For a long moment, the universe was silent. The blinding, impossible light where Ryan's hand had met the beam of pure law just hung there, a frozen star in the void. Inside the "Odyssey," everyone held their breath, waiting for reality to decide who had won the argument.
Then, slowly, gracefully, Ryan lowered his hand.
As his hand came down, the strange star of light faded, not with a bang, but with a soft, gentle sigh. It dissolved into a million tiny motes of golden-green light that drifted away and vanished. The beam was gone. Space was empty and quiet again. The war was over.
On the bridge, the young ensign who had been huddled with Seraphina finally let out a shaky breath. "He… he did it. He just… told it to stop?"
Emma shook her head, her mind trying to catch up. "It's more complicated than that," she murmured, though she wasn't entirely sure it was.
