Chapter 40- Epilogue
Octavius had resigned himself to dying.
He had spent hours trying to open the APC's armored door, but the tons of mud that had fallen on it had apparently buried it too deeply. Even with his enhanced strength, there wasn't any real possibility that he could get it open.
His other hope, that the Drex had triumphed and would be looking for him, seemed less and less likely as time went on as well. According to his watch, it had been almost two days since he'd been buried alive. The only reason he was currently alive was that the APC was designed for low atmosphere conditions- it had a pretty extensive carbon dioxide scrubbing system as well as extra oxygen. But even so, he had started to feel a bit light-headed as the oxygen levels continued to drop.
The Drex commander was silently eyeing his gun, trying to decide if he would rather gradually lose consciousness as his air ran out, or finish it all at once, when he heard something.
A thumping noise. Followed by another. Then another.
The sounds of something digging- something large, like a backhoe, he guessed. He was proven right as enough mud was cleared away that he could hear a dull, but audible roar of an engine.
Now the only question was whether he was about to be rescued- or captured.
Impatiently he stood next to the APC's damaged door, as the engine of the earth-moving machinery roared louder as less and less dirt and mud obstructed it from him. Light abruptly peeked in through one window, and he eagerly peered through it. Unfortunately, there was still too much earth smeared over the window to see anything more than the vague shape of a yellow backhoe. It appeared to be of native Terran design- but he would have expected his fellow Drex to press one of those machines into service anyway, so it told him little.
He dusted himself off, adjusted his uniform. Regardless, he thought to himself, he would go into the light proudly. Whether free or captive, he would go as a Drex.
The backhoe's blade scraped against the door of the APC itself, having finally excavated it. There was a long pause, and then, with a screech of metal, the door was pried open.
Blinking in the sudden light, Octavius took a step forward. "I am-"
He was yanked forward by the collar of his uniform and struck hard in the face. Then a knee buried itself in his crotch, and he bent forward in sudden agony. The knee came up again and smashed into his nose.
Dazed by the sudden pain, he barely felt his arms being pinioned behind his back, though he was dimly aware of the handcuffs being tightened around his wrists. He narrowed his eyes against the light and made out a dark-skinned face which grinned at him.
"I know who you are," said Hunter. "Welcome to Terra."
He held up a ZPD badge and a lighter.
"Unfortunately, it seems you forgot who I am. Maybe you need another reminder-"
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Ten-hut!"
The Marines of the Nike's complement snapped to attention. Oakes stepped off the shuttle, smiling at them. "At ease, Marines."
The shuttle had landed in the center of the ZPD's parking lot. Oakes spent a long minute surveying the scene.
The cars and trucks that had been parked in the lot were mostly heaps of smoking metal now. The dropship's landing had rolled many of them away from the center of the lot, resulting in a space clear enough for the shuttlecraft. The bodies, at least, had been policed and moved away, but tell-tale bloodstains marked the concrete almost as much as the scorch-marks and small craters he could see. It had clearly been a vicious battle.
He turned back to see his Marines had taken his "at ease" order to heart. They relaxed, most smiling back at their commander. It had been a long, hard fight, but they had won. And why not? After all, didn't Nike mean victory?
La Mancha, his arm in a sling- courtesy of shrapnel from the "danger-close" bombardment that had saved them, stepped forward. He saluted his captain precisely. "Captain. Beg to report all surviving Drex in Zootopia have surrendered. Our mission is complete."
Oakes returned his salute. "Well done, Colonel."
A water buffalo walked up, looming over both La Mancha and Oakes. The Fleet captain's eyes widened slightly as he raised his gaze to meet the buffalo's. His uniform shirt was torn in several places, and a reddened bandage on his left wrist marked an injury. Oakes hesitated, then saluted. "Chief, um, Bogo, I presume?"
The buffalo snorted. "You don't have to salute me."
Oakes didn't drop his salute. "No, sir. I don't have to." He smiled slightly. "But I want to."
After a long, measuring look, Bogo returned the salute.
