And now, an epilogue. This will mostly be a "last goodbye"/"where are they now" sort of epilogue. This should apply to both the Normal and True endings...mostly.
Epilogue – Great Task Ahead Of Us! Create A Better Future!
"...I say we settle in your world," Janus said after pondering for a few moments. "You have family there, after all - Paul, Alia, Scott, Rosalind, your uncle Cedric, your aunts Elina, Idun and Gudrun, and your baby cousins Philemon and Sophia too. You also have your duties to Empress Euphemia as a Knight of the Round."
"I'm sure they'd understand if I chose to give up those duties to live here in your world," Tara said. "Why do you think I gave you the choice to pick which world we settled in?"
"Your world needs you more than my world needs me," Janus replied with a sigh. "I'm not about to steal you from it just because I'm even slightly attached to this world." Just then, the young caelceti changed into their parrot forms and alighted on top of the couple – two on each of their shoulders, and one on Tara's head. His expression brightened as an idea came to him.
"But who's to say we can't visit this one once in a while?" he then said with a knowing smile. "Or even have a second home here?"
"Of course you'd pick the third option," Tara giggled as she took his hand, realizing what her beloved was implying.
"I'm a DREAMer," Janus replied with a proud smile as the two started towards the Nadesico. "Just who the hell do you think I am?"
Yurika sighed as she sat in the rear of a small kitchen while Akito was working on a big batch of ramen. It had been six Earth months since the DREAMers of the Celestial Calendar had returned and gone their separate ways. The captain of the Nadesico and her beloved had settled down on Mars and opened up a ramen shop – one that was wildly successful with the recolonization workers.
"I wonder how everyone else is doing," she said. "Even though the war was brutal and cruel, I do miss the friends we made in that time."
Suddenly, a video communicator rang next to Akito.
"I'll get it!" Yurika said as she hurried over and pressed a button. To her surprise, a face she recognized from six months ago was there – Taiga Koutaro.
"Greetings, Captain Misumaru!" Taiga said.
"Oh, Mister Koutaro!" Yurika exclaimed. "What a delightful surprise!"
"It's good to see you well, Captain," the head of GGG said pleasantly. "But as nice as it is to see you, I haven't called you just to hello."
"Hiya, Mister Koutaro!" Akito said. "Is everything all right on Earth?"
"Enough that GGG can engage in important activities that don't involve fighting monsters or overthrowing corrupt governments," Taiga said.
"Which includes?" Yurika asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"Harnessing THE POWER as an energy source," the executive said, "For peaceful purposes, of course."
"Smart idea," Akito said as he turned down the heat on his stove and put the lid on the pot. "Most wars are fought not over ideals, but over resources. With the virtually limitless energy of THE POWER, there will be enough for everyone's needs."
"But for speedy transport between Jupiter and the solar system's inner planets without the effects of time dilation," Taiga said, "we need the ability to boson jump."
"Ah, that's why you called us," Yurika said. "Akito and I are both A-class Jumpers."
"Indeed," another voice chimed in; "Considering your feat from six months ago, jumping Orbit Base from Earth to Jupiter will be a piece of cake for you two!" It belonged to another familiar face.
"Dr. Liger!" Akito exclaimed. "Nice to see you too!"
"So," Taiga asked as he stood up and put his face closer to the camera, "Are you with us, Captain Misumaru?"
"Of course!" Yurika said happily. "Though there will be one tiny, iiiiitsy-bitsy snag."
"What might that be?" Liger said, surprised that there was any sort of catch.
"In three Earth months, I'll be Captain Tenkawa," Yurika answered with a wide grin, flashing a beautiful diamond ring on her finger. "See?"
"Congratulations, you two!"Liger said.
"She wasted zero time," Akito sighed. "She practically demanded that we get married ASAP after we got back. I barely had a moment to get the paperwork for opening up my ramen shop before she made me pop the question!"
"She forced you into marrying her?" Taiga exclaimed.
"The problem wasn't the 'if'," the chef said, shaking his hands frantically; "Just the 'when'! I was hoping to settle down a little more - maybe even help more with the recolonization of Mars."
"That's right," the GGG scientist said; "Now that Martian Successors are no more and the Jovians have more or less made peace with the Earth, large-scale efforts are being made to resettle the Red Planet with the power of the boson jump."
"We were raised here for most of our lives, after all," Akito said. "So it was only natural that we be part of the first wave of new settlers."
"What about the rest of the Aestivalis pilots?" Taiga asked. "Are they part of the resettlement effort?"
"Subaru's staying on with the Nadesico,"Yurika said, "but Amano and Maki have all opted to be discharged. After what they've been through, they deserve the rest. What about the Braves?"
"Everyone is still with us," Taiga said. "Guy, Mikoto, Renais and the others."
"BioNet is still out there, so Chasseur is still active as well," Liger added. "But we're devoting a plurality of our resources into finding ways to harvest and transport THE POWER safely, and we believe Genesic GaoGaiGar's GS Ride will be key to this."
For some reason, both Yurika and Akito felt uneasy about this.
"Don't you think having Genesic GaoGaiGar might be a little...y'know, overkill?" Akito asked.
"I understand your concern, but this is Jupiter and THE POWER we're dealing with," Liger said. "The more capable the GS Ride, the better. Besides, who knows what threats could emerge through attempting to study the gateway?"
The two war veterans recalled their final battles with a shudder.
"That's...understandable," Yurika said after taking a deep breath. "Well, let's get to work with hammering out the details, then."
Empress Euphemia sighed as she closed the door to the old office she had held as Viceroy of Area 11. She had accomplished so much in this office, and she had grown rather fond of it. But now that she was the ruler of Britannia, she couldn't stay – as the leader of her people, her place was in the homeland.
As she closed the door, Suzaku Kururugi, her Knight of One, approached her.
"Are you done, Your Majesty?" he asked.
"Yes," Euphemia replied. "Let us be off, Suzaku."
