From Wattpad @Ooorah, "The Ultimate Science Fiction Smack Down", Round 4, February 2022, write a short story and a poem utilizing all of the following prompts: (1) a picture (see below); (2) the word crepuscular; (3) the song 'Return to Innocence' by Enigma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk_sAHh9s08); and (4) the following quote by Friedrich Nietzsche, 'You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star'.

Story word count = 1993

Before the neutron star eats my starship for breakfast, I thought it time to make a checklist of what brought me to this point. Let's see... Waking up on my ship with a hangover to discover I had a new wife and daughter, according to the legal document anyway. Discovering that said wife was a Chaos Witch, and that she and her daughter were the most wanted people in the galaxy. Being pursued by the full might of the Federation navy, who's favorite negotiating strategy utilized quantum torpedoes. Yeah, that about sums it up.

With a directed thought, I increased the magnification of the forward display, centered on neutron star NX-13257, which I unofficially named 'don't go there or you'll die'. Both terrifying and beautiful, a wispy glowing halo, the accretion disk made up of its former outer layers, surrounded a blazing blue-white sphere. With the mass of an enormous star compressed to a twenty-kilometer sphere, space bent eerily around it. The gravitational lensing effect created distorted images of the stars and ghostly dust behind it.

Tarha, my new wife, stood just behind my left shoulder wearing a blue gown and head cover, the traditional attire of a Chaos Witch. I should say 'Veritas Illuminatio', which she much preferred over the common and sometimes derogatory term.

The Chaos Witches were either a crazed cult or an enlightened order, depending on who you asked. They preached the purity of human spirit and vehemently rejected the neural implants that were the basis of modern society's function. The implants extended mental function in much the same way that tools extended hand function. With mine, I could control every system of my cargo starship and see through its sensors as if it was part of me.

Only recently revealed, the Chaos Witches had embarked on a two-century-long genetic breeding program to create the Sensus Omni, a person with the extraordinary ability to alter the very fabric of reality. A savior to them, but a dire threat to the authorities. Which brings me back to the present situation, since this Sensus Omni was onboard as a thirteen-year-old girl.

I turned my head back to Tarha. "Are you sure this is the way? Flying straight at a neutron star is generally not recommended."

The gravitational shear forces would rip the ship apart if the magnetic flux didn't do it first. The three Federation frigates tailing us wisely turned away. Smearing our atoms across the star surface would save them the trouble of killing us themselves.

"Have faith, Duncan," she replied with a calm smile and far-away gaze. "You shall see."

Faith was an extravagant luxury in my corner of the galaxy, something that got you killed. Kinda like now. Not that it would be so bad, since I was slowly dying of something far worse.

The Soul Plague infected me like it did so much of humanity. I had good days and bad days, the bad ones marked by spirit-crushing despair and emotional numbness. Food lost its savor, deep space its wonder, a smile its warmth, and life its meaning.

The plague took away consciousness itself, the experts said. It started long ago and spread almost imperceptive at first, and by the time it was widely noticed, it encompassed humanity's worlds. Even with all the resources of the Federation, they could not even determine what caused the sickness, much less a cure. No pathogen or poison would explain it, spreading seemingly without a carrier.

Those stricken eventually became little more than zombies, alive but not living, until even that was taken. Most ended their own lives before that point. Many scientists predicted the Soul Plague would lead to human extinction.

Enough of those thoughts. I spun around in my chair. "I have to know. Did you use some witchy power to make me marry you? I still don't remember." Most believed Chaos Witches possessed mental powers of persuasion.

"My dear husband, you were already inebriated and lascivious. It took little coercion." She bent down and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "Please forgive my deception. It was necessary for us to escape."

A girl strolled onto the bridge with a yawn. She wore the same type of blue gown as her mother, but no head covering concealed her flowing dark hair. Her large, doe-like amber eyes projected uncommon warmth and innocence.

"Did you rest well, Astra?" Tarha asked. "You will need your strength."

Astra gazed at the neutron star. "It calls to me, mother. It shows us the way back to innocence."

"You talk to the star?" I asked, amazed.

"I feel its thoughts," she answered. "It is sentient, as are all stars, although not in our way. But it is not what calls me now."

She raised her hand, and the ship changed course, altering direction from the star towards the accretion disk. How did she do that without a neural implant? A panic crawled down my spine as we approached the glowing ring. The high velocity dust and intense x-ray radiation were almost as dangerous as the neutron star itself. But if Astra and Tarha held any concern, it did not show on their faces.

The ship shuddered as if in an earthquake, and the radiation sensors spiked, red lights flashing on the control panel. Then a void opened in the disk like a round doorway, and the way smoothed. Being this close to a neutron star should have pulled the ship apart. But it didn't.

"There." Astra pointed as a planetoid came into view.

Another anomaly, the existence of planets this close to a neutron star should not be possible. Yet here it was. Even more amazing, the sensors indicated atmospheric conditions suitable for human life.

Under Astra's guidance, the ship descended through puffy clouds. Because of the gravitational red-shifting of the star's light, the sky appeared a reddish amber color, as if in perpetual twilight. We skimmed the surface, flying over rocky hills and plains covered with swaying yellow grass-like flora, until we reached the edge of a still, shallow lake.

Along the way, I spotted old, crumbled domes, fallen spires, and cracked road surfaces, ruins of a long-lost alien civilization. The Tecal, if I am not mistaken. As humanity expanded among the stars, many such ruins were discovered, Tecal and others, but never an alien, save a few mummified remains. What civilization they had, faded away long before our arrival.

