Star Seed

She took a deep breath, then nodded. Her hand gripped Chara's strongly. "I'm scared."

"So was I, dearest one," came the soft reply. "Do not worry. I will be with you every step of the way. It will be glorious.

"On the count of three. One, two..."

*****

From Sky and Telescope: March 17, 2016:

Astronomers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) today confirmed one of the most incredible observations in the history of the Hubble Space Telescope.

"We were observing a star in the constellation Canes Venatici," said Dr. Wilbert Grosse, head of the reporting team. "This star, named Chara by the ancients, and today known as Beta Canum Venaticorum, has long been a candidate for extrasolar planets. While observing this star over a period of several days, we found to our shock that a nearby large mass of gas had apparently reached the critical threshold to reach ignition and had begun the nuclear fusion process.

"In other words, a star has been born."

The End