The two walked down the hall past a short line of guards and toward the door of the building. At the entrance, they saw a limousine. Standing near it were the Knights of Two and Three, Gino Weinberg and Anya Alstreim (their places in the order advanced since the death of the other Rounds) as well as two other familiar faces: Lelouch and Nunnally.
"Euphie! Suzaku!" Lelouch called out.
"Lelouch! Nunnally!" the empress exclaimed, surprised and happy to see her half-siblings; "What are you doing here?"
"We came to say goodbye," Nunnally said, "since you're both leaving for the homeland, and we can't go to the airport with you." Suzaku nodded solemnly, but Euphemia took her half-brother's hands.
"Lelouch, my offer still stands," she said, "if you were to serve as Britannia's representative for the United Federation of Nations once we've officially joined..."
"And my rejection still stands, dear sister," Lelouch said, gently pulling his hands away.
"But why?" Suzaku exclaimed. "You'd make a perfect representative! You're intelligent, politically savvy, and..."
"It would look like a blatant act of nepotism," the prince replied. "Besides, I stained my hands with too much Britannian blood as Zero to serve as its voice in the UFN. I'm sure there's someone else more worthy of the position."
"I see," Euphemia said with a sigh. "Then I won't force you. But what will you do?"
"He still needs to finish school," Nunnally said with a giggle and a wry smile, "don't you, big brother?"
"Erm...uhhhh...I...uh..." Lelouch stammered as his face immediately turned beet red with embarrassment. Everyone else present burst into laughter, save for Anya.
"Well," the empress said as she composed herself, "know that my doors will always be open to you two if you ever wish to drop by. Until we see each other again, take care." With that, she gave each of her siblings a goodbye hug and then started forward again, though Suzaku made no move to follow.
"Your Highness," he asked uneasily, "may I..."
"Of course," Euphemia said with a smile. "Stay as long as you'd like. Gino and Anya will see to my protection at the airport."
"Right this way, Your Highness," Gino said, gesturing flamboyantly to the open car door. "Your carriage awaits." With that, Euphemia stepped into the car, which the Knight of Two closed behind her. He and Anya then quickly scanned the area for any potential assassins, then got into the car, which drove off.
"There she goes," Nunnally said. "Our sister, the Empress."
"She's considering renaming the nation as the Principality of Britannia, and changing her title to Queen, since it won't be an Empire anymore," the Knight of One said; "Of course, she'll have to run that by the Senate now that she's willingly limited her own power."
Suddenly, a horn beeped. The three turned and saw Rolo there on a motorcycle with a sidecar.
"I've got to get going myself," Nunnally said, "I've got swimming practice soon."
"Now that Nunnally has use of her legs back," Lelouch said with no concealment of his pride, "she's put Ashford Academy on the map as a force to be reckoned with in women's competitive swimming." Now Nunnally started blushing a little with embarrassment, but still gave Suzaku a goodbye hug.
"You'll come to visit, won't you?" she asked.
"If I ever get the chance," the Knight of One replied; "Tell everyone at Ashford that I wish them the best." With that, Nunnally gave him one last wave, then hurried over to Rolo, hopped in the sidecar and put on the safety belt before it took off, leaving the two old friends alone.
"So," Suzaku said once the motorcycle was out of sight, "you're gonna go for your diploma, huh?"
"I have to have some sort of goal now that almost everything else I've been working towards has been achieved," Lelouch said.
"Yeah," his friend replied; "Charles and Seele are gone, the Areas have been freed, and Nunnally even regained her legs and eyesight. What about everyone else at Ashford?"
"Kallen will still be attending, for one thing – her mother is still an invalid even after completely breaking her Refrain addiction. So are Rivalz and Shirley. I even hear Nina is back as well – she's on sabbatical from her position at Invogue in order to finish school."
"Ah yes, Shirley," Suzaku said. "You and her are really an item now. What about the rest of the Black Knights?"
"They've been integrated into the UFN peacekeeping forces," Lelouch replied; "Except for Kaguya, who's still the UFN Supreme Councilwoman...and Ohgi, of course."
"I think he was a great choice to be Japan's new prime minister," Suzaku said with a smile. "Euphemia said she looks forward to working with him on the Britannia-Japan trade agreement."
"Mm," his friend said with a nod. "He has the same mentality as Euphemia when it comes to governing."
"And what about C.C.?" the Knight then asked. "I haven't seen her around. Is she lying low as usual?"
"She disappeared," Lelouch said, "but left me a note, saying that she's going to travel and see the new world by herself."
"I see," Suzaku said; "But the kind and gentle world that Nunnally and Euphie want - the world we're working to create - is still not yet a reality. It's still too much like the old world."
He gazed out toward the city.
"If anything," he continued, "the Earth Sphere is about to become even more chaotic. Already there's trouble in the homeland with some nobles who don't agree with Her Majesty's new policies. I'll probably be responsible for putting them down." He sighed.
Lelouch put a friendly hand on the Knight's shoulder.
"If you ever need Zero," the prince said, "he will come...you can count on that."
Yes, he then thought. As long as mankind still struggles to cast off its worst impulses, Zero will be needed.
Back on Earth, Koji, Tetsuya, Sayaka, Jun Hono, Hikaru Makiba and the rest of Photon Power Labs was preparing to say goodbye to some friends – Daisuke, Maria, Rubina, Heinel and the Voltes and Combattler teams were heading for the Fleed System. Each of them were on separate view-screens.
"So, you're finally going home to the Fleed System," Koji said. "Hard to believe it's happening."
"Mm-hm," Daisuke said. "We have a lot of work to do there, restoring the freedom of the other planets. We also expect there to be a great deal of violence."
"What do you mean?" Sayaka's father asked. "Zu Zambajil was appointed as planetary governor of Boazan by Rubina's father, and since Rubina is the heir, he must obey her, right?"
"I am certain that someone like him will cling to his position to the bitter end," Kenichi said, "no matter what she says." Heinel nodded grimly, though Tetsuya noted a glimmer in the Boazanian's eyes – he was excited at the chance to kill Zu Zambajil...and he completely understood that feeling.
