As the mothership grows closer, I finish my preparations and ease the throttle to full power and engage along the collision course. The alien mothership opens fire with plasma and energy weapons, and I return with salvo after salvo of MAC rounds from the ships main batteries. The energy weapons have ripped right through my cruiser’s shields, causing significant damage to the hull and superstructure. Klaxons sound and numerous warnings appear across my computer readouts; one reports the destruction of the main engine block, but it doesn’t matter now, the ship is already traveling too fast to stop. I ignore them all.
At 2 minutes to impact the visage Admiral of the Home Defense Fleet appears in the main holo display. He tells me I’m “a hell of a soldier and a hell of a man” and that humanity will owe me everything. He salutes before the picture cuts out as the comm array is destroyed.
I lean back in my Captain’s chair, close my eyes, and order the ship’s computer to play something dramatic and stereotypical of the occasion, perhaps Beethoven’s 5th, but probably the 1812 Overture. As the music reaches it’s climax, the ship impacts the alien mothership and the nuclear weapons detonate, destroying the ship and leaving the enemy armada in disarray.
On Earth I am not just a hero, I am the savior of the human race. I am awarded medals of heroism and gallantry going above and beyond the call of duty from every remaining nation government as well as all super-national governmental bodies. My face is carved on monuments the world over, children are named after me and my birthday is declared to be the greatest of holidays. My widow and children are deeply saddened by my death, but they are immensely proud of what I have done. They are instant celebrities, practically royalty, however they resist all of the trappings of such a life and elect to live modestly on my officer’s pension.
Finally, the debris of the alien mothership is eventually recovered. By some miracle or other, a piece of the bridge survived. It is brought down to Earth and laid in a 20-acre park outside of the world capital of Geneva at the center of the official monument to the memory of the greatest hero mankind has ever produced.
Well, that or die peacefully in my sleep, I can’t really make up my mind.
