention this for one reason. I have bought her a musical box, a token of my affection for her. She loves it. I told her to promise me to give it Keelan on his eighteenth birthday and tell him to give it his one true love, and she to give it her first son and so on. She was puzzled, but agreed. I made her swear she would do it, I didn't need to, I knew she would.
The point is that this box is in my cabin. Jayne. Take it. It's your's. I promised my mother I'd give it my true love. Fortunately I have two. [a slight laugh]
And Jayne, thank you for bringing this diary. I apologise for being cruel to begin with, but that's how I can be.
To the rest of you I say goodbye, or perhaps au revoir.
There was a pause. No-one knew what was next. It was like they knew the answer but still they were lost. It was Jayne who spoke on her return. 'We'll follow. You heard what he said, au revoir. That means until we meet again. He knows were going to follow him. He's seen us on Earth. We must go back.'
This shook everyone, could they really follow him, was that what he meant. Keelan was next 'I agree, on our Earth everyone we know will be dead or dying, there's nothing to return for.' Inside he felt like he was betraying his adopted country. It was that that almost stopped him speaking up, but overriding it was the idea of pioneers. Every society needs pioneers. If they were exploring, then he wouldn't be betraying his country. He continued. 'At least this way we can start again without being surrounded by friends we don't know. We can live again.'
The repetition of Klein's words struck an eerie silence in the room. Kate felt it her duty, being in command to offer advice. 'I have to agree. It'll be hell living so near friends who aren't friends. We really do need to start again. Besides, I'm beginning to quite like the captain.'
There was a murmur of approval, after all he'd said he was now not just their captain, he was a friend, they'd got to know the truth and still liked him. But, on the idea of seeing him again, Simon was the only sceptic.
'Are you all decided?' he asked, heads nodded. 'Fine, there's one more escape pod, I'm taking that, going back to my time. This time travelling isn't right. Charlie, you coming?' Charlotte was unsure, in her heart she wanted to go with her partner, but in her mind, she wanted to explore the past. The scientist that she is, she ignored her heart.
After a long goodbye Simon got in the pod and left. Almost immediately the thunderous engines of the main craft started up.
The decent into the abyss had begun. In reality it had all happened so fast that only now did Simon think about it. 'Stop' he shouted into the radio, but they were too far in the hole to pull out. The images of gravitational changes pulling the larger ship apart as it almost did Klein's pod, flashed through his mind. He thought he heard a scream. And then it was gone. He imagined the explosion, a sudden intense and blinding light from the destroyed engines, only seen on the other side, due to the excessive escape velocity holding the light back.
Sudden intense and blinding light. The phrase flew through his mind. Klein's words again. He'd seen it. Klein had seen his friends die. And he'd never know...