"There's also the matter of Campbell as well," Hyoma added, "but their situation is a bit murkier."
"Meanwhile," Maria added, "the Vegans are going to make good on Rubina's promise to make new bodies for the Fleedians that were turned into Saucer Beasts."
"Here's hoping that succeeds!" Sayaka cheered.
"We are prepared to depart, Your Grace," a different voice suddenly came from Daisuke's screen.
"Thank you," Daisuke said in acknowledgment before turning back to his friends.
"Guess this is where we say goodbye," Hikaru said with a sigh. "Take care, you all!"
"It's not gonna be forever," Chizuru said cheerfully. "Just until we've settled things in the Fleed System!"
"Hiyoshi, Daijourou and I may be half-Boazanian," Kenichi said, "but Earth will always be our home."
"But who knows how much time will have passed between now and when you return!" Tetsuya said. "At the distance you're traveling, decades or even centuries may have passed before you return!"
"That's why we have a trained Boson Jumper with us," Kosuke said. "Time dilation won't be an issue now that we have the kinks worked out. It won't be like when we returned from Mars the first time."
But isn't it impossible to...no, best not think too hard about that, Koji thought before turning back to his friends. "Well, best of luck. Hopefully you guys will be back before Sayaka and I finish university."
"Boson Jump preparations complete!" the voice that had called to Daisuke earlier said.
"Yes," the prince of Fleed said with a smile and a wink; "Perhaps I won't have to return as a conqueror."
With those words, the connection was cut, and the Vegan fleet, with Earth's Choudenji robots, made the jump. Meanwhile, the prince of Fleed's final statement floored everyone in on the conversation except for the pilots of Mazinkaiser and Mazin Emperor G.
"Did I just hear Daisuke say what I thought he said?!" Sayaka exclaimed.
"What did he mean by that, Koji?" Professor Yumi asked Mazinkaiser's pilot; "Return as a conqueror? He winked at us at the end, but I don't know what to think." The two Mazinger pilots looked at each other – they had no choice but to reveal everything.
"Daisuke told us that if he finds that the people of the Earth Sphere can't keep their worst impulses in check and comes close to destroying itself and the Earth," Tetsuya said, "he would use Grendizer and Vega's forces to conquer us in order to prevent that."
"That's insane!" Sayaka exclaimed. "Besides, I doubt Rubina would..."
"Don't forget that Daisuke is going to be Empress Rubina's consort," Koji said. "That means he'd essentially have all of the Vega Empire's resources at his disposal."
"More importantly, he's seen what happens when a species nearly destroys itself," Mazin Emperor G's pilot added. "He would not want such a thing to happen to Earth. I do not doubt that he believes it would be for our own good."
For a moment, everyone in the room was silent.
"Buuuuut he ALSO said that he has faith in DREAM," Mazinkaiser's pilot finally said, hoping to reassure the group. "That we'll keep that from happening. That's why he was smiling before he left...I think."
"I see," Sayaka said, relieved to hear this. "Then let's do everything we can to prove Daisuke's faith isn't misplaced." Jun and Hikaru nodded.
"Of course!" Koji said, putting an arm around Sayaka and smiling confidently; "Better yet, we'll make sure Daisuke and the others come back to a world that's even better than when they left it!"
As Kira Yamato rang the buzzer on the door to a high-rise apartment, Lacus Clyne adjusted her hair clip while her little pink Haro, Mr. Pink, fluttered around her like a planet orbiting its sun. It had been a long time since Kira and Lacus were on Macross. With all of Lacus' new duties, she had little time to visit with old friends. Luckily, there was just enough of a gap in the former pop star's schedule this day for her to fit something in.
A few moments later, the door opened – it was Basara Nekki, his guitar slung over his back. The humming of a microwave oven could be heard in the background.
"Lacus! Kira!" he said excitedly; "You really made it!"
"Hello again, Basara," Lacus said pleasantly as she and Kira stepped inside. "I had business here on Macross with the mayor before I head to Orb, so I thought I'd drop in."
"I WON'T ACCEPT IT! I WON'T ACCEPT IT!" Mr. Pink said in his usual manner. Nearby, the rest of Fire Bomber got up to see who had come to visit.
"Lacus! Kira!" Mylene said happily. "I almost didn't think you would come!"
"Yeah," Ray said. "Miss Clyne has a lot on her plate now that she's Supreme Councilwoman of PLANT." Basara's usually happy expression sunk a bit when he heard this.
"So, you're not gonna be performing anymore, then," the rock star said. "Bummer."
"I'm fine with it," Lacus replied. "If I can ensure that the peace we fought so hard for holds, then the burden of leadership is one I'll gladly bear."
"HARO! I'M FINE AND SO ARE YOU!" Mr. Pink said. Sivil, noticing the round pink robot, hovered over to it and started to poke it inquisitively.
"What about Gamlin and the rest of the Batlle 7's crew?" Kira asked, not paying attention to the Protodeviln.
"I guess he's just waiting for the right moment to pop the question," Mylene said with a sigh. "Otherwise, everything is basically the same as it was before. What about the Archangel crew, Kira?"
"Sai and Flay are engaged again," Kira replied, "He and Miraillia are back to working for Morgenroete. Last I heard, they're developing technology alongside Nergal and GGG for safely harvesting and transporting Jupiter's energy."
"You mean, THE POWER?" Basara said. A barrage of popping sounds suddenly started – the sound of popcorn being cooked.
"If they could do that," Mylene said happily, "then energy crises would be a thing of the past! I hope they succeed!"
"You didn't happen to see Athrun and Cagalli since we split up six months ago, did you?" Kira asked as Mr. Pink and Sivil started to slowly fly around the apartment while Ray turned to see how the popcorn was progressing.
"Last I heard," Mylene said said, "Cagalli's heading Orb's council now, and Athrun's her bodyguard. Other than that, I know as much as you guys."
