“That’s… very human of you, computer.”

“Thank you, Captain. Activating hibernation sequence. It shall coincide with the final moments before entering warp.”

Nodding, Richard laid back in the pod, and as the lid closed, he said, “It’s been an honor, computer.”

Once sealed, the capsule filled with a milky while gas and Richard instantly slipped into stasis. His mind and body shut down, but that part of him that dreamed remained awake.

Instead of the normal images he saw, he found himself back on Earth in a grassy meadow with his family and friends.

All but one terminal shut down.