And extended his paw. "Captain Oakes."
The two mammals shook.
La Mancha cleared his throat. "Oh, ah, captain. There is one other matter I'd like to report."
Oakes frowned at him. "Go ahead."
"One of our fighter craft was seen attacking the enemy dropships, sir. Shortly afterward, it was destroyed not far from here."
Oakes closed his eyes. "Yes, colonel. That would have been Commander Bonaire." Most of the strike craft pilots belonging to the Nike had died in the battle. "She was our best," he said quietly.
"Can you repeat that, sir? A little louder so everyone can hear?"
The voice came from behind him. Oakes stiffened, and turned slowly around.
Bonaire, her short hair mussed and a massive bruise covering the right side of her face, smiled impishly at him. She saluted sloppily. "I believe you were saying something about me being the best?"
Oakes stared blankly at her, then looked at La Mancha. "She survived? They caught her in an ambush- I reran the sensor logs to make sure-"
"Didn't even have time to curse," said Bonaire cheerily. "But I did have time to pull the ejection lever." Her expression became serious. "But I have to say, sir, I'll need to put in for some hardship pay."
"Well, sure, ejecting over a battlefield-"
She waved that away. "Oh, that was nothing. But being rescued by Marines?" She shook her head. "That's just awful. Never live that down."
A marine sergeant standing nearby nodded seriously. "It's true, captain. Not in a million years."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Over the next month, a great many things happened.
The Drex, stranded on a foreign world, with no supply, no fleet cover, and nowhere to go, slowly surrendered- much to the surprise of the humans on Terra. It turned out that the Drex, while not fearing death, saw no particular reason to keep fighting when things were hopeless, either. Oakes, La Mancha, and the other human leaders noted that thoughtfully.
Quite a few Terran governmental leaders were arrested for conspiring with the Drex, among them Escurel- the anti-predator squirrel on the Council- and Mayor Procyon. Being the third mayor in a row arrested, the Zootopian City Council took a long, hard look at their election process. And promptly did nothing substantive. It was, after all, city politics.
The Drex sent a message stating that if the Terran government would return all their captured troops and materiel, they would overlook the "insults and aggression" the Terrans had shown them, demonstrating that the Drex lack of fear apparently also translated into a lack of shame. The new leader of the Council, Alex Hoofstadter, consulted with various leaders around the world regarding the arrogant message. Which was why one Zacharias Hunter wrote the response.
And the Human Stars Fifth Fleet arrived.
The humans immediately offered food, medical assistance, and military protection. Their demands, on the other paw, were quite clear. Terra would become a protectorate under the Human Stars. They would, eventually, be allowed to join as a full member state, under the same rules and regulations as the human worlds belonging to the largest human government.
It was, they thought, a perfectly reasonable, even generous offer.
The Terran Council requested a meeting to discuss it, in a neutral location.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"An ancient, immensely powerful artifact is your definition of a neutral location?" asked Sector Admiral Pritchard sardonically as he stepped aboard the Prometheus.
The antelope who was greeting him gave him a tight smile. "It's in our space, and doesn't belong to us. So sure."
"Doesn't belong to you?" asked Pritchard, with affected nonchalance.
"As you well know," said Hoofstadter stiffly, "It identifies one of your citizens as its commander. One Zacharias Hunter."
"Oh, someone's talking about me. No wonder my ears are burning." The human and antelope turned to see a human in a ZPD dress uniform approach. A fox, bunny, and mongoose walked with him, all likewise wearing dress uniforms.
"Mr. Hunter, I presume?" said Pritchard, eyeing him. "Is that a ZPD uniform you're wearing?"
"It is. Got the badge and everything," said Hunter, tapping the badge on his chest.
"So how is it that this is not your ship?" Pritchard asked the antelope. He knew the answer, but he wanted everything to be clear.
The antelope sighed. "Mr. Hunter is a human, a citizen of the Human Stars."
"Even wanted for murder and terroristic activities," said Hunter helpfully. "So I'm not only a citizen, I'm wanted. That's, like, an extra-special citizen."
