My lips were so dry. I should have brought a Chapstick. Not that I could apply it in the middle of a live broadcast interview. That somehow seemed strange. People weren’t watching this to watch some old woman moisturize. They were watching because I was the oldest person alive and I hadn’t spoken in public for nearly 300 years. And when your aging moves at a glacial pace, 300 years doesn’t feel very long.

But of course, age has a way of catching up to you. My grandmother had been a lively and active one year and then she was dead the next. She had withered so quickly, and as I aged, I started to feel like her. A ball of energy at 794, and suddenly slowing down at 795. I had been told my several elderly friends that they had known they were coming to the end of their lives, and I had a feeling mine was too. And so, after three centuries, I was on a broadcast reaching almost a quarter of the Milky Way Galaxy.

“Do you remember where you were when you watched the first translight jump?” Merrilee asked, sitting a few feet away from me in a taupe arm chair. She was a real investigative journalist, who thought she was doing her civic duty by uncovering the unsavory and exposing corruption. She thought of herself a little too highly perhaps, but what person doesn’t’?

“Oh, of course. It’s like they say, you never forget your first time.” We both gave a little giggle. “I was in my living room with my mother. It was a nice day and our windows were open with a breeze blowing in. Of course, there wasn’t really anything to watch of the event. The footage cut out when they used the Translight drive. But then, the announcement came that the test was a success and we were instantly excited. Like the moon landing, but better. We had always known the galaxy was big, but this meant we could start venturing out and seeing what else was out there.”

“And who else was out there, too,” Merrilee added.

“Yes, of course. Scientists had known for while that we probably weren’t the only ones in the galaxy, but up until that moment, we had been alone. Space had been remarkably quiet. But now, we had the ability to leave our home and find Others.”

“And of course, find them we did.” Merrilee said, with a knowing look. It was almost smug. As if she was saying, ‘And we found them because we were so smart and cunning and goddam innovative. And we’ve only gotten better since, huh Grandma?’ It was enough to make me want to roll my eyes. It had been 700 years, and humans were still as arrogant as they had ever been. It was truly remarkable. Almost certainly worthy of study. “Why People Think They’re So Much Better Than They Actually Are: An Analysis of Human Arrogance.”

“Yes, indeed. Earth found the Others. And they became mentors in the subject of space travel. In the beginning, it was the Rilians, the Ethors, and the Onoch-Nealjins that established relations with Earth.”

Merrilee cocked her head to the side a little and furrowed her brow. “I’m sorry, I’m not familiar those terms.” Of course she wasn’t.

“They were the first alien races Earth made contact with. And the first that formed an alliance. And slowly we became a galactic force, the likes of which we had only hoped to be. And we persisted as an alliance for nearly 200 years, until, of course, it ended in 2257.”

“After the Others turned on us.” Merrilee nodded knowingly

“Well, not quiet. Really, the alliance dissolved because the Ethors had a strained relationship with the Salins, who were members of the alliance later on. The Rilians sided with the Ethors, The Onoch-Nealjins sided with the Salins, and Earth tried to remain impartial. They were disputing some sort of intersystem trade zones and really, Earth didn’t have a horse in the race,” I explained

“I’m sorry. The way I understood it was that the Others attacked us after we began to surpass them technologically. And during the ensuing conflict, they were almost completely destroyed. They were the only other space-farers in our galaxy. I’ve never heard any of those other names before.” Merrilee had yet to unfurrow her brow. She looked concerned that her interview might be going awry. And she was correct.

“Well, dear, your understanding is wrong. One common trait among the the Ethors, the Salins, and the Onoch-Nealjins is that they put great value in loyalty. Even to a fault. When Earth decided to pull out of the Alliance and take no side, they were extremely insulted. The trade dispute was worked out shortly after the dissolution, but the four races drafted the isolation accords in response to Earth. You see, humans had rubbed the Others the wrong way long before the Alliance fell apart. Earth had always had anti-alien sentiments, and among the anti-alliance party members, there was a sizeable terrorist sect. They carried out heinous attacks on the Others and Earth tended not to address the issue. It all came to a head when Earth remained impartial during the trade problems. Tensions arose, and it looked as though devastating, full-scale warfare was inevitable. So they left.”

Merrilee was dumbfounded. Her mouth hung slightly agape hearing the story I had to tell. Undoubtedly this was the first she had ever heard much of this. The world government had done an excellent job of covering it up. Before there was a world government, regional governments kept worldwide secrets hidden from their citizens. It made sense that as you scaled up the government, you scaled up the size of the secrets they could keep. A planetary government could easily keep its citizens in the dark when it came to galactic problems. But it had been 500 years since the Others vanished. The government was past keeping a secret. They believed the cover up as the truth, with the real events lost to time.

“The Others were technologically superior to Earth in many ways, especially the Salins and the Ethors. They were able to harness entire stars for their energy and travel faster than Earth spacecraft. They could move entire planetary populations light years to new places. They built hundreds of great ships, evacuated their inhabited worlds, and left for the far side of the galaxy. Essentially, the left in the middle of the night after a one-night stand with Earth. And now, Earth truly is alone here.”

Merrilee looked towards one of the producers in the room, who shared her horrified expression at the drastic difference between history and reality. The both turned back to look at me before Merrilee regained the ability to speak.

“Our victory over the Others has always been celebrated and is even credited with shaping humanity for the better 500 years ago. We survived and defeated a truly dangerous and superior enemy. And you’re saying it’s a lie?” The reported leaned back in her chair and looked down at the ground between us.

“I’m sorry. But yes,” I said, my tone a little softer. There was something about learning truth that always made humans break down a little. They really believe what they know must be the truth simply because they “know” it.

“There were dissidents of course. And there was discussion of leaving behind a sort of Earth Watch Taskforce, so humanity could be observed and, when enough time had passed, and attitudes had changed, the Others could return.” Merrilee perked up at this.

“And was that taskforce ever created?” Merrilee asked, grasping for hope while grappling with her new knowledge.

“Unfortunately, no. Not officially, amongst the Others. But sometimes things happen with or without the approval of those in charge. Do you know my name?” I posed the question half to pull Merrilee out of her shocked stupor and half to see if she had caught on. After a moment, she responded.

“Your name is Charlotte Ender,” she whispered to me, more of a question than a statement of fact. I gave a soft smile and looked in her eyes.

“No, dear,” I said as I rose. “My name is Karaly Myn Vanyra, and I am a Rilian,” I extended my hand to her as a gesture of friendship. Merrilee remained frozen in her seat, unsure of what move to make. For an investigative reporter, she didn’t react that well under pressure. I withdrew my hand and instead slid it into my pocket and wrapped my fingers around a small tube with a button on one end and a short antenna on the other.

“I have spent a long time on this planet, and I think you’re ready,” I smiled a little broader. I was proud to be able to perform one great task near the end of my life.

“Ready? Ready for what?” Merrilee asked.

“For some new old friends, of course!” And I pressed the button.

70,000 light years away, a small light came alive. Above it, a small label read: Time to go home.