After the whine of thrusters ceased and the port door swung open, a wide-eyed smile emerged on Astra's face, and she grasped Tarha's hand. "Oh, mother. Destiny sings for me!"

In the stillness, we strolled across a hard clay surface to an enormous tree trunk at the water's edge. The girl turned to me, excitement on her face. "The tree of life! As the prophecies foretold."

It didn't look alive to me, rather dead and weathered by countless years. But with her touch, it rumbled and twisted. Coming to life, strange ovoid pods emerged at the top, crowding each other for position. Tentacle-like appendages grew from the pods, reaching high toward the sky and waving gently as if in a breeze. The tree called out with a soothing high-pitch hum.

I jerked to a tinny voice behind us. "Welcome, Sensus Omni. Long have we awaited your arrival."

A shimmering holographic image of a Tecal alien held out two of four arms in greeting. Although, I supposed here we were the aliens. Tall and lanky, two large black eyes set in an oval head gazed down at us. A simple green smock modestly covered most of its smooth gray skin.

I glanced at Astra. Although I could hardly claim to be the girl's father, I felt responsible for her well-being. "What do you require of her?" I demanded of the Tecal image.

"To restore the universe."

"What is wrong with the universe?"

Tarha put a hand on my arm. "This you know, Duncan, for you suffer from it. The Soul Plague is not a disease of men, but of the fabric of reality itself."

The alien continued the explanation. "Consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe. From that, we acquired our awareness, our self, and in return, gave the universe its form. But the mind to machine interfaces damaged the link. While this was a natural step in all species' evolution, it had a deadly side effect that threatened existence itself. A scourge similar to what you call the Soul Plague led the Tecal to extinction, as it did to other interstellar races before us, and will eventually your own. It is the great filter of civilization."

I touched the back of my neck, feeling the lump caused by my neural implant, and trembled. Could I, like so many, have unknowingly contributed to humanity's eventual demise?

"Therefore, the Veritas Illuminatio refused the neural implants," Tarha said. "And why we set out to create the Sensus Omni. Our ultimate purpose is to end the desecration. A return to innocence, a return to ourselves."

I sensed a conspiracy of sorts and narrowed my eyes at her. "How could the Chaos Witches have known this?"

The alien answered for her. "It was I, the last remnant of the Tecal, who began the movement two of your centuries ago. Many other times over the ages, have I steered mankind to achieve this pivotal point in history. This place and I have but a singular purpose."

If this AI, or whatever it was, could reach out, the explanation was plausible. Because of the relativistic effects of the nearby neutron star, time moved slower here.

This was so much to take in, and my mind swirled. "But why Astra? Why do you need a human? Did not the Tecal have the technology?"

"The science and technology, yes," the alien replied. "But not the spirit, if you will, not the illogical chaos of human consciousness. One of your ancient Earth philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche, once wrote, 'You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star'. And indeed, our star will dance."

"You quote Nietzshe?"

"It was I who influenced his philosophy, and gave rise to his work, frequently called 'Affirmation of Life'."

"So what happens now?" I asked.

Astra answered, "It is my destiny to mend the fabric of existence, to cure the universe. Then time will be rewound for all great civilizations to a period before the mind desecrations. A time loop, so all may begin again."

"You, Tarha, and you, Duncan," the alien stated, "Shall alone bear witness." The alien turned toward Astra. "The moment has come, Sensus Omni."

Tears streamed down Tarha's cheeks as she wrapped Astra in a tight hug. "I love you, daughter. And I shall miss your presence."

"Do not grieve for me, mother," Astra replied, returning the hug. "For you shall always be in my loving embrace." She came to me and offered a similar embrace. "You are as my father, and perhaps also to renewed existence."

With another touch, the tree of life gaped open to Astra. After one more backward glance and one more smile, it closed around her. Space-distorting shimmers surrounded the branches as they reached toward the neutron star. The star brightened, turning the world from amber twilight to bright day. Tendrils of blazing energy snaked down from the sky to touch the branches, growing brighter until I had to turn my eyes away.

The Tecal said to me, "You must leave, as it will take the full power of the neutron star to reverse time."

Safely away in space and shielded from time, Tarha and I witnessed the transformation. The neutron star flashed in a burst of energy, then faded away. Constellations shifted, stars moving to new positions as time reversed. A warmth overtook me as Tarha took up my hand and leaned her head against my shoulder. Together, we welcomed a new existence.

And I vowed that all worlds shall hear of their savior.

**********

Daughter of Creation

Poem word count = 131

Of creation's daughter, I sing.

Who would save the universe?

     Reality so frail,

     Life on fragile veil.

     When existence cries,

     Will a hero rise?

Who shall end the desolate curse?

Stellar civilizations crumble and fall.

     A sickness of soul,

     Technology toll.

     Hope's embers fade,

     A demise self-made.

Chains of darkness bind us all.

Destiny awaits on a crepuscular world.

     Perpetual twilight,

     Relativistic light.

     To be dawn or dusk,

     Renewal or rust?

Of past to future unfurled.

A savior born of innocence and wisdom old.

     Human chaotic heart,

     And witch's art.

     A neutron star,

     Providence afar.

Fate entwined with a universe cold.

A daughter's love and a young heart true.

     The tree of life,

     Ancient alien strife.

     Entropy defy,

     History deny.

Turn back time and begin anew.

Of creation's daughter, I sing.