Pritchard gave him a level look before turning back to Hoofstadter. "He's also part of your government in his capacity as a ZPD officer."
The antelope smiled. "Exactly. So he's, as it were, between things. Neutral."
"Neutral," said Hunter thoughtfully. "No, I've never been described as that before."
"So where do you stand, Mr. Hunter?" asked Pritchard, turning to face him fully. "With your species? Or with them?" He gestured towards the antelope.
Hunter's face became suddenly grim, and he took a step toward the admiral. Pritchard had to consciously avoid taking a step back. "I'm on the side I've always been on, Admiral." He stared into Pritchard's eyes for a long moment, and then suddenly smiled. It was a cold smile, but it was there.
"Come on. The ship has prepared appetizers and such for us."
Pritchard nodded, perhaps a bit too quickly. "Of course. I'm sure everything will be wonderful."
"Oh, don't count on it," said Hunter over his shoulder as he walked away. "I had to explain to it that nutrient bars don't count as diplomatic finger-food."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Hunter sat slumped into his seat as he watched the interminable argument going on in the Prometheus's conference room.
He'd contributed little so far, other than introducing everyone and noting that he was in control of a massive, ancient death-machine. He figured that would keep things peaceful.
The humans had Pritchard leading the delegation, with Captain Oakes and his second-in-command Tossetti remaining silent for the most part beside him. The Terrans had Hoofstadter and a number of other mammals.
"The fact is," said Pritchard, his tone measured, "you cannot defend yourselves. Only the incredible luck of gaining this ship at the last minute kept your planet from falling to the Drex invaders."
"Nevertheless," said Hoofstadter, his voice equally calm, "we are unwilling to submit entirely to human rule. After all, we still have this ship."
Pritchard raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"
Hunter straightened as all eyes swung to him. "What?" he asked irritably.
"You have avoided this for too long, Hunter," said Pritchard. "You need to pick a side, now. Are you going to stand with humanity?"
"Or will you stand with us?" said Hoofstadter. "They've betrayed you, branded you a criminal, tried to kill you."
"We are your kind, Hunter. We are your family."
"Family?" said Hoofstadter contemptuously. "They allowed your family to be murdered-"
He jumped as Hunter slammed his hand down on the conference table. Slowly, the cop stood. He met their eyes.
He'd spent long hours thinking of what to do about this.
What Hoofstadter said was true. Humanity had cast him out, all because he had been trying to do the right thing.
But Pritchard was right. He could no more turn his back on humanity than he could on his whole past, his whole future. The flaws of humanity were his flaws. Arrogance. Fear. Even hate.
The virtues were his as well. Hope. Resilience. Love.
"You are not my family," he said to Pritchard. The human frowned, as Hoofstadter started to smile. He turned his gaze to the antelope. "At least, not alone. We're-" he made a gesture including all of them, including the humans and the mammals- "all intelligent beings. We make our own choices. We make our own truths. And we make our own families."
He turned to look at the three ZPD mammals next to him. A fox. A rabbit. A mongoose. "These three aren't my species. But they are my family. The only family I have left."
Nick coughed and looked away, but Judy and Tavi smiled at him. Both had tears in their eyes.
He looked at the diplomats again. "I've made my decision. Prometheus?"
"Yes, commander?"
"Reset commander. Authorization code Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Alpha One Six."
Pritchard went pale, his eyes wide. "Hunter, what are you doing-"
"Authorization code accepted. Designate new commander."
"Commander is set to Judy Hopps."
The bunny's eyes widened, her ears standing straight up. "Hunter! What are you doing?" she hissed.
"Acknowledged. Greetings, Commander Judy Hopps."
Hunter smiled down at her. "Come on, Judy. You know you're the most responsible one among us."
Nick frowned. "Hey!" he protested.
"Seriously, Nick?"
"Um-"
"Just let it go, fox." He turned back to her. "I trust you," he said quietly. He turned back to the conference table.
