I looked over at my loved ones. Lex. My mother. And little Xavier, Jr. I wondered what sort of world he was going to grow up in—what sort of world we were going to allow the Sodality to impose on us.
That was the moment when I realized I couldn’t stay at Starbase Ace. There was no going back to the life I’d had before, because it was gone—for everyone—along with the world in which we’d lived it.
I couldn’t just sit on the sidelines and remain disengaged from the world. Not after everything that had happened—and everything that might be in store for humanity.
When I got back home that evening, I took out my QComm and dialed my friend Dr. Shostak. I told him I had decided to become one of Earth’s ambassadors to the Sodality after all. In time, I hoped my new job would eventually put me in a position to learn the truth about our new alien benefactors’ true motives.
For the time being, I intended to try to follow Master Yoda’s timeless advice—to keep my mind on where I was, and what I was doing. And to do everything I could to protect what was now most important to me.
After all of the things that happened to me, after everything I’d been through, I no longer found myself staring out the window and daydreaming of adventure.
About the Author
Ernest Cline is a novelist, screenwriter, father, and full-time geek. His first novel, Ready Player One, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller and appeared on numerous “best of the year” lists. Ernie lives in Austin, Texas, with his family, a time-traveling DeLorean, and a large collection of classic videogames.
For more information, please visit ernestcline.com.