Here the epilogue guys and girls! Sob .. I'm a bit sad for this!
EPILOGUE - A year and half later.
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The tan mouse was lying along the shore of the little lake with the crystal waters, the arms bent behind the head like a pillow and the sunglasses rested on his chest, the eyes closed. The clearing was surrounded by a big wall of red rock, in contrast with the green of the grass and the plants around the lake. The wall was interrupted by some holes between the rock in a way they created a passage that let enter in that little heaven.
"Hei, hi little." murmured the tan mouse when an insect similar than a big dragonfly rested on his nose. If Throttle would be on the Earth, he had never noticed the similarity among the martian animals and the earthlings. He moved the hand to the nose and let the bug climb his fingers, the little red antennas moved and the dragonfly flew away in hurry.
"Hei macho mouse!" said a female voice, Carbine was just arrived and Throttle sat "No one here?" asked her.
The tan mouse shook the head and watched the general, she wore something of different than usual: jeans and a black tank top "We're ahead." answered him stretching. "Anh... Peace!"
Carbine agreed and sat at his side.
A year and half had been passed since the Martians had carried out the plan of evacuation and the satellite had made his job. A lot of Plutarkians had formed an alliance with the mice, not for fear but because they had thought a lot on the real aim of the war and on the sacrifice of their fellow Tom, of his gratitude towards those mice that had cured and saved him. In addition the capture of Lord Camembert had put them in front a few choices. Rats and Sand Raiders were simply warned and they succeeded to find a shelter. The wild animals were captured and saved and so the martian population was able to survive.
The remaining Plutarkians were those that had sheltered in the catacomb with their new allies, those that didn't surrender died after terrible burns and illnesses. Others escaped leaving the planet and going back to Plutarch. As soon as Mars was free, was the turn of the scientists starting the plan of recover and cure of the ecosystem. Sharon and Stoker, with the help of Cid, had built a device that sped the growth and used it for help the vegetation. Stoker used the Regenerator to free the planet from the junk left by the Plutarkians and fill the pools dried for so long time.
The bigger problem was the aquatic fauna. A lot of fish were nearly extinct but Cid was able to clone some of them and the number of the population was nearly recovered playing on the fact that the deposited eggs were over thousands. The ancient Ocean that must cover the 1/3 of the planet was the harder challenge, challenge didn't win despite the time spent. For giving life to the Ocean it needed years and liters of water and rains. But for now, counting that the martian population was still low, the problem didn't press so much and Stoker noticed that, increasing the rains with an apposite device, they could help the process during the years.
Also the earthling Charley had worked with them explaining the functioning of the green energy. Mars was full of volcanoes, it was a planet with a warm and pulsing heart, exploiting these elements guaranteed big quantity of energy and the Sun's warmth wasn't outdone and then the higher mesas were equipped with solar panels. Everything had happened in the best way, the problems that the mice had met during the process had been all expected. The economy was growing up slowly and the first city market opened again.
"Hei guys!" exclaimed a perky voice, Vinnie stood still with his red racer between the rock walls "Arrived!" he said and went toward Throttle and Carbine.
"Hi guys." greeted the gray lady mouse.
"Hi!" smiled Harley who was the second passenger on the red racer "I have taken everything, as I said." she announced taking the basket and the plaid.
"Then didn't Modo really come?" asked the white mouse thoughtful "Maybe he would feel excluded!" he chuckled pulling to him the lady blond mouse wrapping her hip with the arm.
"But poor!" Harley pulled his ear "Don't mock the friends!"
Throttle chuckled "Quiet, I said to him that now everything's ok and he could go to Sierra."
"Ah.. then u sent him to Sharon." commented Vinnie "Effectively he seemed sad and.. lonely... for all this time."
Throttle understood very well his gray friend, he too passed over this and put up hardly with the distance and Modo seemed bearing it lesser than he did. For this reason the tan mouse let him go, now there wasn't no danger and the Plutarkians on the planet were almost integrated and were organizing a way to fix the pollution that suffocated Plutarch and Stoker had made available his Regenerator.
"Then let's start this Pic-nick, I'm hungry!" exclaimed Vinnie impatient.
Lil'Hoss ran through the Big Desert, the mouse at the drive watched around and was fascinated by the vegetation at the horizon. In a years and half the progresses were fast, everything thanks the hard work done. But the Big Desert was an integral part of the planet even before the war, it was the only place that wouldn't be touched with other smaller deserts. The planed needed them.
Little by little that Sierra's walls became visible, the anxiety took the gray mouse whose heart started to run in the chest. Finally he would see her again. He and Sharon didn't hear for all that time and meeting her again scared him a little. Was something changed? Would she be happy to see him?
As soon as Modo arrived at the big doors of the city soon he noticed the changes. That day there was the city market and the citizens filled the roads impeding the passage with the bikes. The gray mouse was obliged to park Lil'Hoss and walk among the crowd and the stalls full os that products that during the war were removed from the markets. Modo looked around and smiled, the citizens' faces were totally changed. The mothers hadn't no longer that worried expression when the children ran away from them, some rats had been integrated in their community and had started an own activity.
Among the crowd Modo recognized some Gladiators, their size was unique and they were easy to identify also for their white hair. Despite he had went around for about half an hour, the gray mouse didn't find what he was searching for and went way from the crowd reaching the big plaza. But it was normal that Sharon wouldn't be here, maybe she was at the lab. Then he walked remembering where there was the entrance of the place.
"Hei Big guy!" exclaimed a familiar voice.
"Modo turned "Ron?" he smiled squeezing the hand of the dark brown furred mouse.
"Are u here for my sis?" asked Ronald, a big smile was printed on his face.
The gray mouse nodded "Do u know where I can find her? I was going to the lab."