Humans and Terrans stared at him in shock. Pritchard's jaw worked, but nothing came out. Hoofstadter didn't seem to know whether to be pleased or worried. Oakes had his head cocked to one side, considering him.
"So it's like this," said Hunter. He leaned back in his chair, hands pillowing his head. "The Terrans now have the ancient war-machine of death. That means that any peace you two make-" he indicated the two lead diplomats- "will have to be one of equals."
For a long moment, Pritchard and Hoofstadter looked at one another. Finally, grudgingly, Pritchard nodded.
"Perhaps, councilor, we should start over..."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Octavius looked up as Hunter entered the room.
The ZPD headquarters was still a bit of a wreck. Most of the debris had been cleared up, and the most damaged walls repaired, but this interrogation room was a mess. The one-way glass was cracked, the lighting flickered, and the temperature uncomfortably cool. Hunter sat down in front of him.
"What do you want, Mr. Hunter?" asked the Drex wearily.
"So I just found out what Octavius meant," said Hunter conversationally. "Eighth."
"Congratulations," said the Drex, bored. "You now know some very basic Latin."
"And more importantly, it means you were eighth in line for control of the government," continued Hunter.
Octavius snapped his eyes up, but said nothing.
Hunter held up his hands, with eight fingers extended. "Seventh was already dead." One finger went down. "Primus was on the Imperator." Another finger went down.
Octavius frowned. "Primus is dead?"
"So is Sextus, Octo-man." Another finger. "And you want to know where the rest of the government was?"
One by one, Hunter lowered the rest of his fingers. Leaving one.
It was also the middle finger, which Hunter likely considered a plus.
"They were also on the fleet, Octavius. Leaving you in charge of the Drex government." Hunter leaned closer. "Care to comment?"
"As your prisoner, I can't be in charge," said Octavius. "This whole discussion is moot. The next in line will take over."
"But they will listen to you when you return," said Hunter.
Octavius froze, barely able to believe what he had heard. "When I return-?"
"We're letting you go," confirmed Hunter. "But not empty handed."
"Meaning what?"
Hunter held up a binder. "These are the terms for our peace offer. Take them or leave them." He smiled. "I suggest you take them."
"What if we don't?" asked Octavius, gingerly taking the binder. "What then?"
"Then I let the bunny off the chain," said Hunter.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The atmosphere in the coffee shop was subdued, though it had miraculously avoided any damage during the Drex invasion. Normal life in Zootopia hadn't completely come back yet, though there were occasional signs of renewal.
Hunter sipped his coffee and studied the crossword. "Four letter word, goat with long, curved horns."
"Ibex," said Tavi, Judy, and Nick simultaneously.
Hunter frowned. "Thought that was an oryx."
"Those are completely different mammals," said Judy, rolling her eyes.
Hunter gave her a sidelong look as he wrote in the answer. "Whatever. Any calls?"
Judy shook her head. "I guess even the criminals are a bit shell-shocked right now."
"Well, at least that's one good thing about war," said Hunter. "I get to enjoy my coffee in peace."
Nick shook his head. "That's both wrong and vaguely psychopathic, Hunter."
"I'll take 'vaguely psychopathic'." He glanced at Tavi. "What's wrong?"
She had been staring at her coffee, not saying a word. "Nothing."
The other cops exchanged looks. "Tavi, something's up. Spill."
The mongoose idly stirred her coffee for the fifteenth time. She still hadn't taken a sip. "It's just- I've been thinking about what Prometheus said. About not having free will."
"Oh, boy," muttered Nick. "It is way too early in the morning to be having a philosophical conversation, Anila."
"But what if it's true? What if everything we do is just sort of programmed in?" Tavi looked up at them, her eyes wide. "I mean, maybe having this conversation right now is just what we're programmed to do, for example?"
Nick nodded decisively. "Then I won't have it. There, sorted. Moving on."
"And maybe you not wanting to discuss it is what you're programmed to do," said Judy dryly. She looked at Tavi. "You realize how circular the argument is, though, right? Whether we choose one thing or another, the reason we chose it is because we were programmed to."