"It's pretty much the same setup we have, Lacus," Kira said. Lacus smiled.
"I WON'T ACCEPT IT! I WON'T ACCEPT IT!" the pink Haro said as it continued to flee from a now-grinning Sivil's incessant prodding.
"Sivil, cut it out!" Ray yelled from the kitchen. "Leave that poor thing alone!" Sivil pouted, but relented, and Mr. Pink returned to orbiting around Lacus' head.
"It'll be nice to see them again," the songstress added as she gently grabbed the Haro out of the air and placed it on the ground, "I'm sure Yzak and the others will be glad to see him too, especially having been fighting even after we returned from Eden Vital. There are still a lot of people who are violently opposed to peace between Earth and PLANT."
"Geez, you'd think after everything people have seen," Basara said with a sigh; "We'd be over fighting each other."
"Humans are slow learners as a species," Lacus said. "But I'm sure we'll learn one day." After a moment of silence, Basara shifted his guitar from his back to his front.
"Okay, that's enough small talk," the rock star said. "How about we have another jam session?!"
"I'd be delighted," Lacus said. "It'll be just like when we first met! But how about we have the whole band involved this time?" Fire Bomber's lead man nodded as his band went to get their instruments...
Outside of the Ikebukuro mall, Asuka tapped her foot impatiently and glanced at her phone. Shinji stood by her side, looking up and down the street. In the six months since they had returned from Eden Vital, the pair had changed their looks slightly. Asuka no longer wore the clips she had used in her Eva, while Shinji had grown his hair out in a mullet, and it was tied back with a hairband.
"They're late," Asuka grumbled. "Schweinhundts."
"Yeah, a whole two minutes," Shinji said as he glanced down at his phone. "Have some patience, Asuka." He looked up and saw two people coming down the sidewalk that he recognized.
"There they are!" he exclaimed. "It's Fujiwara and Yuuki!" He waved to his friends from the Cyber Beast Force, who waved back as they drew near.
"Hey, guys!" Shinobu said eagerly.
"It's about time you two showed up!" Asuka said angrily, getting right up in Shinobu's face. "I was starting to think you forgot!"
"Sorry," Sara replied, "we had to deal with some last-minute paperwork. The UFN military is working our fingers to the bone these days."
"You're soldiers, aren't you?!" the pilot of Eva Unit 02 shouted. "Don't you have any discipline?! I oughta..."
"Sooooo, it's been six months," Shinji said, clapping his hand over Asuka's mouth. "What's been happening? Is the Cyber Beast Force still active?"
"We just finished putting the Beast Machines into cold storage," Shinobu explained. "Hopefully they'll never need to be used again." Shinji released his grip on Asuka's mouth, after seeing that she had calmed down.
"Masato said he's going to go back to civilian life while working under Dr. Hazuki," Sara said, "while Ryo is probably going to continue pursuing martial arts. Alan is...well..." As if to change the subject, Sara paused and looked intently at Shinji's new hairdo.
"Hey, you grew your hair out, Shinji," she said; "But why a mullet?"
"Asuka made me do it," he said with a sigh before leaning close to the former Beast Machine pilot to whisper; "I think it reminds her of Kaji." Asuka's face scrunched into a leer.
"I actually kinda like the look on you," Sara said; "It makes you look manlier. Don't you agree, Shinobu?"
"I guess so," he said. Asuka's expression brightened a bit, happy to see that people had approved her choice for her boyfriend's hair – especially one of her former targets of affection. The four stepped into the mall and started down the corridor that was lined with shops.
"So, how's school going?" Sara asked. "You're still at Ashford, right? This is the first year the school is accepting former Numbers, regardless of whether they were Honorary Britannians or not - there must have been a massive influx of Japanese."
"Our class is the same as always," Asuka said, "Suzuhara and Aida are still the class perverts. Hikari is still class rep, and Ayanami is still the quiet one. Meanwhile, Nagisa is...well, Nagisa."
"What about the Wunder and the Evangelions?" Shinobu asked. "Without any Angels to fight and Seele defeated, there's no reason to have them around."
"The Wunder is in cold storage," Shinji said, "and the crew joined up with the rest of Nerv's surviving staff. The Evas themselves are still being used, but not for combat."
"Really?" Sara said. "What for?"
"You remember the fossil giants in the Valley of Kadmon, right?" Asuka said; "Well, they found more of them underneath the Antarctic ice, and they're trying to see how close the resemblance is between the Evas and the fossil giants."
I feel like that was something we already learned, Shinji thought, but somehow forgot.
"So, Nerv's going into archaeology, huh?" Shinobu chuckled. "I guess it's fitting - they were always dealing with really ancient things."
"Yep," Asuka said. "They're working with GGG on it too. Misato and Mr. Koutaro are really working closely together."
"I wonder what else they'll find down there," Shinji thought. "I'm actually a little excited." Just then, everyone's stomachs growled simultaneously.
"How about we continue this conversation after we find a place to eat?" Sara suggested. The other three nodded, and the search began for a suitable restaurant...
Tuileres Palace – it was be the first time Tara had been to the opulent royal abode since the war between the European Union and Euro-Britannia. As Tera, she had been on a mission to kidnap Leila Malcal. Now, she was going there on a far more peaceful mission - she was to accompany Empress Euphemia as a guard during the negotiations for a trade deal between the European Union and Britannia, as well as determining the fate of Euro-Britannia itself.
Of course, there was going to be a party to celebrate the deal, and Tara felt obligated to schmooze. She happened to strike up a conversation with a gray-haired, rather portly banker with a well-coiffed goatee who had taken an interest in Euphemia's new justice system – one where the powerful were subject to more severe punishments under the law than those without power.
"But under her system, no one would want power," the banker exclaimed. "People would run for the hills rather than accept a position of authority!"
Tara smiled in a manner that was both genial and smug.
"And that, my friend, is the beauty of it," she said.
