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past one hundred thousand miles; feeling very still

Summary:

The god who insists he is no god; her friend Steven; the man who healed Steven… they will all die, unless Katarina does this.

She is so far from home; understands so little of her recent experiences. But a Trojan priestess’s handmaiden understands sacrifice, if anyone does.

Notes:

Title from the lyrics of “Space Oddity” by David Bowie.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Katarina is already dead, already on her way to the underworld (if by a rather circuitous route), and so it is not so terribly frightening to press the button which means she will die again.

It is a little frightening, still, because she knows separating from her companions means she may never find her way to the place of perfection. But the god who insists he is no god; her friend Steven; the man who healed Steven… they will all die, unless she does this.

She is so far from home; understands so little of her recent experiences. But a Trojan priestess’s handmaiden understands sacrifice, if anyone does.

So it’s that understanding that gives Katarina the strength to lunge forward, clawing for the button despite her captor’s horror. The door opens, and she has one moment of satisfaction, for her captor loses his grip on her as they are both sucked into the void of the beyond. She would not have liked to die in this man’s arms.

The beyond is vast and cold: an airless, endless starry night.

And… it’s beautiful. 

Perfection, she realizes as it makes of her a constellation — and though dying hurts, Katarina is not afraid.

Notes:

She didn't understand. She couldn't understand. She wanted to save our lives and perhaps the lives of all the other beings of the Solar System. I hope she's found her Perfection. Oh, how I shall always remember her as one of the Daughters of the Gods. Yes, as one of the Daughters of the Gods... - the Doctor

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