"Technically that's more like begging the question," said Nick.
They all looked at him in surprise.
"I read, dammit."
"Listen, rookie," said Hunter. "The reality of it is that we really can't say whether what we do is free will or programming. But you couldn't possibly live your life if you thought your actions were predetermined by your physical makeup. Whether free will exists or not, we have to believe in it. There's no other way to live."
"But what if it's not true?" she asked.
"Then it's a lie that we have to believe. Like the idea that bunnies and foxes could get along. That mammals could create a city together. That humans and other mammals could form an alliance." He held up the newspaper, which prominently displayed a headline.
"HUMANS AND MAMMALS TO FORM MAMMAL ALLIANCE"
"Life is uncertain. The only certainty we have is death. I would say taxes, but that's not always true in certain mammals' cases," he said, looking pointedly at Nick, who adopted an innocent expression.
"But if we live as if death was the only truth, we wouldn't live at all. So we have to choose lies- certainties- to believe in. Things like truth, justice, love. Things that are worth dying for." He shrugged. "Things that are worth living for."
Judy nodded slowly. "It's not about the truths, you're saying. It's about what we want to make true, what truths we make."
"Like, for instance, that bunnies can be cops." Hunter nodded. "Though there are certain things that are true, that we can enjoy."
"What do you mean?" asked Tavi.
He swept his arm to indicate the table. "That we're together, right now. That we're safe. That we're having pretty decent coffee. That the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and there aren't any calls holding. Those are all things that are both true, and something we can enjoy." He leaned back and finished his coffee.
"Dispatch to Delta Three three." Hunter's unit numbers.
He sighed. "Of course, nothing good ever lasts forever." He keyed his mike. "What is it, Clawhauser?"
"Suspicious mammal, Twenty Sixteen Mayfield. Caller says there are two wolverines that look like they're about to rob a coffee shop."
Hunter frowned. "Isn't that this address?"
The door flew open behind them. "Nobody move!" shouted a wolverine with a mask covering his muzzle. "This is a robbery." They didn't seem to see the four cops- their booth was off to the side and not in direct line of sight.
"Looks like there's one other truth," said Tavi as she stood up.
Hunter, Nick and Judy followed suit. "Yeah, what's that?" asked Hunter.
Tavi grinned. "Someone picked the wrong coffee shop to rob."
Author's Note: And we are done.
It's been a heck of a ride. Frankly, I never imagined I'd write something like 250,000 words (I'm guessing, not sure that's accurate) on this sort of thing. I'd never have done it without the support of all you guys.
Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions. In particular, I'd like to note CaptainPrice79 and Erinnyes01 for their support and reviews- you guys were great.
As you may have guessed, this is it, folks. As much as I've enjoyed writing this, it was chiefly practice. I do intend to become a published author, and ideally I'd like to get my first book published by the end of the year (New Year's resolution, in fact). That means I need to concentrate on saleable material. Fanfic is fun, but it won't pay the bills.
A few things I want to note. First, again, thanks to everyone who commented and reviewed. I fear I haven't responded to all of you, but I have read all reviews and appreciated each and every one. It gave further impetus to my writing and so you can consider yourself partly responsible for the story in that respect. Hopefully that's a good thing.
Second, anyone who wants to write further in this universe is more than welcome to do so. It's fanfic, folks- it's all for fun. I think it might be interesting to read, for example, a military sci-fi in this setting where various mammals are working together as part of a military. That's just one idea, of course. I would like to read any and all such stories, so please consider dropping me a line if you do so.
Third, I am on Discord, CodeOne#5769. Feel free to hit me up for chat if you want.
Finally, I probably will not be returning to this anytime in the near future, but I might consider another short-arc story along the lines of Animal Cops or Sly, Not Subtle. Keep in mind that I am going to be focusing on my "real" writing, so it likely won't be anytime soon if I do. Basically, I figure if I hit a block on my current project I may write a short arc to break the block. It's worked before.
Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. All the best!