"I still do not understand," the banker said, shaking his head in confusion. Deciding that she needed an example, the Knight glanced around to see if any of the waiters were available. She soon spotted a dark-skinned man that appeared to be from sub-Saharan Africa – likely an immigrant. He was cleaning up one of the buffet tables.
"Excuse me," Tara said, gently tapping his shoulder. "Could I have you help me with something?" The man turned and gasped in surprise. He clearly wasn't expecting to even be noticed.
"I-I'll do what I can," the waiter said. Tara reached into her purse, took out some paper money held together by an elastic band and pressed into the man's hand.
"Here's five thousand euros that I need delivered to someone in the roughest part of town," Tara said. "Could I count on you to do that for me without losing it or spending it yourself?"
The man looked down at the money – he had probably never seen this much money at once in his life. The banker, meanwhile, stood dumbfounded.
"Um...I'm not s-so sure I could," the waiter said.
"Why's that?" Tara asked, trying her best to hide her real intentions. "It's not a lot of money to me. You probably need it more than I do."
"B-because I'm afraid I would lose it, or I'd get robbed," the waiter replied, starting to sense that he was being led on.
"You...wouldn't be tempted to spend it yourself?" Tara said, leaning in.
"It wouldn't be right to spend others' money when they trust me with it!" the waiter exclaimed, his emotions roused by this apparent attack on his character before gasping and retreating a bit. Tara smiled more widely and turned back to the banker on one heel.
"Get it now?" she said. The banker gave her a skeptical look.
"It's still absurd," he said before walking away in a huff. The waiter sheepishly approached Tara again and held out the five thousand euros.
"Miss, here's your money," he said; "I told you I can't..."
"Keep the money," Tara said, gently pushing his hand back. "Consider it a tip for doing such a good job." The waiter's eyes widened with gratitude before bowing deeply and hurrying away. Tara sighed contentedly.
"That was quite a display, Lady Zifell," a new voice came from nearby. The Knight turned to see who was addressing her, and her eyes widened with joy.
"Leila! Akito!" she squealed when she recognized her two friends from W-0.
"We haven't seen you since the end of the war," Hyuga said. "Have you been well?"
"Her Majesty has me following her on her grand world tour," Tara replied. "It's exhausting, but gratifying."
"Where's Janus?" Leila asked. "You two were practically inseparable back when we fought together."
"Jan's still in Japan," the Knight answered. "Working on the rebuilding effort there. What about you? Is the rest of the Wyvern Squad still together?"
"We're with the UFN military, obviously," the Alexander Liberte's pilot said; "But Ryou, Yukiya and Ayano left, and are working as mercenaries...subcontractors for Serpent Tail, I hear." Tara nodded, but seemed a little saddened by the remark.
"Looks like the day when such people won't be needed is still far off," she said. "But it will come. I'm sure of it."
"Are you going back to Japan after this?" Hyuga asked.
"Actually, I was thinking Janus and I would take a vacation," Tara said; "I already got permission from Her Highness."
"Really?" the leader of W-0 said; "Where?"
"Can't tell," Tara said with a mischievous smirk.
"Now I'm really curious," Leila said. "Come on! We won't tell a soul."
"That's for me to know," the Knight said, "and for you not to find out." Leila sighed, seeing that her old friend would not be moved. Their conversation soon turned to other things...
Neo-Hong Kong was alive and abuzz with activity in spite of being in ruins. The only completely intact structure, the Science Fortress Laboratory, gleamed as it towered above the ruins of Neo-Hong Kong, which would soon become one of the Earth's new capitals. There was reconstruction activity going on all over, facilitated by the growing alliance of the Demon Tribe, the children of the Silver Moon, and humanity, the children of the Gold Moon – as well as the Beastmen and the Devilmen.
Of course, it didn't matter what you looked like, as long as you understood the value of life...that, in the words of both Maou Dante and Governor Rossiu, was what made a person - human, demon, Devilman or Beastman – truly human.
And those were terms Kouji Kabuto and Sayaka Yuumi were happy with. After all, they had gotten used to being around the monstrous shapes of demons and Devilmen around the Science Fortress Lab, which was now the center of the Photon Power Institute – which was now headed up by Kouji's father.
As the two teenagers approached the Fortress, they were greeted by three friendly faces – their fathers and Minerva X.
"Good morning, you two," Kenzo said. "Nice to see you here early for once."
"It wasn't easy, Dr. Kabuto," Sayaka said. "I almost had to pry your son out of bed with a crowbar!"
"I can't help that my bed is so comfy!" Kouji groaned before letting out a great yawn. "I'm still...not fully awake yet." Kenzo laughed heartily while Minerva simply smiled – she was happy to see that Kouji and Sayaka were still so close. After all, that was the most important consistency in every world she had experienced.
"Then I suggest you finish waking up, Kouji," Professor Yuumi said, "because there's new work to be done here at the lab starting today." With that, he turned on his heel and walked into the Lab. Mazinger Z and Artemis A's pilots looked at each other and walked inside.
As they stepped down into the hangars, they saw something they hadn't expected to see at all - a Getter Dragon, a Getter Liger, and a Getter Poseidon. In fact, the hangar was filled to the brim with multiples of Getter Robo G's three forms, each in various states of being carefully disassembled.
"What are Getter Robos doing here?!" Kouji exclaimed. As if in answer, a familiar face poked out of the cockpit of one of the Getter Dragons – the Michiru Saotome of the Celestial Calendar. Sayaka smiled and waved, while Kouji stood there, confused as to what was going on.
"Kouji! Sayaka!" she called out, waving to the pair. Go poked his head out of another Getter Dragon and waved as well. The two then climbed out of the cockpits and down ladders.
"Michiru!" Kouji exclaimed. "And Go!"
"Hi, you two!" Kei's voice came from a Getter Liger before she followed Michiru and Go's lead. "Gai's here too!" The third Shin Dragon pilot did the same.
"What are you guys doing here?" Kouji exclaimed as the four Getter pilots approached them.
"Starting today," Minerva said, "they're working as part of the New Photon Power Institute."
