“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” - Frank Herbert

Zach and his friends all received a Medal of Honor from the president. They rename the gym that Zach destroyed after him. He went on that date with Lex they promised one another. Zach continues to work at Starbase Ace.

They built a statue in Zach’s father’s memory. When Admiral Vance gave the closing address it admitted to being wrong and what he did was a mistake. His father’s tombstone reads:

HERE LIES
XAVIER ULYSSES LIGHTMAN
1980–2018
BELOVED HUSBAND, FATHER, AND SON
HE SAVED HUMANITY FROM TOTAL ANNIHILATION
“YOU’RE WELCOME.”

Zach found Knotcher asking for an autograph. He was almost unrecognizable with the robotics updates. The kid that he bullied in math class had died in the first wave. They both had grown since then, and they never saw each other again.

Zach has a baby brother, Xavier Ulysses Lightman. Zach decided that when JR grows up that he should have the jacket. His mom has to find a new job since they found the cure for all cancers.

To Zach, the “test” seems more a trap. They still haven’t released any details about the other species. Zach realizes that he has to move on from Starbase Ace and decide to be one of the Earth’s ambassadors for Sodality. Zach no longers finds himself daydreaming of adventure.