"U won't find her there. It's a bit that she doesn't go in the lab. U know.. since the baby arrived she seemed totally changed." answered Ronald.
Modo opened the eyes, he was close to scream. He tried to speak but his voice missed. He looked at the Gladiator under shock. The gray mouse started to sweat and his mind filled of thought and anxieties. The pregnancy lasted about six months, then the baby must be one year old if he was the fruit of that one intercourse they had had in that 14th February. But then why didn't Sharon told him? Did she had fear? Modo swallowed, he thought on this so intensely that he felt sick.
Ronald led him among the crowd and answered to the question made by the gray mouse "As u see Sierra became a commercial capital." he said "Probably the clan will transfer in a quieter place. U know, we're building little propriety in the periphery, around the place of the Big Hole."
"The Big Hole?" exclaimed Modo, he remembered the advice of the Ruby of the future "Have u made a lake?"
Ronald nodded "We discovered that the subsoil was made of mother stone and that Rebe.. err Ruby was right."
Modo didn't pulled away from his mind what the young Gladiator had said, he was still shocked and for this reason he heard only half of what the other was saying. At the end Ronald stopped him pointing to him two lady mice. One had black hair and fur, the other had black fur and white hair tied in a plait long just below the scapulae. The lady black haired mouse went away taking a look on the stalls. The white haired one stood here and she held in her arms a little black furred mouse with white hair, he seemed having about one years or a little less. He was blithe and was playing with the dummy.
"Sharon..." murmured Modo looking at the white haired lady. It was her, he hadn't doubts. He was the only one who had eyes with a different color and the earring with the blue stone at the left ear. The gray mouse hadn't the courage to do a step ahead. He feared to ask her from where would come that baby, he didn't want bad news. And yet he felt touched looking at her and noticed that what he felt for her didn't changed.
At certain point Sharon turned to them an noticed the brother and the gray mouse, she smiled radiant and walked towards them.
The clan reunion had been continued for hours now, the modify of the code was a delicate work to do. The circular room was occupied by a big number of mice sat on improvised chairs. Bruce and Vice had fought tooth and nail to modify partially some rules. A lot of Conservatives weren't agree while the younger mice soon agreed with the idea of renewal.
The years passed over and the clan must change, not totally but at least partly. It must modify that aspects considered too primitive and guarantee more unity and awareness among the members. They were few and now that the war was over it was the right occasion. Thinking on what had happened in the last time, Bruce noticed that it was really the code the bigger cause of frictions. But because his purpose the clan had divided in two groups: the Conservatives, headed by Ponga, and the mice that agreed with the renewals, headed by Bruce. Luckily this last was composed by the majority and the clan leader could still have the authority.
"But at least do u know that this would entail problems?" had asked Ponga, Arthan the son was sat at his side "Someone could take advantage the rules to hide something else."
Bruce looked at the dark mouse with sufficient "Of course I know it and not casually Cid had given us his availability." he answered. Vice told him how Cid discovered the identity of Rebecca, then his tests were correct and accurate.
The assembly ended with the modify of the more strict rules and with the decision that the clan would transfer on the Big Lake as soon as the houses had been finished. The city became too chaotic for them and the clan needed a place only for him. When Vice and Bruce went out the room, Stoker waited them with Cid. The silence that there was among the clan members was worrying and the older mice looked with suspicion their leader.
"What a funeral..." commented Stoker "Something's wrong?"
Vice fluttered the head snorting "Better don't tell about it. Then they don't must complain if the clan drifts." modifying the rules was important. Vice and Bruce told a long with Sharon on what happened to her to the rats about 19 years ago and came out her handicap that risked to damn her to a life of outcast. The clan leader had had intention to modify the rules before to die but this wasn't allowed to him and knowing that his daughter risked the expulsion made him feeling the exigency to intervene as soon as.
Only a thing still bothered him: the test and the result that it would give. He knew that his daughter had told with Modo, but if the council would vote in favor of Arthan, Bruce himself would lost credibility. Arthan would notice soon what wasn't wrong and he had pointed him accusing him of having change the rules to protect his daughter. But a marriage between them would permit the reconciliation between the two factions but it didn't seem right to him.
"Hei, what's wrong?" asked Stoker noticing the preoccupied expression of his friend.
Bruce shook the head "Too much problems and thoughts." he answered with hoarse voice "Go to the lab... we must set the last things. Then we'll decide what do of Lord Camembert and co."
For all this time the Plutarkians caught on the Earth stood closed in the cells and the new government was taking time. Executing them wasn't a good idea because the other Plutarkians that surrendered could see it like a menace and cause another war. But taking that aliens in the cell wasn't a good idea too. The authority must provide to their feeding and subsistence, probably they had decided for the forced labor and that they would be under close supervision.
In a few words everything seemed go well. Mars was recovering his ancient splendor and the surface of the planet was covering little by little of green and blue leaving only a few spaces to the red of the deserts and the rock walls.
But someone watched the strange change. The Red Planet, the planet considered dead and sterile revived magically and the probes themselves sent by the NASA had caught breathtaking images that the astrologers watched with the opened mouth. What happened to Mars?
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Well... the Gladiators arrived to the end. The Epilogue is short because is.. only an epilogue xD At the end of this journey I feel sad... I dunno why.. yes I'll write the sequel but... it's always sad TwT
But telling about other things... what do u think about Vice, Sharon and Ronald? No one told me his thought about them and I'm curious to know it xD Who do u love? Who do u hate? Why? Is Arthan an asshole (yes yes yes xD)? What do u hope?
Ok ok I stop it o.o now I'm going to work on the Horror story hohohoh See u soon! I enjoyed translating this story and thanks for the big help that u gave me :)