"Really?" Mazinger Z's pilot exclaimed. "I mean, I'm psyched to have you guys on board, but when was this decided?" At this, Sayaka groaned and yanked Kouji by the ear.
"Seriously, have you been paying attention at all, you moron?!" she yelled; "They announced it a month ago!" She then let go.
"Your father, with the help of Dr. Heaven and Minerva X, was able to compile all of Professor Saotome's research," Professor Yuumi explained, "and is using it as a starting point for further research into Getter Rays."
"Since the Earth Sphere is at peace, Shin Dragon probably won't be needed," Kei said. "So Dr. Kabuto decided that the cores of the Getter Robo Gs that make up Shin Dragon should be used to study the energy that powers them. The hope is to find more peaceful applications that we can't get from Spiral Energy or Photon Power."
"Sounds good to me," Kouji said, rubbing his ear. "It'll be great working with you guys!"
"Yes, it will," Go said with a little smile.
Judau and Roux stood at the door to a transport craft – they had to say goodbye to their friends from Londo Bell and DREAM, since they were leaving to go to Jupiter in order to mine more helium-3, the fuel that powered the Minovsky fusion reactors of virtually every machine in space, and could be found in abundance on the gas giant. Gathered around them were their friends from the Nahel Argama, as well as Amuro, Chan, Christina, Bernie, Bright, Puru, Puru Two, Quess, Hathaway, Kamille and Fa.
"Once you get to Jupiter, it'll be a three year stay," Bright said. "Don't go drowning in all that helium-3."
"Take care of Roux, Judau," Elle said.
"Hey, that's supposed to be my role!" Roux retorted. Elle fumed at Roux.
"What, are you jealous?" Beecha said with a laugh as he wrapped an arm around the Neo-Italian girl.
Watching this from several dozen yards away were Char, Haman, Sayla and a girl with short dark hair and green eyes, wearing a blue skirt and a pink coat, gold comet hair clip, white blouse and a blue tie...Judau's little sister, Leina Ashta. Judau had left her on his home colony of Shangri-La when he had joined up with Janus and company.
It would be the first time in over a year that she had seen her big brother, yet she was clearly apprehensive.
"You know," Sayla said, "once he leaves, it will be at least three years before you can see him again."
"It's all right," Leina said. "He might have second thoughts if he sees me now."
"I see," Char said. "Well, I think you're underestimating your big brother." Meanwhile, Judau turned to his other friends.
"Study hard at medical school, you two," Judau said to Kamille and Fa.
"We will," the Zeta Gundam's pilot said. "And I'm leaving the Zeta Gundam in your care, Roux."
"Don't go busting it up too badly," Fa said. "Kamille worked very hard in designing it." Roux giggled and nodded. Next, the ZZ Gundam's pilot turned to Chris and Bernie.
"You two plan to stay on Side 6?" Judau asked. Christina nodded.
"We're both going to return to civilian life," she replied. "The NT-X had a good run, but I'd rather not get involved in any more fighting."
"What about you, Amuro?" Roux asked the Federation ace. "What are you and Chan planning?"
"Not sure. I might go to work for Anaheim Electronics full-time. With Char's plan to eventually migrate out of the solar system and the war between Earthnoids and Spacenoids over, they're moving away from weapons development." Chan nodded.
Suddenly, Judau's gaze moved past the group, and he gasped when he saw his sister standing there.
"Leina?!" he exclaimed as he pushed his way past his friends and started running toward her. Leina looked back at Sayla, who gave her a gentle push. She in turn started to run toward her brother.
"Big broooo!" she cried as she leaped into her brother's embrace. The two laughed excitedly as Judau spun his sister around while the rest of the group hurried over to see the reunion. Most of them were clearly happy for the two, though Puru seemed a little less than pleased.
"Jealous, Puru?" Puru Two said wryly when she noticed her fellow pilot's annoyance.
"No one asked you," Puru grumbled.
"Oh, Leina," Judau said in a near-sob; "I was so sure you were gone!"
"You can thank Lady Haman and Lord Char for her being alive," Quess said. "Zeon troops found her in Shangri-La and took her in as a refugee from the crisis with the demons and Muge Zolbados."
"We would have said something," Haman said, "but your little sister had her reasons."
"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you," the ZZ Gundam's pilot said as he put his sister down. "You must have been so lonely."
"It's okay," Leina replied; "You were fighting to protect everyone. And since this is so important, I'll wait for you for as long as I need to."
"I'll come home as soon as I can, okay?" her brother said. Leina nodded and gave her brother one last hug before she finally stepped back.
"Thank you, Char," Judau said as he turned to the two leaders of Zeon; "Thank you, Haman...I couldn't have asked for a better surprise before going. Now I have something else to look forward to when I get back!" Char and Haman nodded. With that, Judau and Roux waved goodbye one last time before boarding the transport craft, which lifted off the ground to join up with the craft that would actually take them to Jupiter...
The research laboratory on the grounds of Queen Dianna's palace in the Lunar Kingdom was abuzz with activity as it always was. But people still made way as Loran Cehack came down the hall, hefting a large box in both hands. He soon arrived at a computer lab where three people were working on one of them.
"Masato! Miku! Yuratei!" he called out. The three pilots of Great Zeorymer looked up.
"Loran!" Masato exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to bring you these sweets from Keith and Verlaine's bakery," he said, placing the box on a table in the center of the room. "You guys have been working so hard, Her Majesty wanted to show her appreciation." He opened the box to reveal a large number of various goodies – pastries, breads, donuts, and other delicious carbohydrate-filled goodies.
"She didn't have to," Yuratei said, eyeing the treats hungrily.
"It's thanks enough that Lunar Kingdom actually took all three of us in," Masato said, "especially since Masaki Kihara caused that tragedy, and Hau Dragon wrecked so many cities on Earth."
"Queen Dianna said that your actions as Great Zeorymer's pilots have more than made up for Kihara's crimes," the former pilot of the Turn A Gundam said; "Plus, that knowledge will be helpful for utilizing the Dimensional Coupler System in new ways now that Great Zeorymer and the Turn A have been sealed away."
