BEYOND THE EXOSPHERE

Sallie's eyes were still filled with tears as she held her mother's lifeless body in her arms. The weight of her grief was crushing, making it hard to breathe. Jexter's arms were wrapped around her, holding her close, but Sallie couldn't shake off the feeling of emptiness.

"I'm so sorry, Sallie. I'm here for you," Jexter whispered, her voice soft and gentle.

Sallie pulled back, her eyes locking onto Jexter's. For a moment, they just stared at each other, the silence between them heavy with emotion.

"What do we do now?" Sallie asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jexter's expression was somber, and Sallie could see the wheels turning in her mind. "There's a cure that can restore life," Jexter said finally, her voice hesitant.

Sallie's eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, she felt a glimmer of hope. But it was quickly replaced by doubt and skepticism.

"Wait, what? You're saying that my mom can be brought back to life?" Sallie asked, her voice laced with incredulity. "That's impossible. People don't come back from the dead."

Jexter's expression was calm and collected. "I've seen it happen before, Sallie. In the Andromeda galaxy, there's a planet called Floria. In the centre of the planet, the Florians possess a great tree called "The Tree of Life". The tree is known to restore the dead body cells of any species, thereby reviving their corpse."

Sallie felt a surge of emotions: hope, fear, uncertainty. She didn't know what to do, and the weight of the decision was crushing her. 

Could she really trust Jexter and this crazy plan? What if it was all just a wild goose chase? But as she looked at her mother's lifeless body, she knew she had to try. She took a deep breath and nodded, trying to push aside her doubts. "Even if there was a very thin and slight chance that my mother could come back, what of her consciousness? Her memories? Will she even still recognize me as her daughter?"

Jexter nodded. "The Tree's sentient energy will integrate with your mother's consciousness, restoring her memories, thoughts, and emotions."

"But what about your mission?" Sallie asked, her voice filled with hesitation. "You're a spy, Jexter. You can't just leave your mission to help me."

Jexter's expression didn't change, but Sallie could sense a flicker of unease behind her eyes. "Don't worry about that, Sallie. I'll take care of it. Besides, you saved my life and I made a promise to help you save your mother. Even in death, there is still hope." Sallie could see the tension in Jexter's body, the slight tightening of her jaw. She knew that Jexter was bothered by the conflict between her mission and her desire to help her.

Sallie took a deep breath, weighing her options. Her life on earth was pretty much done if her mother was dead. She had no family left, no home to return to. Worse she had job or friends hence no form of financial support. What did she have to lose? "Okay," she said in a reluctant tone.

Jexter's inner conflict was growing. She knew that helping Sallie would mean abandoning her mission to retrieve the stolen Oncolyte. Her loyalty to her people and her duty as a spy were at odds with her desire to help Sallie.

Then she thought again if not for Sallie, she could have died from Simon and Sophia's attack. Concluding her thoughts, she decided focused on the task at hand. She had to get Sallie to Floria and retrieve the cure.

The fate of Sallie's mother, and Jexter's own mission, hung in the balance.

Jexter's eyes locked onto Sallie's, her expression solemn. "We need to preserve your mother's body, Sallie. We can't let her decay."

Sallie nodded, understanding. "How do we do that?"

Jexter pulled out a small cube from her pocket and activated it. A glowing blue cube enveloped Sandra's corpse and shrunk it down to the size of a dice.

"This is a cryogenic cube," Jexter explained. "It will slow down the decay process by freezing your mother's body. It will then shrink the corpse to a few centimeters to fit inside it for better safekeeping. 

As Jexter activated the cryogenic cube, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was abandoning her mission. The Oncolyte was still out there, and her people were counting on her to retrieve it. But she had promised Sallie that she would help her save her mother, and she couldn't bring herself to break that promise.

Sallie watched in amazement as the small cube produces a wave of energy that shrinks her mother's corpse to fit inside it and preserve it. Sandra's corpse will remain in the cube until their journey to Floria to hopefully revive her with the "Tree of life."

Jexter then gives the cube to Sallie, who couldn't believe that her mothers corpse was fitting into the size of her palm. 

Jexter continued, "My spaceship is powered by a Trans-Dimensional Hyperdrive, allowing us to soar through the vastness of space. Based on my calculations, the journey to Floria will take approximately 12 days assuming there are no obstacles on the way.

As they left the hospital, Sallie felt a sense of numbness wash over her. Jexter guided her to her car, and they drove to Sallie's house in silence, the weight of their decision hanging in the air. At her home, she encourages Jexter to sleep over because she had no one else again in her life now that her mother is gone. She offers her a room to sleep in where the Air conditioner cooled at 5°C . This was to enhance Jexter's unique alien health since Xilorians thrive best in cold temperatures. 

The following morning, the 2 girls make their way to Jexter's spacecraft. Sallie was shock to see a spacecraft for the first time. Despite the fact that it was the year 2049 and humans had evolved greatly in technology, an alien spacecraft was an advanced machinery unlike any other. Sallie felt a mix of emotions: excitement, fear, and hope. She was leaving earth into the unknown where she didn't even have hope of coming back.

"What's the plan?" she asked, buckling into the passenger seat. "We'll exit Earth's atmosphere, then transition into hyperspace," Jexter replied, her hands moving swiftly over the control panel. "From there, we'll navigate through the galaxy, avoiding any... unwanted attention. And hopefully when we later each Floria, we'll find the Tree of Life."