"Not to mention that Last Guardian was wiped out when the Demon Tribe attacked – Oki included," Miku added as she gingerly picked up an eclair from the box. "We would have had nowhere to go."
"Would you like one, Loran?" Yuratei asked after taking a jelly donut. Loran was surprised, but shook his hands and head.
"Oh no," he said politely, "I couldn't possibly..."
"We insist," Miku said. "Being the head of Queen Dianna's guard now that Harry Ord is Prime Minister must be tough."
"It's a lot easier to do a job you enjoy. Besides, with everything being so peaceful in the Earth Sphere, there's not a whole lot for the Lunar Defense Force to do."
"Okay, more for us," Masato said as he grabbed a
"Captain Cehack! The ambassador from Gomorrah is here!"
"Sorry I couldn't stay longer."
"You do what you have to do, Loran. We'll keep up the good work."
Nia was beautiful in her wedding dress – there was no denying it. Lovingly sewn by hand by her servant, Old Coco, the dress flowed beautifully like cherry blossom petals in the spring breeze as Nia walked down the center aisle, clasping a bouquet of blue roses, to be wed to her beloved Simon. All around her, her friends from Team Dai-Gurren, as well as the Shuffle Alliance, gazed in awe at her beauty.
"They'll make such a lovely couple, don't they, Domon?" Rain said quietly as she leaned over to Domon.
"Yeah," Domon replied. "No doubt about it."
"Miss Nia is truly a vision of beauty," George mused. "And a spirit to match. Truly a marriage made in heaven."
Most elated of all was Simon, who was dressed in an all-white tuxedo. He couldn't stop looking at her as she approached. Once she reached the altar, the bride took her groom's hands, and the two stood facing each other.
"A perfect vision of marital bliss," Chibodee said as Rossiu officiated the wedding ceremony. "Almost makes me want to pick one of my girls and have a wedding of my own."
"Are we almost done?" Sai Saichi grumbled, crossing his arms. "I'm hungry, and whatever they're cooking for the reception smells mighty tasty."
"Be quiet, Sai," Argo said. "This won't take long at all. The two insisted on a brief ceremony." Finally, after exchanging vows, Simon and Nia kissed, and the assembled crowd erupted in wild applause.
"Nia, I love you," Simon said. "I'll love you until the end of the universe."
"Don't be silly," Nia said. "It won't end. That's what we worked so hard for, right?"
"Yeah, you're right," the digger replied. Nia smiled back. After a moment more, the newlyweds turned to the assembled crowd.
"Thank you for coming, everyone," Simon said. "But we've got only seventy-five to eighty years to enjoy our marriage, and the two of us have a lot of work to do." He stepped off the altar while reaching into his pocket.
"What do you mean?" Gimmy asked as the digger approached him and pressed something into his open hand. Meanwhile, Nia turned around and lobbed her bouquet over her head into the air. After a few moments, it landed squarely in Darry's hands.
"It's in your hands now, Rossiu," he said, not looking at his old friend as he crossed back to his bride.
"Commander Simon..." the governor muttered.
"I'm just Simon the Digger," the hero said; "There are people better suited to going through the holes I dug." Rossiu nodded, understanding his old friend's words.
"You can count on me," Rossiu said. Meanwhile, Gimmy looked down as he opened his hand – and gasped with amazement when he saw Simon's Core Drill there. He then looked back up to see Simon dramatically cast off his tuxedo coat and shirt and replace it with the cloak he had worn during their final battles, while Boota hopped onto his shoulder. Nia, meanwhile, threw off her wedding veil and then covered her shoulders with a similar cloak.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Leeron said as the two started to walk toward the trees, holding hands.
"What did Simon say about having work to do," Darry asked, "and having only seventy-five to eighty years?"
"Nia is a virtual being created for the Anti-Spiral and bound to Metatron's life force," Viral said; "We don't know what happened to him after we returned from Eden Vital, so we're assuming that he's dead. But Iophiel was able to slow down her deterioration enough so that she can essentially live a normal human life span."
"I bet she'll hold out even longer," Leeron said. "She's one tough cookie."
"Long enough to fill this world with flowers anyway," Yoko – who was wearing a black tuxedo - added. "That's what they're off to do." Darry looked up, clutching Nia's bouquet as the newlyweds disappeared from sight.
"And we each have our own way of making the Earth beautiful again," George added. "Miss Marie-Louise is already working to make Neo-France as splendid as it was before the great migration to space."
"People still need an outlet for their desire for fighting," Chibodee said. "So we'll need to come up with something to replace the Gundam Fight."
"Good idea!" Sai said. "I'm sure the Shaolin Temple will be happy to help with that! I'm just glad that they were able to survive the crisis."
"Neo-Russia will do what it can as well," Argo said. "My old pirate crew said they were more than willing to join in the effort...as will Natasha."
"Domon is going to be looking for students to teach martial arts," Rain said. "I suspect a fair number of humans will want to join, just so they don't fall behind the demons and Devilmen in terms of physical capabilities."
"Yeah. But we all have a responsibility to keep this world peaceful," Domon said. "That's our purpose as the Shuffle Alliance." The other members of the Alliance nodded, their crests glowing in agreement...
Lucifer had been through this moment so many times, he had lost count. He and Fudo laid on a rock near the ocean, looking up at the stars.
"Back then, I didn't know what you meant," the angel said; "Love doesn't exist...there's no such thing. And because love doesn't exist, sorrow doesn't exist. That's what I believed in the beginning, when I first opposed them."
Fudo didn't respond. He hadn't said a word since they had gotten here.
"Why am I the only one talking, Akira?" Lucifer said, turning over to see what his dear friend was up to. The young man laid there, a vacant look on his face and his jaw lolling.
"Akira?" the angel said, his voice trembling a little as he reached out to touch the man he loved. His mind's eye flashed back to all of the different versions of this moment - seeing the person he loved most nothing but a corpse. Sometimes he had only lost the lower half of his body, sometimes he lost more.
But unlike all the other times, Fudo's face suddenly moved. He was still alive.
"Oh, sorry Ryo," he said as he sat up. "I just kinda zoned out for a bit there. This ocean breeze is really nice."
"Yeah," Miki said. "He does that a lot when he gets really relaxed." Unlike all the other times, she was with them, lying on the other side of Fudo.
"Please don't scare me like that," the angel said, putting his hand over his chest. "I thought for a second that you were..."
Fudo and Miki looked at the angel in bewilderment.
"Never mind," Lucifer said, forcing the images out of his head. Fudo smiled, and stood up on tip-toes.
"Without the Neo Colonies floating up there blocking the view, you can actually see all the stars," he said. "It's actually really pretty."
"This is more or less what the sky looked like in the days after the demons and I banished the Gods," the angel said as he stood up as well, "But I never imagined I would witness an even more revolutionary change."
"Yeah," Miki said as she got to her feet. "What do you think of this world...a world where humans and demons are learning to get along?"
"It's a world I could never have built myself," the former Atik Yomin general said, "no matter how hard I tried. It just goes to show how potent the unforeseeable factor's ability is."
"Yeah, Two-Face was really something," Fudo said. "I'm glad he and I met again...and I kinda wish he had stuck around."
"But even Janus would admit it wasn't just him that brought this all about," Miki said. "It was all of us that made this world possible."
"Though all people have the potential to carve their own path outside of what the Great God has come up with," Lucifer said, "it seems that the presence of an unforeseeable factor like him allows that potential to be fully realized...and I had never imagined that potential would take you all the way to the heart of all creation."
"The Great God...is it really blind and idiotic?" Miki mused; "Does it really have no idea what it's bringing into existence? I find that a little hard to believe - maybe it wanted us to get as far as we did."
"If it does have a reason for having everything happen a certain way," Lucifer said, "that reason is likely something completely beyond our comprehension. For all any of us can tell, life has no innate purpose."
"Yeah," Fudo said. "But the fact is that we're here, and we're alive. Therefore, we need to make a purpose for ourselves, even if it's not what the Great God actually intends for us. And for me, maintaining and protecting this world, where humans, demons and Devilmen are learning to be friends is my purpose."
"Mine too," Miki said as she embraced him. "The world that we all made." Fudo smiled back and the two rubbed noses.
It's better this way, Lucifer thought. My beloved is finally happy...and he's sharing his happiness with me...I really couldn't ask for a better outcome.
"So, you still won't stay?" Leeron asked Yoko as she sat atop her hoverbike near Leeron's personal workshop. She was not dressed in her usual outfit, but the teacher getup she had worn back when she and the group that would become DREAM worked to bust Simon out of jail. She was about to answer when the two heard a voice they hadn't expected to hear.
"Yokooooo! Leerooooon!"
They turned to see who it was.
"Janus?! Tara?!" Yoko exclaimed as the two hurried towards her. "We thought you were settling in the Celestial Calendar world!"
"We did," Janus said. "But we're on vacation, and there's no reason why we can't swing by once in a while and see how everything's going here." He was carrying a small brown paper sack.
"But how did you bridge the gap between universes?" Yoko asked. "Neo Granlif is..."
"You had help from some little birdies, didn't you?" the engineer said slyly. Janus grinned and nodded. Meanwhile, Tara looked at Yoko up and down.
"What's with the teacher getup, Yoko?" she asked. "And what's with the suitcase? You're going on a trip too?"
"That opening for a teacher that I found just before Janus came back into my life never closed," the sniper said; "and I'm off to fill it. I figured that if I'm going to be wearing this every day, I'd get used to it now."
"That was nice of them to hold the opening," Granlif's former pilot said. "I think you'll be a great teacher."
"Someone's gotta tutor the next generation," Yoko said, "especially in this new world where humans, Beastmen, demons and Devilmen are all learning to coexist."
"Yeah," Tara said. "Hope it all works out for you. By the way, Janus has something to give you before you go." With that, the young man handed Yoko the bag, which she reached into, and extracted a red and yellow apple – one that shone the most flawless ruby dabbed with flecks of pure gold.
"A Starshine Delicious..." the would-be teacher gasped, recognizing the apple. "You didn't steal this, did you?"
"Not this time," Janus said proudly. "Actually, their price has dropped like a rock, since there's no more ultra-wealthy folks to sell it to." Yoko smiled and put the apple back in the bag before sticking it into her luggage.
"I'll enjoy it on the road," she said.
"You should get going," Tara said. "Your students are waiting for you." Yoko smiled and slipped on her goggles before positioning herself on the hoverbike.
"Take care, you two," Yoko finally said. "Thanks for the gift." With that, she sped off down the road, leaving the three behind.
"And there goes another one," Leeron sighed. "Off to parts unknown."
"Another one?" Janus asked. "Someone else just upped and left?"
"Simon and Nia did, right after their wedding ceremony," the engineer said; "Haven't seen hide or hair of them since...and with Viral heading up the Earth's defensive armada, Gimmy and Darry are now Gurren Lagann's pilots. The other members of Team Dai-Gurren are involved in the Earth's restoration or in the Kamina City government."
"The times, they are a-changing," Janus said.
"For the better, it seems," Leeron said. "And it's all thanks to you, Mister and Missus Unforeseeable Factor."
"Us?" Tara exclaimed. "Why just us? We all did it together."
"If you two lovebirds hadn't brought DREAM together," Leeron replied, "we may never have been able to achieve all we did." The couple looked at each other.
"Speaking of lovebirds," the engineer then said as he drew closer to them; "when are you two getting married?"
Janus and Tara looked at each other again...
The wedding may or may not be dealt with in the Expansion Scenarios. But this is definitely the end of the main story! Hope you all enjoyed it! Maybe now I can get back to working on Super Robot Wars BCE. Anyway, that's all for this tale, mecha fans! Until next fic, stay tuned!